Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/446921
C o n s t r u c t i o n M a r k e t p l a c e 5 7 W e d n e s d a y, J a n u a r y 2 1 , 2 0 1 5 company. FC: Our company is over 50 years old and is family owned and operated. The business began as a small logging com- pany, and over the years has branched out into aviation, with focus on aerial fire suppression, as well as gaming and lum- ber manufacturing. CM: What makes your products unique? FC: At Coulson Cedar, we aim to create sustainability in a diminishing resource – Western Red Cedar – by producing an engineered cedar cladding. Not only are our products more cost effective than solid cedar, but we are extending the life up to nine times. CM: What distinguishes Coulson Cedar Coulson Manufacturing (Cont'd. from p. 1) from your competition? FC: We are the only engineered cedar cladding product that is approved for exterior siding and soffiting applications. We are also the only engineered cedar product that has an ICC-ES number. Our clear cedar vertical grain cladding is approximately the same price installed as a knotty cedar siding product, as well as the only cedar product to give a warranty for appearance and durability. CM: What is the nature of your distribution? FC: We are currently sold throughout North America. For more information, visit www.coulson- cedar.com or www.coulsongroup.com, call 250.724.7600, email foster.coulson@ coulsongroup.com or stop by booth #C7313. TK: We manufacture automated storage solutions, primarily for the home, and are headquartered in Mooresville, N.C. 2015 will be our tenth anniversary! All of our products were designed and created by my husband, Kurt. He has his Master's in Engineering and a very creative mind. We offer patented, unique products with Universal Design strategies in mind to maximize vertical storage. We have one domestic distributor for our Automated WardrobeLift™, and all our products are sold direct as well. CM: What was the most significant event your company experienced in 2014? TK: We had several. We launched a new website, www.storagemotion.com. We signed a domestic distributor for our Automated WardrobeLifts™. We expand- ed into international markets: the Middle East, India and Australia. We secured U.S. Patent Approval for our Automated WardrobeLift-Extended Reach product, and we were invited to be an Ambassador for the inaugural event of the Closet and Storage Summit in Savannah, Ga. This is an invitation-only event and we are hon- ored to have been invited. CM: What do you anticipate as your greatest challenge in the year ahead? TK: I think our greatest challenge for any company is to continue to grow and to continue to offer excellent customer service to clients without jeopardizing the personal touch during that growth. CM: Are you introducing any new prod- ucts? TK: We will launch our new "wood" Automated WardrobeLift. This product is actually mdf and may be stained, painted StorageMotion (Cont'd. from p. 1) and embellishments may be added to match the client's cabinetry. The unit has a streamlined "s" shape with a 44-inch vertical drop from the up position. It sup- ports up to 75 pounds of clothing. Stop by our booth S1450 to see it in action. CM: Where is your current product emphasis and what do you expect to be hot in 2015? TK: Our product emphasis is in vertical storage solutions. I believe our Automated WardrobeLifts will be hot this year, as it is the only unit on the market that can bring clothing down from up to 16-foot ceilings, and fold out of the way when not in use. Our ShoeSelect™ will continue to be a big seller for ladies with hundreds of shoes. CM: What are your delivery/turnaround times like? TK: Depending upon the product, any- where from one week for the Automated WardrobeLifts to six to eight weeks for a custom, vertical carousel. CM: To what do you attribute your com- pany's success, and what is your outlook for 2015? TK: Our success comes from offering innovative products that fill a need – a product that gives customers a solution to retrieving objects from a high place in the home. Because of that, our outlook for 2015 is excellent! We expect to grow 20 to 30 percent again this year. What we offer, no other company provides. Our products are unique and fill a need in the marketplace. Visit StorageMotion at booth #S1450. For more information, go to www .storagemotion.com or contact Tina Krohn at 704.746.3700 or TinaKrohn@storagemotion.com. and is now a leader in the industry. Where did that growth stem from? KJ: The last 70 years have been a time of development for ODL. Our products have adapted to the needs of both our customers (builders, remodelers, dis- tributors, lumber yards) and their cus- tomers. The foundation of the company, however, has remained the same: value. As we expanded from a small company in Michigan to a national company and now an international company, we've worked to remain true to that core of delivering value through our products and support. CM: Can you elaborate on that? KJ: We're heavily invested in researching how to solve problems. For example, when we learned that our customers want- ed a smoother, faster process for installing doorglass frames, we developed and intro- duced two new products: TriSYS ® and Evolve ® . The Evolve frame offers easy installation because of its auto-aligned keyed screw hole plugs, while the TriSYS frame's pin alignment system ensures rapid and accurate frame alignment. The response has been outstanding, first dur- ing our consumer approval trials and now receiving feedback from the field. Those responses are important to us, and drive how we further refine our products or what we develop next. CM: You mentioned that ODL is dedi- cated to delivering value not just through ODL (Cont'd. from p. 1) products but through support. Can you talk about that? KJ: Our customer service starts with our people. We're honored to have a team that has been with the company for many years and that believes in our products. That team keeps our manufacturing cen- ter flexible and supports our distribution centers throughout the country. The result is that when a large order comes in – no matter where it comes from – we can respond quickly and deliver product within days. CM: Your website offers the Your Door Stylizer™, demonstrating how different doorglass styles look on an actual home. KJ: We were excited about that offering, both for homeowners looking to explore our products and for the professionals who then sell the chosen styles. Especially handy for building profession- als is the automated part number locator that helps homeowners communicate the exact product they want. If you're look- ing for more fun as a professional, stop by one of our customer's offices and look at the new digital doorglass display. It's a door with a hi-res, digital screen that dis- plays product offerings and styles, for use in sales. Our customers using this program have seen accelerated growth in their business – another example of how we offer value. For more information, visit booth #C2139, www.odl.com or call 800.253.3900. project can result in costly product fail- ures, callbacks and additional expense for everyone involved, and ultimately unhappy customers. Selecting the right company and best pergola materials, like those from INTEX Millwork Solutions, ensures architects, builders and designers a smooth installation and a beautiful low-maintenance finished product that will last for many years to come, and most importantly, makes for happy customers and future referrals. To avoid hassles and gain happy cus- tomers, here are four things to look for when specifying pergola products for builders or purchasing your own pergola system. 1. Ask if the Pergola System has had any structural analysis done to deter- mine beam and rafter deflections. Some mill shops won't be able to provide this information, which means they don't know what their maximum spans are or what types of problems they may run into. Don't just assume that they have done this type of analysis – make sure. Pergola projects can involve a very large investment; make sure you're getting a product that will perform now and into the future. 2. Ensure the pergola system includes extruded aluminum reinforcements throughout all spanning members including both carrying beams and rafters. Extruded aluminum provides strength and structurally carries the PVC to eliminate bowing and deflection. Aluminum does not rust, so there will never be any chance of bleeding through and staining your pergola, patio or deck. The aluminum extrusion also holds screws and fasteners, ensuring a secure permanent connection from one INTEX (Cont'd. from p. 1) component to the next. 3. Make sure there is some type of hardware system to structurally tie all of the pergola components together. Some custom millwork companies don't design systems, they just design parts and leave the final assembly in the hands of the contractor. To build your outdoor per- gola trellis or arbor, you want to purchase a proven "Pergola System," an offering that's well thought out, designed to per- form structurally and be aesthetically realistic. 4. Specify Cellular PVC vs. wood or light wall plastic. Cellular PVC (CPVC) has the mass, look and feel of wood, making the fin- ished product look realistic while at the same time providing all of the low- maintenance aspects and benefits of PVC. The rafters and beams can be made in one piece, eliminating unsight- ly plastic end caps that look fake and have the potential to fall off or discolor differently over time. CPVC can be cus- tomized to match your end scroll speci- fication or design. CPVC can be paint- ed but the paint will never peel because CPVC doesn't absorb moisture. Not to mention that it won't rot, check or crack, and there are no worries about boring insects. Hands down, these are the best pergola products for builders. To avoid the costly mistake of selecting the wrong company to supply your per- gola, it would be best to follow the above tips. By doing so, you will find the best pergola materials and supplier for your upcoming project. For more information or to utilize the INTEX pergola design tools, visit www.intexmillwork.com, call 856.293.4100, email Mouellette@intexmillwork.com or stop by booth #S1469.