Blau Plumbing Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Jim Blau remembers one of the first plumbing trucks his father, Frank Blau Jr., owned.

Jim Blauremembers one of the first plumbing trucks his father,

Frank Blau Jr., owned.

“I remember cleaning the tools out of the old Suburban so we could put the seats back in the truck and go to church on Sunday,” Blau says.

The Milwaukee, Wis.-based company has come a long way since the days of being located next to John’s Barber Shop where Jim, the current president of Blau Plumbing Inc., used to count inventory in the warehouse basement at night.

Blau Plumbing, which operates under “Blau Sudden Service” on Milwaukee’s northwest side, celebrated its 50th anniversary Feb. 1. The company was founded in 1960 by Frank Blau Jr., who later was the driving force behind the formation of what is now known as the Nexstar Network in 1992.

“We’re humbled by the accomplishment,” Jim Blau tellsPM. “We’re thankful for the loyalty of our customers and the hard work of the hundreds of people that have been employed here over the years. We’re also thankful, without question, for the inspired leadership of Frank andEd Blau(Frank’s brother). We hope we can have another 50 years.”

Jim Blau, who says ideas to celebrate the benchmark are being discussed, runs the company with his brother,Bob(vice president). Frank Blau Jr., a longtime champion of superior customer service in the industry, was namedPM’s “Most Influential Contractor of the Past 25 Years” in the March 2009 issue and wrote a monthly column in the magazine for many years. Now 80, he is retired but serves in an advisory capacity and maintains an office at the company headquarters.

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Blau Plumbing Inc.

Mike Miazga (former group editorial director for BNP Media’s Plumbing Group) is now the vice president of sales/membership at the American Supply Association (ASA). Supply House Times is proud to be the official publication and brand of the ASA — a relationship that spans more than a decade.

Mike’s relationship with BNP Media and the Plumbing Group continues today. He now writes a monthly ASA-focused column for Supply House Times and acts as an editorial consultant to BNP Media’s Plumbing Group.

In his 10-plus years at BNP Media, Miazga was senior editor of Plumbing & Mechanical and PM Engineer before taking over chief editor duties at Supply House Times in 2011. In addition to his role as editorial director, Miazga continued as Supply House Times chief editor and the editor of the American Supply Association’s PVF Outlook eNewsletter. He also enjoyed three stints as PM Engineer’s chief editor, holding dual roles as Supply House Times and PM Engineer chief editor on two occasions.

Miazga started his career in newspapers at the age of 19 and has more than 25 years of newsroom, management, editorial and public/media relations experience, and is a former high-school baseball and golf head varsity coach. Mike and his family are still based out of the Chicago area (with ASA Headquarters in Itasca, Illinois). You can reach Mike at PlumbingGroup89@gmail.com.