This year, Velocity Boiler Works was formed to serve as the sales and marketing arm for Crown Boiler. Velocity Boiler Works offers a complete line of residential and light commercial cast-iron boilers, stainless steel and cast aluminum condensing boilers, stainless steel and enamel-lined indirect fired water heaters, and gas and oil hot air furnaces.

Yale Steingard is the president of Velocity Boiler Works. His executive team includes: Glen Hassett, CFO; Lee Ensminger, National Sales Manager; and Don Schwing, president of Crown Boiler.

PHC News spoke with Steingard to garner exclusive insight on Crown Boiler’s newest addition.

PHC: Can you start by discussing your history with Crown Boiler and how you have transitioned into your new role?

YS: I joined Crown Boiler in 1994 as the third generation in the family business. This was before we joined Burnham Holdings in 2003. I have experienced every facet of this industry from the ground floor, and it has given me a unique perspective on what it takes to operate a successful company. The first thing I learned is that the most important part of my job is taking care of our most valuable asset; our employees. In my new role, I am responsible for identifying industry and market trends and empowering my team to meet our customers' needs. 

PHC: Who would you say is Crown’s target customer? In what ways are you all offering unique customer service?

YS: While we ultimately have multiple layers of targets, our primary market is selling through wholesale distribution. There, we can capitalize on our decades-long history of strong customer service from next day delivery to top-notch technical support and training. Another critical market for us is driving demand through the install/contractor base that is familiar with our reputation for reliability, feature-rich products and performance. 

PHC: To the subject at hand, how did Velocity Boiler Works come about and what can the industry expect from this new addition?

YS: Velocity Boiler Works was born on January 1, as a subsidiary of Burnham Holdings, our parent company. Velocity Boiler Works was created in conjunction with the development of a completely new line of condensing products ranging from residential stainless steel fire-tube boilers to tankless water heaters.

As a new company, Velocity Boiler Works has a great opportunity to write a new history while maintaining the trust our customers have for Crown Boiler products. We have several new and improved products on the horizon. 

PHC: Expansions are significant investments. Can our readers expect any other big investments from Crown Boiler in the near future?

YS: We operate two facilities in Philadelphia, Pa. Our I. Street location is home to administration, manufacturing and engineering, and our distribution warehouse is on Wheatsheaf  Lane.

Because of the ever-increasing demand for efficiency, the biggest investment we could make is in research and development. Velocity Boiler Works and the entire Burnham Holdings family has just completed the development of a brand new, state-of-the-art technology center to ensure that every one our products is more efficient, more reliable and delivers more value than ever before. The new technology center also increases our capacity to test products so we can deliver more and better products.  

PHC: Is there anything from Crown Boiler that you all would like to note for the engineering and design communities?

YS: Last season, we released our new family of stainless steel, water-tube, condensing boilers, the Phantom (residential) and the Phantom-X (commercial). We asked our contractor customers what they wanted and they told us they needed new accessories to help them complete the installation of the Phantom in less time so they could make more money. 

We set our research and development team on the path to design a complete line of factory-authorized “EZ” Accessories to improve the installation experience. The “EZ” Accessories line includes an add-on combi-kit for domestic hot-water, the “EZ Loop” low loss header component design for simple and quick near boiler loop piping and an attractive and cost-effective pedestal base to complete the installation. Our ultimate goal was to make the Phantom line competitive at every level and giving our customers the option to order the exact combination that fits their need.