The Plumbing Manufacturers Institute (PMI) has announced the appointment of eight new committee chairs who will serve three-year terms beginning immediately. Mark Alan, vice president and general manager, The Chicago Faucet Co., will serve on the Fair Trade Issue Committee with current chair, Steve Tokarz, senior director, product engineering and development, Brass Craft; Ralph Herrbach, North American representative, Nikles Inter AG, will serve on the Trade Show Consolidation Committee with current chair Fred Luedke, president, NEOPERL, Inc.; Gary Israelson, product specialist manager, Elkay, will serve on the Universal Conformity Assessment Committee with current chair Michael Martinez, manager of product compliance, Price Pfister; John Watson, director of technical support services, Sloan Valve Co., will serve on the Water Conservation Committee with current chair Shabbir Rawalpindiwala, manager of codes and standards, Kohler Co.; Lee Mercer, director of product compliance, Moen, will serve on the Government Affairs Committee with current chair Jack Krecek, vice president and general manager, water cooler products, Elkay; Casey Hayes, engineering manager, Haws, will serve on the Technical Committee with current chair Pete DeMarco, director of compliance engineering, American Standard, Inc.; Joseph Dodd, manager of marketing and sales systems, Moen, will serve on the E-Business Issues and Opportunities Standing Committee with fellow new appointee, Darold Vredberg, Elkay.

In addition to these appointments, PMI announces the election of four new product committee chairs. The product committees elect leadership from within their ranks. The newly elected include: Larry Himmelblau, product compliance and testing coordinator, The Chicago Faucet Co., was elected as co-chair of the Faucet Product Group and will serve with current chair Sally Remedios, manager of product compliance for Delta Faucet Co.; Shabbir Rawalpindiwala, manager of codes and standards, Kohler Co., was elected as co-chair of the Fixture Product Group and will serve with current chair Ron Grabski, corporate vice president, Gerber Plumbing Fixtures, LLC; John Watson, director of technical support services, Sloan Valve Co., was elected as co-chair of the Flushing Device Product Group and will serve with current chair Steve Maple, vice president of engineering, Fluidmaster; Mark Bidinger, plant manager of faucet products, Elkay Manufacturing Co., was elected as co-chair of the Showerhead/Hand Shower Product Group and will serve with re-elected chair Ed Pilatowicz, director of engineering and product development, Price Pfister.

And, earlier this year, Rod Ward, president, Speakman Co., was appointed to serve as Treasurer of PMI's Board of Directors, and Walt Strader, vice president research and development/engineering HHI, Price Pfister, was appointed to PMI's Board of Directors as a Director at Large.