Foundation Contractor in Central Missouri Receives Management Training
Foundation Recovery Systems, the premier foundation repair company in central Missouri, held a two-day Management Training for their company leaders and managers. Each department manager, along with the company owners, attended the intensive two-day event which focused on maintaining company culture in times of growth and change, 
bringing the best talent on board, orienting new hires, managing different types of employees, and rewarding/recognizing excellent contributions from employees.
While there were many initiatives that Foundation Recovery Systems will be implementing as a result of the training, a few key areas of focus include strategies for keeping connected with employees as the company continues to experience explosive growth and making sure all new hires feel like a part of “Team FRS” as quickly as possible. Sharon Martin, Office Manager, said, “I believe the two days were very beneficial for everyone involved – I’m already seeing comments related to what was learned coming forth as suggestions for change. Now the key is to keep the enthusiasm going.”
Foundation Recovery Systems was founded in 1992 and operates out of Moberly, Missouri, providing commercial and residential foundation repair in Kansas City, as well as greater Missouri and portions of Iowa and Illinois.
Foundation Repair Contractor Holds Sales Camp in Virginia Beach
JES Construction, a leading foundation repair company in Virginia, conducted a sales training the week of October 22nd for over 50 of their company’s certified foundation repair specialists. Kurtis Kammerer, Sales Development Manager at Foundation Supportworks, facilitated the training, which covered numerous topics related to the sales process these specialists follow while visiting with homeowners about their foundation related problems. Those in attendance worked at improving their techniques on topics such as building rapport and developing trust with customers, effectively communicating with homeowners to understand their wants and needs, as well as presenting solutions to customers using the exclusive Foundation Supportworks sales presentation and proposal generating software.
JES Construction operates out of three offices located in Manassas, Chester, and Virginia Beach, Virginia, and provides foundation repair services throughout Virginia, Maryland, Washington, DC and Northeastern North Carolina. Since its founding in 1993, JES has grown into a team of over 140 professionally trained foundation and basement repair experts and has provided more than 10,000 engineered solutions for residential and commercial properties.
Foundation Supportworks Video Expert Speaks at National Conference
James Norlem, Video Production Specialist for Foundation Supportworks, was invited to speak at the “Four Corners Conference for Professional Development” held in Farmington, New Mexico on October 11, 2012. With approximately 15 years of experience in creating and developing a wide variety of professional video productions, James was able to lend his extensive expertise of the 
ever-evolving media world. The conference was attended by more than 1500 professionals from throughout New Mexico and surrounding states. James presented on two topics: “Putting Your Best Face Forward: Desktop Video for Beginners” and “Using Video in the Workplace,” which focused on using video effectively to improve a company’s morale, knowledge and profit, as well as making high-quality workplace videos with the most efficient investments.
Foundation Repair Contractors Attend Training Seminar in Omaha, NE
During the week of September 17th, more than 50 foundation repair contractors from throughout the United States and Canada attended training at Foundation Supportworks in Omaha, NE. Throughout the week, attendees were trained in the areas of marketing, sales and installation of Foundation Supportworks products. In addition to classroom and field training, the attendees also benefited from the opportunity to network with other foundation repair companies throughout North America.
The four-day installation training included hands-on training at several different jobsites, where the attendees received firsthand experience installing push piers, helical piers, slab piers, Geo-Lock™ wall anchors, CarbonArmor™ and PowerBraces™. The installation training also included 5 hours of classroom training where the attendees learned about the more technical aspects of the product installation.
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, 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.
Foundation Supportworks Introduces Helical Foundation Design Software
Foundation Supportworks (FSI) is excited to introduce HelixPro™, a state-of-the-art web-based software program that allows design professionals to calculate bearing and uplift capacities of FSI helical piles as well as tension capacities of FSI helical tiebacks as they pertain to specific site and soil parameters. The software allows the individual to perform multiple trials with varying soil profiles and helix 
configurations, in turn making it easy to select the most economical and practical solution for the project.
HelixPro™ is ideal for both vertical and battered piles for deep foundations of new structures, seismic retrofitting applications, tension/uplift elements of guyed structures, tiedowns, and much more. Just a few of the many features of the software include: graphical representation of soil layers and helix plate depths, ability to save multiple soil profiles and helical configurations per project, inputting wall height and failure plane coordinates for tieback design projects, and the ability to manage and sort projects by date, application, and project status.
Foundation Supportworks Annual Convention is Attended by Over 800 Foundation Contractors
Over 800 foundation repair contractors from throughout North America attended the Foundation Supportworks annual dealer convention during the week of August 13th. The Foundation Supportworks convention is an outstanding opportunity for Foundation Supportworks dealers to network with other foundation repair contractors, celebrate their achievements, receive ongoing training and renew their energy and excitement about their business.
In addition to rolling out many new products, marketing tools, sales tools, and production tools, the 3-day event included more than 80 unique training sessions to provide continuing education opportunities and enhance the knowledge and abilities of each Foundation Supportworks dealer. Dealers were also treated to an entertaining keynote speaker, Andy Andrews, who is a New York Times bestselling author of The Traveler’s Gift, How Do You Kill 11 Million People?, and The Noticer. Andy’s energizing speech and powerful message of hope, faith, and perseverance provided an evening full of laughter and fellowship.
Foundation Supportworks Engineer to Present at DFI Conference
Don Deardorff, P.E., Senior Application Engineer for Foundation Supportworks, will be presenting at the 37th Annual Conference on Deep Foundations in October. His paper, “Hydraulic Drive Head Performance Curves for Prediction of Helical Pile Capacity,” was accepted for verbal presentation by the Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) committee and documents the efficiencies of eight different drive-head motors at all ranges of differential pressure. These hydraulic gear motors, from three different manufacturers, were recently field tested by Foundation Supportworks, Inc. to compare the torque versus differential pressure curves with varying installation equipment and hydraulic line sizes. Don will be presenting the results of the testing and his conclusions on the actual performance versus stated performance of the different drive-head motors.
Founded in 1976, the Deep Foundations Institute is an international network of heavy construction professionals dedicated to quality and economy in foundation design and construction. The Institute is organized to serve as a primary means through which members of the Institute may participate in improvement of the planning, design and construction aspects of deep foundations and deep excavations.
Foundation Repair Contractors Participate in Sales Management Training
Over 25 sales managers and business owners from throughout the Foundation Supportworks dealer network attended sales management training on June 13th and 14th in Omaha, Nebraska. The event focused on the unique and difficult challenges the sales manager position faces within a foundation repair company. The two-day meeting allowed the attendees to share experiences and best practices related to leading effective sales teams and maintaining a positive sales culture. The managers helped set the agenda by determining which issues were most common in their day-to-day activities. Some topics discussed included: how to inspect what you expect from your sales team, hiring new employees, keeping sales people motivated, running effective meetings, reviving your sales culture, and more.
Along with the classroom training, those in attendance enjoyed an afternoon of team building and networking out on the golf course. The event gave the attendees a chance to get their competitive juices flowing and enjoy a day of fun in the sun with other managers from across the Foundation Supportworks dealer network.
Foundation Stabilization Companies Attend Accounting Training
Nearly 20 owners, managers, and accounting personnel from throughout the Foundation Supportworks dealer network participated in accounting training in Omaha, Nebraska on June 6th and 7th. The training covered many different topics during the two day event, including how to effectively analyze financial statements, 
measure key performance indicators such as inventory turns and days in accounts receivable, employ successful inventory control methods, implement processes for receiving and stocking products and materials properly, and apply strategies for collecting money due.
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 bank. The presentation focused on banking issues that are relevant to foundation repair companies, including revolving lines of credit and regulatory requirements.
The training incorporated 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.