INTERNATIONAL NEWS
9
PMI elects new head
The members of Plumbing Manufacturers International (PMI)
elected Nate Kogler president of the 2019 PMI Board of Directors
at PMI’s 44th annual meeting of the membership, held during
the PMI Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, at the end of 2018.
Director of product management at Bradley
Corporation, Kogler succeeds Pete Jahrling,
director: product engineering and intellectual
property at Sloan Valve Company, who served as
board president in 2017 and 2018. Jahrling will
continue to serve on the board as immediate past
president.
Kogler said PMI leadership will work to expand
educational opportunities for members and use new
technologies to share information. Collaboration will be
key, he said. “None of us is smarter than all of us. We
will build on the collective knowledge of our members
and on the power of our relationships. Engagement,
enthusiasm, and support will drive us.”
Jahrling noted the strong commitment of the board
members. “I enjoyed every minute of working with a
great group of people who served on the board beside
me,” Jahrling said. “It was an honour to serve as the
president of this healthy, dynamic, and forward-looking
organisation. I certainly benefited from the support and
guidance of my fellow board members.”
Joel Smith, director: new product engineering at
Kohler Co., was elected as vice-president, and
Todd Teter, vice-president and general manager:
US wholesale for Moen Inc., will serve as secretary/
treasurer.
Elected as directors at large were Chip Way, director
of OEM sales at Lavelle Industries, and Michael Miller,
director of product partnerships at LSP, who will serve
their terms through 2019.
Two new directors will serve two-year terms in
2019–2020. They are John Finch, principal engineer
at Masco Corporation, and Carol Baricovich, director:
global brand communications, government relations,
and marketing/business development at InSinkErator.
New app could change industry
Over the past few years, Uber has taken the world by storm, changing
the way many people commute. Now, a new app hopes to do the same
for anyone in the service industry.
Lytee is a new app that works in a similar way to Uber, but instead of ordering
rides, you are ordering skilled and unskilled workers. The app puts users in
touch with plumbers, electricians, IT specialists, and even people who are
willing to walk the dog or wait in long queues while you do other things.
Lytee allows users to tailor their request for help right down to gender and
language. The location function also means that like with Uber, you can find
someone who is just around the corner if things are urgent.
Lytee will initially launch in Zimbabwe, but the aim is to expand the app quickly
beyond that country’s borders.
www.plumbingafrica.co.za
Lytee co-founder Kuda Musasiwa explains that security checks and police
clearances have been obtained for the initial Lytees that will launch the app in
February, and that the company has also secured risk insurance.
Lytee is set to change how people interact with plumbers.
February 2019 Volume 24 I Number 12