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Home » Authors » Steve Smith
Steve Smith

Steve Smith

Steve Smith served as the editorial director of Plumbing Engineer in the 1990s, and brings 20 years of experience covering the plumbing, piping and radiant heating markets. From 1996 to 2009, Smith helped grow two industry magazines’ monthly editorial content, including adding seven supplemental publications. He has traveled throughout the U.S., and abroad to Japan, China and Europe to meet with industry leaders and represent various magazines. He can be reached at 847-564-1127 or [email protected].

Articles

ARTICLES

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Feature

Q&A With Ruchir Shah, CEO, SkillCat

Ruchir Shah thinks America never built the trade school system it needed, so he’s doing it himself.
February 2, 2026
Steve Smith

Discover how Ruchir Shah and SkillCat are bridging the gap between workers and the skilled trades through simulation-based training and a mission to build a more accessible, modern trade school system.


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Feature

Innovation in the Fab Shop

How Chris Hronek brought digital continuity to the field, shop and office at Tweet/Garot.
February 2, 2026
Steve Smith

Learn how Chris Hronek, SMACNA’s 2024 Innovator of the Year, transformed Tweet/Garot Mechanical by bridging the gap between field, shop, and office through a seamless, real-time digital ecosystem.


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Feature

2026 Construction Outlook: What Contractors and Owners Need to Know

Workforce and project management must adapt to regulatory changes, new technologies and evolving roles as AI automates routine tasks
February 2, 2026
Steve Smith

Dive into the critical forces reshaping construction in 2026—from the AI-driven data center boom and robotic fabrication to the evolving roles of office staff in an automated world.


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Feature

PHCC Members Gather at CONNECT 2025 for Education, Professional Excellence and the Future of the Trades

Contactors from across the country gathered for four days of learning, networking and strengthening the plumbing and HVACR workforce.
January 5, 2026
Steve Smith

About 700 contractors, along with apprentices, manufacturers and educators traveled to Grand Rapids, Michigan for PHCC CONNECT 2025.


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Feature

NIBCO’s Family Affair

Nearly 100 NIBCO current associates have not only built careers at the company, but family legacies over generations.
January 5, 2026
Steve Smith

From parents and children to siblings and siblings-in-law, NIBCO’s multigenerational workforce shows how a family-first culture and long-term opportunity turn jobs into lifelong careers.


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Feature

Q&A with Julian Scadden, Nexstar Network President and CEO

The leader of the business growth and development organization for plumbing, HVAC and electrical contractors took the rather unorthodox step to sunset its PE-backed members.
January 5, 2026
Steve Smith

Nexstar’s CEO explains why he chose purpose over profit by cutting a third of the organization’s revenue to refocus the network on independent, contractor-owned businesses and its original mission.


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Feature

A Look at WWETT 2026

WWETT 2026 returns with seminars, exhibits and hands-on demos that spotlight the latest in drain cleaning, drain line inspection, jetting and trenchless repair.
January 5, 2026
Steve Smith

WWETT 2026 returns to Indianapolis as the wastewater industry’s biggest gathering, bringing cutting-edge technology, hands-on education and workforce-focused strategies to help contractors and municipalities prepare for what’s next.


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Feature

Still Going Strong: Norman Smith’s 62 Years at NIBCO

About 15 percent of NIBCO’s workforce are members of the company’s 25 Year Club, but Norman Smith is in a club all by himself.
December 1, 2025
Steve Smith
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Feature

Contractor of the Year: E.M. Duggan

One of America’s oldest mechanical contractors still in original family ownership keeps rewriting the rules of mechanical construction.
December 1, 2025
Steve Smith

Learn how 134-year-old E.M. Duggan blends heritage, innovation, cutting-edge prefab, new divisions, tech consulting, and a people-first safety culture to become PHC News’ 2025 Contractor of the Year—and a model for the future of mechanical contracting.


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Feature

Viega Opens Ohio Press Fittings Factory

The new facility is already producing the company’s ProPress fittings and will add the MegaPress line next year.
November 3, 2025
Steve Smith

Viega North America’s new $179 million sustainable manufacturing and training facility in Mantua, Ohio, marks a major milestone in U.S. production — expanding domestic press fitting manufacturing, creating local jobs, and setting a new standard for innovation and carbon-neutral industrial design.


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