Welcome to the 50th anniversary issue of Plumbing Engineer! Serving engineers in the PHCP industry has been and continues to be an honor. I have heard from so many readers over the years on how valuable the content we present each month in the print magazine has contributed to the success of their careers. It has been especially rewarding lately as I have heard from subscribers at various phases in their careers. Following are just a few of their remarks:

“I use the Plumbing Engineer magazine to remain up to date and seamlessly connected with all the dynamic occurrences within the industry, while embracing a perspective beyond the confines of the office environment.”

—Megan Hessil, CAPM, Mechanical Discipline, SmithGroup

“At our office we still prefer to receive hard copies of Plumbing Engineer so we can read articles at our convenience.”

—Katie Callender, PE, Principal, Client Executive at IMEG

“I prefer the paperback version of Plumbing Engineer. With a physical book it feels like I actually own it and I like going through the pages. However, the digital edition is so accessible, and I use it for quick references as well. 

I was trying to determine which sections I like the most, but it turns out I like them all. Even the advertisement pages because often they offer products I have not seen before.”

—Maya Paletova-Staneva, Plumbing Designer, McKinstry

Knowing that after 50 years, our content continues to be relevant and conducive to building the knowledge base in this industry is incredibly rewarding. This could not be achieved without the extreme dedication of our editors who I have worked with over the years for contributing to the success of Plumbing Engineer: Tom Klemens, Mark Bruno, John Mesenbrink, Jim Schneider, Ashlei Williams, Sarah Cimarusti, Bob Mader and Amalia Deligiannis. Thank you! Their commitment to providing the most important content in the magazine is testament to the success of Plumbing Engineer. 

We also would not have the continued success without our contributors. I owe a debt of gratitude to our monthly contributors, the engineering firms and manufacturers who make sure that our subscribers are reading the most relevant up-to-date content. There are so many to thank; however, I would like to give a special shout out and heartfelt thank you to Ron George who writes our Codes Column each month. Ron has been with the magazine as long as I have and has never missed a month. He is an invaluable resource to the entire Plumbing Engineer community. Thank you, Ron!

Of course, the 50th anniversary issue would not have happened without the risk my father, Tom Brown, took in 1990 when he bought Plumbing Engineer. My father was 53 years old when he took a chance and struck out on his own. He knew it was a risk, but was positive his decades of experience in the industry and the wonderful business relationships he established during that time would help with this endeavor. He was confident that if he published a stellar product, his magazine would be supported. His risk paid off. 

Although Tom is no longer involved in the day-to-day operations of the publication, he continues to offer ideas and is a mentor to us all. It is so rewarding as his daughter to be representing Plumbing Engineer at trade shows and meetings and have so many ask about my father to this day. 

For the record, he is very active, playing a great golf game and living in Florida. 

Brad Burnside, my business partner, and I and everyone at Plumbing Engineer know the value of relationships and we continue to build lifelong friendships with so many in our industry. 

I would like to thank our loyal advertisers for supporting Plumbing Engineer. Many of them have been with us from the beginning. Brad and I cannot thank you enough for your stalwart support. Without you, we would not be able to provide superb content to the plumbing engineering community. Thank you.

I am very proud of this special issue of Plumbing Engineer. I hope you enjoy all of our content, especially the timeline courtesy of PMI. Thank you for your continued support.

By Cate Brown, Vice President/Principal