As the second-most common machine in all of industry (after electric motors) pumps are at the heart of everything. The world’s food, fuel, water and electricity are all processed and transported by pumps. To recognize this technology that is the heart of modern manufacturing, ITT Corporation’s (NYSE: ITT) Goulds Pumps brand observed the second-annual Pump Appreciation Day April 9 to raise awareness of the value of pumps and the people and organizations that design, apply, install and service them.

In conjunction with Pump Appreciation Day, ITT Goulds Pumps donated $25,000 to the international Emergency Cardiovascular Care (ECC) Program, supported by the American Heart Association and its global partners. Events held on the second Tuesday of April each year include public recognition for recipients of the Heart of Industry and Pulse of Industry Awards, as well as open-house celebrations, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training sessions and other educational events organized by the ITT Goulds Pumps sales team and distribution network.

At ITT Goulds Pumps headquarters in Seneca Falls, N.Y., a recognition event featured a presentation on heart-healthy eating habits, followed by a reception with specially prepared snack items that promote cardiovascular wellness. Similar events around the globe scheduled from April 9 through the balance of the year feature instruction on hands-only CPR, and participants worldwide can learn more about both pumps and the human heart on the Pump Appreciation Day website.

“Our food, our fuel, our clothing, nearly everything we use daily, has a pump somewhere in its processing,” said Robert J. Pagano Jr., president of ITT Goulds Pumps. “We’re thrilled to devote a special day and related activities to spotlighting the technology and people behind pumps — the heart of industry — and to promoting heart health.”

Pumps are behind thousands of daily operations. They allow us to properly handle liquid chemicals for the creation of clothing, heart valves or life-saving medicines. When food needs to travel from farm to table — sometimes from one side of the world to the other — pumps are instrumental in the process. Pumps also take on the world’s toughest jobs, such as draining an Olympic swimming pool at 200,000 gallons per minute, or transporting scalding 700 degrees C crude oil to a refinery.

In addition to Pump Appreciation Day events and awards programs, an online World of Pumps Quiz, which tests visitors’ knowledge of the pump industry and its products, has attracted more than 15,065 unique visitors from 151 countries in the past five months.

About ITT and ITT Goulds Pumps

ITT is a diversified leading manufacturer of highly engineered critical components and customized technology solutions for growing industrial end-markets in energy infrastructure, electronics, aerospace and transportation. Building on its heritage of innovation, ITT partners with its customers to deliver enduring solutions to the key industries that underpin our modern way of life. Founded in 1920, ITT is headquartered in White Plains, N.Y., with employees in more than 30 countries and sales in a total of approximately 125 countries. The company generated 2012 revenues of $2.2 billion. For more information, visit www.itt.com.

Goulds Pumps, a flagship brand of ITT, is the world’s leading manufacturer of pumps for a wide range of industrial markets — including chemical, mining, oil & gas, power generation, pulp and paper, and general industry. As the only manufacturer to make digital monitoring standard on every process pump, Goulds Pumps continues to lead the industry in both mechanical pump design and the adoption of smart technologies. For more information, visit www.gouldspumps.com.