From Beatles to Benzes, there are few things ubiquitous in Europe that the U.S. doesn’t eventually adopt as our own. Our neighbors across the pond have given the world some great inventions and popularized even more, so it was bound to happen eventually that one would fall through the cracks. Fortunately, for John Monti and his staff at GreenTek Building Solutions, they were there to catch it.
Monti has created a line of building products using a green insulation material called NeoPor. These laminated wall systems can cover a leaky brick or glass wall to seal the unsealable in an energy-saving and environmentally friendly fashion. NeoPor, manufactured by BASF, is an insulating foam infused with graphite, which reduces conductivity so it takes less material to achieve the same effect. This material has been standard issue in Europe for over 30 years, and with a $190,000 grant from Ben Franklin Technology Partners, Monti and his team bring NeoPor to the U.S. for the first time.
“When you introduce graphite to standard white foam, the byproduct comes out looking like a dalmatian so unless you have a business where you can use this foam for other things, you end up with a material that is not really your business model,” says Monti. “The only manufacturer of NeoPor that we have in the U.S. currently is in Latrobe (Westmoreland County). All of our manufacturing is done right there.”
With this funding, Monti hopes to create a business model for this gray-flecked foam by touting its benefits to a green-obsessed clientele. They will start with some marketing efforts; rehabbing the website will come first, and then a national advertising campaign. Monti believes there is a reason this foam is used so widely in European projects. Pennsylvania’s Energy Coordinating Agency agrees. They used GreenTek’s InsulWall interior wall system to retrofit a historic three-story Civil War-era building in Philadelphia. The building will be converted into a green jobs training center.
“We are hoping to get exposure on a national level,” says Monti. “We have additional product testing that we want to use this money for, but first we are hiring two new employees to assist in marketing the product.”
In short, NeoPor is ready for its American debut.
Source: John Monti, GreenTek Building Solutions
Writer: John Steele