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Industry Update Niagara Named EPA WaterSense Partner For Worth, TX — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has named Niagara Conservation the 2013 WaterSense Manufacturer Partner of the Year. The company was honored during the WaterSmart Innovations Conference for its commitment to water efciency and outstanding eforts to support the WaterSense program during 2012. "All of our WaterSense partners have taken steps to reduce our nation's water use, but several stood out in 2012 for their commitment to the WaterSense program and collaborative efforts to promote WaterSense-labeled products, new homes and outreach and educational programs," said EPA's acting Assistant Administrator for Water, Nancy Stoner. "We are pleased to honor Niagara Conservation for their eforts that support our mission to protect the future of our nation's water supply." A primary reason the company was selected as 2013 WaterSense Manufacturer Partner of the Year is that more than 96 percent of Niagara's core product line of toilets, showerheads and faucet accessories were WaterSense labeled in 2012 – a nearly 10 percent increase compared to 2011. Another major initiative recognized by WaterSense was Niagara's new Green City program, which enables water utilities to offer their customers the opportunity to upgrade their plumbing fxtures to Niagara's Stealth System with no upfront costs. The Stealth System is comprised of the ultra-high-efciency 0.8 gallons per fush Stealth toilet, a low-fow BiMax showerhead and three low-fow faucet aerators, which are all WaterSense labeled. In addition to its collaborative measures, the company implemented online and social media strategies to take WaterSense's week-long program, Fix a Leak Week, to the next level with a "Finding Flo" scavenger hunt. During Fix a Leak Week, WaterSense's goal is to remind Americans to check their plumbing fxtures and irrigation systems to ensure they are not wasting water. Niagara's "Finding Flo" scavenger hunt was a unique activity that was created to raise awareness about wasting water while encouraging visitors to learn more about WaterSense initiatives. Through partner collaboration, social media and public relations eforts, as well as employee education, Niagara will continue to work to raise awareness about water conservation. "Niagara Conservation is honored to be recognized by EPA as its 2013 WaterSense Manufacturer Partner of the Year," states Bill Cutler, Niagara Conservation's president and CEO. "For more than 35 years, we have been dedicated to not only providing our customers with premier water and energy efciency products but also to raising public awareness about the importance of water conservation." Vent-A-Hood Honors Achievements Circle No. 9 on Product Card 16 | Kitchen & Bath Design News January 2014 Richardson, TX — Vent-A-Hood recently named Meadow Creek Sales, VentA-Hood of Georgia and Pinnacle Express as the recipients of its 2013 Sales Achievement Awards. "It's been a great year across our entire network," said Mark Klein, director of sales for Vent-A-Hood. "Our distributors have done an incredible job representing the Vent-A-Hood brand, increasing distribution of our range hoods in astounding numbers to their appliance dealers throughout their territories across North America." Kitchen appliance distributor Meadow Creek Sales, headquartered in Denver, saw sales amounting to 133 percent of Vent-A-Hood's year-to-date sales goal. Meadow Creek distributes Vent-A-Hood products over a large area, covering Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, southern Idaho and Montana. Based in Haines City, FL, Pinnacle Express sales were up 22 percent over last year. The company distributes Vent-A-Hood products across North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and parts of Virginia. Sales came to 122 percent of the company's year-to-date goal at Atlantabased Vent-A-Hood of Georgia. The distributor supplies Vent-A-Hood products across Georgia and Alabama.