Foam for Everyone

SUMMER ISSUE 2019 (Spray Foam Magazine) – Jim Perkins, President of SWD Urethane, has been around spray foam all his life and knows what it takes to stand out from the competition. SWD was founded in 1972 and is based out of Mesa, Arizona. Jim is the third generation owner of SWD, so it’s fair to say that spray foam is in his blood. According to Jim, “My career in spray foam technically started in high school when I was pulling hoses for a roofing crew during the Phoenix summers. I’ve grown up around foam, so you my passion for the business started when I was young. Years later, the opportunity arose that allowed me to step into the role as President for SWD and build the company the way I wanted. It was just a natural fit for me.”

Perkins has been on the Leadership Committee for the Spray Foam Coalition for the past nine years, including a two-year term as committee chair. He received his BA in Accounting from Brigham Young University, and also received his MBA from Indiana University in a dual degree program, where he acquired a MGM (Masters in Global Managment) from Thunderbird, which is now a part of Arizona State University. When he is off the clock, Jim enjoys golfing, hunting, and spending time with his four children.

After college, Jim worked in Silicon Valley and was part of an environment where he was constantly on teams that were doing things everyone said could not be done. “Doing the impossible, being the first to accomplish something. I love that mindset!” remarks Perkins. After returning from Silicon Valley a decade ago, Jim knew his next challenge was to turn SWD into a spray foam powerhouse.

When asked what he is trying to accomplish with his company, Jim replied, “At SWD we are focused on developing new spray foam technology to push the industry boundaries. We have taken the industry standard of developing new products every three to five years and compressed the product launch timeline down to only 12 months. I believe the only way to change this industry is to push the limits of what is possible with spray foam, and the typical product development cycle is not going to make the changes necessary to push the industry forward.”

As far as focusing on the development of new products, Perkins states, “We are obsessed with developing products that make our customers more profitable. New products cannot just be driven by being the cheapest cost, which is what often takes place with new spray foam products. At SWD we focus on creating products that make the contractor more profitable. This means our products are built to have an application advantage and provide a lower cost installed to the contractor. SWD’s products are industry leading because of the features they offer, and we are proud to say that our customers are our partners in this innovation.”

The team chemistry at SWD seems to be something special. Jim speaks highly of his employees, “Our team knows that we are on a path to have foam change construction, and everyone plays a key role in the growth of not only our company, but also the industry. Employees at SWD love foam and challenge each other to uphold our corporate culture values. We love doing things that are breaking through industry norms. We have a group of like-minded people that all have one common mission—spray foam for everyone.”

Jim states, “I don’t want to give away any secrets for what we have coming out later in 2019, but don’t be surprised to see four to five new SWD industry-leading products hitting the market before the end of the year.”

In regards to his thoughts on how spray foam can continue to gain market share amongst other types of insulation, Jim explains, “The industry has to push the barriers by building innovative products that close the price difference between old insulation technologies and spray foam. Barriers get pushed when we are putting resources into developing new technologies and creating products that didn’t seem possible at one time.”

To contact SWD, visit www.swdurethane.com or call 800-828-1394.