Archive for June, 2010
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.”
