CIPH celebrates 90th anniversary in Nfld

By Francesco Lo Presti & Leah Den Hartogh

“Looking good for 90 years old,” joked Martin Luymes, vice president of government and stakeholder relations for the Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI), during the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating’s (CIPH) annual business conference. Held from June 18 to 20 at the Delta in St John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, the conference offered more than 300 guests the chance to network, attend educational presentations, and celebrate being in the industry.

The theme for this year’s event was “Rock Solid after 90 Years,” as the association was celebrating its milestone anniversary in 2023. In its inception in 1933, the association was compromised with nine members. Since then, it has grown to include 280 company members and 700 wholesalers. In addition, the Saskatchewan region celebrates its 30th anniversary, the Quebec region celebrates its 55th anniversary, and the Maritime region also celebrates its 55th anniversary.

During the two-day conference, several past CIPH chair of the board presidents also reflected on their time with the association, submitting their thoughts into a video presented during the conference. This included Andrew Dyck, Sian Smith, Gord Becker, Paul McDonald and many others. “A couple of things come to mind; the first is our association’s ability to connect membership, and the second is ensuring that we are the voice of the Canadian plumbing and heating industry,” said Matt Robinson, chair of the board for 2022-2023 and vice president of B.A. Robinson.

During the conference, it was announced that David Hammond, vice president and general manager of Canada with A.O. Smith, will be its new national chair for 2023-2024. Hammond will serve as the 76th chair and received the gavel from the outgoing chair, Matt Robinson. “I’m not going to be used to be taken photos of,” joked Hammond, after receiving the official recognition for his new role as chair of the board.

During his speech, Hammond spoke on how he wants to continue collaborating with allied associations to present a strong, committed front regarding government advocacy positions around the harmonization of standards and codes with the U.S. and across Canada, as well as providing guidance in the nation’s pursuit of net zero goals for the built environment.

Ciao Ralph

The theme of this year’s conference was reflection due to the celebration of CIPH achieving 90 years of operation and the fact that this will be the last conference for Ralph Suppa, CIPH’s general manager and president, before he heads into retirement at the end of 2023.

“To all of our members from coast-to- coast-to-coast, thank you for your support and your investment in CIPH—without you, CIPH does not exist. I am so happy to have served you and continue to serve you. Some of you have been my friends since I began in 1988 and I met some of you on Sunday for the first time, and you are all wonderful individuals, and I hope our relationships will continue as I go forward,” said Suppa. “I thought I was going to be okay, but it's starting to hit me now.”

Appointed president and general manager in 2002, Suppa has played a key role in developing CIPH programs and services since joining the association in 1988 as program manager. During his time with CIPH, Suppa continuously worked to help harmonize codes and standards and establish collaboration and unity throughout the industry.

While summing up a 35-year career is difficult, Suppa was given flowers, gifts, and plenty of recognition. CIPH presented Suppa with the association’s highest distinction, its Honourary Life Member Award, to cap off the celebration. Filling the shoes of Suppa won’t be an easy task, but the association stated it has 150 resumes to sort through and hope to announce the next president in late summer/early fall.

Education and the industry

Featured speakers at the conference included Mark McCarthy, who provided stories about the history of Newfoundland; Janice Gross Stein, who delivered her presentation on the geopolitical structure and how it’ll affect Canadian business; Canadian Olympic curler Brad Gushue presented on the roadmap to a rock-solid team; Jennifer MénardShand presented on moving reconciliation forward, and comedian Mary Walsh gave a hilarious set of jokes that turned some heads as she started her performance stripping down to her knickers. No political party was left alone by Walsh, and she even had the crowd hooting and hollering at times.

The conference also featured a hydronics luncheon hosted by the Canadian Hydronics Council (CHC). Featured speaker Rob LeForte, founder of First Lake Solutions, walked some industry members through the CHC’s vision and mission of promoting the hydronics industry. In addition, he provided an update on the political climate.

CIPH acknowledged several industry members’ contributions to the industry. Sean Kelly, vice president and general manager of Emco Corp, and Michael Saragosa, director of procurement at Noble Corp, received the Outstanding Service Award.

The Golden Leaf Award was presented to Dahl Valve Limited, while the CHC’s Award of Merit was given to Lance MacNevin, director of engineering for the building and construction division at the Plastics Pipe Institute.

Sian Smith, general manager of Riptide Fulfillment Corp, was awarded the second-ever CIPH Women of Distinction Award. CIPH also awarded Dave Edison, president of Dave Edison Agency Ltd, with an Honourary Life Membership.

While there was a lot of recognition and work to be had during the conference, guests could also thoroughly enjoy the Newfie way of life. CIPH hosted a “Rally in the Alley,” which saw conference guests get screeched-in, learn traditional Irish dances, and sing along to some local Newfoundland songs. The conference also had activities that included touring the Blackhead Trail and Bird Island, fishing, a tour of St. John’s and Cape Spear, and morning yoga. A formal banquet dinner and a golf tournament were also held.

The next CIPH annual business conference will take place in Kelowna, B.C., from June 16 to 18, 2024.