ECR International held its ECR EXPO on Aug. 24 at the Twin River Casino in Lincoln, Rhode Island.

The 2017 ECR EXPO buzzed with wholesalers, contractors and industry partners at the indoor trade show and outdoor live-fire demonstrations. This was the first event of its kind for ECR International. Many attendees talked about their favorite aspects of the show, but a crowd favorite was the Outdoor Demo Area. Paul Grande of Paul’s Plumbing & Heating said, “Well worth the trip and you get to see and test out products before making the decision to purchase.”

Mike Pantos Jr., a facilities engineering student added, “For me, the most effective part of the show is the networking and all of the advice I received.”

Breakout sessions included Ellen Rohr, of Business UNcomplicated and Jose-Antonio Pérez, group marketing manager for BDR Thermea.

Rohr, a monthly columnist for PHC News, is a successful franchisor, helping launch a plumbing franchise to 47 locations and $40 million in sales in under two years. Greg Piechowicz of Energy Unlimited said “The session with Ellen was very uplifting and inspirational. Her presentation gave me direction for refocusing my business.”

Pérez discussed the future of controls and shared how smart devices will be able to achieve several benefits for contractors as well as consumers.

During the reception preceding a plated dinner, Steve Grogan, New England Patriots Hall of Famer and 16-year veteran of the Patriots, was on-site for a meet and greet and also took part in ECR’s giveaway.

A drawing was held for 15 pairs of VIP tickets to the New England Patriots vs. Kansas City Opening Day Game at Gillette Stadium (valued at over $20,000).

The list of winners included:

• Greg Stafstrom, Spring Brook Ice & Fuel
• William Wallace, Bell Simons
• Vasilios Kazakis, Kazakis Plumbing
• Cole Hills, Plimpton & Hills
• Jeff Cumbo, Nunas Quality Plumbing & Heating
• Bill McDonald, Boiler Equipment, Inc.
• Gene Oldham, Robinson Supply
• James Foy, Foy Plumbing & Heating
• Evan Ardente, Ardente Supply Co.
• Tamara White, Sears Home Improvements
• George Branco, MS Heating & Cooling
• William Saint Pierre, New Bedford Plumbing Supply
• Bob Mercer, JOMAR Distributors
• Greg Shigley, The Portland Group
• Joyce Kohr, Robinson Supply

“We appreciate all of our friends and partners that came out and made this event a success. This was a great opportunity to show the industry all the brands that ECR has to offer in one spot. Even more importantly, our customers got a peek at the new products and amazing technology we have to offer by now being a part of BDR Thermea” said Dave Walsh, Director of Sales for ECR International. “We hope we can build on this moment and hold future events that will bring value to our customers through the country.”