Haws® Corporation Appoints Chuck Gruber as New CEO Promotion showcases Haws’ dedication to increased growth, high standards, and agility
Sparks, NV—October 13, 2023—Haws Corporation, a leading global manufacturer of hydration and safety equipment, is pleased to announce the appointment of Chuck Gruber as its new President and CEO. Mr. Gruber, a well-established industry leader in the manufacturing and safety space, joined the Haws Board of Directors in 2017 before becoming company President in 2020. This new appointment confirms Haws’ commitment to growth, innovation, and improving the health and safety of the global community.
“Chuck brings a new level of leadership to our 100+ year-old family-owned company. The teamwork and results our Haws team has demonstrated under Chuck’s leadership thus far has given the family the confidence to be able to transition to ownership responsibilities solely,” shares Tom White, Owner, Chairman and prior CEO. “With a proven track record of doubling company sales in under 5 years at the last companies he led, Haws is well positioned for growth now more than ever.”
After 30 years of working at Haws in various roles, Tom White, will continue in his role as Haws Chairman in addition to pursuing his personal interest to support and be a thought leader in family business governance. Stephanie Kilroy, Owner, will continue to drive the importance of company culture and growth through her participation in the Haws family governance.
While Gruber is the first Haws CEO from outside the founding family, Haws continues to be owned by family members and upholds the same values since its beginnings in 1906. “Haws places great importance on maintaining our company values as a family-owned business, while developing and maintaining high quality hydration and safety solutions. Chuck was an obvious choice to lead Haws through this next chapter,” commented Stephanie Kilroy.
In addition to his leadership record, Gruber’s professional experience includes roles in engineering, marketing, manufacturing, procurement, and global supply chain. Gruber holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from New Jersey Institute of Technology and an MBA from Temple University in Philadelphia.
About Haws Corporation: For more than 115 years, Haws has been improving the health and safety of our global community providing customer driven hydration, safety, and tempering solutions. With ownership held by fourth-generation family members of its founder, Haws operates under the mission to provide high-quality products and services with a focus on growth.
For media inquiries or more information, please contact:
Kathryn Loos, VP of Marketing and New Product Development, Haws
[email protected], +1.775.353.8390
Enhancing Hydration: The Importance of Drinking Fountain and Bottle Filler Filters
Haws Receives Two Platinum ‘Spaces4Learning’ New Product Awards for Hand Wash Sink with AXION Eye/Face Wash Station and Hydration Station TM Electric Water Coolers and Bottle Fillers
What is Spaces4Learning?
Spaces4Learning is a leading publication for educational institutions and those in charge of planning, designing, constructing, operating and maintaining the physical learning environment. Through resources, services, and developmental opportunities, Spaces4Learning provides valuable insights to K-12 and Higher Ed institutions, the architectural community, service providers, and others tasked with creating high-quality learning facilities.
Hydration Station TM Electric Water Coolers and Bottle Fillers
We love providing clean water solutions to students in educational settings, so we were excited to win Spaces4Learning’s 2023 New Product Award for the Wall Mount ADA Filtered Touchless Electric Water Cooler and Bottle Filler – Platinum in K-12 and Higher Education settings. This award honors products that have made a significant impact in their ability to enhance the learning environment.
Keeping schools healthy and hydrated
At Haws, we’re committed to providing clean, sustainable, and easy-to-use hydration options. The Haws Wall Mount Filtered ADA Touchless Electric Water Cooler with Bottle Filler (Cooler) is designed to serve high-traffic areas in K-12 facilities, universities and colleges that require durable, cost-effective solutions. Receiving the Spaces4Learning 2023 Best New Product Award recognizes the benefits provided by our water cooler and bottle filler in schools through quick-fill, hands-free hygienic operation and ease of installation and maintenance.
Learn how the Wall Mount Filtered ADA Touchless Electric Water Cooler with Bottle Filler (Cooler) can deliver clean water to your school.
Hand Wash Sink and Eye/Face Wash Station
No one expects an eye/face emergency in the classroom, but being prepared with safe solutions is vital to the health of students and positive outcomes. That’s why we’re honored that the Haws Hand Wash Sink and Eye/Face Wash Station has won the Spaces4Learning’s 2023 New Product Award for Higher Education in two categories:
- Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment and Science/Vocational; and
- Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing – Plumbing.
This award honors products significantly impacting the learning environment, making higher education facilities safer, cleaner and more sustainable.
A more prepared educational environment
At Haws, we prioritize health and safety while engineering designs that are easy to use and maintain. The Hand Wash Sink and Eye/Face Wash Station is an emergency wash station ideal for higher education facilities where there’s potential for exposure to hazardous materials or substances. Spaces4Learning recognizes the benefits of the Hand Wash Sink and Eye/Face Wash Station in laboratories, medical and health science facilities, industrial or engineering workspaces, chemical storage areas, art studios, and more.
The 2023 Best Product Award in higher education highlights how the Hand Wash Sink and Eye/Face Wash Station provides an easy-to-install, ADA compliant, space-saving solution that provides medically superior eye injury reduction.
Learn more about how the Hand Wash Sink and Eye/Face Wash Station can create a safer environment on your campus.
Bottle filling stations promote health, hygiene and clean water access Adapted from PM Engineer | By: Nicole Krawcke
It’s rare today to see a drinking fountain without a bottle filling station. As demand for environmentally friendly and sustainable products increases, and concerns over water quality grow, these products are becoming increasingly popular in both indoor and outdoor applications.
“This demand has slowly been building since the early 2000s,” explains Justin Dunn, senior field marketing specialist, Haws Corp. “Only about 10 years ago, you’d find maybe one bottle filler on a project if there was one at all. Now it’s hard to find a project that doesn’t include a bottle filler. The demand is being driven by a preference for convenience, filtered water and an operation style that is more often than not, touchless.”
“Additionally, sustainability is top of mind for consumers — like reducing single-use plastics — resulting in pressure in spaces like airports, hotels and education facilities. Bottle filling stations feature hygienic innovations such as touchless and hands-free features, and reduce single-use plastic bottled water, resulting in the rise of installation of these types of units in public spaces.”
Consumers are placing more importance on their overall wellness — including proper hydration and access to clean water. “We’re especially seeing heightened attention on water quality in schools across the country as more lead testing and regulations begin to make headway in impacted states. This has caused an overall increase in demand for products like bottle filling stations which help expand access to cleaner water and promote healthier hydration through filtered drinking water.”
According to Stephanie Guttas, product manager, Oasis, one prominent demand drive is corporate sustainability initiatives that mandate the removal or reduction of single-use plastic bottles.
“Consumer awareness around sustainability can create pull-through demand, and that awareness continues to grow,” she explains. “Additionally, consumers continue to recognize the role hydration plays in a healthier lifestyle. While bottle fillers were once considered a luxury, they have shifted to an ‘expected’ amenity in many workplaces and public spaces.
“The wave of urbanization, aging infrastructure and evolving technology can all contribute to the presence of contaminants in water supplies,” Guttas adds. “When equipped with UV and other filtration systems, bottle fillers are convenient and accessible ways to help deliver improved drinking water. Furthermore, we’ve seen that growth in new construction and stricter government regulations often can lead to increased water testing, and awareness is raised when contaminants are detected. As a result, consumers are on notice and are seeking solutions that deliver safer water.”
Popular applications
Public schools, hospitals and public transportation, like airports, are seeing some of the highest demand for inclusion of a bottle fillers, according to Dunn.
“Public health and safety has evolved rapidly in the last several years, with the pandemic changing the way we think about navigating these spaces safely,” he says. “We walked away with a higher focus on touchless technology, which is typically included with bottle fillers either standard or as an option. Spaces like schools and airports have a high degree of foot traffic, so it’s important for us to continue to utilize touchless and anti-microbial surfaces to prevent the spread of viruses and for us to be able to fill up and go quickly.”
“Upticks in private funding and private-public partnerships in the education sector are expected to supplement state and municipal budgets,” she explains. “Demand for air travel is predicted to stay strong in the near future, which should, in theory, create more airport construction projects as they expand and modernize. Funding for these projects through federal programs will likely continue to be boosted by private funding in this sector as well.”
Current trends
Dunn notes that many across the U.S. and the world have begun to replace existing drinking fountains with bottle fillers rather than retrofit the existing equipment to include a bottle filler.
“The recent global pandemic caused many to start thinking differently about public accommodations and drinking fountains are one of them,” he says. “Some are replacing their existing equipment with a bottle filler only thinking the fountain is more likely to spread germs and viruses. The two types of equipment both need to be made available, the required drinking fountain and the bottle filler accessory. Public hydration is different for everyone, and we can’t forget our ADA regulations that guide building requirements and the inclusion of drinking fountains.
“The fact is not everyone has a bottle or cup with them to utilize a bottle filler,” Dunn continues. “Removal of drinking fountain equipment can leave many without access to drinking water in public, while it may not be the preference for some, it is a device that excludes no person from its use by any means. Remember to include both types of equipment in your projects, hallways and break rooms to ensure everyone has equal access to public hydration and retrofit when you get the chance. There are so many options now for easy inclusion of a bottle filler in a new building or adding one to existing equipment.”
Schoon explains that now, more than ever, consumers are looking for hygienic solutions and product features, including filtration when it comes to chemicals like lead.
“This shift of focus on health and wellness is driving manufacturers to come up with sanitary and innovative ways to make their products even more health focused,” he says. “We imagine a further focus on hands-free and touchless options to create cleaner and healthier environments, especially in public and commercial spaces, like airports and schools. We’ve also seen government funding like ESSER, a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing more opportunities for schools and communities to access improvements to their infrastructure, which allows these institutions to add things like bottle filling stations.
“Additionally, sustainable and eco-friendly options are here to stay,” he adds. “Given the environmentally friendly benefits of reducing waste with single-use bottles, we’re likely to see the popularity of bottle filling stations increase as consumers are shifting towards using reusable bottles.”
What’s next
According to Dunn, bottle fillers will continue to become more prevalent on all types of projects.
“They will continue to grow in popularity and will be the preference for public hydration when one is available and has the means to utilize one,” he says. “The means being a bottle or cup which reminds us why the drinking fountain will remain an important resource alongside bottle fillers for public health and hydration while this category grows. I think you can expect to see continued development for bottle filler products including faster fill times, touchless activation innovations and more frequent inclusion of filtration.”
Top 5 tips for Purchasing, Placing, & Maintaining Safety Eye Washes & Emergency Showers
National Homeless Youth Awareness Month | November Did you know November is National Homeless Youth Awareness Month? As many as 2.5 million youth per year experience homelessness, and November is a time to acknowledge children and families experiencing homelessness.
Supporting local charities is just one of Haws Corporation’s Corporate Values. Every year, our employees choose a local charity to support and this year they selected the Eddy House. The Eddy House provides shelter, food, and valuable resources for Northern Nevada’s homeless youth.
Recently, the Haws Charity Committee hosted various events to raise money for this local group. The events included a Pine Car Derby Race, Mexican Food & Salsa Contest, and Snack Drive Contest. Through these employee organized events, the company was able to donate more than $6,000 to benefit The Eddy House. Thank you to many employees that donated their time and money to benefit this beneficial cause.
Learn more about the Eddy House
Hydration Solutions Industry Experts Prefer Background
Alpha Omega, an experienced mechanical contractor, is no stranger to different manufacturers of drinking fountains, electric water coolers, and bottle fillers. Haws hydration products notably stand out simply because they solve many of the problems that make the corresponding projects time consuming, complex, and costly.
Challenges
For plumbers, retrofits and new installations of units like standard drinking fountains, electric water coolers, and bottle fillers can pose a number of issues. “Typically, we install whatever is outlined by the mechanical engineer and they don’t really care about the brand as long as it fits the spec,” says Bill Becker, estimator and project manager at Alpha Omega Mechanical. This approach can cause issues with hydration units in general because accessibility is usually limited, installation is often complex, and the inevitable repairs are typically time consuming. Appropriate product selection is a key success factor to combating unplanned issues.
Solutions
When Alpha Omega is able to make recommendations for specific units, the team prioritizes hydration solutions that factor for these drawbacks, along with considerations for availability, quality, and reliability. That’s why hydration solutions from Haws are the first choice for Alpha Omega. “We’ve been doing business with them since the 1980s,” says Becker. “I’m a loyal fan and like supporting family businesses.”
That kind of repeat business is a direct reflection of a few things. “Haws helps eliminate the human error that happens with plumbing fixtures. The company has worked out a lot of the problems plumbers had with installs.” The result is greater efficiency with retrofit projects, including no drywall patching – “a huge time savings,” says Becker.
The Haws Electric Water Cooler series was specifically designed with the installer in mind. Addressing complaints regarding installation challenges saves on money and time allowing the installer to move onto the next phase of the project quickly.
Results
After installing different brands on different projects, both Becker and Alpha Omega plumber, Jonathan Marks, recommend Haws. They point to the same benefits, including ease of installation and greater efficiency. “The complexity went way down with Haws,” says Marks. “Accessibility is great, the unit is streamlined, and more room to maneuver for install saved time!”
As a mechanical contractor, Alpha Omega has its own customers to serve. Opting for Haws hydration solutions means faster, easier installs and long-term reliability, making for happy plumbers and happier customers.
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Bottle Filler Drinking Fountain Solutions for 15,000 Daily Passengers
On the Road
New Product of the Year: AXION AX16 Eye/Face Wash Retrofit Kit Haws Corporation was awarded the Occupational Health and Safety 2022 product of the year award in the Emergency Showers & Eyewash category for the AX16 AXION Advantage Lab Eye/Face Wash Retrofit Kit. The Model AX16, AXION Advantage® eye/face wash upgrade system is designed to replace the existing eyewash head of some standard laboratory and hose-mounted eyewash stations.
AXION Advantage Lab Eye/Face Wash Retrofit Kit
The Haws AX16 AXION Advantage eye/face wash system is designed to replace outdated, under-performing or in some cases, non-conforming installed emergency eyewashes with the medically superior AXION® MSR performance. This revolutionary inverted flow design is the only product on the market that provides a Medically Superior Response consistent with all EMT, emergency room and doctors’ office protocols by sweeping contaminants away from the vulnerable nasal cavity. Traditional eyewashes irrigate from the outside edge of the eye back toward the nose, where contaminants can then be flushed into the nasal cavity through the lacrimal punctum, nature’s ocular cavity drain. Eyewash streams provide Zero Vertical Velocity™ stream engineering with even laminar flow for enhanced comfort, stability and effectiveness. System includes the AXION MSR eye/face wash head, the necessary connecting hardware, along with a tape measure, eyewash measuring gauge and written guidelines to assure installation complies with the ANSI Z358.1 standard.
System is designed to replace the eyewash head of some standard laboratory and hose-mounted eyewash stations manufactured by Acorn®, Bradley®, Encon®, Guardian® and Speakman®.
The AXION Advantage system is ANSI compliant when installed correctly based on manufacturer guidelines and when tested against the ANSI Z358.1 checklist included with the product. The materials provided offer complete ANSI compliance tools and instructions. At the current time, ANSI does not regulate product brands, models, or the interchange of product components.
Achieves Immediate ANSI Compliance
AXION eye/face wash and shower heads can immediately solve common compliance issues related to simultaneous and controlled flow.
Cost-Effective Solution
Kits can be installed on the spot at a significantly lower cost than replacing an entire unit.
Solves the Most Common Eye/Face Wash Flow Issues
- Simultaneous Flow
- Non-Injurious Controlled Flow
- Even Eyewash Flow Patterns
Convert Existing Competitor Eye/Face Wash Units
With included parts, AXION retrofit kits convert 80% of existing competitor units and can update usage from a face wash to an eye/face wash ensuring full eye and face flushing.
Learn more about how the AXION Advantage kits can bring your current fixtures into compliance.
When it comes to emergency response equipment, there is no shortage of available products. With many choices – oftentimes differentiated only by subtle differences – it’s important to critically assess specific risks to determine the most suitable product. For example, in a chemical plant where liquids form the general risk, an eye/face wash would be the most appropriate choice. With recent product advancements such as flow controls and designs inspired by eye irrigation protocols used within the medical community, choosing the most suitable equipment also means selecting from the most current generation of products. Many of these have been designed to meet changes imposed in the Z358.1 Standard revision (2009).
High visibility of safety equipment can be achieved with clear signage, proper lighting and the use of the color known as “safety green.” This color is used industrially to designate both the concept of safety and the physical locations of first aid and emergency response equipment, including drench showers and eyewashes. ANSI Z535.1 takes this one step further by providing a standard for color schemes, sizing, meaning and application for various workplace hazards. The standard is intended to provide uniformity across organizations and industries by helping employees identify the severity of a given hazard in the workplace. Often, an emergency station is not clearly marked, causing the victim to frantically locate an improper form of flushing such as a sink. Consistently using the familiar color for emergency signage can minimize unnecessary confusion in a crisis, especially if the injured party has contaminants in or around their eyes, reducing visibility.
Excessively hot- or cold-water temperatures in safety showers and eyewashes can exacerbate the very injuries the safety equipment is designed to reduce. In the 2009 revision of ANSI Z358.1, the standard outlines suitable water temperatures as tepid, defined as a range between 60˚ and 100˚F (15.5˚ to 37.77˚C). It also specifies a full 15-minute drench or irrigation cycle, a length of time that must be considered with the victim in mind. An uncomfortable victim will be less inclined to abide by the flush requirements, which could worsen an injury. By selecting a suitable mixing valve and defining a tepid water range that is more comfortable to the user, you are not only encouraging the full flush period but also increasing the likelihood that a victim will remove contaminated clothing, which further enhances the wash objective. 
