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Author	Comments
Scott vonAschwege Posted: Feb 05, 2007 04:28 PM	air tight I have been using this site as research towards starting a foam business and have found all of your insight very helpful. I have been talking to the people at AirTight, have any of you guys out there spraying in the "real" world dealt with them? They seem like good people with a lot of support and support seems like one of the more important reasons to go with a company from what i've gathered. thanks for any help!
Gerry Wagoner Posted: Feb 06, 2007 08:04 PM	Good people.
Circle-D Posted: Feb 07, 2007 07:55 AM	Where are they located?
Scott vonAschwege Posted: Feb 07, 2007 10:24 AM	thanks Olger! i really think they are good people too. going to go down and see them on the 19th and 20th of feb.
Jeremy Himmel Posted: Feb 07, 2007 09:40 PM	I have a dealership through AirTight and they are excellent people with unmatched knowledge of the industry and have some of the best on the job support thru Jim Peterson. The dealership is not cheap but it's well worth it in the long run and definately pays for itself. Not to mention they split nearly any advertising cost with you from home shows to yellow pages. You will also be assigned a rep that can help you out with architect and developer presentations anytime. I don't know how we could have done it without the support, advertising, and training AirTight has to offer.
Timothy Sonney Posted: Feb 07, 2007 10:05 PM	so what do they charge for the advertising portion? what all is included with the advertising? Can you create your own graphics for your trailer? etc...
Scott vonAschwege Posted: Feb 08, 2007 10:43 AM	from what i gather, they will split most of your advertising like foam addict said. there is a one time "franchise" fee that covers your marketing for as long as you are with there company. I don't know for sure about the trailer wrap yet... will find that out shortly. thanks again guys!
Barry Wallett Posted: Feb 08, 2007 02:58 PM	I don't know any thing about airtight, I am looking at this business also. FYI If it is a franchise you should get a UFOC document which lists the requirements and conditions of the franchise. Inside of this document there will be other franchisee's listed. I suggest you call them and ask them about their experiences. Franchises usually have an upfront cost, a fixed or variable royalty, and a fixed or variable advertising fee. Franchises also renew in X number of years, which means you pay again. Everything should be detailed in the UFOC if it is a franchise! READ IT and good luck in your business!
Jeremy Himmel Posted: Feb 08, 2007 05:16 PM	AirTight is not a franchise it is a dealership and do not require any royalties. The only thing that is stated with the dealership is that you must buy your foam through them, which is no big deal because they provide extremely competitive prices.
Scott vonAschwege Posted: Feb 08, 2007 07:13 PM	you're right foamaddict, i should have said dealership instead of franchise. At first glance a lot of it almost sounds to good to be true, but i have done a lot of checking around and they sound like a very reputable and sound company. I can't wait to get into the business. I think this is a great growth opportunity in my market(nebraska) and want to be in on the "ground" floor so to speak!
Barry Wallett Posted: Feb 09, 2007 07:20 AM	I read their website business opportunity info at http://www.airtightinsulation.com/business-opportunities.html I think it says volumes about the company that they will train you, support you and if your not happy you can walk away. Plus you are getting the benefits of a national brand with out the franchise costs.
Posted: Feb 09, 2007 11:37 AM	Hey Dentpopper, are you a PDR guy? Leon
Scott vonAschwege Posted: Feb 09, 2007 06:56 PM	Yeah Leon, i'm a PDR guy been at it for almost 16 years we also do spot painting and spray in bedliners. It was the spray in bedliners that got us thinking about the spray foam insulation. we sprayed a sample kit of .5 lb open cell when we got our new bedliner equip. last march. I think there is a huge growth potential in this industry and plus we want to diversify so we aren't so dependent on the weather(hailstorms) to make ends meet!
Posted: Feb 10, 2007 10:16 AM	Dentpopper, The exact same thing brought my attention to spraying foam. I own a mobile auto paint repair company and they came out with a cheap bedliner spraying apparatus. I sprayed two bedliners with it and sent it back. BUT, it gave me some ideas and here I am. Send me an email...lwblock@yahoo.com. Leon
Timothy Sonney Posted: Feb 11, 2007 04:25 AM	We looked at alot of companies, and they all had their positives and negatives. What it came down with us is the maximum exposure for our dollar as well as the maximum equipment for the same dollar. We had meetings with companies that would "help out" with advertising/marketing but with restrictions.... "fine print"..... We then made a list of all the companies and what we got.... then we cut the check.... we had tech issues arrise... as everyone will... and each time we called we received a human.... no phonepad bingo... Our last QT of 06 we did about 115K in sales. Not bad for a start up company.... no roofing. SprayFoam.Com helped us in marketing, but our Custom Designed website speaks for itself, along with our biz card, brochures, and In Hand Samples. Once the customer has a sample in their hand, the next thing they reach for seems to be their checkbook.
bwolken Posted: Jan 28, 2008 11:23 PM	Hey dentpopper, did you ever go with Air tight or get in the business?
Scott vonAschwege Posted: Jan 29, 2008 10:04 AM	Unfortuneatly we didn't, certainly not because of the company though. I thought they were excellent people. We didn't get into the foam at all due to a family situation in my business, needless to say i will have to revisit this decision after i get one of my family members bought out of his share of the business. Didn't want to expand because all he can see at his age is retirement!
philip mullins Posted: Feb 14, 2008 02:09 AM	the airtite guy here sprays cc for about 60 cents per bf. either he works for beer money or airtite is selling him foam real cheap to gain market share. either way, it seems like a bad idea to me. screws up the whole industry, imho.
Jeff and Brennen Baker/Westfall Posted: Mar 10, 2009 11:15 PM	we are an Airtight dealer in sc. Where in the heck is that guy spraying cc for .60 a board foot?? that is insane.

Author

Comments

Scott vonAschwege

Posted: Feb 05, 2007 04:28 PM

air tight

I have been using this site as research towards starting a foam business and have found all of your insight very helpful. I have been talking to the people at AirTight, have any of you guys out there spraying in the "real" world dealt with them? They seem like good people with a lot of support and support seems like one of the more important reasons to go with a company from what i've gathered. thanks for any help!

Gerry Wagoner

Posted: Feb 06, 2007 08:04 PM

Good people.

Circle-D

Posted: Feb 07, 2007 07:55 AM

Where are they located?

Scott vonAschwege

Posted: Feb 07, 2007 10:24 AM

thanks Olger! i really think they are good people too. going to go down and see them on the 19th and 20th of feb.

Jeremy Himmel

Posted: Feb 07, 2007 09:40 PM

I have a dealership through AirTight and they are excellent people with unmatched knowledge of the industry and have some of the best on the job support thru Jim Peterson. The dealership is not cheap but it's well worth it in the long run and definately pays for itself. Not to mention they split nearly any advertising cost with you from home shows to yellow pages. You will also be assigned a rep that can help you out with architect and developer presentations anytime. I don't know how we could have done it without the support, advertising, and training AirTight has to offer.

Timothy Sonney

Posted: Feb 07, 2007 10:05 PM

so what do they charge for the advertising portion? what all is included with the advertising? Can you create your own graphics for your trailer? etc...

Scott vonAschwege

Posted: Feb 08, 2007 10:43 AM

from what i gather, they will split most of your advertising like foam addict said. there is a one time "franchise" fee that covers your marketing for as long as you are with there company. I don't know for sure about the trailer wrap yet... will find that out shortly. thanks again guys!

Barry Wallett

Posted: Feb 08, 2007 02:58 PM

I don't know any thing about airtight, I am looking at this business also.

FYI If it is a franchise you should get a UFOC document which lists the requirements and conditions of the franchise. Inside of this document there will be other franchisee's listed. I suggest you call them and ask them about their experiences.

Franchises usually have an upfront cost, a fixed or variable royalty, and a fixed or variable advertising fee. Franchises also renew in X number of years, which means you pay again. Everything should be detailed in the UFOC if it is a franchise! READ IT and good luck in your business!

Jeremy Himmel

Posted: Feb 08, 2007 05:16 PM

AirTight is not a franchise it is a dealership and do not require any royalties. The only thing that is stated with the dealership is that you must buy your foam through them, which is no big deal because they provide extremely competitive prices.

Scott vonAschwege

Posted: Feb 08, 2007 07:13 PM

you're right foamaddict, i should have said dealership instead of franchise. At first glance a lot of it almost sounds to good to be true, but i have done a lot of checking around and they sound like a very reputable and sound company. I can't wait to get into the business. I think this is a great growth opportunity in my market(nebraska) and want to be in on the "ground" floor so to speak!

Barry Wallett

Posted: Feb 09, 2007 07:20 AM

I read their website business opportunity info at http://www.airtightinsulation.com/business-opportunities.html

I think it says volumes about the company that they will train you, support you and if your not happy you can walk away.

Plus you are getting the benefits of a national brand with out the franchise costs.

Posted: Feb 09, 2007 11:37 AM

Hey Dentpopper, are you a PDR guy?

Leon

Scott vonAschwege

Posted: Feb 09, 2007 06:56 PM

Yeah Leon, i'm a PDR guy been at it for almost 16 years we also do spot painting and spray in bedliners. It was the spray in bedliners that got us thinking about the spray foam insulation. we sprayed a sample kit of .5 lb open cell when we got our new bedliner equip. last march. I think there is a huge growth potential in this industry and plus we want to diversify so we aren't so dependent on the weather(hailstorms) to make ends meet!

Posted: Feb 10, 2007 10:16 AM

Dentpopper,

The exact same thing brought my attention to spraying foam. I own a mobile auto paint repair company and they came out with a cheap bedliner spraying apparatus. I sprayed two bedliners with it and sent it back. BUT, it gave me some ideas and here I am.

Send me an email...lwblock@yahoo.com.

Leon

Timothy Sonney

Posted: Feb 11, 2007 04:25 AM

We looked at alot of companies, and they all had their positives and negatives. What it came down with us is the maximum exposure for our dollar as well as the maximum equipment for the same dollar. We had meetings with companies that would "help out" with advertising/marketing but with restrictions.... "fine print".....

We then made a list of all the companies and what we got.... then we cut the check....

we had tech issues arrise... as everyone will... and each time we called we received a human.... no phonepad bingo...

Our last QT of 06 we did about 115K in sales. Not bad for a start up company.... no roofing.

SprayFoam.Com helped us in marketing, but our Custom Designed website speaks for itself, along with our biz card, brochures, and In Hand Samples.

Once the customer has a sample in their hand, the next thing they reach for seems to be their checkbook.

bwolken

Posted: Jan 28, 2008 11:23 PM

Hey dentpopper, did you ever go with Air tight or get in the business?

Scott vonAschwege

Posted: Jan 29, 2008 10:04 AM

Unfortuneatly we didn't, certainly not because of the company though. I thought they were excellent people. We didn't get into the foam at all due to a family situation in my business, needless to say i will have to revisit this decision after i get one of my family members bought out of his share of the business. Didn't want to expand because all he can see at his age is retirement!

philip mullins

Posted: Feb 14, 2008 02:09 AM

the airtite guy here sprays cc for about 60 cents per bf. either he works for beer money or airtite is selling him foam real cheap to gain market share. either way, it seems like a bad idea to me. screws up the whole industry, imho.

Jeff and Brennen Baker/Westfall

Posted: Mar 10, 2009 11:15 PM

we are an Airtight dealer in sc. Where in the heck is that guy spraying cc for .60 a board foot?? that is insane.

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