News from the Territory

Prinson Sales, Inc. and Dick Johnson & Associates, Inc., two veteran independent factory sales agencies based in the Portland, Oregon area, jointly announce their intent to merge.

A new corporation will be formed and named Cascadia Sales Group, Inc. The corporate office of Prinson Sales,

Company associates will be Jim Pringle, Dennis Ferney, Tom Keller, Chuck Taunt, Mike Rippe and Glenn Stanley, operating from offices in Oregon, Washington and Montana.

For most, but not all factories represented by the new company, the sales territory served will remain: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, British Columbia and Alberta. The new company name is derived from a specific geographic zone named Cascadia, which includes much of the area of these states in the lower 48 and these two western Canadian provinces.

Cascadia Sales Group provides sales and marketing services for manufacturers and distributors of quality engineered products that measure, filter and control fluids. The two firms' success is built on 30 years of consultative selling, training and problem solving in the wholesale distribution, dealer and public agency markets.

More information is available by contacting their offices at (503) 684-4862 or (888) 795-9977.

Bradford White Corporation announced the signing of an agreement to purchase the Laars Heating Systems business from Water Pik Technologies, Inc.

"The acquisition is one in a series of focused moves we have made in recent years to continue growth and expand our appeal to the plumbing and HVAC industry," said Robert Carnevale, president and chief executive officer of Bradford White Corporation. He added that Laars Heating Systems Company will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bradford White.

The acquisition includes a manufacturing facility in Rochester, New Hampshire, and a distribution center in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. Bradford White will also open a new Laars Heating Systems sales office and distribution center in the Simi Valley area of California.

In recent years, Bradford White added two companies that brought new technologies and new offerings to their expanding product line - Niles Steel Tank Co. (manufacturer of large storage vessels) of Niles, Michigan, and Aero Environmental, Ltd. (manufacturer of oil-powered water heaters and power burners) of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. "Both have become important success stories for Bradford White and have benefited as a result of joining the Bradford White family," Carnevale said. "Each has added employees and increased their manufacturing capabilities significantly." In the case of Niles Steel Tank, a new, much larger facility was purchased for the current operation and to ensure space for future expansion.

Bradford White Corporation is a full-line manufacturer of residential, commercial and industrial products for water heating, space heating, combination heating and storage applications. The company is headquartered in Ambler, Pennsylvania, and has manufacturing facilities in Middleville, Michigan; Niles, Michigan and Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Visit the Eaars Heating System web site at www.laars.com.

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