Continuing Education | Metropolitan Industries

January 25, 2013

2013 seminar schedule released

An important commitment to the many markets we serve is sharing our knowledge and expertise with water and wastewater operators, plumbers, design engineers, city officials and more to best prepare industry professionals for everyday field work.

After welcoming hundreds of guests to our facility for our number of training programs in 2012, we are pleased to announce our 2013 schedule, complete with many new courses designed to introduce and inform attendees of the latest industry technologies, has been finalized.

Six courses from last year are revitalized with new presentations and demonstrations, while three entirely new classes have been added to the schedule.

Two of our new classes pertain to commercial-plumbing applications, the first focusing strictly on the application, maintenance, operation and repair of pressure reducing valves.

“Our ‘A Discussion of Pressure Reducing Valves’ class offers participants the opportunity to operate, design and repair pressure reducing valves in a safe and monitored atmosphere, which makes the class truly uncommon,” said course instructor and Metropolitan commercial sales manager Mike Ponx. “I’m not aware of other venues that can facilitate moving water, setting pressures, and the full tear down of this type of equipment all in a supervised fashion.”

A second new commercial-plumbing offering details specific methods of improving the energy efficiency of various pumping systems in commercial buildings. Entitled “Energy Saving Strategies,” the program is intended to provide participants from facilities managers, contractors, owners and maintenance personnel an in-depth look at strategies to improve the overall efficiency of commercial pumping systems.

“With the technology at our disposal today, more and more techniques of improving the operation and energy efficiency of commercial systems are emerging,” said course instructor and Metropolitan commercial salesperson Kent Swanson. “As premier manufacturers of commercial pumping systems, we are at the forefront of these technologies, tirelessly bringing our business partners new ways to improve the performance of their equipment.”

Our final new seminar relates to two topics Metropolitan has recently acquired extensive familiarity in. The recent expansion of our commercial division has allowed us to supply and manufacture innovative mechanical equipment, and we’re proud to share this knowledge in our “Basics of Steam/Heat Transfer Applications” course.

“This course will primarily serve as an introduction to concepts in steam and heat transfer applications, covering everything from theory to operation,” said instructor and Metropolitan mechanical salesperson Mike Temes. “Though exploratory in nature, it has the potential to turn into a very lively course simply due to the surrounding capabilities Metropolitan has. We’re hoping these new topics will appeal to guests and bring new visitors to Metropolitan who may be unaware of our training services.”

As has always been the case with our training seminars, many satisfy state requirements for continuing education. All courses are free of charge and lunch is always provided.

Future dates will be arranged, so please check in at www.ilceu.com for updated schedules. All seminars are conducted at our facility in Romeoville, Ill.

For more information regarding seminars that qualify for continuing education, registration, times and how we can bring courses to your facility, please visit www.ilceu.com.

August 2, 2012

Recent Control and Pump Repair Class a Success

Mike Schiazzano instructs seminar attendees during a recent “Control and Pump Repair 101” course hosted at Metropolitan Industries, Inc.

Part of our commitment to the industries we serve is sharing our expertise with engineers, water/wastewater operators, city officials and more by conducting educational seminars tailored to provide attendees a full understanding of both new and existing technologies.

Many of the seminars we conduct satisfy state requirements for continuing education and are completely free of charge.

We recently held a seminar developed to educate pump industry professionals entitled “Control and Pump Repair 101.” Metropolitan’s Mike Schiazzano served as the course instructor and has been conducting the class for over 25 years. Schiazzano, who has over 30 years of experience in the pump industry, said the course was developed to give attendees a basic understanding of a submersible pump and control panel, and to discuss basic troubleshooting of equipment.

“When we first started the class in the 1980s, it was primarily conducted in the field,” said Schiazzano. “Since then, we’ve moved it to our facility and interest has skyrocketed due to the fact we can offer a more in-depth course on-site.”

Schiazzano said that moving the course to Metropolitan’s Romeoville, Ill.-based facility has given attendees the ability to operate on both a submersible pump and control panel firsthand with the end goal of preparing them for everyday field work.

“Though this seminar is introductory in nature, we have attendees physically working with pumps and control panels, which provides depth they would not experience in a simple classroom setting,” said Schiazzano. “We like to keep these classes limited to a small number of people so attendees can work with the equipment and the instructor one-on-one. The primary goal is for attendees to leave with a better understanding of equipment so if a problem does occur in the field, they’re prepared.”

Village of Wheeling, Ill. Utility Superintendent Jeff Wolfgram sent five members of the municipality to the recent course and said the village’s long-standing relationship with Metropolitan led to his decision to send the attendees.

Schiazzano demonstrates the workings of a control panel to Village of Wheeling, Ill. water operators.

“We’ve used Metropolitan to service our pumps and equipment, and have attended their seminars for years which has led to a sense of trust,” said Wolfgram. “Municipalities often rely on their suppliers to introduce new technologies and Metropolitan has done just that over the years.”

Wolfgram said the “Control and Pump Repair 101” seminar provides distinct advantages over other forms of training largely because it’s hosted at Metropolitan.

“What’s great about the course is that equipment can be ‘troubleshooted’ in a controlled environment,” said Wolfgram. “This type of setting can give attendees the ability to learn and experiment with equipment in a way they couldn’t in the field.”

Wolfgram said an overlooked benefit of Metropolitan seminars is the free price which can help attendees who may be facing a tight budget.

“Often times when municipalities are constructing a budget, training can get cut-out very quickly,” said Wolfgram. “The fact Metropolitan can not only provide worthwhile training for credit hours, but can do so at no charge is huge for us.”

While our “Control and Pump Repair 101” is designed to educate water operators, Metropolitan also offers courses designed for other professionals.

“The diversity among our seminars ensures anyone within the industries we serve can find something for them,” said Schiazzano. “We have courses that offer continuing education units for water operators and plumbers, and professional development hours for engineers, but what’s most important is that attendees can count on learning valuable information they can apply to their profession when they attend a seminar.”

For more information regarding Metropolitan’s seminars, please call 815-886-9200 or visit www.ilceu.com.