Kristen R. Bayles

The Knoxville, Tennessee-based company has been in business for 16 years, and is expanding beyond plumbing to add heating and air services. For owner Jamie Foster, that growth presented an opportunity to rethink the company’s longtime branding.

Three of the four storage water heater categories posted year-over-year monthly increases: residential gas rose 6.7%, residential electric increased 0.8% and commercial electric jumped 10.9%. Commercial gas was the exception, declining 5%.

For Nyad, success is not measured by removing operators from the process. It is measured by giving more operators access to the kind of guidance that has traditionally depended on who happened to be on shift.

Today's plumbing professionals do far more than repair broken pipes. By connecting homeowners with trusted restoration partners early in the process, they can help minimize structural damage, preserve irreplaceable belongings and guide customers through one of the most stressful events they may ever experience. 

While project stakeholders maintain that closeout on a development of this scale can take months, and in some cases years, the mounting number of mechanics' liens underscores the financial strain unresolved payment disputes can place on specialty contractors and subcontractors.

Water doesn’t care about travel plans or escaping the Alabama heat, or whether the right contractor is available before Monday morning. It finds the weak point, and if that weak point goes unnoticed long enough, a small issue can become a much bigger one.

The latest numbers indicate that residential demand remains under pressure, particularly for electric storage water heaters, while commercial shipments present a more mixed picture. 

At a time when supply chains, workforce development and economic resilience remain top concerns, many manufacturers are reaffirming their commitment to producing products in the United States. Beyond supporting local jobs, domestic operations can offer greater quality control, shorter lead times, closer collaboration between engineering and production teams, and stronger connections to customers and distribution partners.

For many contractors, heat pump water heaters still feel like a niche product; something tied more closely to rebates, energy programs or high-efficiency upgrades than to everyday water heater replacement work. But, according to Gregg Holladay of Bradford White, that perception is about to change quickly.