Whew what a week. Awesome show, great networking opportunities, and hopefully some followup that will expand our network even further. We met quite a few architects and designers using Reward ICFs in the area. We learned some projects won regional awards throughout the country. I’m following up with those individuals to get some more information to showcase to everyone here on aBlog.

I had the opportunity to walk all billion and a half square feet (seemed like that) and checked out a bunch of new products and some companies I never knew existed. There were some interesting booths going on as well:

A flooring company who hired a Yoga instructor and did yoga in the booth. Didn’t quite get that one, but her poses were interesting.

ASU had a booth with a pretty cool setup, caught my eye anyway.

Below is a pic of a design firm who hired caricature artists to draw people as they talked with reps from the company. No I did not get drawn…I had half billion more feet to cover.

-AutoDesk’s booth made all of their exhibit out of corrugated paper rolls, wonder if they designed the booth using BIM?

-The main sponsor of the whole event had, hands down,  the best enter to win prize out of all 1100+ exhibitors. Even cooler than the Vespa Scooters, cash prizes, and iPods. This picture describes it all. I want that in my living room. Yes that’s Urinal plumbwork.

There was also a fully interactive hospital room, the nurses were not real though.

And to show the commitment to recycling at the show, and all around the city as well, this trash can was manned by a recycling “facilitator”. I didn’t dare throw paper in the plastic bin.

So the week is over and sadly I must leave all the sun and the 90 degrees and get ready to hunker down for the winter here in Omaha. It was a little dreary of an exit as it took all of 20 minutes to completely dismantle the show.

10 minutes after closing- where's the carpet!!!

If you didn’t make the trip this year I hope aBlog by Reward has given you peek inside the show. Hopefully we’ll see you in 2010 in Chicago.

Do you have any specific questions or information? Leave a comment!

The New Standard for Sustainability.

Wow so after day one, which consisted mainly of setting up our booth and mingling with other exhibitors for evening hours, I am impressed on a few levels of this trade show.

1. The facility is a gorgeous and very well organized event space. It has ample computers to register, quick lines, and above all- friendly, helpful people.

2. The the attendees all seem very knowledgeable about general benefits of insulating concrete forms. Everyone has been really receptive, not only to the concept, but seem excited to take our literature and read further online. Good to see our building envelope product is catching on and gaining further awareness.

3. The diversity of registrants has been incredible. Homeowners, builders, architects, students, overall proponents  of green building and just overall curious souls. There are alot of organization representations and college students that came just to learn and to see first hand the leading edge of green products and sustainable design.

Quick Updates on ICFs at GreenBuild

There are numerous ICF companies here which is great for our industry. I had the pleasure of meeting a few faces in our industry, and everyone seems to be in good spirits heading in to 2010. Our booth has been filled with many exciting people from all across the country and the world.

Environmental Design & Construction announced that Reward Wall System’s iForm Insulating Concrete Form won the 2009 Readers Choice Award. Thank you to all who participated in voting for us! Apparently our numbers were overwhelmingly strong in comparisons to other products!!!

Lastly, I just want to share some pictures from the conference of some views of Phoenix’s brand new convention center.

From all of the graceful building elements and materials, the attention to detail and functionality, and the rugged, sturdy, and energy efficient structure, it was the warmth and sense of home that seemed to be what helped the Sagehill win the People’s choice Award for this year’s 20^th Annual Parade of Homes in Missoula, MT.

Like its namesake, Sagehill springs from the hills above the river valley, offering a spectacular view of Missoula.  Just minutes from all things urban, the home is an island of countryside.

It wasn’t just the popular opinion from the attendees of the Parade of Homes, it also garnered notice from the experienced judges as well.  The Sagehill won the “Overall Design Award” selected by 7 independent professional judges from around the region before the event began.  Muehlhausen said he was surprised and pleased.  “It’s a big honor to have a majority of people prefer your home.”

In addition to its eye-pleasing features, Muehlhausen Homes carefully constructed the Sagehill while keeping a sharp eye on two shades of green:  resource efficiency and budget.

1. Reward Insulating Concrete Forms were used for both the foundation and main floor walls to provide excellent thermal and sound insulation, as well as a base for the stucco exterior.

2. Energy efficient double pane windows also feature a Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) certification.

3. A 96% efficient Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV) along with the use of the insulating concrete forms, maintains indoor air quality and manages moisture levels.

4. Careful air sealing techniques, waste recycling, and the finest craftsmanship complete this Energy Star certified project.

“It was a pleasure working with Reward Wall Systems, it is the only block I have worked with that will allow the concrete to flow freely, virtually eliminating voids” remarked Paul.

Architect:  The Design Company – Mark Schonrock

Builder:  Muehlhausen Construction – Paul Muehlhausen

Insulating Concrete Forms:  Reward Wall Systems – Advanced Building Supply – Todd Parge

The New Standard for Sustainability. Tell the World.

We are about 2 weeks away from the GreenBuild Expo in Phoenix, AZ. This is one of the largest, most influential green shows out there, and we definitely wanted to be a part of it, as this industry is about to explode. Pete H, from Colorado, and I will be working our show booth and hopefully meeting some customers, builders, and industry professionals who are ready to commit to building sustainable structures. We are looking forward to meeting folks who understand the solution to of our country’s energy issues starts with REDUCING ENERGY CONSUMPTION.

If you are planning on going please stop by our booth (4422) and say “hi”. If you still haven’t registered, contact us directly and I can get you some free conference passes! All I need is your name, your title, and an email address.

I personally don’t get out to too many shows other than World of Concrete so I’m pretty excited for this particular one.

My goal is to try to bring a little of the show back to you, with DAILY blog posts “From the Show Floor.” I want to focus on any interesting people, products, or brief recaps of what the overall vibe is of people coming by our booth.

So Quick recap:

-GreenBuild Expo November 11-13th Phoenix, AZ

-Reward Wall Systems Booth 4422

-Call Us at 1-800-468-6344 if you want free passes to Show

-Daily Blog Updates “From the Show Floor”

Green building

With insulating concrete forms

They were used for a foundation on a side of a steep hill. The engineer called for this size of ICF due to the large size of walls, the amount of back fill and the expansive soil type surrounding the building. The walls are 14 feet high and the concrete was placed in 3 lifts. Nick, the builder, said that he was “very impressed with the strength and stability of the block.”

Thanks Nick, we’ve done our research to make sure our forms remain an industry leading ICF!

We were lucky enough to meet this builder after he expressed his displeasure with a different brand of ICFs. He praised the pre-formed block and noted it was much easier in the field to work with as he did not have to assemble the forms. On a side note: Nick, had no trouble moving the forms about 50 yards from where the truck dropped them off, and the banding made them easier to move as well. Did you see the video of an ICF crew unloading a truck?

Thanks for the pictures and your feedback Nick! Would also like to thank Pat Tobin with Building Smart, LLC on his involvement with our inaugural 17″ residential project!

Currently the 17″ iForm has been a HUGE hit (pun WAS intended on that one) and we look forward to sharing more stories.

The New Standard for Sustainability. Tell the World.

- Story submitted by Pete H West/Pacific Regional Sales Manager