Posts Tagged Omaha
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.
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 Expands Facility to Accommodate Growth
Foundation Supportworks (FSI) has experienced exponential growth since 2008 and recently began construction of a 7,100 square foot addition to their office building located in Omaha, NE. The new addition will be connected to their existing 10,000 square foot office building and will make room for FSI’s ever-growing staff along with a state-of-the-art training facility. In addition to creating 22 new offices for FSI employees, the new office space will also include an interactive training center that will be able to accommodate more than 100 individuals. Amanda Harrington, Director of Training and Development for FSI, says, “With nearly 15 events on our 2010 training schedule and even more events scheduled for 2011, the new training center will provide 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’.”
The new addition is located next door to FSI’s 27,000 square foot warehouse and distribution center where finished product is stored and orders are shipped to dealers throughout North America. President and co-founder, Greg Thrasher, says, “Foundation Supportworks has been blessed with a talented staff and a committed customer base which has allowed us to invest in the future of the company. Our mission is to be the best in our industry and to “wow” our customers every step of the way. We accomplish that mission by providing our customers with the resources they need to be successful, and part of that mission will be lived out with this addition.” 
Initial construction of the addition began on March 22nd and the project should be completed by the end of August.
Former Owners of Drive Rite Piering Systems Join the Foundation Supportworks Dealer Network
Ben Bayless and Craig Williams, owners of Alabama Foundation Specialists and former owners of Drive Rite Piering Systems, have joined the Foundation Supportworks dealer network along with several other former Drive Rite dealers.
With offices in Birmingham and Huntsville, Alabama Foundation Specialists has been Alabama’s leader in foundation stabilization for over 10 years. Regarding their recent transition, Ben Bayless said, “In addition to owning my own manufacturing company, I’ve worked with and installed products from three other helical pier manufacturers over the years. I thought I’d seen it all until I saw what was going on at Foundation Supportworks. Their products, training, and especially their marketing and sales support are like nothing else in the industry. After personally visiting their facility in Omaha, NE, Craig and I decided that we needed to become an FSI dealer. Our company has experienced steady growth over the past several years, and I’m confident that joining Foundation Supportworks will help us take Alabama Foundation Specialists to new heights.”
Along with the addition of Alabama Foundation Specialists, several other Drive Rite dealers have come on board and helped solidify FSI’s presence in the Southeast. Mike Wegman, Business Development Manager for FSI, said, “The new dealers that have transitioned to Foundation Supportworks have been most impressed with the sophisticated marketing programs that FSI offers. In addition to the products, our new customers are especially excited to hit the streets with more leads and better sales tools than they’ve ever had before”.
These new dealers help to further position Foundation Supportworks as a leader in the foundation stabilization industry as they bring their knowledge, experience and solid reputations to our network.
More Than 60 Attend Foundation Supportworks Training
More than 60 owners, managers, sales representatives, and installers from various FSI dealer offices across North America attended training at the Foundation Supportworks headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska during the week of November 16, 2009. 
Newer dealers received training on the various deep foundation solutions offered by FSI, how to market structural work effectively, and tips on running an efficient foundation repair business. Other dealers in attendance received either hands-on training at actual job sites or classroom-type training on sales techniques, depending on their role. Those attending sales training left equipped to diagnose foundation problems and how to explain to customers the features and benefits of Foundation Supportworks push piers, helical piers, wall anchors, slab piers and crawlspace stabilization systems.
Some comments from those in attendance include:
– “It is incredible how professional and talented the FSI staff is. I’ve learned I really need to work on training my employees better and implementing follow-up procedures.”
– “I have taken so much away this time that I am having a hard time pinpointing something that would improve the value.”
– “The training helped to bring some of the pieces together for me. I’ve seen bits and pieces, but this brought it together.”
Foundation Supportworks Dealer Trainings
Training workshops have been in full swing at the Foundation Supportworks’ headquarters in Omaha, NE. Installation Training in April filled to capacity and had a waiting list, resulting in an added session in May.
Five new FSI dealers joined us for our May Sales Training, along with more than 25 additional attendees. Our newest training offering, Commercial Marketing and Sales Training, offered July 8-10 filled to capacity with over 40 attendees! Our most recent trainings in September included Installation Training and Commercial Markting and Sales Training, both of which filled to capacity.
The Foundation Supportworks network of foundation repair contractors is growing and they are busier than ever!
FSI Celebrates Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
On June 4, 2009, Foundation Supportworks celebrated the grand opening of its new warehouse and distribution facility with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Over 100 visitors from throughout the Omaha area were present to celebrate with us. While the warehouse has been in operation since January, we scheduled the grand opening for June so that all the landscaping could be completed in time for the event. This grand opening celebration reminded all of us at Foundation Supportworks of all the success we have been blessed with over the past year; none of which would have been possible without the commitment and dedication of our dealer network.
To the right is a photo of the ribbon cutting followed by a photo of owners, Greg Thrasher and Larry Janesky, holding the first wall anchor plate that was manufactured using a new press.
FSI Moves Warehouse and Shipping Into New Facility
Foundation Supportworks moved their warehouse and shipping operations to their new, permanent facility last month. During the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, the FSI shipping and receiving department moved over 1,750,000 pounds (1,254 pallets) of product from a temporary warehouse to the new 27,000 square foot building. The first full order that was shipped from the new building went to Woods Basement Systems in Collinsville, IL on December 31st (See Photo).
New pallet racking has been ordered to take advantage of the building’s 30-foot ceiling height, providing even more useable floor space. The racking should be installed within the next few weeks. With three loading dock doors and a ramp with a drive in door, FSI is well-equipped to handle the shipping volumes expected from the FSI dealer network.
Myles Brown, FSI Shipping Coordinator, reports, “The space available within the new building makes organizing product and filling orders much easier. We will find even more efficiencies as we install racking and shift product to make better use of the space. Visitors are already impressed with this facility, and will be even more so after final grading and landscaping is completed in the spring.”
Foundation Supportworks Gives Webinar Presentation to Terracon
On December 17 and 18, 2008, Jeff Kortan, P.E., FSI Director of Engineering, gave a presentation to employees of Terracon Consultants, Inc. (Terracon) during an on-line internet conference. Terracon has over 3,000 employees in 95 offices across the United States. They provide geotechnical, environmental, and facilities management services, as well as construction materials testing. Terracon is currently ranked 41 in Engineering News-Record’s 2008 listing of Top 500 Design Firms.
In the two days, Jeff presented “An Introduction to Helical Piers and Tiebacks” to 119 individuals in 62 different offices, all from the comfort of his office in Omaha, Nebraska. Talk about an efficient use of time and resources! FSI received a copy of the recorded presentation that will be posted in the “Dealer Login” section of the website so dealers can view the presentation.
This webinar was a successful marketing opportunity for Foundation Supportworks™ and our dealer network. This would be an ideal time for dealers to introduce or reintroduce themselves to the local Terracon office in their market area.