Joan Schaefer - Transform your Margins with prefabricated VELUX Modular Skylights - PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of a live interview with Joan Schaefer of VELUX. You can read the interview below or listen to the podcast.

Intro: Welcome to roofing road trips the podcast you on thrilling Journey across the of roofing from fascinating interviews with roofing experts to on the road Adventures will uncover the stories innovations c. Roof so we 

Heidi Ellsworth: Hello and welcome to another roofing road trip from roofer's coffee shop my name is Heidi Ellsworth and wow today we have such a fun podcast for contractors who have been out there a long time we all kind of get a little nervous when somebody whether it's the building owner or homeowner says skylight but today's technology is all different and we wanted to talk about that and how important daylighting overall is to design environment Sustainability and so you cant get lost in the old ways of thinking about skylights we want you to hear all about the new technologies and how great they work including not leaking so we asked our friends the experts from vx commercial to come visit with us and i am so happy to invite Joan Schafer to the show Joan welcome thank 

Joan Schaefer: You it's wonderful to be here 

Heidi Ellsworth: I love it i love this topic i think daylighting is one of the most important things there is it has to be done correctly as we all know so let's start with introductions if you could introduce yourself tell us what you do with Felix and maybe a little bit about Felix commercial 

Joan Schaefer: We have a wide range of customers everything from homeowners to contractors obviously roofers are strategic partners as well as design professionals and uh building owners as well so we are a lot of hats but what's exciting es that there's so many different products and so many opportunities to bring natural light and really make a an amazing difference not just in ceiling the building itself but really changing the interior and that's gonna remind the owners o occupants of that building every day ya and that's something people don't really think about 

Heidi Ellsworth: I no so important for tenant satisfaction and just work people working in the building all of those 

Joan Schaefer: Joan 

Heidi Ellsworth: What's your role what's your job 

Joan Schaefer: I oversee eleven states basically the Pacific northwest to as far as Minnesota en Iowa and i support our rep groups and as well as our partners in understanding opportunities supporting design professionals getting projects specified and just understanding the opportunity not just for energy Savings but for human wellness all the Reasons to bring natural light into buildings 

Heidi Ellsworth: Fun fun job regional i know you the Pacific northwest so im a Pacific northwest folks so ok let's talk a little bit about vx commercial skylights i think a of people very familiar with skylights on the Residential side such so important but there's also en incredibly strong commercial division for skylights with vx can you talk to us a little bit about the about that division and about the commercial products of 

Joan Schaefer: Course the commercial side the ones that you don't see if you go to a box store its its basically it might be in an airport it might be in a school it might be in a Warehouse o in a healthcare facility but it's working with both unit and structural systems for either new construction or you know many replacement and addressing not just the Engineering and the air water structural requirements of the specific site it's also addressing the needs of the occupants specifically of the building and what's gonna be the most effective and efficient light for that intended space 

Heidi Ellsworth: Yeah and usually when we're talking about commercial skylights they're much bigger than you would think Residential absolutely you know this whole podcast we wanna talk about for contractors installing and you've shared some things with me that i just think are really interesting in this Modern day of these really big skylights but talk to me a little bit about the installation of commercial skylights and how it's different today than it was you know even a couple decades ago 

Joan Schaefer: So an an example of a strategic application of the product was a large addition to a high school in Oregon where they're monitoring CO2 in a primary hallway there are stairwells below the skylight so you're getting the benefit of multiple levels of light and in addition with monitoring the CO2 which of course we as humans let out as we breathe right allowing those those few modules to open for a few minutes and then close to have a healthy air environment in the main corridor the building it's pretty exciting stuff 

Heidi Ellsworth: That's really exciting man i love that and when you think about it and i know probably there's a couple contractors out there going. Oh that sounds like a lot of Electronics and stuff like that that's what's been so amazing about vx is you have been able to make this especially through your modular system modular skylights you've been able to make this easy installation for the contractors even with all the Electronics because it just you have a plan for all that right 

Joan Schaefer: EAC and there's built in rain and wind sensors so the idea i mean that's common obviously on the Residential product as well but with this particular sistema should there be a gut of wind or any sense of Moisture it's gonna automatically close if it was to open you know o it was program to open so thing that's really different though about this product it is you know essentially watertight the material is a protruded Fiber glass and what that means is the fiberglass when it's soaked in resin you just like metal you can't push it through a a form you have to pull it through so they call it pull treated fiberglass i 

Heidi Ellsworth: Love it 

Joan Schaefer: And the the energy efficiency of the modules can easily be in the point two six to eight range course it's gonna depend on the actual glass configuration it allows for amazing labor Savings because the glass the reason why it's friendly for other contras outside of the traditional glazer arena es the glass is already in the frame so its very simple with having a curb the curb is a bit deeper than a traditional curb steel is attached at the head and so and then with each of those modules think aquí a approach ya you have a module whether its its venting or not you have hardware attached at each of the four corners and then that hardware clamps onto the steel that's at the curb and then there's a pre-engineered flashing system that goes over those modules including in the in between of the modules that actually has a channel for water to accommodate capturing water that was captured on the glass going through the frame and then around the cell 

Heidi Ellsworth: That is some advanced technology i mean when you think about how they used to put skylights los big skylights and commercial on before using ceans and everything else now you have totally changed the dynamic en not only labor Savings but also you can install it more year round right 

Joan Schaefer: Absolutely it's a dry system it doesn't require sealients so I've been in Bozeman Montana in five degrees the first week of december year before last of projects that was gonna be installed in july. Wow there were july at the job site right that never happens so if that was a traditional you know the old structural skylights now we still have structural skylights too especially for you know historic replacement you know renovations but for the right application this particular system allows you to do the installation in a much longer window than you know you be able to traditionally do that cuz typically CE don't work under forty degrees right 

Heidi Ellsworth: Right and i wanna go back and just touch on what you were saying about the fiberglass and what these systems these Windows and the vms are made of lets talk just a little bit about mentioned Boman kind of think of all this the stability that's always so important on the roof especially with all the extreme weather we're having all the different places and then of course energy is number one for building owners and of course putting all that can you talk a little bit about how this really cool material that you're using for the vms really helps you with performance and durability in some of those things the 

Joan Schaefer: Key with the install being able to go so efficiently the old type of older type of skylights you know you basically got i don't wanna say sticks but extrusions of aluminum you had to build the frame on site and then you know manually set all the glass and what the modular system really did and it was it was designed in a in a partnership with fosters and partners out of their London office so aesthetics were really critical in terms of even having the fixed inventing modules look completely alike and it's not until they open up that you even go like. Oh my gosh i didn't even know that could happen but the fascinating thing es that with that pre-engineered system and having the steel attached to the curb connecting those modules directly and then having an engineered system for addressing that water as well as as you know insulating around the system it allows for extreme extreme conditions whether you're looking at you know a hot climate and being able to have passive ventilation o if youre looking at an extremely cold climate and still being able to install there's i believe on youtube there's even still a video where they're installing this product in new Brunswick in the snow which was even c than Bozeman Montana. 

Joan Schaefer: Yeah 

Heidi Ellsworth: Oh my gosh ya when i think about the you know what the roof is going through today between very severe. He and thel shifts and all of that to be able to have this kind of stability and still have the skylight so you can see the sky and you get the daylighting i mean that is an amazing combination and 

Joan Schaefer: In addition the system also allows you to control the light and that's really important in certain office climates in in school gymnasiums for example where they might be using that gymnasium for you know in the morning it might be pe classes in the afternoon it might be a pep rally or something or doing some kind of media presentation so there's the option of integral blinds in this system too and which is very competitive and if you if you've ever priced what you know what it cost to have a custom blind for any kind of an opening whether you're talking about a window or a skylight they're crazy expensive but to have that built into the system as an option and it it can even be done added later on if you know at the initial order and install they don't plan you know like we won't use the blinds were good well they did that on a climbing wall in Boise Idaho and then overtime it was like well yeah at the top its pretty bright but with the involvement of it does take an electrician as well as the installer to obviously connect in that in that regard they were able to do it. 

Heidi Ellsworth: Ah, no, no. I was gonna say i think that's so so true one of things we need to really talk about and share too is the fact that if the roofing contractors are not learning commercial roofing contractors o Residential on the Residential obviously as commercial roofing contractors if you are not learning about the systems these skylight systems then somebody else is on your roof doing it not you 

Joan Schaefer: And the opportunity for margins and to differentiate excuse me to differentiate yourself in the marketplace right and just that again that reminder of yes i have a you know an amazing roof and it's energy efficient but look how it transformed my interior environment right 

Heidi Ellsworth: Right i mean when you're having those Conversations with building owners and really talking about those kind of options this isn't just something that you get in the back and say. Oh, we have to do it this is really something you can bring to the forefront and talk to your building owners you nego negotiated work and say. Hey have you thought about skylights and i love i love the fact that you said about blinds too because that's interior work that may extend some work for the contractors inside during the cold months too you never know 

Joan Schaefer: That's exactly right ya and when it comes to the ease of installation having that prolonged install you know opportunity being able to to focus on that energy efficiency all of the products are n. Frc certified the benefit besides the ease it typically this system typically installs to in in a in a commercial building or Residence in somewhere between a half to a third of the the time that typically a structural skylight so you're not just saving on the cost of the skylight system itself with those benefits of possibly passive ventilation possibly light control but also we're actually putting these in a lot of schools now that typically structural skylights have kind of got so expensive that unless its just in an entryway or something it's out it's out of the realm of of most school districts budgets ya that school en Oregon it's down the main corrido of the school which is really exciting besides some of the classrooms yeah 

Heidi Ellsworth: Yeah and when you really think about i mean this is the vx modular skylight so this modular it something the contractors can work together or can learn so Joan what are some of the training that goes along for contractors as they are getting ready to either bid or installing these how can they get training how can they kind of make sure that they're up to speed with these new vms 

Joan Schaefer: We do have certified installers different configurations however are on youtube you can you can get an idea of of how it goes together what the requirements are for the curb and and possibilities of different configurations and how those were installed just like just like when you have a home project just like. Oh how do i do that of course it's on youtube right of course 

Heidi Ellsworth: That's amazing our world is ruled by youtube 

Joan Schaefer: But we we also we're also listed in the roofer's coffee shop Directory for links and videos and we also have reps throughout the country i have five other associates who cover this other states and we also have rep groups throughout the states as well so there's a lot of resources and we have certified installers if you know if that's something people wanna look at you know 

Heidi Ellsworth: Weve talked about that before being certified de these is so powerful for your business and so to become a certified contractor with vx that says a lot 

Joan Schaefer: It does it says a lot about commitment it says a lot about commitment to quality and it says a lot about commitment to your customers hearing what the you know and being able to think outside the box right 

Heidi Ellsworth: Right and you know really when we're looking at the drive from the Architectural community and for Environmental for Sustainability for daylighting we see that so much en new construction but we're seeing that same push from building owners property management i know prolog is one of the big ones that is doing times with carbon neutral and also daylighting and and like you said just making your people happy inside the buildings that this is not a Trend that's gonna go away this is a Trend that's only gonna grow 

Joan Schaefer: Absolutely and and VXX. Has an amazing Sustainability Initiative as a company as well the the majority of our Sustainability all of our electricity es self manufactured or contained as a company but also what's fascinating is vili started tracking carbon footprint in two thousand seven which is most companies didn't even know what a carbon footprint was much less why you would even think about it 

Heidi Ellsworth: Exactly 

Joan Schaefer: Four years ago we made the commitment to not just be carbon neutral for that Twenty thirty pledge that many other manufacturers have made the commitment for but to be responsible for entire historic carbon footprint which goes back to nineteen forty one at the company's founding and how we're doing that is we are partnering with the world wildlife Foundation to preserve and protect Forest close to the ecuador there's three primary sites right now there'll be other ones as well but they're actually capturing over fifty million tons of CO2 from you know figuring what we would be responsible for for from that nineteen forty one mark the first area their first Preservation area is in Uganda the second is in Madagascar and the third is in Vietnam and it's a Twenty year partnership with this with the world wildlife Foundation they and it's all focusing on biodiversity so not only are they working with the local communities but theyre helping with establishing economic opportunities that are supportive of those environments so beekeeping Mushroom harvesting Growing trees there's great there's great youtube videos if you Google that as well besides our installation stuff we also have amazing videos that that really tell the story 

Heidi Ellsworth: So you know what i love about that i love the fact that your product Naturally is sustainable and bringing health benefits to everyone in every building but also vx is that committed to do what's important for carbon neutral for the environment and supporting absolutely the wildlife that's Awesome thank you that's really cool 

Joan Schaefer: And even you know most people don't realize the name vx the Founder was a real fascinating man it was really a troubleshooting engineer and he he didn't want people to remember him. He wanted people to remember what the product did so y named the company velux for is for ventilation and luxe is the latin word for light so it's all about Fresh air and natural light i love it Awesome 

Heidi Ellsworth: I never knew that yeah that's really cool. Wow well John thank you so much this has been a great podcast I've learned a lot and and so impressed i know you mentioned a little bit earlier but if contractors want to start getting certified if they want to start looking at installing or being a part of the vms and the overall vx commercial skylights where do they go and what should they do 

Joan Schaefer: Reach out initially to the listing on the roofer's coffee shop and then also we have i believe there's links directly to reps in whatever area they're located in and if they go onto the commercial or even the Residential website they can go directly to customer service and they'll be directed to the right person 

Heidi Ellsworth: Yo find a way yeah 

Joan Schaefer: Yeah there's multiple there's multiple ways to do this so we're happy to support it and 

Heidi Ellsworth: I love that it all starts on roofer's coffee shop so go to the Directory for vx commercial and you're gonna see all this information they'll get you going and really think about it i mean a lot is going on in our world right now and between Sustainability Environmental and just diversifying your business so that you can work in many different directions this is so important for your business Joan thank you so much thanks 

Joan Schaefer: For the honor I'm joining you today and and uh look forward to transforming those interior Spaces with natural light 

Heidi Ellsworth: I love it we may have to do this again sounds 

Joan Schaefer: Great 

Heidi Ellsworth: I love it and thank you all for listening great information again please go to the vli commercial Directory on rivers coffee shop also check out all of our podcasts under the read list and watch navigation under roofing road trips or on your favorite podcast channel be sure to subscribe and set those notifications so you don't miss a single episode we'll be seeing you next time on roofing road trips 

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