Fox Blocks

Glen’s Contractor Tip Corner

» by Glen Klassen | Uncategorized | Sat, 8 January 2011

Whenever possible I head out for an early morning walk with two objectives, to let my wife think I’m walking for my health and to get to the Starbucks that is 10 minutes from my home. Health experts agree that we need to walk 30 minutes each day for our health so I walk really slow. It’s already fall and just above freezing temperature so as I head out for my 6 am walk I can see my warm breath in the cool air. This puts a smile on my face as I think of all the conventional concrete guys who will soon realize how much better they will be to use ICF’s for their jobs. In cold or hot weather ICF’s hug the concrete and protect it from the outside temperatures. I make a mental note to start promoting this to the conventional guys.

I can remember being in Cave Creek AZ. where a condo complex was being built and temperatures were 112F at 7:00am. ICF’s were used to help keep the buildings cool but it also protected the concrete as it cured. That morning the Architect was contemplating using wood frame for a different project he was designing so I asked him how these ICF buildings were performing in the hot weather. He started to explain how amazed he was that even before the utilities are hooked up all the workers headed inside them at break time because they stayed cool on those hot days. I just smiled as he realized what he had just said. The next building he designed was ICF.

Anyways, here I am up north thinking it will soon be -40F and I’m still living here. If anyone is actually reading this I would encourage you to come and experience -40F with me. The thrill of attempting to run to your car before freezing to death only to find that it will not start because you forgot to plug it in. This is one reason we love the north, with these thoughts my heart is up to about 90 BPM as if I just walked 30 minutes!  Some day, if I can think of it, I’ll let you know the other reason.

Growing ICF Awareness

» by Randy Daniels | Uncategorized | Thu, 6 January 2011

My name is Randy Daniels, I have been an ICF Regional Sales Manager for over ten years. My office is in my home in Southern California, the region I have been responsible for has been the Western US.

I have had some success. Major ICF projects have been built, first of their kind; incepted and in part sold by me along with a cast of others. Amazing feeling seeing a project going up in the air and knowing you had a hand in it.

A few days ago, my boss (Mike Kennaw – big guy, likes football, played in college, begins sentences with the word “So” and now so am I) flew into town with the express purpose of visiting our new manufacturing plant in McFarland CA – check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjgp-BRhLuQand for a video of this momentous visit.

The other reason he came down (he lives in Lynden WA – you can’t go much farther north and not be in Canada) was to meet with the General Sales Manager of a large ready-mix concrete and aggregates company. The General Sales Manager’s name is Renee and she has organized and developed a solid and effective inside sales support department. Mike is revamping our inside sales processes and wanted to get a look at a good one.

So we were in her office, it was a little lunch meeting, I was chomping on a cheese and tomato sandwich (very good) when in pops Renee’s boss. His name is Brian. Brian says hello, he knows we are ICF folks. Mike says hello, and Brian says “This ICF thing…I believe in it. But what’s the deal? After 10 years solid of a guy like Randy working in this market I don’t understand why we don’t see project after project while driving down the road.”

There was a pause. I can’t remember what Mike said in return. I stopped chewing. I dropped into my own little world. That question. I have heard it before. Anybody that knows ICF has said or heard the same thing. “What a great way to build-why don’t we see it going up everywhere?”

So in my defense (I couldn’t help it, internally I had to run some numbers in my defense). If say, a guy averages one architect, designer, engineer, or major design build or GC firm presentation a week, (some weeks I have done 3 or 4) at say, 40 work weeks a year, by 10 years, that’s at least 400 times delivering (I am told I am good at this) the ICF message. A monkey can present the ICF message; the facts are so clear-cut, remarkable, and compelling.

My common answer to “the question” is that most architects (like the rest of us) do what they do and do not want to change what they do. They have stock details, like to replicate systems. If they have to get into something new it takes more time and effort and none of us are quick to do anything that takes more time and effort.

I don’t know if I am right about this or not. But I have seen ICF design manuals sitting on the shelf in architect’s offices, gathering dust…while project after project goes out their door designed with CMU walls – furred out and insulated. Ack.

So what’s the answer? I had a guy tell me once that there were no silver bullets; only a bunch of silver BB’s.

If you have a silver bullet…or one of the BB’s…plug into the blog. I’ve got a few architects we could aim at.