Six top executives from Plumbing Manufacturers International (PMI) member companies have been named to the association's Strategic Advisory Council.

The executives are Andres Caballero, president, Uponor North America; Jill Ehnes, president, Delta Faucet Co.; Shawn Oldenhoff, senior vice president, category management, Kitchen and Bath North America, Kohler Co.; Bill Strang, president of corporate strategy, ecommerce and customer care, TOTO USA; council chair Todd Teter, president, House of Rohl and WINN EMEAA at Fortune Brands Innovations; and Claude Theisen, president and CEO, T&S Brass and Bronzeworks.

The council's purpose is threefold:

1. To provide strategic counsel to the PMI Board of Directors on key issues impacting the industry, as PMI works to ensure future generations have reliable access to safe, clean water.

2. To serve as mentors to PMI board members and professional staff.

3. To activate and engage in PMI's Washington and California Legislative Forums in support of PMI's advocacy efforts to influence policy on important issues for the industry and PMI member companies.

"My fellow members of the PMI Strategic Advisory Council bring an extraordinary level of experience and insight to guide the success and strategic work of the association," Teter said. "I'm honored and fortunate to have the opportunity to work with this talented and respected group of executive leaders so willing to share their collective wisdom with us."

Council members meet with PMI leadership

The council was provided an overview of PMI's mission and strategic focus during a recent meeting with PMI CEO/Executive Director Kerry Stackpole and the current and immediate past presidents of the PMI Board of Directors – Chip Way of Lavelle Industries and Sal Gattone of LIXIL. Teter then lead a discussion of challenges facing the industry, with council members naming supply chain challenges, tariffs and tax policy as among the factors impacting their businesses.

Stackpole provided an update on the state of PMI, emphasizing how PMI members benefit from the association's advocacy effort. "PMI monitors roughly 135 key issues. Last year, that translated into more than 1,300 different legislative proposals and about 50 potential regulations," he explained. "Keeping track of these proposals enables PMI to advocate for our members at the federal, state and local levels of government."

He discussed PMI's current efforts to revive the research and development tax deduction, which supports plumbing industry innovation, as well as the association's ongoing efforts to encourage the replacement of older, inefficient legacy products with water-efficient fixtures and fittings to save water.

The council is scheduled to gather next in June. "We are very solicitous of their involvement because we want to get their perspective," Stackpole stated. "And I think they appreciated the opportunity to hear and get a first-hand update from the leaders of the association while having the opportunity to provide their advice to us."