PSC Distribution and Showroom Participate in Home Show, Build My Future
PSC Distribution and their LPG Showroom, Studio H2O Kitchen & Bath Showroom, had a busy week in April with their Home Show and Build My Future booths, both creating lots of excitement for customers and students alike.
The Home Show, put on by the Iowa City Area Homebuilders Association, was back in person for the first time in three years. Studio H2O was thrilled to bring back a beautiful booth filled with LPG products, such as their Bertch cabinet, striking channel
Australian Designer Faucet in matte black and coordinating Top Knobs hardware. They raffled off a freestanding tub, which was a big draw. Another fan favorite was their “Make an Eye Spy” bottle for kids, a highlight for more than 100 youths who stopped to make one over the weekend. PSC’s president, Jennie Wunderlich, was the co-chair of the event this year and wanted the event to be for the whole family, so she spearheaded a new area run by local 4-H clubs. The space was filled with hands-on crafts that changed every day, chickens and a rabbit for people to pet and learn about, a place to build and race a Lego car and a coloring contest.
Overall, the showroom team was extremely pleased with the current and new customer interaction, community involvement and sharing their vibrant and unique showroom offerings.
Build My Future is an event that’s gaining traction across the country and for PSC it was one involving 785 seventh to twelfth grade students from 41 different schools across Iowa and Illinois. Students were able to experience 36 different interactive booths where they met and learned from contractors and businesses involved in the construction industry. They could try things like pouring concrete, hooking up a faucet, cutting pipe, hammering nails and many more activities to learn about various career opportunities.
The Studio H2O booth was frequently packed with students who were able to try two different aspects of the showroom business: creating bathroom layouts and selecting coordinating products to create a design flat lay for customers. Studio H2O created various bathroom wall layouts as well as a few pieces that may go into a bathroom design, such as showers, bathtubs, vanities, toilets, linen cabinets and doors. All the pieces were laminated, and they challenged students to create functional layouts with the various elements.
After completing their room layout, they were then given the task of creating a design flat lay with their selection of a cabinet door, countertop, faucet, cabinet hardware, sink color and usually a wall or floor sample. All the elements needed to coordinate, and they could add pieces of decoration to jazz up their flat lay as they’d like. Showroom consultants usually gave the students a scenario, such as handing the student a specific cabinet door sample and saying: “Your customer already has a vanity in this style and finish, and they don’t want to change it with the bathroom upgrade, help them select the rest of the finishes for the bathroom to create a cohesive space they will enjoy.” Even more fun was handing them a very floral wallpaper sample and saying: “The customer really wants to use this wallpaper of their grandmother’s and would like you to select everything to coordinate with this wallpaper.” The best part of the experience was watching the students absolutely embrace each challenge. Some students asked if PSC had any openings for them to come work with H2O this summer.
Many of the builders, plumbing and HVAC contractors PSC works with had booths for students to get great experience with tools and tasks of the construction industry. The showroom staff were thrilled with the students’ interaction, felt like they made a difference and are eager to participate again.