National Small Business Week was established back in 1963 as a way to support and recognize entrepreneurs who’ve built small businesses throughout the country. These entrepreneurs are now responsible for “creating about two of every three jobs in the US each year” according to the Small Business Administration. Here at InSoFast we are a small business with 5 employees selling an American made product that’s engineered to encourage DIY and energy efficient practices. We’re celebrating Small Business Week by telling you our unique business story!
Ed and Dean met back in 1997 at a national meeting for ICF PolySteel training in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Together they shared the same passion for what ICF’s (Insulated Concrete Forms) promised to deliver to the construction industry- better, more durable, energy efficient, healthier, and safer homes. From the start they made the perfect team with an equal wealth of knowledge and experience in the building industry. Ed brought to the table his experience with product design and engineering, while Dean served as the man behind the business operations. In 2006 InSoFast was founded with the idea of taking all of the benefits of Insulated Concrete Forms while also addressing the problem areas that were a struggle for DIYers. Ed says that he’s, “interested in solving the puzzle and making it easy for others to put it together.” InSoFast solves the complex insulation puzzle by simplifying the traditional process that is difficult for DIY-er’s to perfect. Our 2×4 ft panels are embedded with multiple engineered features that make it easy for DIY-ers to literally piece together.
It took about a year to design the panel and another year to get the product into the market. Working with influential building resources like This Old House and Fine Homebuilding proved essential to growing our small businesses reach and influence on the construction world. Witnessing our panels being used in 2012 on an episode of This Old House was a groundbreaking move for our little company and since then our panels have made an appearance on shows like DIY Sweat Equity and Renovation Realities. Over the years InSoFast panels were installed in a growing number of homes throughout the country and we continued to search for ways to make our product as easy as possible for our users. We began creating How-To videos on our Youtube Channel and hired a small media team to make the InSoFast web-experience as user friendly as the panel.
Last October we received great news that our panels are officially recognized as patented technology- Patent #8635824 to be exact. Our small business has been 8 years in the making and continues to grow with the release of new products like our EX 2.5 panel. We take pride in constantly speaking directly with our customers and providing valuable content to our users to make their installation process fun, easy and effective. We’re celebrating Small Business Week with honor!