People in the News

Uponor North America (Uponor) has been honored again with two Governor’s Safety Awards by the Minnesota Safety Council. In recognition of its exceptional occupational safety and health initiatives throughout 2022, the company’s Apple Valley campus won its fourth Governor’s Safety Award since 2015 and the Uponor Lakeville Distribution Center won its third award.

Left to right: Tom Ryan, supervisor, Warehouse; Jason Vanasek, area lead, Distribution; Nate McIntosh, director, Logistics and Warehousing; Lucas Binger, area lead, Distribution; Jon Sillerud, VP, Integrated Supply Chain; Ryan Fleser, director, Quality and EHS; and Paul Serafini, manager, Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS).

The annual Governor’s Safety Awards, which date back to 1934, measure safety performance against national averages in a company’s respective industry. Nominees complete a Safety Program Evaluation Scorecard, which was developed by a team of experienced safety professionals from organizations that are members of the Minnesota Safety Council. The program recognizes three levels of winners: Meritorious Achievement, Outstanding Achievement, and Award of Honor.

The Uponor Lakeville Distribution Center received an Outstanding Achievement Award for the third consecutive year, while the company’s Apple Valley campus earned a second consecutive Meritorious Achievement award. In total, Uponor has now won seven Governor’s Safety Awards since 2014.

“This recognition by the Minnesota Safety Council is a perfect reflection of our team’s commitment to the safety, health, and wellbeing of our colleagues across the organization,” said Andres Caballero, president, Uponor North America. “As a seven-time recipient of this award, our employees make safety their highest priority, never compromising the health of themselves or their colleagues. It is because of this commitment that Uponor continues to be a shining example of what great safety standards look like in the manufacturing space.”

The Minnesota Safety Council was founded in 1928 and is dedicated to improving the quality of life in Minnesota by preventing unintentional injuries on the road, at work, at home, and in the community. To see a list of all award recipients, visit MinnesotaSafetyCouncil.org.

Uponor North America (Uponor) announced Anna Picchetti as the new Vice President of Marketing & Strategy, effective May 8, 2023. In her role, Anna will oversee Channel Marketing, Portfolio, Analytics, Sustainability, Segment, Engagement, Brand, and Communications. She will report to Uponor North America President Andres Caballero and be a key member of the company’s Senior Management Committee.

Anna joins Uponor with 20 years of experience in Marketing and Operations across industrial, technology, and medical device industries. She brings a wealth of experience developing forward-thinking strategies with a strong track record of execution at industry-leading brands such as Tennant, SPS Commerce, and Honeywell. She has worked at the forefront of innovations like autonomous vehicles and renewable energy, managed high-growth SaaS products and positioning, and transformed customer experiences.

“To help us move our business and aggressive growth goals forward, it was important we found a senior leader who can lead market disruption and drive innovation and segment growth initiatives all while guiding channel development, portfolio management, and go-to-market strategies,” says Caballero. “I’m confident Anna’s approachable leadership style will be a good cultural fit, as she has a proven track record of engaging teams by intentionally listening, learning, and setting clear expectations and outcomes.”

Anna earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. She is a member of the Women United Committee for the Greater Twin Cities United Way chapter and is also a member of Chief, a network for women in the C-Suite as well as senior executives and vice presidents. In addition, she is a USA Hockey-certified coach with a local youth hockey program.

For information about Uponor products, systems, services, and solutions, visit uponor.com.

The Brooklyn home service company says that jobs in their industry are in abundance and compensation is good

Petri Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Drain Cleaning, a family-owned home service company serving Brooklyn and Manhattan since 1906, is celebrating National Skilled Trades Day on May 3 by encouraging young people to consider the home service, manufacturing and construction industries as a career choice.

“For years, we’ve told students that they need to go to college if they want to have an exciting and well-paid career, and that’s not always true,” said Michael Petri, owner of Petri Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Drain Cleaning. “But the truth is that college isn’t for everyone. Some people simply want to go into a profession where they can start earning money, find steady work and good pay without having to put themselves in debt to get a degree. And, now, with Baby Boomers retiring in record numbers, there are more jobs opening in the skilled trades industry than can be filled.”

According to a State of Home Services study, 52% of home service recruiters have had difficulty hiring compared to 30% of recruiters in other professions.

Petri said that the industry needs to recruit more at the middle and high school levels to let teenagers know that they can attend trade school after high school for much less than the cost of a typical four-year college.

“Trade school is usually less expensive, and you can start earning money in a shorter amount of time than you can by graduating from a typical university,” he said. “And, on top of that, most skilled trades workers earn more at their first jobs than college graduates. Sending your kids to trade school can result in less student debt and higher earnings.”

Petri said that parents, educators and government officials should push to introduce more young people to the skilled trades industry.

“Whether it’s working in the HVAC or plumbing industries, building homes or cutting hair, these are jobs that can’t be outsourced,” he said. “These are the people we call to fix our homes, our cars and our appliances. These are the industries that hold our country together, and we should encourage more people to enter their ranks.”

For more information about Petri Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Drain Cleaning, visit https://www.petriplumbing.com/.

Hiller Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical (Hiller), the region’s premier provider of residential and commercial service and repair, is proud to announce a three-year, multi-faceted partnership with Middle Tennessee State University Athletics (MTSU).

Middle Tennessee State University, originally founded in 1911 as a two-year program for teachers as Middle Tennessee State Normal School, was designated as a four-year state college in 1943 by the General Assembly of the State of Tennessee, and advanced to university status in 1965. MTSU has since graduated over 149,000 students, offering over 300 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. MTSU has grown into an academic city sprawling across 500 acres and, in recent years, invested over $1.4B in campus improvements.

MTSU strives to foster a student-centered environment conducive to lifelong learning, personal development, and success, as well as promoting ongoing engagement with alumni, partners, and friends. A large part of fulfilling these missions is through its athletic department and corporate partnerships, like this new relationship with Hiller.

Hiller’s founder and the company’s namesake, Jimmy Hiller, is a native to the Greater Nashville area, who has developed the company alongside its local cities. Rutherford County has been a central and growing service area for Hiller for more than 15 years, with Hiller opening its third individual branch in Murfreesboro in 2007. For Hiller, a partnership of this magnitude with MTSU, who contributes so much to the local economy, infrastructure, and community at large, makes perfect sense.

“We are extremely excited and proud to partner with Middle Tennessee State University”, remarked Jimmy Hiller. “At Hiller, we attribute our growth to caring for the communities that we serve. MTSU provides so much support, infrastructure, camaraderie, and resources to the Murfreesboro community, so partnering with them is extremely meaningful to us. We have been fortunate to have seen the impacts of their efforts”, he continued, “Through our previous partnership with the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center, and we look so forward to expanding our involvement across other facets of this incredible institution.”

Lee De Leon, Deputy Athletic Director for External Affairs at Middle Tennessee State University, echoed these sentiments. “MTSU Athletics is thrilled to welcome Hiller Plumbing, Heating, Cooling and Electrical as a corporate partner. We look forward to a wonderful relationship”, he continued, “And know that MTSU fans will love their ‘Happy You’ll Be’ guarantee”.

Launched in 1990 with a single employee and just $500, Hiller has grown exponentially across the past three decades. Today, Hiller includes over 800 associates and 600 trucks across 16 locations and has responded to over 1.7M service calls across 7 states.