Plumbing Manufacturers International (PMI) has announced the addition of two new members to the PMI Board of Directors: Martin Knieps, of Viega, and Michael Martinez, of Delta Faucet Company. Both individuals will serve terms through 2020.

Knieps, director of technical marketing at Viega, and Martinez, product compliance manager at Delta, served as the co-chairs of PMI's Advocacy/Government Affairs Committee during 2017 and 2018.

Located in Broomfield, Colorado, Knieps has been a PMI member since 2015 when Viega joined PMI. He said Viega finds value in participating in discussions about industry issues and in helping to shape proactively both the discussion and the plumbing manufacturing industry's response to challenges. Viega is a global manufacturer and distributor of cold-press pipe fittings for multiple systems suitable for residential, commercial and industrial markets, as well as in-wall flushing and radiant products. Knieps believes he can bring his company's perspective to the board's discussions. "I'm excited to join PMI's board and look forward to contributing," he said.

From his office in Indianapolis, Martinez said his board position is the latest in various leadership roles over the course of nearly 20 years as a PMI member. In addition to serving with Knieps as a co-chair, he was the co-chair of PMI's Conformity Assessment Committee and of its Technical Committee. A Delta employee since 2011, Martinez said he "enjoys working with like-minded individuals who put the betterment of the plumbing manufacturing industry first and work together toward common goals." He is involved in several plumbing fittings and fixtures standards development committees: the American Society of Mechanical Engineers/Canadian Standards Association ASME A112/CSA B125 Joint Harmonization Task Group on Plumbing Fittings, the CSA B125 Technical Committee on Plumbing Fittings, and the CSA B45 Technical Committee on Plumbing Fixtures.

PMI Board of Directors President Nate Kogler, of Bradley Corporation, welcomed both new members. "All of us on the board anticipate excellent insights from Martin and Michael, and we're eager to listen to them and learn from them," he said. "I'm sure their contributions will lead to outstanding outcomes for PMI members."