Eemax celebrated the grand opening of a new 7,000-square-foot Innovation Learning Center at the company’s corporate headquarters in Waterbury, Connecticut.

A hub for training, creative exploration and water heating education, the Innovation Learning Center will serve as a collaborative space for engineers, manufacturer’s representatives, wholesalers and plumber/contractors in the Northeast and nationwide.

The second of five Innovative Learning Centers to open across the U.S. and Canada, the facility in Waterbury features a collaborative workspace, flexible meeting rooms, a product demonstration room for training and troubleshooting product and a spacious product showcase area. The modern, open floorplan is key for encouraging the collaboration and innovation of product training, troubleshooting and development.

“This center is not just about showing PowerPoint slides,” explains Kevin Ruppelt, vice president and general manager, Raypak and Eemax. “It is about having a robust, hands-on training experience where our customers can see, touch, troubleshoot and repair units. It’s about more than just products; it’s about the whole integrated event of learning, networking and team-building.”

The Innovation Learning Centers are high-tech installations that aim to train plumbers nationwide in 2018. The interactive classroom experience, live demonstration and instruction lab (equipment can be broken down and reassembled), digital portal, as well as a state-of-the-art product showroom will prove to be a unique experience that highlights the latest energy efficient water heaters, pool heaters, boilers and HVAC equipment manufactured by Rheem and its subsidiaries.

“This training center is reflective of Rheem’s commitment to innovation and to business growth – for both us and our partners,” said Rich Bendure, executive vice president, Rheem Water Heating. “This is a very dynamic time for our industry and investing in the trade through training. It’s not just a smart business decision; it’s an investment in the future.”

Visit www.eemax.com