∎ Aquatherm North America hired Larry Hope as an area manager covering Alberta Canada, for the polypropylene piping company. Hope worked in the plumbing and heating wholesale industry for almost 20 years at the Red Deer, Alberta, branches of Crane Supply and the Westlund division of EMCO Corp.

∎ Watts appointed Dave Stitcher to the newly created position of business development manager — drains, West. Based in Arizona, Stitcher is responsible for the sale of Watts, Orion and BLUCHER brand drains in the Western United States.

∎ T&S Brass and Bronze Works named Albrecht Roelandts director of sales for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Russia and India.

∎ Alan Zanidean joined Axiom Industries as national sales manager for North America. Zanidean is responsible for increasing Axiom’s market presence through its independent rep network.

∎ Sonnhalter, a communications firm marketing to the professional tradesman in the construction, industrial and MRO markets, partnered with Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity for an eighth year during its annual Sonnhalter Tool Drive, which ran the month of August and collected $30,000 worth of tools and building materials. Since Sonnhalter began its efforts in 2010, it has collected more than $220,000 in donations. Among the trade industry participants were Gerber Plumbing Fixtures, Knipex Tools, Viega, Lakeside Supply and Wolff Bros.

∎ Uponor is now a four-time winner of the Partners of Choice Awards program, receiving an “A” ranking in both quality and service from Houston-based David Weekley Homes. Of the 200 companies assessed in the homebuilder’s supplier evaluation program, only 17 received an “A” ranking in both quality and service, Uponor noted. Weekley Homes is the largest privately-held home builder in the U.S.