Top Five Takeaways from CMPX 2026
Matt Sonnhalter shares his top takeaways from CMPX—including kicking soccer balls into a goal, an impressive toilet and heating and cooling units in just about every booth. Watch the full video below.
Introducing the New Toronto Insider’s Guide from Sonnhalter
Sonnhalter is excited to announce the release of our Toronto Insider’s Guide! This new resource is your key to exploring one of Canada’s most vibrant cities, filled with incredible restaurants, cultural attractions and must-see experiences.
Discover Toronto’s world-class dining scene shaped by cultures from around the globe, then take in the arts, entertainment and waterfront views that make the city so dynamic. Whether you’re exploring bustling neighborhoods or visiting iconic landmarks like the CN Tower, our guide highlights everything you need to make the most of your trip in Toronto, Canada.
Top Five Takeaways from Work Truck Show 2026
Matt Sonnhalter shares his top takeaways from the Work Truck Show, including custom leather luggage tags, mobile power and an electric pickup truck. Watch the full video below.
Give Your Brand a Little Love: Why Brand Check-Ins Matter
Following is a guest post from our friends over at Long & Short of It, masters of ideation, customer insights and market research. They like to say they “dig and find lots of data and then turn it into actionable insights.” Following is their guest post.
Relationships. Routines. The stuff that tends to get overlooked once the year is fully underway.
Your brand often falls into that same category.
Most organizations don’t ignore their brand on purpose. It just gets pushed aside while everyone focuses on execution. Marketing keeps moving. Projects stack up. Decisions get made. The brand itself doesn’t really get revisited or the regular attention it requires.
Over time, that creates a quiet drift. Messaging starts to sound a little safe. Different teams describe the company in different ways. Decisions take longer because there isn’t a clear gut-check for what fits and what doesn’t. Nothing is broken, but things feel heavier or staler than they should. We often see this when leadership feels aligned, but sales and marketing describe the company differently, or when the website sounds polished but doesn’t match what customers experience.
When the Honeymoon Phase Is Over
This is usually the point where people start asking for more marketing. Sometimes it’s very specific; more channels, more campaigns, a refreshed website. Any of those could be the right move.
But often, what’s really missing is a new and honest look at the brand underneath all that activity.
When a brand is clear, a lot of things start to feel easier. Teams make decisions faster because they know what they’re promoting and protecting. Marketing feels more focused because it has something solid to build from. Customers feel it too, even if they can’t quite explain why your message feels easier to understand than someone else’s.
What “Showing Your Brand Some Love” Actually Looks Like
Giving your brand a little love doesn’t mean starting over or blowing everything up. Most of the time, it just means slowing down long enough to ask a few honest questions and then making the necessary adjustments.
Does our story still line up with where we’re headed? Are we talking about ourselves the same way customers actually experience us? Are we being authentic? If someone new joined the team, would they be able to explain what makes us different without a script?
When those answers are clear, a lot of things get easier. The brand stops being something you manage in the background and becomes something you actually use to make decisions. Marketing becomes more focused. Marketing, sales, operations, all the teams start pulling in the same direction.
A Simple Brand Check-In Goes a Long Way
As the year settles in, this can be a good moment to check in on your brand. And don’t just do it yourself. Talk through those questions with the leadership team or even with a few long-time clients who know you well.
A brand that’s cared for is easier to work with, and easier for people to connect with.
Top Five Takeaways from CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026
Matt Sonnhalter shares his top takeaways from CONEXPO-CON/AGG, including remote-controlled construction equipment, creative custom crew buttons spotted on the show floor and why attendance may have been slightly down, but the show still felt busy and energetic. Watch the full video below.
World Plumbing Day 2026
March 11th is dedicated to raising awareness about the vital role plumbing and plumbers play in our daily lives. At Sonnhalter, we deeply appreciate the hard work and commitment of plumbers everywhere. Today, we’re sharing some interesting plumbing facts to highlight the importance of this essential profession.
Did You Know?
- Standardized plumbing systems can be traced back to around 3,000 B.C.
- Between 2000 and 2015, more than 1 billion people gained access to piped water supplies.
- Approximately 0.3% of homes in the U.S. experience minor plumbing leaks.
- The global population using safely managed sanitation services grew from 28% in 2000 to 39% in 2015.
- A 4-minute shower can now use as little as 24 liters of water.
- The dual flush toilet, developed in a small Australian town in 1980, now uses as little as 4.5 liters of water.
Today, we salute the plumbers who keep everything flowing—and prevent it from overflowing. Thank you to the dedicated professionals who answer the call, often without sharing the tales of what they’ve pulled out of pipes!