Foundation Supportworks Moves In To New Facility
Foundation Supportworks has experienced exponential growth since 2008 and recently completed the construction of a new 7,100 square foot addition to their office located in Omaha, NE. The new addition is located next door to their 27,000 square foot warehouse and distribution center where finished products are stored and then shipped to Foundation Supportworks dealers throughout North America.
In addition to creating more work space for Foundation Supportworks employees, the new facility also includes an interactive training center that will be able to accommodate over 100 people. Amanda Harrington, Director of Training and Development for Foundation Supportworks, says, “With nearly 15 events on our 2010 training schedule and even more events scheduled for 2011, the new training center provides a great learning environment for our dealers. The multimedia technology incorporated throughout the training center will allow training participants to learn in a variety of ways, ensuring the best opportunity to solidify learning concepts and incorporate them when they get back to the ‘real world’.”
Foundation Supportworks Hosts Networking Event for Sales Managers
Sales managers from throughout the Foundation Supportworks network attended a networking event July 7-8 in Omaha, Nebraska. Nearly 20 dealer offices were represented, and the event included round table discussions, large group discussions, team building activities, networking opportunities and social interaction. The sales managers helped set the agenda by determining which issues were most common in their day-to-day activities. Some topics discussed included: hiring new sales reps, training new sales reps, keeping sales people motivated, setting goals, running effective meetings, and more. Some of the feedback from those who attended the event included: “The most valuable part of the event was to share what I know with the group and grow and learn from others on what I don’t know.” “The interaction with other managers was great. All of the ideas were great. A lot of the things I learned here can be easily implemented.” “The most valuable part was the interaction with experienced sales manager who have already walked through the growing pains and stages of implementation that I must now go through as I begin to build my sales team.” “Everyone in attendance has dealt with or is dealing with very similar issues. It makes the conversations and solutions much more pertinent.”
Foundation Supportworks Dealer Recognized as a Business Leader and Innovator
Jesse Waltz, P.E., Founder and President of JES Construction, a leading engineering solutions company specializing in foundation repair, basement waterproofing and crawlspace moisture control, was recently recognized as a 2010 Excellence Award Winner and a finalist for the 2010 Entrepreneur of the Year by Inside Business, the Hampton Roads business journal. This award recognizes individuals whose entrepreneurial spirit and hard work have resulted in significant accomplishments in Hampton Roads, VA.
Established in 1993, JES has grown from one employee into a company with three locations and over 100 employees, with more than $15 million in revenue in 2009. Throughout the company’s history, Waltz has consulted with foundation contractors around the country on foundation repair and business management, but still wanted to monitor his own business while away from the office. As a result, Waltz developed BizWiz®, a Web-based business management system designed for the foundation repair industry and other home improvement industries. According to Waltz, “With BizWiz®, I can determine at the touch of a button, while anywhere in the world, what is happening at JES.” Currently this management system is being used by more than 40 Foundation Supportworks and Basement Systems dealers throughout the United States and Canada, and it is revolutionizing the way they do business.
Foundation Supportworks is proud to be partners with Jesse Waltz and his team at JES Construction. To view the full article in the Hampton Roads Business Journal, click here. Congratulations to everyone at TEAM JES!
Marketing Training Held at East Coast Dealer Support Facility
More than 20 owners and marketing managers attended the newest training offering from Foundation Supportworks — “Residential Marketing Training.” Residential Marketing Training examines effective marketing strategies for varying sized businesses, from small and start-up businesses to companies that exceed $5 million in sales. The participants evaluated a multitude of creative ways to generate leads at an allowable cost, such as grass-roots, guerrilla marketing techniques to techniques that would not only generate 
leads but also build brand awareness in associated markets. The course also provided an opportunity for attendees to set goals, determine annual and monthly marketing budgets, and analyze the results of marketing expenditures to adjust future strategies. Residential Marketing Training was held at the Foundation Supportworks east coast dealer support facility in Seymour, Connecticut to allow for easier access for those dealer offices located on the east coast. The same course will be offered again at the corporate headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska in December of this year.
New Strategies Emerge After East Coast Business Planning Meeting
Several leaders from Foundation Supportworks and Basement Systems met with leading dealers on the east coast to discuss strategies to obtain greater market share in the region. Areas of marketing, sales, new business opportunities, and untapped markets were discussed and analyzed. “What’s great about the dealers we met with is that they are willing to try new things, take calculated risks, and aggressively go after business in their area,” said Amanda Harrington, Director of Training and Development. “I am confident we will see even more market penetration as a result of this strategic planning meeting.”
FSI Presents to Engineers Throughout the Northeast
Engineers throughout the northeast participated in continuing education seminars conducted by Foundation Supportworks in New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts on June 2-4. Jeff Kortan, P.E. and Don Deardorff, P.E. presented a four hour course on the design, common applications, installation procedures, and testing procedures for helical foundation systems, helical soil nails and hydraulically-driven push pier systems. The courses had been approved for four PDH’s (Professional Development Hours) through ACEC of New York. “We had great interaction from attendees at each of our three offerings,” said Kortan. “Many of the engineers we spoke with were unfamiliar with the typical applications of these products and immediately could see how these products would benefit them on projects they are working on right now.”
Another Successful Commercial Sales & Marketing Training Takes Place
Don Deardorff, P.E. conducts a helical pile load test.
More than 20 representatives from Foundation Supportworks (FSI) dealer offices attended Commercial Sales & Marketing during the week of May 24th. The three-day training course educates participants in the areas of sales and marketing, installation, field testing, product knowledge and product application.
Throughout the week participants learned about the technical aspects of deep foundation systems and received training on how FSI products can be applied in commercial applications. Jeff Kortan, P.E. said, “This seminar is one of the most in-depth, comprehensive trainings that Foundation Supportworks offers. The dealers who attend leave with the knowledge and resources they need to effectively promote FSI products to engineers, architects and general contractors.”
Foundation Supportworks Hosts Training for More than Sixty-Five
Foundation Supportworks hosted Sales, Installation and New Dealer Training in Omaha, NE during the week of May 10, 2010 and over 65 owners, managers, sales representatives and installers received training about the various foundation solutions offered by Foundation Supportworks. Dealers from West Virginia, Georgia, Colorado, Delaware, Washington, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Connecticut, Florida, Nebraska, Oregon and Ontario were in attendance and provided insight about the foundation problems in their region of the country. The training educated dealers on ways to effectively market, sell and install helical foundation systems, push pier systems, wall stabilization systems, and crawlspace support systems.
Owners and Managers Prepare to Lead their Teams to Success!
Twenty-one owners and managers from fifteen Foundation Supportworks dealer offices attended Management Training in Omaha last week. 
Attendees discussed topics such as leading vs. managing, recruiting talented individuals to come work for you, hiring tough, orienting new hires, retaining top talent, handling employees with attitude and/or performance problems, writing effective performance appraisals, rewarding and recognizing effectively, keeping your eye on key performance indicators in each department, and much more. Rather than traditional learning techniques such as lecture, participants also held many small group discussions, observed demonstrations and used a variety of hands-on activities to solidify the concepts and apply them to real-world examples.
“Great training! I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone who thinks they are a good manager/leader. This will provide you with so much more info and arm you to become a great leader,” said Bob Cherry of Foundation Supportworks of New Jersey.
Foundation Supportworks Continues Growth with New Hire, Randy Dikeman, as Territory Manager
Foundation Supportworks, Inc. (FSI) is pleased to announce the hiring of Randy Dikeman. Randy joins FSI as a Territory Manager with a focus on dealer recruitment, field training, and technical support.
Randy has over 36 years of extensive hands-on residential and commercial construction experience and has been involved with the deep foundations industry since 1987. Randy brings a unique level of understanding to the position having owned his own foundation repair company from 1990 to 2001.
From 2001 to 2008 Randy fulfilled the role of National Project Manager for Product and Application Support for Atlas Systems and Chance Civil Construction. While with these organizations, he was a contributor in the development of comprehensive training manuals as well as other technical documents. Randy has trained foundation contractors in the classroom and in the field for over 20 years. Randy has also provided technical support for customers throughout the United States in the application, installation and load testing of helical piles, anchors and push piers in a wide variety of soil conditions. He also has extensive experience with equipment and specialty applications.
Most recently, Randy has been a field consultant for various industry manufacturers including a role in sales and business development for a distributor of Maclean-Dixie helical products.
“I am impressed with FSI’s overall operation and especially, the depth of focus in their customer support system. In this highly competitive arena of manufacturers, it is refreshing to see a company driven by the old-fashioned values of customer service that defined small business in this country for generations. The broad program of training they offer is, in my opinion, unsurpassed in the industry. I look forward to working with FSI’s staff and hopefully, I can add another layer of value to their organization.”