TORONTO - Martin Deschênes, president and CEO of Groupe Deschênes Inc., chairman of the board of the Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating (CIPH), announced that CIPH president Ralph Suppa has been elected to the board of directors of the National Association of Wholesalers (NAW) Institute for Distribution Excellence.

The not-for-profit educational foundation provides industry-wide research and education for member associations, which are involved in the North American wholesale distribution industry. The NAW Institute’s mission is “To sponsor and disseminate research into strategic management issues affecting the wholesale distribution industry. The NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence aims to help merchant wholesaler-distributors remain the most effective and efficient channel in distribution.”

CIPH is currently the only Canadian association represented on the NAW Institute’s board.

The Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating is a not-for-profit trade association. More than 250 companies are members, including manufacturers, wholesaler distributors, master distributors, manufacturers’ agents, and allied companies who manufacture and distribute plumbing, hydronic heating, industrial, waterworks, and other mechanical products. CIPH wholesalers operate more than 700 warehouses and showrooms across Canada. Total industry sales exceed $5 billion annually.

For more information on NAW, visit www.naw.org/institute/research.php. For more information on CIPH, visit www.ciph.com.

Publication date: 05/31/2010