Training Seminars | Metropolitan Industries

March 8, 2013

Metropolitan joins Navien’s $2 million club

One of the primary ways Metropolitan has been able to raise Navien brand awareness is by hosting educational seminars.

As official representatives of Navien America in the territories of Illinois, northwest Indiana and eastern Missouri, Metropolitan supports a network of distributors within the Midwest in providing homeowners with the highest-quality tankless water heating equipment and related accessories.

Our wholesale division was recently awarded the distinction of selling over $2 million in Navien inventory, joining Navien’s exclusive “$2 Million Club.”

Metropolitan’s Navien wholesale manager Mark Brickey attributed a number of factors to Metropolitan’s success, the first being the quality of Navien heaters and combination units.

“One of the reasons our sales team has had such success with Navien is because Navien sets the standard in the tankless industry,” said Brickey. “Navien heaters and combination units are efficient and perform very well for end users, but what’s equally important is that Navien is committed to enhancing already great products whenever possible.”

One way in which Navien has improved its strong product base was the creation of the new NPE series heater. With features such as the ability to utilize half-inch existing gas lines and two-inch venting, and the inclusion of an operator interface to view set points and essential system information, and run diagnostics, Navien’s new NPE series heater has garnered much popularity.

“Navien displayed its commitment to persistent improvement when it introduced the NPE series heater,” said Brickey. “This new heater incorporates smart technology and comes with an abundance of new features our sales personnel can promote. It truly is a one-of-a-kind heater.”

Brickey said Metropolitan’s sales staff has made a concentrated effort to endorse Navien units and said the training conducted both at and away from Metropolitan has significantly raised both interest in the brand and overall sales.

“Not only will we routinely hold trainings on Navien models to operators and installers at our facility, we have our sales staff conducting additional trainings behind the scenes,” said Brickey. “Many times we’ll hold trainings after work hours at supply houses and contractor’s facilities. We’ve made a great effort to not only raise brand awareness, but ensure operators are familiar with units, are comfortable working with them and can adequately conduct service.”

Overall Brickey credits the hard work of Metropolitan’s sales staff as the chief reason why its partnership with Navien has achieved positive results.

“Selling over $2 million in inventory is quite a feat for our sales staff and we were able to achieve this largely due to their hard work,” said Brickey. “Particularly during this uncertain economic climate, it took a great deal of commitment and creativity on our end to create business, but we developed and executed the right strategy, and made it happen.”

For more information regarding Navien products, please contact a Metropolitan representative at 815-886-9200 or sales@metropoitanind.com.

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.

January 11, 2013

Future Navien NPE series trainings scheduled

Our recent Navien NPE series training, which took place in December of last year, was received very positively.

Due to the overwhelmingly positive reception from our most recent Navien NPE series training, Metropolitan is excited to announce two future trainings to take place in February.

The first will take place at the St. Louis, Mo. branch of Connor Co. on Tuesday, Feb. 5. The training will be held from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the branch location of 2374 Grissom Dr. Those interested in attending can contact Brandon Storm at 314-994-9799 to register.

The second will take place at Metropolitan Industries, Inc. on Thursday, Feb. 7. The training will begin promptly at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at 12:30 p.m. Metropolitan Industries is located at 37 Forestwood Dr. in Romeoville, Ill. Those interested in attending can visit www.ilceu.com to register.

Navien’s new NPE series heaters contain a number of new features and benefits, including a front panel command center with user interface, and the ability to utilize two-inch PVC venting and existing one-half-inch gas lines.

Space is limited, so please register in advance to learn more about this exciting new model.

December 6, 2012

Test lab critical in recent pressure reducing valves seminar

Metropolitan commercial sales manager Mike Ponx instructs attendees during our recent pressure reducing valves training seminar.

In an effort to educate our business partners on the workings of pressure reducing valves, we recently hosted a training seminar on the subject, with our state-of-the-art test lab playing a decisive role in its success.

Instructed by Metropolitan commercial sales manager Mike Ponx and long-time service technician Mike Ihnat, the course was designed to provide entry-level plumbers with a basic understanding of pressure reducing valves.

“At times, contactors will request training classes on pressure reducing valves for members of their organization that are unfamiliar with the function, design and maintenance of the equipment,” said Ponx. “This class provides significant benefits for those who attend, primarily because they’re able to operate on pressure reducing valves in our test lab.”

Ponx said courses typically being with a PowerPoint presentation in a classroom-type setting. The presentation covers the sizing, installation, positioning, operation, features and benefits of pressure reducing valves. The second portion of the course takes place in our test lab, where guests are given the opportunity to service pressure reducing valves in a controlled environment.

“The fact we can offer attendees the opportunity to operate, design and repair pressure reducing valves in a safe and monitored atmosphere makes the class truly uncommon,” said Ponx. “I’m not aware of too many other venues that can facilitate moving water, setting pressures, and handling the full tear down of this type of equipment all in a supervised fashion.”

Ponx said the setting ultimately creates a sense of comfort for participants, and that the hands-on aspect of the class best prepares them for field work.

“When you’re under pressure in the field, your thought process can get lost quickly if you aren’t very familiar with pressure reducing valves,” said Ponx. “We try to keep the course setting relaxed and strictly educational. This gives guests the opportunity to work at their own pace and ask any questions when complications occur.”

Led by Metropolitan service technician Mike Ihnat, guests were given the ability to operate on pressure reducing valves in our test lab.

Ponx said the end goal of the course is to ensure all guests leave with a better understanding of pressure reducing valves and are prepared to develop solutions for the challenges associated with the equipment in everyday field work.

“At the end of the day we’re trying to establish a level of familiarity between attendees and the pressure reducing valves they will be servicing,” said Ponx. “The setup we have in our test lab is absolutely critical, simply because this is where knowledge and comfort are truly attained. We keep these courses limited to around 10 to 12 guests, which gives everyone the worthwhile experience of working on equipment.”

Ponx said he recommends all attendees return for future sessions in order to retain all topics discussed throughout the course.

As pumping systems leaders, we are committed to providing training to industry professionals. We are more than happy to schedule training for pressure reducing valves and a variety of topics for all engineers, water/wastewater operators and others interested.

For more information regarding this course or to inquire about other training programs Metropolitan offers, please contact 800-323-1665 or sales@metropolitanind.com. For additional courses we provide, please visit www.ilceu.com.

November 9, 2012

New Navien tankless water heater introduced

Metropolitan will host training on the new series in early December.

As an official representative of Navien America, Metropolitan is at the forefront of innovations in tankless water heating technology.

For years we’ve supplied customers with energy-efficient Navien tankless water heaters and combination units designed to provide the premier hot water experience.

Making the Navien brand even more exciting is the introduction of the new NPE premium condensing gas tankless water heater, with new and advanced features making the unit truly the best choice in tankless.

Many of the new features are designed to reduce installation cost and time, make operation of units simple and intuitive, and provide a high-performance.

New heaters utilize existing one-half-inch gas lines, which Metropolitan salesperson Mark Brickey said makes installation of tankless water heaters easier than ever before.

“The NPE is the first tankless model that can utilize a home’s one-half-inch gas line for lengths up to 24 feet,” said Brickey. “Many tankless alternatives do not have this capability which may require the installation of any entirely new gas line. With the NPE series, units employ existing gas lines, saving customers time and cost.”

In addition to utilizing existing gas lines, NPE units come with two-inch PVC venting, a cost-effective option for installation.

“Because Navien units exhaust low gas temperatures, customers can use PVC, CPVC and Polypropylene vent systems, which can significantly reduce costs associated with installation,” said Brickey. “Systems can use two-inch venting for up to 60 feet, which often allows those installing units to apply without constructing additional holes.”

For ease of usability, a front panel command center with user-interface makes units easy to set, run diagnostics and view essential system information.

Lastly, intelligent preheating technology recognizes hot water usage patterns, adapting to your daily trends to provide hot water when needed.

“This intelligent sensing technology recognizes when users are likely to use hot water and will automatically heat water and deliver to your fixtures without any complex programming involved,” Brickey said.

As has always been the case with Navien heaters, an industry best warranty package is included with the new series. In residential applications, labor is backed for one-year, parts for five years and heat exchanger for 15 years. In commercial applications, labor is backed for one-year, parts for three years and heat exchanger for five years.

As industry leaders, we’re committed to providing training for installers to ultimately ensure end users get the most out of equipment. To show this commitment, we’ll be hosting training on December 11, 2012 for all interested in learning how to both service and install NPE units.

For more information regarding the Navien NPE series, please contact a Metropolitan representative at 800-323-1665 or sales@metropolitanind.com. To register for training, 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.