Ralph Suppa, president and general manager of the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating (CIPH), has announced the appointment of Jack Keon as a consultant to the Canadian Hydronics Council (CHC), a council within the Institute.

Keon, an industry veteran with over 50 years of experience, is the former vice president and general manager of Niagara Plumbing Supply. His CIPH credentials include past chairman of CHC, of which he was involved from 1984-2002, a past chairman of the board, and an honorary life member of CIPH.

In his new role, Keon will work closely with the Ontario government in an attempt to have the province recognize a "wet heat" program. This will allow hydronic installers in the province to be part of a provincially-recognized trade. Once this benchmark has been met, the Council intends to supply the program as a template for other provinces/territories in Canada to follow.

"With consumer demand for comfort and energy-efficient heating systems increasing on average 10-15 percent over the past 10 years thanks to the efforts of the Council, the Council's next steps are to ensure that there is a well-trained corps of individuals to continue to meet the demand through this recognized trade," said Suppa. "Jack Keon will play a key role in providing the leadership to make this happen."

Publication date: 01/23/2006