Progressive Foam celebrates 30 years in business

BEACH CITY — Progressive Foam Technologies, Inc., a local manufacturer of foam insulation for the home remodeling and new construction industries, is celebrating its 30th birthday this year.

Founded in April 1992 by Pat Culpepper, the company started with two employees, a pole barn and a portable toilet. Today, there are over 175 people across three facilities in Beach City, Dover and Gnadenhutten. Growth continues as the company has recently added new products and expanded its capacity to serve its customers.

“Progressive Foam is not an ordinary company, it is an extraordinary company,” said Jason Culpepper, president and owner. “And the main reason we can celebrate this milestone birthday is because the people who make up PFT have consistently given such incredible energy to our customers, their coworkers, and our cause. It is an exciting time to renew our commitment to what we value most and remind them what they should expect from us.”

To celebrate, the company has launched several initiatives, including a new theme called “Expect Extraordinary” that honors its 30-year legacy while driving the message to job candidates and new employees that this growing company is different than most.

“What we have here is truly special,” said Culpepper. “As we keep growing and hiring new employees, it is important that everyone at Progressive Foam knows they can expect certain things from us and one another, such as being respected and genuinely cared about.”

Culpepper added, “Employees can also expect to have a big impact on community, both on a local and global scale, with the work we do in our industry and with many charitable endeavors.”

While delighting customers and winning might be obvious goals for any business, Culpepper believes these are best achieved when employees can expect a positive culture fueled by a servant-leadership approach. It also means employees should expect to have fun.

Celebrations include company-wide lunch parties and big cash prize giveaways, with $10,000 going to three different employees throughout the year. To enter the drawings, employees just need to share how they might spend their winnings and what ideas they have for making Progressive Foam an even better company (www.pft30.com).

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“One of our core values is listening, and it is critically important we never stop,” said Culpepper. “This is just one more forum where they can provide input. I am utterly amazed by the great ideas we have received.”

There is also special recognition to employees who have been with the company more than a decade.

“About one-third of our family has been with us over 10 years,” said Culpepper. “They have become part of the fabric of our organization and are so deeply engrained, that they are part of it, and it is part of them. We are doing some extra recognition and socializing thanking them for their dedication and commitment to our core values day in and day out.

“Another key core value is interdependence,” he said. “We deeply value teamwork and the importance of being able to depend on one another. We would not have reached our 30th birthday without it.”

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: Insulation manufacturer Progressive Foam has 30th birthday