The three-day sales training covered topics such as product features and benefits, interviewing the customer to learn about their wants and needs, proper diagnosing and inspection of foundation related issues, and presenting solutions to the customer.  Sales training attendees were also encouraged to bring their laptops to receive hands-on training on the exclusive Foundation Supportworks sales presentation and proposal generating software program.  The software allows the sales professionals to effectively communicate and educate a homeowner on the unique features and benefits of each of Foundation Supportworks products.

InspectionWorld® is the annual home inspector conference presented by the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI).  The event, which took place January 4^th-7^th, was attended by more than 350 professional home inspectors from throughout North America.  The attendees were provided with 45 education courses in five different specialty tracks, plus a sixth track devoted to the 2012 International Residential Code.  The event also featured an exhibitor expo, where participants had the opportunity to learn about products and services being offered by more than 60 companies from across the country.

The American Society of Home Inspectors was formed in 1976 and is the oldest and most respected non-profit professional society for home inspectors in North America.   With over 6,000 members and 80 chapters, ASHI has provided home inspectors with the best in education, resources and professional networking opportunities.  Its mission is to meet the needs of its membership, while promoting excellence and exemplary practice within the home inspection profession.

The award was presented to Complete Basement Systems on November 4^th at the 2011 Associated General Contractors ACE awards banquet.  The banquet was attended by more than 550 contractors and industry leaders who gathered to recognize and celebrate the outstanding commercial construction projects completed within the last year.  The AGC of Colorado presented a total of thirty-one awards at the ceremony, including 14 ACE awards.  The 36 entries in 14 categories, submitted by 27 AGC member companies, demonstrate the outstanding creativity, skill and excellence of Colorado’s builders, architects, engineers, and subcontractors.

The Alta Vista Charter School was constructed in 1917.  In 2011, the school planned a “historic” renovation to 6,240 square feet of the existing building as well as construction of a new addition of 18,000 square feet (view case study).  Helical piles were selected as the ideal deep foundation stabilization option for this site given the subsurface conditions, groundwater levels, ease of installation and ability to efficiently size the piles for the various design working loads that were needed.  The team at Complete Basement Systems completed the job by installing 136 piles in approximately two weeks.

In addition to classroom discussions, those in attendance observed a presentation by the Vice President of American National Bank, who spoke on the importance of having a strong relationship with your local banking institute.  The presentation focused on banking issues that are relevant to foundation stabilization companies, including revolving lines of credit and regulatory requirements.

The training included many hands-on activities to provide real-world applications for the attendees, as well as a panel discussion where participants had the opportunity to “ask the experts” questions related to the accounting side of their business.

This year marked the 10^th anniversary of this award and Jill Micek, Editor of the Midlands Business Journal, was quoted as saying, “Throughout the 10 years, one thing remains little changed by time – that is the high quality of young leadership of Greater Omaha.”  Micek goes on to say, “…judges were mindful of examples of innovation and risk-taking by entrepreneurs.  Judges searched for examples of effectiveness and leadership shown by men and women working within the framework of bigger organizations.”

Amanda received her award on Friday, December 2^nd at an awards ceremony held at the Embassy Suites-LaVista Conference Center.  In attendance were more than 475 business and civic leaders from throughout the Omaha community.

Foundation Supportworks is proud to employ such a great leader in the Omaha business community and remains committed to our mission: “To be the industry leader, relentless in our pursuit to be extraordinary with support, service, training and products that inspire success.”

The Canadian Construction Materials Centre is a part of Canada’s National Research Council Institute for Research in Construction (NRC), and offers the Canadian construction industry a national evaluation service for products that are covered under the scope of recognized standards, as well as innovative non-standardized materials, products, systems and services in all types of construction.  As part of NRC’s Institute for Research in Construction, the Centre has vital technical support, access to the most up-to-date information on construction technology, a direct liaison to the Canadian construction regulatory framework, and model national code development.

Obtaining this evaluation report from the CCMC ensures that Foundation Supportworks products are recognized as acceptable solutions by all provincial and territorial building regulatory bodies across the country.  Foundation Supportworks is committed to being the leading manufacturer of foundation stabilization systems in both the United States and Canada and is proud to have completed this important phase in verifying code compliance of our products.

Seminar in Manassas, Virginia

JES Construction, a foundation repair and stabilization company with multiple offices throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, hosted three 5-hour engineering seminars during the week of October 24^th.  JES Constructionis a leader in the foundation industry, and has been serving commercial and residential clients throughout Virginia and Maryland for nearly 20 years.

The 5-hour seminars, which took place in Richmond, Manassas (near Washington, DC), and Norfolk, Virginia, were facilitated by Jeff Kortan, P.E., Director of Engineering for Foundation Supportworks, and Don Deardorff, P.E., Senior Application Engineer for Foundation Supportworks.

Seminar in Richmond, Virginia

A total of 212 design professionals attended the presentations, allowing them to expand their knowledge about design considerations, typical applications, and capacity calculations associated with helical foundation systems, helical soil nails, and push (resistance) pier systems.

The engineers in attendance were able to participate in general discussion with their colleagues as it related to the various deep foundation solutions offered by JES Construction and Foundation Supportworks, while also earning 5 Professional Development hours.

Seminar in Norfolk, Virginia

Those in attendance enjoyed the opportunity of networking with other foundation repair companies from across North America, while also sharing best practices on the most effective ways to grow their commercial divisions.

During intermissions, the attendees were able to spend time in the exhibit hall and meet with companies from around the area to learn about the different products and services they provide. Ben Good of Foundation Supportworks by Woods, and Josh Wennmacher of MidAmerica Basement Systems had a booth in the exhibit area displaying the foundation stabilization systems they provide.

The Connecticut Quality Improvement Award (CQIA) recognizes the most innovative manufacturing and service companies that excel in managing quality improvement for business success and growth. Since beginning in 1986 as America’s first state level quality award using the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Performance Excellence criteria, the Connecticut Quality Improvement Award Partnership’s mission has been to improve the economic vitality of manufacturers, service companies, health care and educational institutions, and non-profit organizations.

Foundation Supportworks is honored to be recognized with this award and is committed to our pursuit to be extraordinary with support, service, training and products that inspire success.