Our 2026 Sales Meeting delivered two packed days of hands-on learning, manufacturer insights, and new product discovery across the facility maintenance industry. This year’s Sales Meeting consisted of two parts: Tabletop Meetings featuring 12 manufacturers and rep agencies, and Group Presentations from Oasis, Watts Water Technologies, and Burns Manufacturing. Throughout the event, our team explored new products, emerging technologies, and practical solutions that help customers maintain, upgrade, and improve their facilities. Read on to explore the diverse manufacturers and product lines we represent, and see the value our sales team brings through continuous training, hands-on learning, and a commitment to staying current with the latest industry solutions.
In between meeting with our selection of manufacturers included in this year’s meeting, our team attended a Pirates game for a fun night out at picturesque PNC Park, where the Pirates defeated the Chicago Cubs 12-1. We also hosted a BBQ gathering outside our headquarters, giving everyone an opportunity to connect, exchange ideas, and enjoy a few rounds of corn hole – thanks Dee Jay’s BBQ Ribs & Grill – very tasty!
A special thank you to our sponsors, Watts Water Technologies and Sloan Valve Company for helping make our outing to the Pirates game possible. Your support made it a memorable experience for the entire team and is greatly appreciated.
The tabletop portion of the meeting provided attendees with direct access to manufacturers and product experts. In a more conversational setting, our team was able to ask questions, see product demonstrations, discuss customer challenges, and learn about new offerings across a wide range of facility maintenance categories. The sessions covered everything from lighting and plumbing products to HVAC tools, window hardware, restroom partitions, and specialty chemicals.
Day 1: Tabletop Meetings
The Tabletop Meetings occurred on Day 1. We divided up our sales team into small groups that met with manufacturers for short presentations. This structure allowed manufacturers to tailor their content and highlight the most relevant products for the specific verticals represented by each group of reps.
The following manufacturers were our tabletop presenters:
- SATCO
- Wheeler-Rex
- Morris Group: Acorn Controls, Safety Manufacturing, Murdock – presented by SF Sales
- Olympia Pioneer Industries
- Sunbury Controls
- DiversiTech & Klein Tools – presented by EPIC Sales Group
- Strybuc Industries
- General Partitions
- Sloan
- McGuire Manufacturing
- Utility Wonder Products
- Chicago Faucets
Read on for what each Tabletop Presenter reviewed with our team:
SATCO – Brian Wise
Overview: Focused on lighting solutions, inventory support, energy-efficiency programs, and rebate opportunities.
Items Covered:
- Customer-specific mini brochures and sales support materials.
- Fast shipping options, including 24-hour shipment for many non-stock items.
- Case quantity requirements for larger lighting products.
- New product development with hundreds of new items introduced annually.
- Lighting solutions for housing authorities and educational facilities.
- Network-controlled lighting systems that help schools reduce energy consumption.
- School funding opportunities for lighting upgrades.
- Utility rebate programs, including instant and prescriptive rebates.
- Discussion of LED lifecycle expectations and advancements in LED technology.
- Benefits of LED lighting versus fluorescent lamps.
Wheeler-Rex – Dave Gustafson & Dan Verdi
Overview: Highlighted specialty pipe tools, threading equipment, and products designed for professional plumbing and industrial applications.
Items Covered:
- Popular Pipe Hog product line.
- Shipping policies and lead times for specialty equipment.
- Exclusive Wheeler-Rex manufacturing capabilities.
- Large-capacity pipe threading, cutting, and grooving equipment.
- Applications in data centers, oil and gas, and industrial facilities.
- Close-quarters pipe cutting solutions.
- Portable electric pipe threading equipment with self-oiling capabilities.
- Pipe reaming and deburring tools for copper and stainless-steel piping.
- Products designed for productivity and field portability.
Morris Group – Scott Fitzgerald of SF Sales and Mark Marini of Jay R. Smith
Overview: Presented Morris Group product offerings with a focus on Acorn Engineering Company products, Jay R. Smith Manufacturing plumbing products, and Murdock Manufacturing bottle fillers and filters
Items Covered:
- Acorn sinks and control products.
- Heavy-duty wall carrier systems for restricted-space installations.
- Space-saving water closet support systems.
- High-load support capabilities for commercial applications.
- Murdock customization programs.
- Custom color matching using Pantone standards.
- Custom logo and branding opportunities for drinking fountains and related products.
- Design assistance and quick turnaround for custom graphics.
Pioneer Industries – Jeff Barriere & Casey Devlin of J.B. O’Connor
Overview: Focused on repair and replacement plumbing components that offer value without sacrificing quality.
Items Covered:
- Hand showers, hoses, faucets, and shower valves.
- Quick-ship opportunities on stocked products.
- Flexible bubbler heads and bottle filler components.
- Shower head replacements and repair parts.
- Spouts, grid drains, and maintenance items.
- Budget-friendly Olympia builder-grade brand for alternative residential and commercial faucets
- Products suited for maintenance and retrofit applications.
Sunbury Controls – Jesse Smyers
Overview: Reviewed measurement, monitoring, and system protection products for plumbing and mechanical systems.
Items Covered:
- Ultrasonic clamp-on flow meters for monitoring water usage.
- Portable flow measurement solutions for plumbers and contractors.
- Pressure gauge selection best practices.
- Steam protection devices for pressure gauges.
- Vibration and shock protection accessories.
- Test plugs and commissioning products.
- Pocket thermometers and gauge adapters.
- Lead-free brass valves.
- Pressure regulator adjustments to reduce water hammer issues.
DiversiTech & Klein Tools – Cory Hook from EPIC Sales Group
Overview: Covered HVAC maintenance products, thermostats, and multi-purpose professional tools.
Items Covered:
- DiversiTech HVAC maintenance and installation products.
- CoilJet cleaning systems for rooftop HVAC equipment.
- Drain line protection and overflow prevention products.
- Combined drain line cleaning and safety switch solutions.
- Thermostat upgrade opportunities ranging from mechanical to Wi-Fi models.
- Recommendations to pair thermostat upgrades with HVAC replacements.
- Klein multi-function hand tools.
- Tool systems designed to replace multiple individual tools.
- Rechargeable lighting solutions and magnetic retrieval tools.
- Summer promotional opportunities and product education resources.
Strybuc Industries – Pete Pierangeli
Overview: Specialized in replacement window and door hardware, including hard-to-find and obsolete parts.
Items Covered:
- Extensive inventory of window and door hardware components.
- Window balances, patio door rollers, and screen materials.
- Support for obsolete and discontinued parts.
- Identification process for replacement window balances.
- Resources for determining correct replacement components.
- Screen repair materials and sizing guidance.
- Window Opening Control Devices (WOCDs) for code compliance.
- Specialized window repair tools.
- Frameless shower door replacement components.
- Maintenance-focused repair solutions.
General Partitions – Shane McChesney
Overview: Reviewed commercial restroom partition systems and material options.
Items Covered:
- Introduction of new 70 Series pedestal-style partition systems.
- Powder-coated steel partitions with anti-graffiti options.
- Stainless steel partition solutions.
- HDPE partition systems popular in schools and universities.
- Solid phenolic and ColorThru phenolic materials.
- Benefits and applications of various partition materials.
- Domestic manufacturing capabilities and product sourcing.
Sloan – Steve Callahan and Bill Poling from The Joyce Agency
Overview: Focused on fixture controls, electronic faucets, and integrated restroom solutions.
Items Covered:
- New unified control box platform for electronic faucet lines.
- Improved adaptability and simplified maintenance.
- Hand dryers, soap dispensers, and faucet coordination.
- New faucet series and restroom fixture updates.
- Streamlined electronic faucet control systems.
McGuire Manufacturing – Matt Blute
Overview: Highlighted commercial plumbing trim, ADA solutions, and fixture protection products.
Items Covered:
- Extensive lavatory trim product offering.
- Stops, supplies, drains, and repair components.
- Heavy-duty brass traps and stop valves.
- Vandal-resistant trap solutions.
- ADA-compliant ProWrap protection systems.
- Components included in ADA compliance kits.
- Full-term brass stem stop valves.
- Fixture-level backflow protection technologies.
- Convertible stop valve handle options.
- Commercial maintenance, repair, and operations (CMRO) applications.
Utility Wonder Products – Audie Kranz
Overview: Reviewed domestically manufactured plumbing chemicals and maintenance products.
Items Covered:
- Broad line of plumbing and maintenance chemicals.
- Trap seal products.
- Drain cleaning solutions.
- Soldering flux products.
- Thread sealants.
- Silicone spray lubricants.
- Drain and grease cleaning products.
- Silicone grease applications.
- Long-standing domestic manufacturing capabilities.
Chicago Faucets – Scott Dolgos
Overview: Focused on faucet technology, thermostatic mixing valves, and cross-connection prevention.
Items Covered:
- Faucet manufacturing and product development.
- Universal cartridge and stem platform design.
- Ceramic and quarter-turn cartridge options.
- Thermostatic mixing valves for anti-scald protection.
- Best practices for pairing mixing valves with faucets.
- Cross-connection prevention solutions.
- Check valves designed to prevent hot-to-cold water crossover.
- Stop valves with integrated check functionality.
- Solutions for pressure buildup and system protection.
After a full day of tabletop discussions, the meeting shifted to in-depth presentations from three manufacturers that took a deeper dive into emerging industry trends and technologies. These larger sessions focused on drinking water solutions, hot water temperature management, and architectural door hardware, giving attendees a broader understanding of how evolving products can improve safety, maintenance efficiency, and building performance.
Day 2: Full Group Presentations
Oasis – Will Simms
Overview: Oasis highlighted new bottle filling technologies, simplified maintenance, and filtration solutions for commercial, educational, healthcare, and construction applications.
Key Topics Covered:
- New black bottle filling stations.
- Top-access filter replacement system.
- VersaFilter III filtration technology.
- Construction-site bottle fillers with foot-pedal operation.
- Outdoor-rated bottle filling stations.
- Shift from bubblers to bottle fillers.
- QUASAR UV-C technology for waterborne bacteria control.
- Universal rough-in designs.
- Mechanical units that operate during power outages.
- All bottle fillers becoming filter-ready as standard.
- School startup maintenance recommendations.
Watts Water Technology – Casey Devlin from J.B. O’Connor
Overview: Focused on water temperature control, thermostatic mixing valves, and digital hot water management solutions.
Key Topics Covered:
- Thermostatic mixing valve technology.
- Paraffin wax temperature regulation systems.
- Master mixing valve applications.
- Intellistation 2 digital mixing platform.
- Remote monitoring and temperature tracking.
- Legionella prevention strategies.
- Point-of-use mixing valves.
- Diagnostic cartridge and maintenance features.
- Three-port and four-port valve configurations.
- Troubleshooting water temperature issues.
Burns Manufacturing – Jim Burns
Overview: Presented commercial door hardware, wall protection products, and custom architectural solutions manufactured primarily in the U.S.
Key Topics Covered:
- Architectural door hardware products.
- Custom-sized kick plates and armor plates.
- Corner guards and wall protection.
- New three-sided wall cap systems.
- Manual flush bolts for metal and wood doors.
- Security door guards and door viewers.
- Floor stops and door protection hardware.
- Hands-free door pull solutions.
- Antimicrobial coating options.
- Fast lead times and custom manufacturing capabilities.
As another successful sales meeting comes to a close, we leave with new product knowledge, stronger manufacturer relationships, and a deeper understanding of the challenges our customers face every day. From facility-wide lighting upgrades and hard-to-find repair parts to innovative drinking water systems, plumbing controls, and maintenance solutions, our manufacturing partners continue to provide the products and expertise that help keep facilities running smoothly. We look forward to putting what we’ve learned into practice and helping our customers find the right solutions for their next project.
Be sure to follow Equiparts on YouTube for additional videos from the 2026 Sales Meeting, including product demonstrations, manufacturer highlights, and behind-the-scenes content that we’ll be sharing in the coming weeks. Stay connected to see even more of the innovative products and solutions featured throughout this year’s event.
