In 2019 I assumed the role of President for Logix Brands. As President, I oversee the marketing and technical departments, new product development and manage the business of the consortium office. Despite the turbulence of Covid, as a consortium we’ve had solid sales growth over the last five years.In the summer of 2024 we are launching Element ICF, our newest and potentially most significant invention yet, and we see a very bright future ahead.

So again, back to ARXX…. In 2001, for some reason, ARXX entered into a manufacturing agreement with a single multi-location EPS molder and terminated its relationship with the five EPS molders (Beaver Plastics, AMC Foam, Form Solutions, Form Systems & Perma R Products) who, in addition to Polyform, had been manufacturing Blue Maxx products for close to a decade.In reaction, and with surprising speed, these 5 EPS molders entered into a consortium arrangement, invented the own ICF system and launched Logix ICF in time for the following building season.There were two significant inventions here – the Logix ICF system, which had its own innovations to offer to the marketplace, and the consortium business model itself.By operating as a consortium, these EPS molders pooled resources, shared costs, eliminated any reliance on contract molding and maintained the ability to provide attentive, nimble local service and support.I initially joined Logix in July 2002 as the Vice President, Sales for Logix East, the EPS molder who covered Eastern Canada and Eastern USA. For the next 7 years I oversaw the establishment of the Logix ICF dealer network and customer base throughout the region.In October 2009 I assumed the role of Vice President, Marketing Solutions for Logix Brands, the consortium’s national office.In this capacity I oversaw the umbrella marketing operations of the consortium and coordinated new product development. In 2014 we developed and launched Halo – The Advanced Graphite Insulation System and in 2015 we launched Heat-Sheet – The Advanced Radiant Panel System. Both product inventions have been very successful and have created significant revenue growth for our consortium members.

In the late 90’s AAB/Arxx contracted with six independent EPS molders to manufacture their Blue Maxx products. During this time Polyform, their Quebec molder, developed their own proprietary ICF system which would eventually become Nudura. Polyform wanted to partner with a marketing and sales group who could successfully take their new ICF to market in English-speaking Canada and the USA. When AAB/Arxx took a pass on this opportunity (a decision that, to put it mildly, does NOT look good the rear-view mirror), three Ontario-based Blue Maxx dealers joined forces to successfully pitch to Polyform that they could be that marketing and sales partner.With this deal secured, they approached me to be the CEO of the fledgling venture and I joined the team. This turned out to be an eventful 15 months to say the least! As CEO I spearheaded the process to create the Nudura brand (it was previously call “AIM”), built out their marketing materials platform and helped bring on some very large dealer accounts in the USA.I ended up leaving Nudura because, although they hired me to be CEO, as it evolved at least a couple of the principals really didn’t actually want a CEO, and I did not feel there was going to be a long-term fit. Plus, they grew to want all their staff based out of their Barrie office, and by that time, I had grown to much prefer a remote work environment. To this day I have a lot of respect for Murray and Alain. I very much enjoyed working with them.

Accepting a position to manage the sales and distribution of Blue Maxx insulated concrete forms (ICFs) for Eastern Canada while knowing absolutely nothing about construction seemed like a bit of a stretch at the time, and it probably was.Over the years I have grown to love and appreciate ICF technology – in all the years I have been involved with ICFs I have rarely, if ever, heard of a home or building owner feeling disappointed or let down by their experience of living in their ICF structure.The primary task I dealt with during my time at AAB, who at this time was the big fish in the then-small ICF pond, was to gradually transition from their existing “direct-to-contractor/purchased territories” distribution strategy to a more mainstream building material dealer network. We also pushed the envelope for ICF adoption during this time, moving it from use in foundations to whole homes and finally to mid-rise buildings.Invented in 1992, Blue Maxx represented a significant evolution of ICF technology at the time and we reaped the benefits of this innovation. The company grew well in this period, at a likely rate of over 30% per year, but ownership wanted more. Towards the end of my tenure they brought in senior management who claimed they could drive exponential growth, but instead made one damaging and ill-advised decision after another.Being constantly asked to do stupid things for over a year is bad for one’s blood pressure and so I left AAB, who by this time had rebranded themselves as ARXX, to join a fledgling start-up ICF brand that, 10 years after the invention of Blue Maxx, now had it's own impressive array of next-generation features.It was also during this period that I transitioned from "in-office" to remote work. In the late 90's remote work was pretty uncommon but I found it to be a perfect fit for my personality and lifestyle. I've worked remote ever since.

I started this company in 1986 and ran it until 1992. Very quickly Action became the largest window cleaning company in the province of Ontario, servicing over 8,000 customers per year.Action offered university students the opportunity to run their own summer window cleaning business and in doing so they would experience the independence of "being their own boss" and gain real world experience primarily in the areas of people management and sales.I did not invent the student franchise concept and I certainly didn't invent the service of window cleaning, but I did invent and perfect this particular business model. This represented my first significant invention and I learned first-hand at an early stage of my career that invention is a primary driver of growth and opportunity.Looking back at Action three decades after it was sold to First Service, I’ll try to describe how it was during that period of time.It was an excellent service company first and foremost; over those years Action typically provided service to thousands of customers annually at a quality level that I would describe as consistently very good to excellent. As well, the “Work Hard/Play Hard” cultural undertones of the company in the early years cannot be denied or overstated. There were just so many crazy and hilarious episodes over those years that could only have been conjured up by this particular group of quirky, spirited, hard working and hard playing 20-year-olds. I honestly don't think there has been, or ever will be, another company quite like it. I am happy I did it and even happier to have survived it. If you were there you know.There were several very cool people involved in this journey and I am going to miss some names here – but many thanks to, and it was great to work with - Beth, Blaine, Brian, Steve, Chief, Joy, Amy & Chris. Badass and Early - RIP, you both left us far, far too soon and I think about you guys often.