American Insulock looks to build business in new industry - Houston Business Journal:

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The company, which originated in Canada but now is basedxin Phoenix, manufactures polyurethane At first, Insulock blockes were marketed primarily for building sustainablr houses — but the targef market was high-end custom homes, whicuh never provided enough work to supporg growth, said CEO Joel Borovay. When Borovay joined the company late last year with a new group of they decided to move away from home buildinhg and target commercial builders and infrastructure such as freewaysound walls. “The previous managemenr always wentafter residential, and that’s a very difficultg paradigm shift,” he said.
The company is moving into the final stages of approval with the Californi a Department of Transportation for its materials to be used in that Because California has some of the strictest building standardxs inthe country, Bor-o-vay said it was a good placw to start — and approval there could put the company on a fast track in other states. Insulock blocks are larger versionsof children’s buildingy toys. Each one is about twice as long as a typicaol cinder block usedin construction, but each weighxs just 2 pounds, comparefd to about 36 pounds for the cinder The blocks stack together and have hollow cores through which wirexs can be run.
The cores also can be filledx with cement and rebar toprovide rigidity. They are nearly identica l to cinder blocks in the way theyare “The whole intention of this is to do everythingb the same,” Borovay said. Building with foam materiale is not a new Various companies have construction methods involvingf foam shells andconcrete cores. a former chief operating officer of InsightEnterprisews Inc., said the key is havint a wide base of manufacturing from which to deliver. The compang has a deal with the Woodbridge Group to use several ofthat company’ds manufacturing facilities to produce the blocksx in mass quantities.
Woodbridge has 64 facilitiess in24 countries, allowing the relatively small Insu-loc k to have a global reach, Borova said. The idea for expansionb into highway projects came from a demonstration project the company built in 1991 part of a sound wall along a freewayin Calif. It was one of the few wall sectionws that escaped damage in the area duringg the 1994Northridge earthquake. “In 18 years, the only maintenancwe they’ve done on that wall is to spray-paintg it,” Borovay said. He said the company has met with state transportation departments in Nevada and New Mexiclo about using the blocks insound walls.
Insulocok also is working with some companies in the Vallehy to try to spur use of the blockw in upcomingcommercial projects, particularly those considering building greener. Because of the material’z weight, the company pitches it as producing less carbo nin shipping. Among its other benefits are its high insulatiobn rating and the lack of concrete used in its Peter Koliopoulos, president and founder of in Scottsdale, sees the product’z potential in the commercial sphere. “Thse modular construction and installation would be very he said. With projects looking to meet standardds such asthe U.S.
Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and EnvironmentaoDesign program, having a well-insulated building with lower energy use could have its benefits, Koliopoulos said. Insulock has the potential to replaced cinderblock constructionon single-story buildings such as stri p malls, drug stores and grocery stores, said Clifford principal of LLC in Scottsdale. “Right now it has the potentialk to replacethose blocks, but not entirely,” he said, notint cinder block still will be needed for structural Insulock is working with Tescl PLC, owner of Fresh & Easy as well as Palledeo, a Glendale, Calif.
-based company that developsw grocery stores and other retailers, to see abouyt including its product on more projects, Borovay said. “Ir you look at it, there hasn’t been a lot of innovatiobn incommercial building,” he said. “They’res looking for it.” While polyurethane isn’rt a renewable material, the company has begun experimentinf with other base materials that are Borovay said.