Growth, diversification, collaboration. This is the order of business for Villager Construction, the New York based and multi-faceted construction company working up and down the East coast. Villager Construction was started in 1980 by Richard K. Clark who, prior to that, had been doing commercial work under the name Clark Excavation. Clark branched out into municipal and public bid work, and along with General Manager Skip Pike, they hired Timothy Lawless to help the company grow. Timothy is now the CEO of Villager Construction having bought the company from Clark in 2019, and today he takes time out of his busy schedule to talk me through the company’s journey from past to present. “When I came on board in 1992, we were doing mostly road reconstruction and utility water and sewer work in the Upstate New York area,” Timothy says. “There were about thirty to forty employees, and we were doing a couple million dollars a year. Shortly thereafter, with the help of General Manager Skip Pike and myself, we transformed the company into a larger firm and continued to grow almost exponentially in the public arena for the next ten years.”

The growth Tim speaks of came largely as a result of Villager Construction’s open-minded approach to changing industry demands. In 1997, when they recognized that road milling and profiling was set to become a bigger part of road construction, they got to work right away on making it a part of their portfolio. “We had a job that required road milling, so we rented a Caterpillar machine,” Tim says. “We started buying road milling machines soon after the success of that job, and that became our second line of work.” Villager Construction’s road milling department had been in existence for less than three years when they expanded it outside of New York and into the Carolina’s, building and rebuilding highways with some of the larger firms out there. “Today, twenty-five years later, we have a fleet of twenty-eight million machines that work up and down the East Coast.”

To capture the true extent of Villager Construction’s diversified portfolio Tim tells me that while one of his teams might be assisting in the reconstructing sixteen miles of road down the East Coast, another might be tending to an emergency call in the middle of the night for a water main or sewer line break. “This is because we’re on call 24/7 for the local municipals,” he says. Villager Construction continued to diversify into the early 2000s with the addition of their treatment plant work and paving departments, and such has been the Villager way ever since.

Around that same time Villager Construction picked up a job for the New York State DOT that required them to take out concrete sub-base, process it by way of crushing, and reuse that product back in the road. This was an era during which the talk of sustainability in the construction industry was a mere background noise compared to the roar that it is today, but even so Villager Construction had the foresight to recognize its potential. “We realized that like road milling, recycling and reusing materials coming out of the ground was going to become a larger part of the industry,” Tim says. “We purchased our first transportable crushing machine, then in 2009 our second and third. We continue to grow that line of business and follow the construction industry along the path of green.” To reuse rather than waste remains one of the most important principles of sustainability today, and one that Villager Construction are quite literally building into our infrastructure through their ever-evolving road construction department. Tim says that “it’s really exciting how we’ve taken straight up road construction and found different avenues to help us diversify and become what we are today.”

“We realized that like road milling, recycling and reusing materials coming out of the ground was going to become a larger part of the industry.”

Today Villager Construction continue to play an integral role in building the infrastructure of New York and beyond. They recently completed a section of the 490 interstate and it is this kind of project that brings about the sense of pride Tim and his employees find in their craft. “We milled and resurfaced six and a half miles of a major highway here in Rochester and will be doing an extension of that soon, the 590 project, heading North for another six miles of milling and paving.” Those who just use a city’s infrastructure allow things like smooth highways and clean running water to improve their daily lives without a second thought, while those who build it experience its benefits with a sense of pride and satisfaction that only they understand. “Helping to improve our roads and utilities is very satisfying and an accomplishment that everyone in our company is very proud of,” Tim says. “It’s exciting to drive down a road, feel the ride in your car, and know that your company had a part in making that happen. Or when you flush the toilet or take a shower and you have clean running water, you realize that that too is how our work comes together. To know that you’ve had a part in the infrastructure that keeps us healthy and safe – it’s a really neat feeling.” In this reflection Tim captures the true essence of what construction is all about – building something greater than what meets the eye and improving the lives of those who use it.

In today’s construction climate, with the shortage of qualified workers becoming a major headline, industry professionals are working against the clock to find innovate new ways to do business. Tim and his team recognize these workers shortages as an industry-wide rather than a company-wide problem, and as such have taken a collaborative approach in trying to solve them. Their paving department for example, which has expanded in typical Villager fashion over the years into North Carolina, is set up to support and build partnerships with the larger contractors down there. “The paving department continues to grow and be part of our footprint up and down the East Coast,” says Tim. “And when we can support some of the larger firms through the worker shortage and do some of the prep work, that’s pretty cool as well.”

This collaborative approach is also true of Villager Construction’s Logistics team, who have become a department of their own as a result of growing industry demands. “If we’re delivering something to one of our job sites and we can help one of our partners out by moving their equipment too – that’s what that department is all about.” It is this kind of attitude that transcends the competitiveness that often comes with doing business and replaces it with a sense of community that may be the very thing the construction industry needs to heal.

Villager Construction, as Tim describes it, is made up of a million different machines that work across all departments to get the job done, but the true brain behind the operation is, of course, its people. “All departments continue to find ways to grow, and the operations managers are key in making each one successful,” Tim says. “All of our employees contribute to the overall success of Villager Construction and I’m very proud of everyone who works here. We talk to our employees and let them know we’re proud, and we hope the travelling public can recognize their good work too.”

As they move forward into the future Villager Construction plan to continue along the tried and tested path that has led them to where they are today. That is, one that is rich in growth, diversification, and collaboration. They hope to continue to support the bigger firms with whom they’ve formed successful partnerships with, learning from them as they too continue to expand. “With the diminishing infrastructure that needs to be brought up to date there’s a lot of work to be done and we’re looking forward to doing it,” Tim says. “There are challenges along the way, but it’s about navigating those challenges and building a better future.”

Collaboration, creativity, and integrity. These are the three core values of LoDuca Associates, an award-winning construction company operating out of Blue Point NY. LoDuca’s CEO Renee Guerrieri mentions these values very early on in our conversation, and it strikes me throughout that they are not merely used as buzz words to establish a particular reputation but rather that they are deeply woven into the fabric of the company and all that they do. “All of our core values stem from my father,” Renee says, “and the employees we hire have to embody and uphold them.”

When CEO Renee joined LoDuca Associates back in 2007 she did so on what was meant to be a temporary basis. “I came in at first to help out during a period of transition,” she says. “I’ve been here almost fifteen years now, and I plan to be here forever.” The reflection is a testament to the company which was started by Renee’s father thirty-nine years ago, and the positive workplace culture that has driven LoDuca’s success ever since.

Richard LoDuca is Renee’s father and current President of LoDuca Associates. Richard started the company in 1983 as a home developer, and by 1987 had broken out into the public works and commercial contracting sector. Today, LoDuca Associates has a four-decade long portfolio under their belt with a diverse range of projects including high-end residential, ground-up construction, renovations, alterations, and additions. Though their journey thus far has led them down different paths in terms of the work they do, LoDuca’s “people first” approach has remained in place through every twist and turn. The name of the company itself was well thought out by Richard, who knew from day one that behind every successful business is a solid team.

“He was very set on choosing ‘associates’ because he knew from the start that the company was not just him, it was him and his team,” Renee says. LoDuca Associates is a company that was quite literally born of a team mindset, and so it’s no wonder that today they’ve got a great team of people behind them with a staff retention record that we don’t see too much of anymore. “A lot of our employees have been here for ten years or more,” Renee says, “a lot for twenty years or more, and some for as long as thirty-six years.”

A happy and hardworking workforce directly reflects the success of a project, and this is certainly the case for LoDuca Associates. LoDuca Associates are, as any great construction company should be, hyper-focused on the work that they produce. To get a true understanding of what LoDuca Associates are all about, I asked Renee to talk me through some of the projects they have completed in New York and beyond. “Long Island Railroad has been one of our biggest clients for almost forty years,” Renee says. “We’re very proud of that work and have built great relationships with project managers and clients, but we’re not just a railroad contractor.” Renee goes on to talk about some of the standout projects that really capture the company’s build with precision ethos.

First up is the Ocean Beach Ferry Terminal, a 6,000 square foot ground-up construction development which recently won an award for excellence through ABC. “It was built next to the water which presents a lot of challenges,” Renee says. “We have a staff of in-house carpenters, and so we did almost the entire project with just our staff. The truss work inside is absolutely beautiful. It’s a project we get so many compliments on, and we’re very proud of it.

“We have a staff of in-house carpenters, and so we did almost the entire project with just our staff.”

Renee tells me next about a glamping site they recently built for Collective Retreats. This is not the typical kind of project that springs to mind when we think about a construction company, and it is one that really showcases the diversity in LoDuca’s work. “We built a glamping site out at Governors Island for Collective Retreats, whom we have a great relationship with. They recently asked for one of our employees to be flown out to their Texas site for a project. It’s amazing – they have sites all over but wanted to use our guy.”

Next up is the construction of a museum paying tribute to true American hero Lt. Michael P. Murphy, a US Navy SEAL Officer who was awarded a Medal of Honor for his actions during the war in Afghanistan. “The Michael P. Murphy Museum was built due to the donations of people like us,” Renee says. “We were able to donate a large portion of framing work to the project, and we were very excited to be a part of that. We’ve done a lot of fundraising with those guys too, supporting their mission over there.”

Another standout project for LoDuca Associates is their Gotham Greens development, a 65,000 square foot greenhouse built on top of a 4-storey building in Jamaica, Queens. “Gotham Greens are a very successful greenhouse and produce growing company,” Renee tells me. “Building on top of the roof presented tremendous challenges, but we worked really well through it.” This is another example of LoDuca’s wide range of skills in the built environment, and one that ring true to their company motto – if you dream it, we’ll build it.

It’s evident that for a company like LoDuca Associates to select just a handful of standout projects is no easy feat. Renee also talks with pride about the Jamaica Theatre Control Centre, MTA Headquarters and Saltaire Yacht Club, each of which offers an exciting new insight into the true potential of modern-day construction.

Though the level of quality produced by LoDuca Associates is clearly evident in the projects themselves, LoDuca have put in place certain certifications and benchmarks to ensure that that quality is never in question. As Accredited Quality Certifiers, LoDuca Associates pledge that the company is committed to providing their clients with the highest quality construction services, and that they deeply care their employees and the communities in which they build. “We felt like the AQC pledge strongly aligned with who we are as a company,” Renee says. “We’re extremely transparent with clients, subcontractors and employees and we take safety on site very seriously, so this just puts a stamp on what we’ve been doing for the company’s entire existence.” The AQC pledge lets LoDuca’s clients know that their carpenters are receiving continued education through the program, while from a marketing perspective it allows LoDuca Associates to highlight potential new clients.

LoDuca Associates have also introduced benchmarking tool STEP to their practice to further ensure quality and improvement across the board. They achieved Platinum status through the program when they first implemented it last year. The only status above that is Diamond and that’s something they continue to strive towards. “Achieving Platinum status confirmed that our safety standards are really in line with industry standards. STEP helps us analyze and measure where we are, and where we need to improve.”

Renee talks with gratitude about how LoDuca Associates were blessed with a steady flow of essential work during the pandemic, and it’s evident that that blessing has not gone unnoticed by the LoDuca team.

Another word that drives our conversation along with LoDuca’s three core values is the word ‘gratitude’, which many of us have come to use to reflect on and appreciate all that we’ve got. Renee talks with gratitude about how LoDuca Associates were blessed with a steady flow of essential work during the pandemic, and it’s evident that that blessing has not gone unnoticed by the LoDuca team. “We had a responsibility to really appreciate the fact we weren’t affected like others were.” Renee says. “We’ve worked harder than ever to appreciate and protect what we have.”

For LoDuca Associates the pandemic set in stone what they’ve been preaching all along: it pays to have a solid foundation underneath you. That is, a team of people who love their work, take pride in what they do as if it’s their own, and trust their leaders to carry them through times of uncertainty. A well-established foundation that existed pre-pandemic is what allowed LoDuca Associates to fall into step with the new normal that stopped some construction companies in their tracks, and march forward into an unknown future without fear nor falter. “It threw us for a loop for a second, but we found our footing really well,” Renee says. “It was amazing to see the company come together as a team and not skip a beat.”

LoDuca Associates moved forward into 2022 with that same solid team along with some new hires they gained over the course of the pandemic and are now projecting their biggest year yet. “2022 will be a year of more strategy and honing in on future plans,” Renee says. “I’m excited for the year ahead. The fruits of our labor will be seen and we’ve got a lot of work on the table. I’m super confident in the team we have in place, and I am so grateful.”

It takes a village to raise a child is a phrase that has taken on many different meanings over the years. Used in the context of construction, the phrase refers to the collaborative effort involved in taking a project from design to completion. Easling Construction recognizes the many different skills and expertise it takes to build a home, and as such have built a business model that allows them to do most of their work in-house. A whole village under one roof, in a sense. From concrete work and carpentry to painting and insulation, Easling Construction offer a ‘full package’ service that achieves efficiency and consistency across the board. “It’s pretty seamless,” says Marty Easling, President and Director of the Northern Michigan based company. “There’s higher quality, better scheduling, efficient problem solving, and we’re not relying on subcontractors.” That’s the Easling difference.

Marty Easling started Easling Construction in 1976 as a one-man team specializing in commercial building. About two years later and in search of a more challenging line of work, Easling Construction made the move to custom residential and have been specializing in that ever since. Today, Easling Construction is 100% employee owned through an Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP) and is one of Leelanau County’s largest private employers. With a team of almost one hundred people, Easling Construction are responsible for many of the custom builds on the Northern Michigan Peninsula.

Northern Michigan is an area in which vacation homes have always been a hot topic. “It’s a different market,” Marty says. “90% of the homes we build are second homes, not year-round.” It is this type of housing market that has Easling Construction’s employees at their busiest during the winter months, when they’re on the ground working hard to get remodels and new-builds completed by Spring. As Marty says, “They don’t want to see us in the summertime.”

Now that they’ve been in business for over forty-five years, Easling Construction strive to keep things interesting by finding challenging projects to add to their portfolio. They recently completed a cottage-style home on Lake Michigan that is unlike any of the other lake-front homes by which it is surrounded. “Typically, the homes there are more Lake Michigan style with white painted trim and shingle siding. This was all timbers. Every wall was log siding or barnwood panelling, all wood. The beams were reclaimed from the salvaged material from barns we tore down. There was a lot of stone too – not native stone but stone from Idaho and Montana.” The build was a refreshing change for the Easling Construction team as well as the architects, all of whom specialize in lake-front homes with painted trim. “It was a different avenue for us all,” says Marty. “And challenge that turned out very well.”

“Now that they’ve been in business for over forty-five years, Easling Construction strive to keep things interesting by finding challenging projects to add to their portfolio.”

Working with wood is something that Easling Construction have mastered throughout the years, and that mastery was the catalyst in the opening of their own in-house cabinet shop. The Easling Wood Shop, which is operated by highly experienced craftsmen, is capable of making virtually anything you can imagine. If your dream home calls for a hand-crafted staircase or a unique coffee-table, the same company that are doing your concrete work and insulation or fitting your hardwood floors, have got you covered. It’s a service that’s rarely offered by your run-of-the-mill construction company, and another element of Easling Construction’s make-up that drives their success in Northern Michigan.

In the construction industry there are some challenges that are embraced, like taking part in offbeat projects and operating an in-house cabinet shop, and some that are a little harder to swallow, like the challenges that come with a global pandemic. This has been especially true for companies operating in Michigan, where construction work was not awarded the ‘essential’ status it was in most other North American regions. “At first we thought we were essential and then the Governor shut us down for seven weeks, and that hurt,” says Marty. Seven weeks may seem insignificant in the grand scheme of a two-year pandemic, but in the construction industry where projects are made up of so many moving parts, it’s enough to stir operational chaos.

Easling Construction have experienced first-hand the difficulty in completing projects as seamlessly as they once could. Not least of the challenges inflicted on the construction industry by the pandemic is the supply chain, which Marty says is “completely crippled.” He gives the example of windows and how their delivery time has moved from four weeks to eighteen, “And even that gets extended,” he says. “We’re just trying to order as soon as we get a decision, and we’re pushing for decisions more so than ever before so we don’t have these hold ups.” Where before the pandemic fixed-price contracts were commonplace, Marty says that now “it’s impossible to enter into a fixed- price contract if you don’t know what materials are going to cost or when you’re going to get them.”

Aside from the supply chain, the pandemic has also presented major staffing issues to overcome. Marty speaks of a new normal in which during the waves of covid infections it became common that “every time we go into the office there’s at least five or six employees calling in to say they’ve been exposed.” With an employee count of around one hundred employees this equates to five or six percent of the Easling Construction workforce, a significant number when it comes to delivering projects efficiently.

While it’s business as usual for some industries after a period of closure, in construction it takes a great deal of time, effort, and resources to get all of those moving parts that make a successful project to once again align. “It’s something we’re still trying to catch up with,” says Marty, echoing the shared struggle of an industry that appears from the outside to be booming.

And it is booming, in a sense. While Easling Construction are doing all they can to pick up the pieces post-pandemic, they are simultaneously reaping the rewards of new lifestyle trends in North West Lower Michigan. “People are moving away from urban areas into rural areas where we are,” says Marty says. “They’re either operating from home or have changed their whole occupation. A lot of the people we build for have offspring who are moving to these areas with their parents, so we’re putting up second cottages to main cottages or additions to homes to accommodate extended families.” Marty speaks of how Michigan is an area that has always treated Easling Construction well while also recognizing these new trends as a definite boom – one that’s keeping them busier than ever. “It’s a trend that’s not going away,” he says, “and one that could change the whole environment.”

It is these trends that give Marty an overall positive outlook for the future of Easling Construction, despite the challenges they’ve faced over the past two years. “It’s possible that the homes surrounding us, which are mostly seasonal villages, will become more year-round when people start to spend longer in them.” The positive impact that this may have, not just on the construction industry but also on the tourist industry and the wider economy, is unheard of in our time. As one of the finest custom construction companies in the area, Easling Construction have no small part to play in accommodating these ever-changing demands and redefining the infrastructure of the Northern Michigan landscape.

Sometimes, like in the case of Illinois’s Federal Steel & Erection Co., the meaning of a family business goes much deeper than just a handful of family members taking part in an organizations key decision making and overall vision. Federal Steel & Erection Co. is a collective of many different families, spanning over four generations with roots in the company as far back as World War 2. Christopher Darr, a fourth-generation Federal Steel employee and current company President, talks with pride about the history that underlies the most efficient fabrication company in the St. Louis area.

“Arthur Isringhausen founded the company in 1948 when he came back from the war,” Christopher says. “My great-grandfather was with him at the time, he was the acting secretary and general manager. My family have been in the company ever since. There are more families too who’ve been with us for three generations. It’s still a family business today across the board and in every department, and that’s something to be proud of.”

Federal Steel & Erection Co. is a full-service steel contractor specializing in design, detailing, CNC, fabrications, coding and erection. The company found their home in East Alton-Wood River back in 1953 and have been expanding and modernizing from there ever since. They specialize in industrial and commercial structural steel as well as pre-engineered metal buildings and petro-chemical work. “Pretty much anything steel,” Christopher says of their scope of work. “Whether we’re erecting a project or not we’re always looking at how it goes together and offering the best solutions for the client.” Federal Steel & Erection Co. are fully outfitted with a conveyor-driven CNC band saw and a modern drill line, as well as a robotic thermal processor, a blaster for paint preparation, an angle line and plate processor. They’ve also got an in-house Certified Weld Inspector who Christopher says “keeps all our welders and fitters qualified to complete the task right the first time.”

Of his own role as company president, Christopher says his job is to make sure everyone has all the tools they need to do their part safely and efficiently. “There is a lot of passion and satisfaction in what we do,” Christopher says, “and the fun part is coming up with solutions for our clients that they might not have thought about.”

In recent years Federal Steel’s workforce has become younger with much of the older generation reaching retirement age. The result is a varied workforce that achieves a perfect blend of valuable experience and a fresh new outlook on the industry. It is this fresh outlook that has made Federal Steel the technology-forward company they are today, embracing things like robotics and staying on top of the latest industry advancements. “We used to drill the holes ourselves,” says Christopher, “and now a robot does it.”

Introducing modern technology into their practice has allowed Federal Steel to perform their work efficiently and always to the highest standard. “We draw everything in three dimensions now,” says Christopher, reminding us of how far the industry has come since the days of sketching plans with pen and paper. “We program those drawings into the CNC where they can be transferred directly to the machines out on the shop floor. Everything’s built right and efficiently the first time, and there’s very little opportunity for human error.”

“Everything’s built right and efficiently the first time, and there’s very little opportunity for human error.”

Efficiency is a key word that comes up time and time again when it comes to Federal Steel’s scope of work, along with another word that’s high on their priority list – safety. “Our safety compliance programme makes us qualified to work in some of the most stringent environments,” Christopher says. “We have a great safety record. We limit exposure to elements and working at heights by designing, fabricating, and assembling as much off site as possible.” Federal Steel & Erection Co. are also AISC-certified for bridges, allowing them to do state work on both pedestrian and vehicle bridges. “As an AISC certified building and bridge fabricator we adhere to the latest and most stringent standards of quality and professionalism in the service we provide.”

From their home in Illinois they recently completed the Pipeline Bridge, a 22,000-foot modular bridge project for a Midwest refinery client. The largest single span of the bridge was 315 feet spanning both road and levy. Federal Steel & Erection Co. have become leading experts in this scale of project during their 45+ years of experience in the field, and when asked about the Pipeline Bridge Christopher says “the picture really speaks for itself.”

When it comes to service, Federal Steel & Erection Co. offer a one-stop-shop with a full-service philosophy. Whether it’s a pre-engineered metal building or structural platform, Federal Steel consider the owner’s end goal and find the most economical and efficient process to get them there. “We really want to take the stress off owners and general contractors. When it comes to steel, we want to be able to take the lead and minimize the impact on RFIs. Our full-service philosophy gives us the full gambit to coordinate the fabricating and erecting so that there’s no holes in the scope, no surprises, and nothing shows up late. Having that control helps with cost, scheduling, coordination, connection designs and modulation. We can really get ahead of things and get the job done right.”

Federal Steel & Erection Co. handle a wide gambit of projects “from as little as one piece of plate to thousands of tons.” To accommodate such projects they’ve got a state-of-the-art fabrication facility that is 400,000 Square feet under roof and 7 acres, with an assembly yard where they modularize projects before they ship or store them if they’re ready ahead of time. The facility is conveniently located in the Midwest with close proximity to major highways, rail terminals, and Mississippi Barge docks, which allows them to ship large structural modules all over the world. They’ve recently shipped projects to Ireland and the US Virgin Islands, to name a few. Of the facility Christopher says, “We’re not the biggest shop in the world but we can run with the biggest shops in the world.”

The scale of Federal Steel & Erection Co.’s fabrication facility is a reflection of the wider growth of the steel industry in North America, where the average warehouse size today is almost double what it was ten years ago. “These warehouses you see popping up everywhere are a big indication of where the industry is going,” Christopher says. “Everything is getting bigger, schedules are getting tighter, and there’s a lot more delegated design which we’re perfectly outfitted for.” When reflecting on what the future looks like for Federal Steel, Christopher recognizes the key role that this growth will play. He says that as a company they are very competitive and very eager to do all they can with their resources in an industry that shows no sign of slowing down.

Touching on the pandemic, which no construction company has been fortunate enough to sail through unscathed, Christopher says, “the current supply chain challenges have presented plenty of opportunities to think outside the box. Some schedule sensitive projects now need to be designed around long lead items, and price hikes have us looking at alternatives to keep clients’ projects within budget and often saving money.”

Christopher also talks about North America’s aging infrastructure, and how Federal Steel’s maintenance experience in this area is invaluable. These maintenance services allow Federal Steel to refurbish existing structures, extending their life cycle and saving the owner huge costs. “We can come in where there’s a corroded beam or where there’s fire or storm damage and replace what’s needed. We have the resources to detail out, fabricate and erect a fix for this type of job, often making an old building or platform look like new.”

“We’re diversifying the types of projects we pursue as the landscape of construction changes,” Christopher says. “Fabrication and erection equipment never stops evolving. We’ll continue to grow and develop as demands are always evolving from shop fireproofing, painting galvanized steel, delegated designs, and the ever-changing module.” The future of Federal Steel & Erection Co., wrapped up in a single word by Christopher, is “bright.”

The roofs we live under today are a far cry from the straw-thatched roofs of the mid eighteenth century. Often equipped now with durable material and smart technology, the modern-day roof is fit more than ever for its intended purpose. That is, safety and protection for us, our families, our belongings, and everything else that builds a home. “Everyone needs one,” says Jake Ackerman, Founder and CEO of RoofTek. “With ninety-nine percent of the population living with a roof over their heads, we see roofing as one of those basic human needs.”

RoofTek is a Utah-based roofing contractor and franchisor selling franchises across the United States. One of the highest rated roofers in the nation, RoofTek’s success stems from their total commitment to quality and a dedication to always deliver the best value in the industry. Over the years the RoofTek team has completed thousands of rooftop installations, from affordable re-roofs to complex solar installations. It is RoofTek, therefore, who have quite literally put a roof over much of the country’s heads.

It was Jake’s love of nature that led him into the roofing business and ultimately to the founding of RoofTek. “I love the amazing wonder that our planet is,” says Jake, “and we as inhabitants are burning fossil fuels and consuming a lot.” Intrigued by the great potential in harnessing energy from the sun, Jake joined a solar company as a sales advisor in an attempt to further understand that potential. A few months later and equipped with the skills he needed to effect real change, Jake founded RoofTek. From then on it was full speed ahead into roofing, with solar naturally remaining a big part of the business. RoofTek have established themselves as trusted solar experts, leading the way in planning, engineering and installing utility grade solar systems.

“If there’s tech on your roof, it’s RoofTek,” is how Jake puts it. This idea of tech on your roof is embedded into the RoofTek name, and it doesn;t stop with solar. As well as commercial and residential roofing and solar paneling, RoofTek are now in the business of Permanent Holiday Light installations. Invisible by day, these lights tie right into the metal on the soffit and fascia of the roof where they stay all year round. These lights can then be controlled through an app on your smartphone that allows you to choose colors, pattern and animation, all using LED light technology. It is this kind of innovative technology that is elevating the industry to new heights, and it’s RoofTek who are leading the way in installing it.

When you peel back the curtains of the industry it is the expert quality roofers who are out there getting the work done, and Jake gives us an insight into how those relationships are managed within the company. “While we see ourselves being in the roofing business,” Jake says, “we also know that we are in the people business, the onboarding business, the business of creating a track where people can be successful. I wake up everyday and think: how do I build on and further improve that success track?” RoofTek have yielded tremendous success from investing in employees and subcontractor relationships, enlisting good people in the cause and providing them with mentorship at every turn. They provide fair pay and health benefits that workers may not have found elsewhere, providing them with the tools they need to “level up and change their lives.” RoofTek ensure that every estimator, project manager and lead installer that arrives at your door is a Field Certified roofer, with a fully-trained team who adhere strictly to RoofTek installation guidelines. “All of the crew leads have access to our computer management software where they can read notes, take pictures, make notes and follow directions.” This high level of communication and consistency across the board is what sets RoofTek apart as roofing contractors, ensuring always that customer experience, accountability and quality is at the core of what they do.

“RoofTek have yielded tremendous success from investing in employees and subcontractor relationships, enlisting good people in the cause and providing them with mentorship at every turn.”

Jake believes that “if there are strengths there are strengths of leadership, if there are weaknesses there are weaknesses of leadership.” As RoofTek continues to grow and develop their team, they do so with a heavy focus on leadership. It is this leadership that has seen the company yield huge results when it comes to growth. “If you want to grow as a business,” Jake says, “you’ve got to grow as a leader.” Jake, who has always been an entrepreneur, has grown as a leader within RoofTek to land at a place where he truly sees himself as a CEO. “As I grow and the leadership team grows and we learn how to deliver that success track – that’s really what I think has made the biggest difference in our growth.”

The growth that Jake speaks of is in both scale and revenue, and it has been a significant uptick since RoofTek first came to life. The first year in business saw a turnover of $4.5 million, a figure that doubled in the following year to $9 million, thus setting a trend that was indicative of how the next few years would play out. During this period of growth RoofTek added reroofing and repair services to the business, as well as spray-on products that help extend the life of a roof and most recently, franchising. “In our first year of franchising we’ve sold ten units and we’re in the process of getting them up and operational.” Just last year, as a result of such growth and new opportunities, RoofTek finished up on $31 million in revenue. “It’s gratifying when a plan comes together,” Jake says when speaking about some of RoofTek’s growth milestones. “You decide where you want to be, you task your team, create clarity and roles, and then later you get to sit in a quarterly meeting and say hey, we did it!”

While RoofTek has experienced exceptional growth in recent years, they are only scratching the surface of what can be achieved, and certainly what they plan to achieve within the industry. In talking about the company’s vision Jake refers to RoofTek’s North Star. “What gets us out of bed besides the paycheck?” he asks. The roofing industry in North America does not yet have a unified, go-to brand when it comes to all things roofing. In this, Jake sees an opportunity to become to roofing what Kleenex is to tissue or what Levi’s is to jeans: a household name. “So if someone’s got something going on with their roof, we want them to say without hesitation, I’m gonna call RoofTek.” Sometimes it just makes sense to, pardon the pun, put everything under the one roof. This streamlining of services is happening in so many other industries, and so when it comes to roofing an ambitious and forward-thinking Jake asks the question, why not us?

Jake’s high hopes for the future of RoofTek is reflective of his positive outlook on the roofing industry as a whole. In speaking on this he calls to mind a saying: there’s only so much land out there and god’s not making any more of it. With the population growing in density and land becoming scarcer, we need to start thinking of roofs as assets and figure out how to maximize them to our advantage. “The industry is going in an exciting direction and I’m excited to be one of the people that’s trying to figure out how best to utilize that asset up there,” Jake says. The thing that was once a straw-thatched layer of weak protection is now a powerful force for change, and in order to put that change into practice we need companies like RoofTek in the driver’s seat. “A roof is not a liability you have to deal with every twenty-five years,” Jake offers in his closing thoughts. “If we can find a better way to use them by making them last longer, harnessing the power of the sun, or spending some time in sanctuary up there, we can use them to improve our quality of life. The world is our acorn. It’s just about finding the right people to help make it all happen.”

It is often said that once we’ve got a roof over our heads and food on the table, everything else will fall into place. While Airfoam, in British Columbia, doesn’t directly manufacture these essential goods, quite often it is their innovative insulation solutions that place safe buildings and fresh food within our reach. Add life-saving medicines and vaccines to the list of products that they insulate, and Airfoam lands high up on the list of what we’ve come to know as essential.  

Since their inception, over thirty-five years ago, Airfoam Industries Ltd.  has grown and evolved into a multi-national provider of insulation solutions. They came to life in 1986 as Aqua-Pak Industries, taking on the task of shipping fresh coastal seafood around the world. From those humble beginnings as a packaging company they branched out into the building materials space, introducing Quad-Lock Insulating Concrete Forms in 1994. Later, after expanding the business and acquiring their biggest competitor, they rebranded all construction products under the Airfoam banner to become what they are today. “After our acquisitions and rebrand of our building materials under Airfoam we have a really strong lineup of products that can serve many construction applications,” says CEO Josh Plamondon, who joined the company in 2006. Today, the Airfoam group operates a fifty-fifty split business between insulated packaging and building materials, with the construction vertical growing rapidly in the current climate. “British Columbia is on the cutting edge of changing building codes in North America and that has really created a lot of opportunity for us.” 

Evident in the building market today is an urgent drive towards sustainability and resilience. This comes as no surprise as the construction industry is responsible for 11% of global carbon emissions. To achieve Net Carbon Zero by 2050 as set out by world leaders at COP26, the way buildings are designed and built needs to be revolutionised. This includes how buildings are protected in both a thermal and moisture management sense, and that’s where Airfoam comes in. It doesn’t take long into our conversation for Josh to drive the point home that sustainability and resilience are at the core of what Airfoam does. “It seems the extremes are becoming more common,” says Josh, speaking of climate change and the forest fires that sweep through British Columbia every summer. “Providing high-performance insulation solutions is really all about minimising our impact on the environment. Especially our buildings – those are the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Whether it’s the energy used to heat or cool them, or controlling moisture in the building envelope, better insulation is a simple solution that’ll have a big impact.” 

It is EPS, or expanded polystyrene, that forms the basis of Airfoam’s high-performance insulation solutions. A versatile and lightweight material, EPS is about 98% air and is free from formaldehyde and CFC, HCFC and HFC gases. EPS allows for the safe insulation of food and medical supplies during transit as well as the quality and cost-efficient insulation of buildings. “A great product with a fantastic cost per R-Value,” is how Josh puts it. Airfoam is passionate about the low environmental impact of EPS compared to some other solutions on the market, and strives to put even more recycled content into their products in the future. “You look at what we do and you might think we just make foam, but what Airfoam is trying to accomplish and how we’re trying to impact the world has really resonated with me,” says Josh. “I’m lucky to be in a position now in which I get to help lead the charge with that.”

“A versatile and lightweight material, EPS is about 98% air and is free from formaldehyde and CFC, HCFC and HFC gases.”

Airfoam continues to be an influencer in Canadian and US markets by lending technical expertise to industry and government in the development of codes and standards. Airfoam experts sit on a number advisory committees that review changing needs in both the building and packaging industries and help to develop regulatory codes that protect the consumer in a safe and logical manner. An example of Airfoam’s influence can be found in BC Housing’s latest revision of the Building Envelope Guide for Houses – Part 9, which features a greatly expanded “how-to” section on Insulating Concrete Forms that helps to ensure compliance with BC’s residential building code.  

Climate change is not the only significant global challenge that Airfoam has had to face head on. “Keep people healthy and keep the doors open,” was the Airfoam approach from the second the pandemic kicked off and their services were deemed essential. Airfoam was on the leading edge when it came to implementing protocols and going above and beyond what was required to keep everyone safe. Without any foresight on what the next few months would bring they’d made a pre-pandemic move to cloud-based solutions. This meant that from a technology standpoint they were able to flip a switch and send everybody home without fuss, while many others scrambled to implement online solutions overnight. “It was business as usual,” says Josh. Since March 2020, Airfoam has moved forward with a more flexible working environment, and have even been fortunate to grow in numbers without the limitations of a physical office.  

While Airfoam has come out the other side of the pandemic with a happy and healthy team and a busy workload, it did not come without challenges. The extent of what COVID-19 has done to the global supply chain can only be fully understood if your business exists within that chain. Many of the materials that Airfoam uses come from overseas. When demand for such materials dropped and ships and containers were decommissioned, supplies came at a hefty price or fell out of reach entirely. “Later when the demand spiked there was no capacity to keep up, causing worldwide supply chain issues that we’ve all had to navigate.” Another well-documented supply chain issue that arose in light of COVID-19 is the great lumber shortage which, as Josh puts it, really pushed people to look at other proven methods of building. When you pair such issues with an industry-wide drive towards greener buildings, there is huge potential to be found. “We’ve seen a lot of organic growth over the last two years with people looking to build in a more sustainable way,” says Josh. “We worked really hard to make sure our customers had supply and were able to keep service levels close to 100% from our lead time standards. We even got some more business out of that from people who wouldn’t normally buy from us. We’re hopeful we can continue to grow those new relationships once things start to stabilize.”  

Just like construction companies have had to find different ways to build, companies like Airfoam have had to find different ways to sell. It raises the question – where do traditional trade shows fit into all this? While traditional trade shows are not the sales powerhouses they once were, Vancouver-based trade show BUILDEX remains an important one for Airfoam. “It plants a flag in the soil that this is where we are, this is our birthplace, this is where we call home.” BUILDEX is an annual trade show that provides networking, educational and product demonstration opportunities to building industry professionals. Still an important platform for sales and lead generation, BUILDEX now has a strong focus on education and building science. “When we develop new building and insulation solutions BUILDEX is a great place for us to introduce them into the market.” This year Airfoam will be participating in the show alongside HAVAN, the Home Builders Association in the Lower Mainland. “This is really exciting as it signifies to us that we’re a key partner for them. It says a lot that they’ve invited us and really speaks to the work that we’ve been doing in the building community to promote high performance buildings and sustainability.” 

Among the technical seminars and demonstrations that Airfoam will be running at BUILDEX 2022 is the introduction of their latest focused solution, Foamshield. Building on research from University of Alaska’s Cold Climate Housing Research Center, Foamshield technology can help builders achieve the highest levels of British Columbia’s emerging Energy Step Codes – which is a province-wide standard that incentivizes energy efficiency in new buildings – with off the shelf parts. Foamshield technology is based on what building scientists are calling  “perfect wall” assemblies for healthy, durable, and budget-friendly buildings. Manufacturing the best performing products for the lowest cost is what drives Airfoam, and as Josh says, “it’s a compelling story for the building community to hear.” This kind of innovation and product development is a big part of Airfoam’s vision for the future. “We’re ramping up investment in a product development team which is going to be an exciting initiative over the next while. We strive to be the best in the world at what we do, which means innovating new ways to improve production, reduce costs and create efficiency.”  

Airfoam has ambitious plans on where they want to be as a company and are focused on working together to achieve their vision. “Expanding product lines, expanding offerings, expanding reach – these things are all on the table for us.” With a world-class team of innovators and years of industry experience, Airfoam strives to be thought leaders in their field of expertise. “Internally we know we have a lot of talented people that understand building science, but outside our business we’re not sure it’s as well known. One of our initiatives is to drive these new products and solutions and to increase industry recognition,” says Josh. “We’ve set the bar much higher this year, but the whole team is really keen on continuing to push the rock up the hill.” 

“Nobody represents the construction industry in the Carolinas like Carolinas AGC,” says Dave Simpson, President & CEO of the award-winning trade association. It takes just a small glimpse into the company’s plethora of work to know that Dave is speaking the truth. Carolinas AGC is a full-service trade association that has been in operation for 101 years, representing almost eight-hundred-member companies in the commercial and industrial construction industry. They are a chapter of the wider Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and the American Road and Transportation Building Association (ARTBA), both of whom they have a great working relationship with. Recognizing the prodigious work being done by their Carolinas chapter, the AGC of America have awarded CAGC the Chapter of the Year Award in 1999 and again in 2019 – and in 2021, of the 89 Chapters, CAGC won both the AGCA Public Relations and Workforce Development Awards for a $3.75 million COVID safety program and a Build Your Career workforce program.

Carolinas AGC exists to serve the construction industry and strengthen members’ businesses by providing business development opportunities, helping contractors manage their workforce through training and education, and advocating for a legal and regulatory environment that ensures contractors success. They have their feet firmly on the ground with four lobbyists in North and South Carolina who are full-time CAGC employees.

Both North and South Carolina entered the new decade with a bright outlook for the construction industry, with an abundance of building, highway-heavy, and utility work in the pipeline. The survival of the Carolinas construction industry during a time in which COVID posed the question – what industries are essential? – would not have been possible without the support of Carolinas AGC. Their commitment to industry success and the ongoing advocacy work that stems from such commitment allowed Carolinas AGC to convince South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster and North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper to recognize construction as an essential industry.

Last year Carolinas AGC had to quickly pivot from a live, hands-on organization that hosts over one hundred face-to-face events per year to a pandemic-friendly event model. In approaching the situation, they demonstrated, as is their very essence, an unwavering commitment to industry success. There were 650 attendees at their first virtual Summer Summit in 2020, including the state Governors along with various other politicians and economists. Dave describes the event as a “home run,” an impressive reflection considering the monumental adjustments that had to be put in place to ensure its successful execution.

Over a year later and it’s no longer COVID that dominates the US construction industry’s news headlines, but instead the bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. When asked about the bill and the ongoing delays in passing it, Dave is passionate in his response: “I’m hoping that Congress and the President can get their acts together and cut a deal on the highly needed $1.2 trillion dollar infrastructure package. They need to stop bickering and start working together to secure this badly needed funding at a time when our infrastructure system is in deplorable condition, not only in the Carolinas but throughout the US.” Dave is a business leader who is well-versed in the benefits of working together rather than against one another to get the job done. This is the exact mindset that is needed to drive not only the survival of, but the success and growth of an ever-changing and ever-important industry.

“This year CAGC were granted $642,000 dollars from the South Carolina legislature, which they went on to spend on their Be Pro Be Proud Skilled Trades Mobile Workshop.”

Dave’s passion for the industry is also evident when he talks about the work Carolinas AGC is doing to promote the benefits of a career in construction. There continues to be an ongoing workforce shortage in the construction industry throughout the US, making it a struggle to “get people into an industry and a career in which the future is unlimited.” But as the workforce shortage continues to pose a challenge, Carolinas AGC continues to be innovative and committed in their approach to overcoming it. This year CAGC were granted $642,000 dollars from the South Carolina legislature, which they went on to spend on their Be Pro Be Proud Skilled Trades Mobile Workshop. This is a 53-foot mobile truck that comes fully-equipped with simulated construction equipment, offering an interactive way for children, students and parents to learn more about skilled trades. “We’ve got $5 million more that we think is coming from the North Carolina legislature this year which we plan to use for the same thing. We’ll have one truck in South Carolina, two in North Carolina, rolling around and promoting construction as the great industry that it is.” The launch of this workshop is a hands-on approach to tackling the workforce shortage, communicating through tangible and interactive means the exciting prospect of a career in construction.

In 2020 Carolinas AGC’s Foundation was granted $3.5 million from the North Carolina General Assembly for its Public Relations efforts, the only chapter to be named for two awards. $3 million was spent reimbursing the construction industry for COVID-related expenses such as onsite safety efforts, safety equipment and related efforts. “I was writing checks from a few dollars to up to $100,000 to both members and non-members,” says Dave, recognizing the detrimental impact of the pandemic and ensuring that at the very least nobody was out of pocket. Another $750K was used to reach out to minority organizations via a radio network, in particular African Americans, Hispanics and Latinos, and make subgrants for multilingual education, training, and community outreach programs.

The inclusion of minority groups is an integral part of Carolina AGC’s stateside efforts in North and South Carolina to improve and support the construction industry. Women in construction, for example, is of growing importance to CAGC and as such is an area that they pour a great deal of time and funding into. It’s a commitment that does not stop at targeted advertising campaigns showcasing the benefits of a career in construction for women. CAGC goes that step further by, to mention one effort, launching an entire CAGC Buildercast podcast series on the issue. We Were Built For This aired during Women In Construction Week in March 2021, and is a four-episode series interviewing women in construction and highlighting the impact they have on their workplace and within the industry. “We are dedicated to getting more women and minority groups involved in construction,” Dave says, before proudly directing me to a particular page of the CAGC website where I could read some reflections from female CAGC members for myself. “I want to be an example of how women can be successful in this industry,” says Lindsay Smith of Palmetto Corporation. “Just like any other industry, if you keep your nose to the grindstone, submerge yourself in the opportunity to learn, and don’t overthink being a woman surrounded by men, you will succeed.” The world is progressing, and to ignore the need for gender and cultural diversity within the workplace is to do your company a great disservice. Dave mentions often throughout our interview that there is no limit to the amount of construction work available in the Carolinas, and he is passionate about making this work both appealing and accessible to women and minority groups.

“We are dedicated to getting more women and minority groups involved in construction.”

It’s evident that while there is no shortage of work available within the construction industry, there are some significant roadblocks in the way of getting the jobs done. Aside from the workforce shortage, the delayed Infrastructure Bill and the ongoing COVID situation, Dave says “one of the biggest challenges the industry is facing is supply chain delays and surging material prices, making it not only hard for people to get materials, but also for them to lock down prices. That’s no way to be able to do business.” But CAGC exists to fight these very issues, and Dave is both dedicated to the cause and up to the task. He says, “Between the material delays, the surging prices that you can’t lock down, and not having enough people to do the great work that’s out there – that’ll keep us busy for many more years.”

It does seem that from the perspective of Dave and Carolinas AGC that the positives of the construction industry far outweigh the current challenges it faces. Dave puts it simply: “The outlook for the construction industry is excellent. What we need to do now is get more young, promising, and enthusiastic people into the industry and build the many things that need to be built, highways, bridges, buildings, utilities, dams, factories, hotels, warehouse, tunnels, airports, schools, churches, you name it. I can’t think of a more exciting thing for people to do.”

The construction industry in the Carolinas, supported in no small way by Carolinas AGC, continues to move with the changing tide and hold its place as one of the most lucrative and optimistic sectors in the state.

In North America, where trees are plentiful and lumber remains the dominant material used in new-builds throughout the nation, the construction industry depends heavily on good quality wood framing services. It’s the wood framing, as Tom English says, that “everything else goes off; the electrical, the plumbing, the hardware, the bricks and the shingles. If it’s not framed and up, nobody else can do their work.” Tom is the owner of US Framing, a Kentucky-born company following a simple ethos: that every great piece of art needs its frame. 

US Framing began in the early nineties with an idea, a family-driven determination and a slab of good quality wood. What started out as a small home-framing operation has grown in both company size and project scale and is now primarily focused on large-scale framing projects such as apartments, student housing, hotels, and urban infill. Backed now by over forty years of industry experience and a portfolio exhibiting almost every kind of wood framing project imaginable, US Framing have become the leading experts in the business. They have a license to work in every state, and with that they frame more square feet annually than anyone else in the country. And by a long shot, according to Tom, who talks about framing “sixteen or seventeen million square feet last year, more than anybody else in the country times two or three.” With steady growth, good people, and leading innovation at their core, US Framing exemplifies in all that they do a ‘better way to frame.’  

As the nation’s largest multi-family wood framing group working border to border and coast to coast, you could say that when it comes to their craft US Framing have seen it all. As such they are no strangers to keeping their heads above water in difficult times. In 2008, when the great recession hit and no industry seemed fit enough to make it through unscathed, they continued to onboard the right people, build the right relationships, secure the right projects, and get the work done. “A lot of framers went out of business at that time,” says Tom. “We hired and hired and continued to grow, so we are a collection of five or six big contractors. We had the opportunity to hire a lot of really good people and ninety percent of those people are still with us today.” By any standards, and particularly when the environment around you is abuzz with talks of pay cuts and layoffs, that kind of staff retention is a clear indicator of a company that’s doing something right.  

Their proven strength and resilience during such a turbulent time was a positive turning point for US Framing and the thing that kicked their steady growth into gear while everyone else seemed to be slowing down. To the wide community of carpenters who found themselves in vulnerable positions, US Framing became a safety net to fall back on. And to their valued clients and suppliers, they became a much-needed source of trust and stability amidst an otherwise challenging and uncertain landscape.  

In the same way that lumber is the foundation of a successful construction project, good people are the foundation of US Framing. When it comes to their clients and suppliers, US Framing work on the basis of “good partnerships with good people.” As a company predominantly focused on labor they work hand in hand with some of the biggest lumber, truss and hardware suppliers in the United States. “They help us sell business, we help them sell business, and we work together to get the job done.” This mutually beneficial relationship carries over to the general contractors they work with too, with trust and high-quality service always at the forefront. “The first job we do for new clients is always the hardest,” says Tom. “We get to know them, they get to know us, and then we grow into a relationship where they rely and depend on us. Because framing is a difficult industry, and if they can count on us to get the buildings up and done – that’s the most important thing for them.” Hiring and partnering with the right people to represent the company is something that US Framing have mastered over the years, and this is what ensures consistency of service across the large-scale wood framing, design and construction projects they lead.  

“When it comes to their clients and suppliers, US Framing work on the basis of ‘good partnerships with good people.'”

Working on such a monumental volume of projects, all of which are completed on time and to the highest of standards, makes it difficult for a company to look back on their portfolio and pinpoint the ones that standout. “We just finished Gardendale Apartments for Capstone Properties, whom we have a great relationship with,” says Tom in relation to an impressive 205,000 square feet apartment block recently framed by US Framing in Alabama. Noteworthy too among the company’s many success stories is a “tremendous number of successful projects completed in Florida recently for a bunch of different contractors.” US Framing also work on several large-scale jobs for Carmel Partners, one of which was a staggering one million square feet. “A size you don’t see a lot of for a single project,” Tom points out. “Maybe three or four projects together that might make a million, but not one alone. Some of the pictures are amazing. If you see an overall view, it’s almost like a whole city.” And no better people for the job; true to their track record it was finished ahead of schedule and laid those all-important foundations for what resulted in a very successful project. It is projects of such size and scale, and the success stories that stem from them, that prove no project is too big for US Framing. 

With an unwavering growth mindset and a keen eye for opportunity, US Framing continue to move forward despite the challenges facing the industry today. When asked about such challenges, Tom talks about the recent lumber shortage, or “lumber pandemic” as industry experts have come to know it. Lumber allows for speedy building, great sound and thermal insulation, cost efficiency, and a lower carbon footprint than other construction methods, hence why it is still so widely used across North America and beyond. Recent trends in the market have caused an increase in demand for housing and remodeling, sending lumber prices soaring and supply plummeting. Simply getting lumber and trusses to job sites so that framers can continue to work has been a struggle. But Tom and his team, having overcome and outsmarted many industry challenges in the past, look at this as only temporary and “expect things to be pretty bright for the future.” 

Through their hard work, steady growth and determination, US Framing have landed themselves in a rare position; to be able to say, as Tom did, that “we can’t really expand anymore geographically because we work nationwide.” Improvements and growth for US Framing in the future, therefore, will continue to work hard, be innovative, and build relationships with clients and suppliers. In Tom’s words, “we will continue to be on the forefront in framing.” With years of experience in the industry, US Framing comes equipped with manpower, vision, and the know-how to make all of their projects a success. US Framing will continue to make improvements in every area of framing for many years to come.