Created by Insulation Distributors Inc., R-Value provides business tips, stories from the field and industry updates for those who need to know what’s happening in the world of insulation. Gain valuable insights from experts who understand what matters most to contractors and their customers. Whether you want to discover new insulation tools or improve your small business tactics, subscribe now to get an edge on the competition.
Episodes
Monday Nov 07, 2022
Monday Nov 07, 2022
The Inflation Reduction Act is set to provide a lot of subsidies and other resources to contractors. But unless you know the details, you may not be able to maximize them for your business. That’s why we’ve invited Xavier Walters on the show to chat with IDI’s Business Development expert Ken Allison. They explain how you can get access to these benefits and how to best utilize them to hire and retain the best talent.
Xavier is the State Outreach Coordinator with the Building Performance Association. He is a certified energy auditor and contractor building science trainer for over 15 years in the home performance industry. He's going to share some of his experience and how he built and ultimately sold his company by building a team of professionals, many who are still in the industry today. We discuss these rebates, how you can make sure your state actually takes advantage of them, and how to recruit, onboard, and retain workers by providing a clear career pathway.
For more on the Inflation Reduction Act Bill, read here: https://www.idi-insulation.com/what-does-the-inflation-reduction-act-mean-for-you-and-your-company/
In this podcast...
3:06 - Why this money is NOT a guarantee for contractors and what you can do about it
7:12 - What can you do to start adding labor for new construction projects?
12:45 - Training and wage subsidies options
15:59 - Thinking differently about what newer generations of workers want
23:28 - Rethinking employee benefits for better worker retention
Wednesday Oct 12, 2022
Wednesday Oct 12, 2022
Doing things the right way, even when it’s harder, will help you maintain a business with great customer relationships and a reputation that attracts more customers. That’s a philosophy that is central to the success of Suburban Manufacturing and our guest today, Mike May.
Mike is the Product Manager of the Python division at Suburban Manufacturing, which is headquartered in Monticello, Minnesota. He has been working with the spray foam industry since Suburban first launched the Sidewinder Spray Foam Sleeve back in 2016, with his main focus being new product development, product line management, and new business development.
Mike takes us behind the scenes and tells us how Suburban tests the innovative products that you count on to protect your rig.
In this podcast...
1:00 - The importance of doing things the right way
6:00 - All of the industries that Suburban Manufacturing designs solutions for
8:23 - Keeping the contractor off the hook for very expensive hoses
11:26 - How Suburban uses “Stage Gate” to ensure that products that go to market solve the biggest problems
15:43 - Why Suburban partners with IDI to get products into contractor’s hands
17:48 - Why do people love to use the Sidewinder Hose Wrap and how the thermal elements helps contractors in all climates
23:29 - How Suburban developed a drum blanket that was actually easy to store
29:00 - Finding the best place for a drum blanket temperature
Thursday Sep 15, 2022
Thursday Sep 15, 2022
At IDI, we like to push the envelope, do the unthinkable, achieve the impossible. With this podcast, we're doing just that by welcoming Mike Swift, VP and General Manager, and Kurt Walters the National Account Sales Manager for Owens Corning. You read that right, Owens Corning, one of the world’s largest insulation manufacturers, is on the podcast and they are talking all about their recent acquisition of Natural Polymers and what that means for contractors across the United States.
Mike and Kurt take us through the history of Owens Corning’s relationship with spray foam, why they are embracing it now and how Natural Polymers became their manufacturer of choice.
Owens Corning is building a sustainable future through material innovation and now one of those materials is spray foam.
In this podcast...
3:24 - Why Owens Corning is getting into spray foam now
5:41 - Installing spray foam the right way is the key to safety and customer satisfaction
8:36 - How spray foam is helping Owens Corning deliver the best R-Value solution to customers
13:30 - “If it wasn't Natural Polymers, we probably wouldn't be in the spray foam business right now.”
17:54 - The million dollar question…will we see pink spray foam soon?
20:38 - How this shift will not only mean new products but also new building practices and philosophies
Wednesday Aug 03, 2022
Wednesday Aug 03, 2022
This episode’s guest has a PHD in physics and he knows how to use it. Dr. Allison Bailes is the founder of Energy Vanguard, a company that focuses on teaching, HVAC design services, and consulting. Dr. Bailes works on the forefront of change in the way people see and use energy in homes.
Understanding the science behind the decisions you make and equipment you use is vital in today’s hypercompetitive environment. Dr. Bailes breaks down a lot of the calculations that contractors should be making to save money, ensure customers are happy and houses stay energy efficient.
In this podcast...
2:15 - What’s the right calculation to use when right-sizing equipment?
7:14 - How the load calculation…is actually calculated.
11:35 - Are we going to keep lowering loads?
14:04 - How air tightness regulations have improved over the years
21:36 - Dr. Allison reveals his perfect insulation contractor that he would hire on any job
24:37 - Different climates call for different solutions
Wednesday Jul 06, 2022
Wednesday Jul 06, 2022
When it comes to keeping moisture from destroying a home, it's all in the details. That's what Jamie Kaye is focused on. He's a Building Science Practitioner and Healthy Home Professional at Elm Energy Group and he joins us today to discuss how to prevent moisture intrusion and increase energy efficiency at every step of the build process.
In this podcast...
1:38 - How Jamie became interested in the building science behind mold
3:41 - "The New Big Holes"
10:50 - "You can always improve even a great job."
13:20 - The 3/4" hole that ruined an entire set of stairs
15:40 - Yeti vs. Igloo: the small difference that makes a huge impact
17:30 - Can you ever build a house "too tight"?
22:20 - The top violations and places missed in a build
Tuesday Jun 07, 2022
Tuesday Jun 07, 2022
Various economic pressures are leading businesses to make creative decisions on supply of product and supply of people. How do you balance business realities with customer satisfaction? Today’s guest, Joe Arrigo, has the latest data and strategies to help you navigate these difficult questions.
Joe Arrigo is the President/Owner of Resource Development Partners, a company that provides training, certification, and education for building material manufacturers. Joe specializes in building science education for residential and light commercial builders and trade contractors.
In this podcast...
2:13 - The increased demand for insulation
6:12 - How do you adjust your company in a way that deals with the supply challenge, keeps your people and continues to make money?
12:09 - There’s no scheduling silver bullet BUT there are some best practices
16:16 - Getting creative with scheduling
22:27 - Business in the front, recruitment in the back
26:00 - Looking for talent in every corner of your community
Thursday May 05, 2022
Thursday May 05, 2022
People think starting a business can be hard, but building a business on the other hand can be even more challenging, ESPECIALLY if you don't anticipate simple obstacles that can sink your best-laid plans.That's why business development education is extremely important and why we're talking to one of the best voices in building business education, Joe Arrigo.
Joe Arrigo is the President/Owner of Resource Development Partners, a company that provides training, certification, and education for building material manufacturers. Joe specializes in building science education for residential and light commercial builders and trade contractors. On today's episode, Joe reveals 5 elements that have the potential to sneak up on your business and turn it upside down.
In this podcast...
3:30 - The crunch of cash flow
10:00 - "In God We Trust, but in all others we bring data."
13:17 - The dark side of inventory management
17:33 - Accurately pricing bids based on market conditions
23:00 - The true cost of onboarding a new employee
26:55 - Why you can't miss on job costing
Tuesday Apr 05, 2022
Tuesday Apr 05, 2022
We’re well into 2022 and a lot has already changed in the building industry, codes, regulations, legislation, and COVID guidance just to name a few. We’ve called in one of the leading experts in insulation, Dr. Joe Lstiburek, to help you understand these changes and prepare your business for the next 3 quarters and beyond.
Joe Lstiburek is the founding principal of Building Science Corporation. His work ranges widely, from providing expert witness testimony to overseeing research and development projects, to writing for the ASHRAE Journal and buildingscience.com.
Dr. Lstiburek’s commitment to advancing the building industry has had a lasting impact on building codes and practices throughout the world, particularly in the areas of air barriers, vapor barriers, and vented and unvented roof assemblies.
In this podcast...
2:33 - The changes to the 2021 codes and if they will stick
5:00 - Is net zero next?
9:31 - What would the perfect insulation contractor ALWAYS Do?
12:27 - Are we building too tight?
15:59 - If you stop putting in bad stuff, you won’t have bad things happen to your house
18:03 - The new bad habit: over-ventilation
21:56 - Where are the biggest opportunities for retrofits?
26:19 - How important is sealing the rim joists?
31:34 - How will Build Back Better affect the industry?
34:51 - Current suggestions for COVID mitigation could kill houses
Thursday Mar 10, 2022
Thursday Mar 10, 2022
It’s not just your phone, technology is improving rapidly in every facet of our lives including the tools we use to get the job done. Today we pay special attention to one of the most vital and complex pieces of your operation, the spray foam rig.
Our guest this week is Nick Pagano, Senior Product Marketing Manager for Graco’s Contractor Equipment Division. Nick has been in the spray foam industry for over 20 years With focus on spray foam and polyurea equipment. He’s now in product line management, new product development, and new business development. Nick has served on boards of both the SPFA and the Spray Foam Coalition.
He’s here to discuss the latest and greatest from Graco, the Reactor 3 Spray Foam System. Reactor 3 pairs revolutionary hardware improvements with software that reduces maintenance costs and helps you to ensure the quality of your projects.
Interested in the new Reactor 3? Reach out to your local IDI branch today!
In this podcast...
1:54 - When do you know it’s time to upgrade your equipment?
3:13 - How Graco gets feedback from contractors that shapes new solutions
7:28 - How Reactor 3 makes it easier to find the person to run your rig every day
10:52 - How many engineers does it take to make a revolutionary new product
12:20 - How Reactor 3 completely re-thinks every aspect of the spray foam system
14:30 - Instead of constantly fixing hose cables…what if we got rid of the cables all together?
17:07 - Putting Graco’s products to the test
20:00 - What are the differences between the Standard, Pro and Elite models of Reactor 3?
24:15 - Revolutionizing a constant source of problems: the drum pumps
28:00 - A hose made for the all-day contractor
31:25 - A pump system that actually reduced maintenance costs
34:12 - How Graco’s new software can monitor your system AND the product coming out of the gun
Thursday Feb 03, 2022
Thursday Feb 03, 2022
It's the Super Bowl of spray foam conventions, SprayFoam 2022, and it's live and in-person this February. Today we're talking to the man who is helping to put it all together, Rick Duncan. He is the Executive Director of the Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance (SPFA), the industry’s leading organization representing contractors, material and equipment manufacturers, distributors, and industry consultants.
Rick is here to tell us about the exciting updates from SPFA and the SprayFoam 2022 convention in San Antonio, Texas on February 28th. The convention will include many exciting opportunities for training, new technologies, and even a huge giveaway. Also, don’t forget to check out IDI Distributors at booth 417 during this year’s SprayFoam 2022 convention! Our booth will feature hourly demonstrations of our new bidding software, BIDIT, as well as have brand new products on display and much more!
In this podcast...
1:41 - The exciting new innovations on the SPFA website
4:00 - The wealth of knowledge in the SPFA Document Library
7:00 - The SPFA SprayFoam 2022 Conference and Expo is ON in San Antonio and full of amazing opportunities for contractors
10:34 - The SPFA SprayFoam 2022 Conference and Expo breakout sessions, industry excellence awards, and show attendance
11:34 - Is there a rig being given away at this year's convention??!