Mid-City Supply Co. wants to ensure contractors are equipped to use the products it sells.
Thus, the company established a training center at its Warsaw location at 1610 W. Center St. for that purpose.
The Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting on Thursday to celebrate the center's opening.
Mid-City is "a wholesale distributor of plumbing and heating supplies," said its former owner, Jeff New.
His sons, Dan and Jordan New, now run the business, which has nine locations in Indiana and Michigan. Jeff's father, Sam New, and father's business partner, Mel Cohn, started the company in 1947 in Elkhart.
Mid-City bought the former Walmer Supply, where Warsaw's location now stands, in 2006, said Jeff.
"We take pride in the fact we help contractors protect their profits and reduce their risk, so we believe heavily in the contractor community and helping our local economies," said Jordan.
"Our whole business philosophy is all about partnership, so we are partners with our contractor-customers and our manufacturer-suppliers and we partner with them to provide the consumer with the best possible solution for their needs," said Jeff.
Jordan said the basis of the training center is that "a lot of contractors are hands-driven."
"If we had a classroom and you (came and learned) on a PowerPoint, that's not ideal," he said. "What we have is live equipment, so (contractors) ... know what to expect."
There are seven employees at the Warsaw location, which is open 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Contractors may inquire there about setting up a time to use the training center.
"We do have scheduled classes that we offer," said Jeff.
Jordan said the center is potentially open for people from the community who need a space for meeting for non-plumbing and heating training purposes. To inquire about that, people may call 574-267-3693.