A Belief in Handshakes
Modern Technology & Old-Fashioned Values Fuse at Tailored Foam of Florida, Inc.
Just over 30 years ago, the Sander family founded its business with a simple handshake in a gentleman’s agreement. Today, owners Jason and Scott Sander continue to operate Tailored Foam of Florida, Inc. (Tailored Foam) with a similar approach to professional relationships—face-to-face meetings are better than emails. That’s the foundation of the family operation that has completed more than 50,000 projects since it was established in 1986.
Jason, who serves as the company’s President, and Scott, as its Vice President, started the company along with their dad, Robert, who is now retired.
Robert started his career in the masonry business. When the opportunity to become a foam insulation dealer for Tailored Chemical Products presented itself in the mid-1980s, he sealed this partnership with a handshake. The Sanders then began marketing and installing Core-Fill 500™, a premier foam-in-place masonry insulation used in many public buildings, schools and universities, churches and retail locations. At the time, there were no other foam contractors licensed to work in Florida.
The Core of the Business
The Sander brothers continue to market and install Core-Fill 500 throughout the entire state of Florida as well as in southern Georgia. The firm has installed more foam insulation than any other insulation company in the southeast, with its insulation projects ranging from single-family homes to landmarks like the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.
“We also install spray foam insulation, including trademarked Icynene and BASF products. We have chosen these products because they are the most tried-and-tested in the industry,” says Jason. He adds, “We insulate thousands of projects a year. If we proactively pursue a solution to any potential challenge that may arise, our customers see that we truly care about them. We make a huge effort to satisfy our customers’ needs in a timely fashion.”
The firm’s two main product lines, Icynene and Core-Fill 500, have been around for decades. Jason points out that the manufacturers have carefully refined and improved these insulation solutions over the years. Icynene produces both open-and closed-cell SPF (spray polyurethane foam) products, which are ideally suited for hot, humid climates.
“We believe in spending time with our customers face to face. Emails are great, but handshakes are better.” Jason Sander, President, Tailored Foam of Florida, Inc.
Scott explains that foam works well because the tiny bubbles in foam are great insulators and create a product with a very high R-value—and the higher the R-value, the lower the heat loss. Secondly, if air is left to infiltrate, the effect of a high R-value is greatly diminished. Conventional insulation (fiberglass) works fine as long as there is no air movement. For example, attics have been designed with soffits and roof vents specifically to induce air movement. The open fibers easily transmit heat and humidity when air moves through the fiberglass. Closed-attic systems using SPF eliminate the need for soffit and roof ventilation. The SPF conforms to the surface that it is applied to and creates an air barrier—or an air seal—so that the HVAC system does not have to work as hard cooling and dehumidifying the conditioned space. This results in far less energy consumption, which minimizes the environmental impact from the effect of ozone-depleting greenhouse gases.
Commonly used throughout the southeast is foamed-in-place masonry insulation, Jason adds.
Tailored Chemical Products ships its Core-Fill 500 in liquid form so that the final product remains dimensionally stable. In other words, it does not shrink once it is installed, which is beneficial over other masonry insulation foams like dry-mix (dehydrated) products, which are prone to shrinking if not rehydrated properly. Tailored Chemical Products’ team of in-house chemists perform many different quality control inspections, and tests samples of every batch in a lab. This ensures the product is consistent and will perform to the manufacturer’s specifications. It is important to note that dry-mix products are rehydrated on the job site by the installer—not the product manufacturer. Also, masonry walls must be protected from excess water by being covered for three days after the dry mix is installed so that the walls can fully cure. Following dry-mix specifications can be challenging during the region’s wet season because shrinking dry-mix foam will result in a diminished R-value, which leads to air infiltration.
Strategic Relationships Build Business
Tailored Foam doesn’t rely simply on its quality products to keep its clients happy; there is the added facet of forming personal relationships and building trust, Jason shares.
“Our sales team is out of the office visiting customers three to four days per week—it’s a lot of face time,” he says. “The sales people often have lunch with clients or participate in various home builders’ associations or commercial construction association gatherings. We also do a lot of ‘lunch-and-learn’ meetings where we bring lunch to a company and educate them about our products and services.” This is also a great opportunity for architects to earn continuing education learning units offered by Icynene, which partners with Tailored Foam for the lunch-and-learn events.
The company also believes in supporting the construction community. For instance, the business sponsors golf events for many of the local trade associations to which it belongs. Because of these interactions, Jason says, Tailored Foam gains an edge over the competition by developing a variety of networking connections and increasing business prospects.
“Because of these connections, developers or contractors may reach out to us and see if we can meet their needs within their allotted budgets,” says Jason. “Additionally, the manufacturing team often attends the lunch-and-learn events. This allows architects and engineers to ask questions directly, which provides the design teams with the ability to write their specifications to include Tailored Foam’s primary materials.”
Track Records
Over the years, Tailored Foam has worked on a variety of project types. Its commercial division specializes in retail, schools, multifamily, assisted living facilities and statewide infrastructure projects. Tailored Foam’s residential division provides the same products that are used in its commercial construction projects to new and existing homes within Florida.
“We believe in spending time with our customers face to face,” Scott says. “Emails are great, but handshakes are better.” The company has worked with countless project managers from different firms throughout the state, which has helped grow Tailored Foam’s reputation in the industry. “Getting to know our customers on a personal level has also been rewarding. We have enjoyed trips, attended sporting events, participated in fundraisers and donated to a variety of different charities that were meaningful to our customers.”
Scott adds, “Through our business dealings, my brother and I have been fortunate enough to make several lifelong friends. We look forward to serving alongside other industry leaders for many years to come.”