Blessed

SPRAY FOAM MAGAZINE – Picture a small southern town with a picturesque backdrop and that could easily be Benton, Tennessee. Known for its friendly locals, sense of community, and breathtaking rural scenery, it’s easy to see why someone would set up shop there, and that’s exactly what one contractor did. This family man puts a lot of hard work and countless hours into his business and has even been awarded Associate Contractor of the Year by his local building association. He was also voted in as the 2024 Vice President for the association by a unanimous vote. All of this after launching his own business in 2021.

The Spray Foam Magazine team is thrilled to announce Howard Millsaps owner of Independent Insulation Services LLC as Runner-Up for the 2023 Contractor of the Year contest. Let’s look at how Millsaps got into the industry and what led him to this remarkable triumph.

Once the captain in the fire service, and then a training officer for the department, Millsaps is not afraid of hot and sweaty work. He’s also been a carpenter since 1997, so he’s used to manual labor. During a building project in 2021, he couldn’t find a reputable company to spray foam a job for him, so over a couple months and with a good friend who had the right connections, Millsaps had started Independent Insulation Services LLC.

By the end of their first year, Independent Insulation Services brought in $150k, and in 2022, had grossed $916k. At the time of writing, 2023 gross revenue is on track to surpass 2022. With such great achievements, Millsaps decided to order their second rig and two brand new trucks to pull the trailers. A man of faith Millsaps declares, “God is and has been with us since the beginning and we give him all the glory and praise for the achievements we have been given the opportunity to achieve!”

Millsaps is determined to change the way he believes spray foam is considered in their area saying, “There are too many guys putting out shoddy work and that’s made selling spray foam difficult, but we are making strides in changing the mind of contractors who were left with a bad taste for spray foam.” How does he plan on doing this? Simply by holding himself and his crews to a standard that demands excellence from how they sell a job all the way to the finished project. They make a point of being honest with the customer and give them what they are paying for and/or more on occasion. They also have great rapport with clients and contractors because they won’t do anything that could be detrimental to the project short or long term.

Millsaps has had many notable jobs, but one really stands out to him, “We did work on a Quadplex for Habitat of Cleveland, TN. When we finished and they got all the power on and started the HVAC, I received a call from the project manager. They could not believe it; the units were holding the same temperature on both floors during construction with contractors in and out all day. The energy bills came in at only 40 dollars for the hottest months of the year for 1200 square foot units.”

Independent Insulation Services largest project to date was the CSLA school in Chattanooga, TN. Following the block masons to help stay on deadline as they erected the school, the crew sprayed around 40 sets of foam in total.

Independent Insulation Services now offers blower door and duct testing. This occurred after several of their contractors approached them asking if they planned on doing those as part of their services and to help meet code. These tests would also show clients and homeowners how their buildings are performing by helping find areas of concern, and in turn highlighting the value in choosing SPF. The blower door and duct testing has now become an essential part of their business when trying to help their customers understand how they plan to help them.

When Millsaps is not working he spends time with his family. He and his wife have three children, who have blessed them with six grandchildren and a seventh on the way. They are also in the process of adopting their 10-year-old godson. “I spend as much time as I can with my family, whether it's taking my son to sport clay shooting on Saturday mornings, helping the girls with issues in their homes, or simply cooking, swimming, and enjoying time with them all,” says Millsaps.

This year, Independent Insulation Services are planning to introduce an enhanced training and safety program to better help new hires. They also plan on introducing a salesman to their team and potentially a full-time office person to handle answering the phone and scheduling. They have had an amazing 2023 and as for 2024, they want to make their process work better for them, rather than them working harder to maintain it. Their future looks bright, and having key people in positions that will relieve some of managerial stress will allow more time for other things that will benefit the company. “I am still overwhelmed with how far our little company has come. From our gross sales to profits to the added equipment. I am also blessed to have such a dedicated crew.” says Millsaps.  

Congratulations Howard Millsaps for being Spray Foam Magazine’s 2023 Runner-Up. We look forward to hearing about your future accomplishments.

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