A Man on a Mission

SPRING ISSUE 2019 – Supporting the growth of the spray foam industry starts within the workforce of a company. Graco’s Christian Rothe explains how being part of a team and working towards a common goal is more important than just a job title; his family will remind him that there is success amongst challenges.

Spray Foam Magazine: How did you get started in the spray foam industry?

CR: I have worked for Graco in corporate and finance roles, but I have been very familiar with the spray foam trade since the day I started. Spray foam is exciting, and it is a great source of pride and accomplishment for Graco, long before I joined the organization.

SFM: How long have you been working for Graco?

CR: I joined Graco in 2011 as vice president and treasurer, where I had responsibilities varying from cash and debt management to credit to mergers and acquisitions. I was promoted to chief financial officer in 2015. 

Last year, I had the opportunity to swap jobs with Mark Sheahan, who headed up the Applied Fluid Technologies Division (AFTD) for a decade. I’m fortunate to work for an organization that takes risks and values employees getting a broad range of experiences, with the leadership team being held to those same standards.

SFM: What do you hope to accomplish in your role as president of the Worldwide Applied Fluid Technologies Division?

CR: I think the goals of AFTD are similar to the goals of our contractor customers and distributor channel—profitable growth. The spray foam industry has unique attributes—continued opportunity to displace traditional insulation, resourceful and growth-oriented contractors, and distributors who will run through a wall for their customers. I can’t imagine a better opportunity to expand the market and collectively advance our businesses. Our objective in AFTD is to help drive development through innovative products which make the contractors’ jobs easier and their business more profitable, with the help of distributors who add value.

SFM: How different is the division president role to your previous position as chief financial officer and treasurer?

CR: Clearly, transitioning from a corporate finance role to an operational one is a big change in day-to-day activities. As with any business, the key is to have a great team and give them the resources and space to do what they do best. As CFO, my finance and IT staff were top notch and drove a high degree of confidence. Similarly, the AFTD team are strong, no matter the role they have or where they work in the world. Throughout the organization, Graco’s talent is amazing. Of course, part of my job is to understand the inner workings of our products, like manufacturing processes, engineering, sales, marketing, and support. With the strength of our talent and our solid business processes, the job is a lot easier.

SFM: Can you explain any of Graco’s new products?

CR: Graco has a culture of innovation, investing more than four percent of our sales back into new product development each year. Some examples from the last few months include the Integrated PowerStation, the Ratio Assurance System for Reactor® 2, and several new features for the Reactor mobile app.

The Integrated PowerStation is an advanced power solution that features a compact design that is plug-and-play with standard Reactor 2 proportioners, making it easy to set up a rig and start spraying quickly. The ROI is a no brainer for most rig builds, consolidating multiple components that historically are purchased separately, which saves diesel fuel, space, and weight.

The Reactor Ratio Assurance System protects a spray foam contractor’s reputation with a multi-tiered system that monitors, detects, and prevents off-ratio conditions. It provides the assurance and documentation that they’re spraying 1:1 ratio all day long. This system also provides new sprayers with increased confidence, while reducing the risk to the business from misapplied foam.

The Reactor mobile app allows spray foam contractors to monitor and make real-time adjustments to every Reactor 2 machine in their fleet—instantly, right from their smartphone. The app allows contractors to see each machine’s status, daily material usage, actual spray time, temperature, and pressures. It also provides access to productivity metrics and machine utilization data, which helps owners and managers stay informed and run their business efficiently. Reports can be generated and sent instantly by text or email to the customer or management.

It’s difficult to cover all of our new products; these are just a handful. Go see your Graco distributor and ask them about Graco’s new products that can drive benefits in your business. They will be happy to help you. It’s not possible to discuss everything in the works, but I’m very excited about our new product pipeline for the next several years. I can promise our customers will see benefits.

SFM: What do you see as the future of Spray Foam?

CR: We believe the spray foam industry has a long runway for growth. The competition is traditional fiberglass insulation and the industry has done a great job of gaining share over the years. There’s a lot more room to grow. Critical to continued share gains is a consistent, quality, cost-effective finished product that delivers comfort and ROI to the end users. Every participant in this space has a role—equipment manufacturers, material manufacturers, distributors and dealers, contractors, sprayers, builders, and industry associations, to name a few. We all need to continue working together to raise awareness and hold each other accountable to the highest standards of quality and consistency. If we do that, the industry will continue to grow and all of our businesses should benefit with growth. I can tell you that Graco has been and continues to be up to the task.

SFM: Why is Graco such a good company to work for?

CR: I can proudly wear the Graco “G” on my sleeve. We all work to give our customers the best product possible and deliver A+ service to every customer, every time. Probably most important, we are human and we know that, although we strive for perfection, our errors give us opportunities to improve. So, we own it and don’t shy away from it. If you have an issue with a Graco product and the response you received from our employees or distributors has been insufficient, please reach out to me at 612-623-6205 or crothe@graco.com. Let me know so we can work to find an answer and improve. That’s why Graco is a great company to work for; it’s not just a good company to work for. There is organizational pride and a genuine passion to consistently give the best product and service to every customer. 

SFM: You must be a very busy guy, do you have a lot of support at work and at home?

CR: The Graco team all supports each other. Titles and job responsibilities aren’t as important as getting the job done and getting it done right. The beauty of the business is that it isn’t about individuals, it’s about the group. We are better together.

On the home front, I have a ton of support. My wife and I have been married nearly twenty years and we have been blessed with four wonderful children (ages 15, 14, 10, and 9). Of course it’s not all roses and sunshine every day, but our kids are teens and tweens, after all, but success without challenges isn’t really success. My family is also very adept at pointing out my own opportunities to improve. They would tell you those opportunities are numerous.

SFM: What advice would you give to a younger version of yourself just starting out in the business world?

CR: A quote that is often attributed to Thomas Jefferson hits home for me: “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more of it I have.” Sage advice. Further to that, I am a big believer in curiosity, persistence, openness to other viewpoints, and criticism. Find your limits and push beyond them, while staying positive. Never forget that, while working hard is professionally fulfilling, combining it with playing hard makes your life fulfilling.

SFM: What is the favorite aspect of your job?

CR: I’ve never been bored.