MarketScale Manufacturing

The New York Times recently wrote about an architecture critic's quest to bring alive the story of South Carolina's historic homes and real estate in the face of booming new development. They called it the Newish Charleston, which is a perfect term for the give and take of new construction versus historic preservation.

No one knows this delicate battle better than Ben Buckley-Green, president of Ben Buckley-Green Construction, and Olivia T.M. Brock, founder of Torrance Mitchell Designs. The two Charleston natives sat down with frequent podcast guest and founder of Havelock Wool, Andrew Legge, and host Tyler Kern to discuss how renewable materials are helping preserve the culture of South Carolina historic homes.

Brock recently teamed up with Buckley-Green for a home preservation project -- an early 20th century single house, a one room home unique to Charleston -- using Havelock wool insulation materials.

"When I got to Charleston, my heart just was not into breaking new land and building these new homes," said Buckley-Green, a second-generation custom home builder. "It was an easy fallback for me to revert to what I love doing best, which is renovation work."

"I've got a personal interest in taking old and making it continue to work," Legge said. "Obviously there's something correlated to taking a thousand-year-old fiber in wool and using it for what it was originally intended for, which is insulation."

PVC piping, vent ducting, vinyl fabric, and safety flags: These common everyday products are all around us, but rarely do we think of where they came from, how they were made, and how important they are to daily life. In this episode of The Marking Minute by Presco, we explore the many uses of polymer products and where the industry is innovating with the VP of New Business Development at Presco, John Yianitsas.

“Polymer is really the chemistry that we use,” Yianitsas said simply.

At Presco Polymers, this chemistry creates PVC, vinyl, and flexible vinyl that can be used in a wealth of industries.

“A big part of what we do if you go to any kind of convention or expo you’ll see drapes or table skirts,” Yianitsas said.

He has his eye on innovation for the company, keeping a lookout for where vinyl can disrupt the market.

“We know our vinyl is printable…” Yianitsas said, but as printing technology advances, “I’m really looking to expand and how can we get into these markets that we’ve really never explored.”

Presco products, most importantly, are unique and customized for each task or project at hand.

“Everything we do is specialized and is tailor-made for their requirements and I think that’s where we set ourselves apart,” Yianitsas said.

By listening carefully to the customer's needs, Presco hones in on a specific issue and improves upon the chemistry of their products to deliver customized solutions.

Flintco has been a leader in construction management for 110 years, working on impactful civic projects big and small. In order to keep this long record of service and expertise, Flintco seeks smart and innovative employees to join the team.

On this jobcast episode of Flintco Forward we explore the open role of Project Manager at Flintco and what this job entails. Flintco employees Tony DeStefano, VP of Human Resources, and Cole Butcher, Flintco Senior Project Manager, join the conversation to talk about what a project manager is, and what they can do at Flintco.

Based in Memphis, Tennessee the role of Project Manager is a full-time job requiring five to six years of experience in the field of construction and/or a Bachelors in Construction or Engineering. Butcher lists the benefits of being based in a growing city like Memphis, among them Memphis’ mouth-watering dry rub BBQ.

“There’s big things on the horizon for the city. So that’s exciting to see and also be a part of," Butcher said.

DeStefano elaborates on what Flintco is looking for in a project manager.

“As we evolve and take on bigger projects, the role that we’re looking for...is gonna’ be committed to helping us execute projects that are gonna’ have a significant impact on the community," he said.

Emphasizing community above all, DeStefano said the Project Manager will work on “cornerstone pieces,” that make a difference in the city, “whether it’s healthcare, higher education, or just corporate office space...”

Flintco emphasizes that they are looking for a “hands on” leader.

“We want people who challenge the way we do things to find the best solution,” DeStefano said. With plenty of opportunity for rising up in the ranks, the project manager role at Flintco is just the start of a flourishing career for a critical thinker and strong leader.

If you'd like to apply for this position of Project Manager, click here.

On this Architecture & Design Jobcast, brought to you by MarketScale, we sat down with Jessica Reiks of Watson, a furniture manufacturer creating user-centered, tech-ready, and future proof consoles, to discuss the open role of Sales Account Manager. Reiks said the ideal candidate is organized, interested in building solid client relationships, and always concerned about the experience.

"This role has a great impact on even more than what it seems and what meets the eye," Reiks said. "It impacts how people work."

The Sales Account Manager is an essential piece of the company that puts personability to work, partnering with and ensuring the long-term success of their customers. Developing lasting relationships to deliver solutions in a timely manner, the Sales Account Manager will be building cross-functional relationships with internal and external key players, striving to deliver a world-class client experience for products that are changing how we bring technology into our everyday work lives.

Jessica shared insight into the company's culture around the water cooler, so to speak, and answered one of our signature questions -- What fictional character best embodies this role -- with a nod to a rom com classic.

The job basics include:

If you'd like to apply for this position of Sales Account Manager, head to watsonfurniture.com/careers.

The American dream has long been to own a home with a white picket fence, but the last decade might show that times, and preferences are changing.

From 2010-2019 new apartment unit deliveries totaled 2.34 million, according to data from Yardi Matrix, a commercial real estate data and research firm.

Areas where jobs are created are largely responsible for the increase in new apartments, but other factors are at play says Yardi Senior Research Analyst Tara Jeffcoat. Young people have never been strangers to college but Jeffcoat said there are more millennials staying in apartments as they delay more expensive life milestones due to burdens like student debt.

However, boomers have also turned to apartments for fewer maintenance concerns and increased access to local amenities.

“This is a growing cohort that is doing it not because they have to, but because they want to. They are really driving that discretionary renter segment,” Jeffcoat said.

Apartment deliveries have mirrored the economic expansion since 2010, reaching a peak in 2017 with 331,000 new units. The number has declined in each of the last two years, but Jeffcoat is not ringing any alarm bells.

“I don’t think it’s significant yet,” Jeffcoat said. “I think we would need to see a much sharper decline or slope of the decline before really getting worried.”

As unemployment has decreased and highly skilled labor has become more in-demand, costs of construction have risen, causing a slowdown.

Car doors, boats, pools, aerospace equipment...What do all of these products have in common?—They’re all made of thermosets. However, both thermoset products and thermoset tools were often limited in their production speed and efficiency due to their manufacturing method.

On today’s Engineering & Construction Podcast we explored thermosets, what they are, how they are made, modern-day uses, and the manufacturing process. Joining us on the podcast to unpack the industry of thermosets are Magnum Venus Products experts Mike Kastura, Senior Product Manager, and Hannah Jay, Jr. Marketing Manager.

Thermosets, thermoplastics? What is the difference? Mike and Hannah carefully explain the crucial difference between the composites, and why thermosets make a stronger, more durable product. But, thermosets have lagged behind thermoplastics in their ability to be scaled up in production. This is where Magnum Venus Products has upset the status quo and created something the industry didn’t even know it needed.

“We as consumers don’t know what we want," Kastura said, quoting the famous Henry Ford—“‘If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.’”

Having a way to efficiently and economically produce thermosets can be incredibly useful to a variety of industries. And, as Jay chimed in, there is “substantial energy savings in thermoset processing.”

Magnum Venus Products is changing the narrative of the benefits of thermosets vs additive manufacturing by bring Reactive Additive Manufacturing to life, which will finally allow for the 3D printing of thermoset materials.

“Industry is demanding more efficient solutions,” Jay said. On this podcast we discovered how Magnum Venus Products is leading innovation and altering expectations in the field of temperature tolerant compounds.

Today’s consumers are more and more concerned with their health and the health of the planet, and their buying choices reflect these holistic values. Construction materials, like insulation, are no exception to the rule. Though fiberglass insulation has long been the industry standard, there are healthy and environmentally conscious alternatives that are upsetting the market. One such company is Havelock Wool, a San Francisco based small business offering wool insulation to eco-conscious consumers. Here to talk about Havelock Wool is the founder, Andrew Legge, along with a satisfied Havelock customer, Christine.

“Whole Foods is growing, and McDonald’s is shrinking,” says Andrew, and this trend is what reinforces the notion that Havelock has real staying power in the market. Andrew says, “people are paying more attention to their health, and it starts with what you put in your body every day.” Havelock customer Christine agrees as she explains what drew her to Havelock: healthy values, sustainable wool, and using natural materials in the construction of her home. Though wool is, at the moment, a costlier alternative to fiberglass, Andrew often asks clients the question: “Why are you trying to spend as little as possible on basically the whole reason you’re building this structure—which is to protect you from the elements.”

“Wool is the most dynamic fiber on the planet,” says Andrew, and installing it in your home is an investment in the future, a future of rising temperatures and sustainability concerns. Smart consumers are driving the wave of wool in construction, wanting a healthier alternative to the harmful off-gassing of fiberglass. With wool’s added benefits of managing moisture and purifying the air, it is only a matter of time before the market catches up to this natural alternative.

As consumers develop an interest in healthy, high-performance building products, coarse wool products such as Havelock Wool are becoming the gold standard for a truly green insulation product.

Today on the A&D Podcast brought to you by MarketScale, host Tyler Kern sat down with Cameron Reith, founder and partner of Greenhome Solutions, a family-owned green building product supplier and Andrew Legge, founder and managing partner of Havelock Wool to discuss how consumers are finding their way to this unique replacement for traditional fiberglass insulation.

While fiberglass has replaced more hazardous asbestos insulation in recent decades, the thin fibers of plastic and glass are also dangerous for human inhalation. Pinpointing the safety issue, Legged asked: "If you won't touch it, why are you spec'ing it for your architect in your building?"

That's why construction experts like Reith have come to recommend Havelock and other green building products in his Seattle-based Greenhome Solutions store.

"Wool is an amazing fiber that performs no matter what application," Reith said, who made Havelock Wool its exclusive recommended insulation solution. "Whether for your socks or your insulation, wool is good with moisture and it's got comparable R-value to anything that's in those walls. It's really is a no-brainer for us."

Reith and Legged also discussed how green-minded customers in Seattle, specifically, are showing what interest and demand there is for green insulation solutions.

"With wool, there's just no better fiber for the purposes of insulation," Legge said.

Summertime is primetime for the construction industry, but those summer temperatures and bright sunlight serve as visible reminders for how important solar control products are for buildings and their occupants.

On this episode of the Architecture & Design Podcast, host Tyler Kern sat down with Jeff Miller, solar control products manager for Draper Inc. to discuss the key benefits of proper shading for buildings. The Indiana-based, family-owned company manufactures window shades for sunlight control and room darkening.

When you think of solar control products, more commonly known as window shades, energy savings come to mind as the obvious benefit. But Miller said occupancy comfort is a critical benefit of window shades.

“Energy savings is definitely a big part of window shades but we’re seeing more and more discussions about occupancy comfort and workroom productivity,” Miller said.

But how do window coverings affect employee productivity?

Heat build-up in a particularly sunny part of the office is one factor. Glare on a computer screen is another important one, he said. While the screen itself and harmful blue light can create problematic strain on eyes, a very common cause of strain is unfiltered natural light from a window.

“When it comes to window shades, two of the main characteristics to look at are the color of the fabric and the openness factor,” Miller said. “Color affects how you view through the shade.”

White fabric, for example, has a lot of reflectivity. That’s good for reflecting light back out, but doesn’t cut inside glare and can affect the occupants’ ability to see through the shades, Miller said. Interestingly, a dark color fabric helps minimize inside glare and has better visibility through it because the dark color absorbs light.

A low openness value (1%-3%) will block more sun and deliver a higher level of privacy but it will also allow for less view through.

Increasingly, buildings have adapted to the personalities of the businesses that inhabit them. Flexibility in the workplace has changed corporate functionality, but also brought about new challenges.

Not only are businesses looking for a certain aesthetic and design, but research has shown that elements of the office place can make a deeper impact.

“The built environment: buildings, places, spaces where we spend time, can have a real impact on human health and wellbeing,” Jessica Cooper, COO at International WELL Building Institute said.

Cooper recently delivered a keynote speech at Metrocon 2019 in Dallas, Texas, an architecture and design conference.

WELL Building Institute seeks to transform offices to improve performance of workers within them, not only at work but in life.

While it has been proven that design choices affect employee efficiency, health and morale, there is no universal blueprint, and Cooper must consider the obstacles unique to each individual project.

“There are other things related to region or culture that might impact the types of solutions project teams implement to achieve those same health outcomes,” she said. “You may have a different aesthetic, different technology, different design solution or even a different policy that works in one place better than another.”

There is no question that working standards and practices vary greatly across the globe and not every solution is applicable to all, but Cooper said WELL is focused on several key areas.

These include air and water, nourishment, light, movement, sound, thermal comfort, materials, mind and community.

Worker expectations continue to evolve as fast as the places where their work is done, and perhaps more companies will take these considerations into account moving forward.