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.
