With the passing of March, we mark the 15 year anniversary of insulated vinyl siding being launched into the marketplace. For this milestone blog post, we will take a look back at how insulated vinyl siding got its start and came to be a well-known siding option for homeowners looking to beautify their homes while adding insulation, increasing durability, and much more!

In a previous post we explained how Progressive Foam was started by co-founder Pat Culpepper in 1992 with the idea for insulated vinyl siding in hand. Although insulation had previously been contoured to fit the exact shape of the siding panel it was paired with during installation, insulated vinyl siding was different in that it would actually be adhered to the panel. Instead of the insulation being installed behind the siding on the job site, insulated vinyl siding would come with the insulation already attached, creating one combination product. (Click here to learn about the advantages of IVS)

In 1993 we built the first machine to start laminating insulated vinyl siding for the test market phase, with the first product being installed on homes in the state of Georgia. In 1994, trial jobs were extended into Ohio as well. As testing, trials and production continued, Progressive Foam officially filed a patent for insulated vinyl siding in 1997, which would later issue in year 2000.

Ready to commercialize the product in 1998, we partnered with Vipco, a subsidiary of Crane Plastics, to release the first insulated vinyl siding panel brand under the name TechWall. From there forward, other vinyl siding manufacturers entered the marketplace one by one with their own insulated vinyl siding offerings.

In our last milestone post about important events throughout Progressive Foam’s 20+ year history, we took a look back at how the company got its start in 1992. For this post we will flash forward to 1995, the year that Progressive Foam found a home in Beach City, Ohio.

Prior to 1995, founder Pat Culpepper and a handful of employees were working out a small pole building just south of New Philadelphia, Ohio, making siding insulation for use behind vinyl siding. On December 2^nd, 1995, the company moved into the Beach City facility, which at the time was only 36,000 square feet. Culpepper recalls thinking “What have we done, we’ll never fill all of this space!”

By 2006, Progressive Foam had indeed outgrown the space. The first addition was made to the facility, providing 40,000 additional square feet of operating space. In that same year, Progressive Foam built the first commercial-size machine for laminating siding insulation to vinyl siding. Building the machine took a leap of faith, as Culpepper did not have a single customer committed to buying a laminated insulated vinyl siding at the time.

When the lamination machine first launched, the goal was to have the capability to laminate 200 squares (or 20,000 square feet) of insulated vinyl siding in one day.  Originally Culpepper was told that the goal was impossible. To put that in perspective, today we are now able to laminate 200 squares in just three hours.

In our next milestone post we will cover the official commercial launch of insulated vinyl siding in the marketplace.

Happy New Year to all of the friends of Progressive Foam and readers of our blog. We hope you had a happy and prosperous 2012, and that 2013 brings even more health, wealth and happiness.

In 2012, Progressive Foam celebrated its 20 year anniversary. As a tribute to the history of the company, once a month during 2013 we will take a look back at the important milestones of the last 20 years. We will show how our company grew from its beginnings in a pole barn with one employee into what it is today, an organization with over $22 million in sales annual that employs over 110 people.

There have been ups and downs along the way, as can be expected with any company that has been around for awhile, but Progressive Foam has continued to grow a rich history of product development and innovation, sustainable business practices and social responsibility.

As we reminisce on our history and continue looking forward to the future, please feel free to share any experiences you have had with Progressive Foam over the last 20 years!

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April 11, 1992 - The Beginning of Progressive Foam

Pat Culpepper, Co-founder & President

Progressive Foam’s co-founder and President, Patrick Culpepper, got his start in the foam business early in life at his father’s Michigan-based company in the 1970′s and 80′s. The business produced just about anything you could think of that could be made from foam. Culpepper learned the ins and outs of foam manufacturing during this time, from fixing machinery to selling finished products and more.

After his father’s company filed for bankruptcy in 1992, Culpepper took the lessons learned from his time at his father’s company and decided to forge a new path in the foam insulation business. With the idea for a new, innovative product in hand (which would later be called insulated vinyl siding) Culpepper borrowed $200,000 from two friends and founded Progressive Foam Technologies, Inc.

Progressive Foam aimed to remain committed to making high-quality insulation products with a commitment to product development, innovation and marketing. The first facility was a small pole building located just south of New Philadelphia, Ohio, where they manufactured insulation for use behind vinyl siding.

“From the beginning, we envisioned that Progressive Foam would become a company that was focused on new product and new market development” says Culpepper, looking back on the start of the company. “It seemed a little hard to believe for most people when we were working out of a pole barn with a Porta-John.”

Springing from those humble beginnings, Progressive Foam has grown to operate out of a 111,000-square-foot facility outside of Beach City and make over $22 million per year in sales. Join us throughout the year as we continue to look back on milestones from the last 20 years.