WEBVTT
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Welcome to Catalyst Conversations, the podcast
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that brings you real world stories and solutions
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from a wide variety of acoustic experts. Each
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episode, we'll dive into a different topic from
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the world of acoustics, such as architectural
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and industrial noise control, seismic and vibration
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restraint, acoustical testing, or innovative
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design and engineering of sound control products.
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Our experts have decades of experience in this
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space and are eager to share their expertise
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with you. Join us in making the world a quieter
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place. Welcome to another episode of Catalyst
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Conversations. I'm your host, Lisa Morrow, and
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this episode will focus on noise control solutions
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in educational settings. My two guests today
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are from SoundSeal, one of the brands in Catalyst's
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portfolio. If you're unfamiliar, SoundSeal has
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been committed to controlling noise in every
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environment since 1978. Included in SoundSeal's
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product catalog are acoustic fabric panels, baffles
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and sound diffusers, industrial products including
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curtains, enclosures, and pipe and duct noise
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control, acoustic floor underlayments, acoustic
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wood wall and ceiling products, and more. Joining
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me today is Mark Rich, SoundSeal's VP of Sales
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and General Manager, and Aaron Duncan, Inside
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Sales Manager, both of whom will discuss how
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products in the line are suited to combat reverberation
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in classrooms, auditoriums, gymnasiums, and other
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educational spaces. The two will also discuss
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product and program information specific to SoundSeal
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that may surprise some listeners. Thank you both
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for joining us today. Thanks for having us. Wonderful,
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thank you. Before we dive in, I gave an overview
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of SoundSeal in our show introduction, but do
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you mind briefly walking listeners through why
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acoustics are important in school environments?
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Acoustics in school environments need to be really
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looked at because, as we all know, you know,
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children listening, paying attention in school,
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having background noises, it's quite distracting.
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So having the proper acoustics in the space really
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leads to a better educational environment. And
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that's not just in the classrooms. That could
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be just absent noise in the hallway of kids,
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you know. going to another school session, in
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the school gymnasium because of different classrooms
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going on. You know, there might be a lot of noise
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that are spilling over into other classrooms.
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So it makes it quite loud, obnoxious. You may
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not have all of the attention that's needed and
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or required for the student in the front of the
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classroom, back of the classroom, to hear and
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understand the teacher. So with having proper
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acoustics in the classroom or treated in the
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entire school to be quite frank, is really going
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to help with the attention and with the education
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aspect of what needs to be happening. Absolutely.
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Hearing fatigue is a real issue, not just for
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students, but also for teachers every day, all
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day, eight hours a day. It makes a big impact.
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And hearing fatigue can set in as soon as 10
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to 15 minutes in a really noisy environment.
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So having a properly treated classroom can make
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or break. even behavior or responsiveness to
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lessons and amongst other students. So a quiet
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classroom or a well -tuned band room or a well
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-treated gymnasium are going to make things astronomically
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different to the learning environment versus
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an untreated space. It's a good way to put it,
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especially with the hearing fatigue. So this
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is something that's brought up quite often to
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us. But when we hear about these particular issues,
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the hearing fatigue, as Aaron pointed out, is
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one of the major issues that are presented to
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us. And what does that really mean, right? So
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it's not just the students, it's the teachers,
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right? How is the teacher going to hear? The
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kid at the end of the classroom, you know, maybe
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some people aren't as good at speaking up or
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being quite as boisterous about whatever's going
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on. So. To his point, if you tune the room, you
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tune the space, you make it more enjoyable for
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everybody involved, the teachers are teaching
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better, the kids are learning. It's an all -around
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encompassing aspect of what we do. It's one of
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our primary senses that we use. And if you improve
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upon it like anything else, it makes the experience
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better. Let's pivot a little bit. Aaron, I know
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that you spent a number of years in the industrial
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division. Can we focus on products? Can we talk
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about some products that you've seen to have
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good results in school installations? Absolutely.
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So speaking from the industrial aspect, we often
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think about acoustics in classrooms or gymnasiums
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or band rooms or even auditoriums. But some of
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the things that do get forgotten about from time
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to time. are mechanical closets or equipment
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rooms or even outdoor spaces or HVAC units or
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even some of the things you don't see when you're
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in a school like duct work. So noise can travel
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along those, and we have a litany of products
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that can address all of those noise issues, anything
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from blankets to different types of wrap. But
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there's a good number of areas within a school
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that can benefit from some industrial. noise
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products, and they're very easy to install, and
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they're very easy for us to help people figure
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out what exactly is they need. Let me just pivot
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off of that, if you don't mind. So as Aaron kind
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of mentioned, and going into exactly the industrial
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products that fit that, we also have the architectural
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side of those products that assist and keep the
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acoustics. you know, not flowing through, but,
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you know, mitigating as much as possible. So
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what are those? Those are your standard fabric
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wrap panels that you would see in a classroom.
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They could be a standard panel, even up to a
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tackable one. So you can use it for artwork,
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whatever's needed in there. So you don't have
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reverberation in a classroom. If it's something
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you don't want on the walls, we can put them
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on the ceilings for you guys. Again, as mentioned
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prior, sometimes you just have exterior noise
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that's spilling into the classroom from somewhere
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else. So maybe your hallways need to be treated.
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right? That could be on the walls. That could
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be a digital artwork. That could be any type
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of school slogan that you want to put in to keep
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the kids excited and happy, change out the artwork.
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It could all be acoustic. So everything that
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you see on your walls, we can change and manipulate
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into acoustics. aiding in the space. Think of
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your gymnasiums, the basketball courts, they're
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all very loud. So what do you do? You put up
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maybe some baffles or banners in the ceiling
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to help mitigate some of the noise moving around
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and spilling everywhere and bouncing off the
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walls. We also have high impact panels and or
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our echo wool product, which can go right on
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the walls, take heavy abuse. So you're treating
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your school gymnasiums, treating your walls,
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you're treating your class. And then, as Aaron
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pointed out earlier, you have your band rooms,
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your auditoriums. Maybe you need to tune the
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spaces so that way the voice can be traveled
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or the sound could move around in the space properly
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so everybody is hearing it exactly as it's intended.
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Sound Seal does all that, as he mentioned before.
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He's got the industrial side. We have the architectural
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side. We have a great way of manufacturing products
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to look like something that seamlessly flows
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in the walls to where you never see it. Or it
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could be something that looks like artwork. Really,
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it comes down to what are you looking to do and
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how does it need to be treated? Absolutely. I
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like to build off of that. Having the architectural
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space considered for schools, we've got lots
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of bright, vibrant colors. We can do tons of
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different shapes. We can do clouds. They don't
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have to be attached all the time. They can float
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down from the ceiling. Banners and baffles can
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be designed in a specific way in gymnasiums.
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We can even build panels that Mark mentioned
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earlier. almost hidden from plain sight in spaces
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like conference rooms or band rooms. Having the
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ability to do digital artwork or custom shapes
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and even custom sizes makes Soundsville a really
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versatile, kind of a one -stop shop for a lot
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of the acoustical needs within schools. looking
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at the calendar we're quickly approaching summer
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vacation which means schools will be closing
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their doors to students do you find that product
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inquiries and orders pick up during the spring
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and summer months or is it the opposite do they
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slow down aaron why don't you take this one I
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find them to pick up. So, you know, starting
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in early spring, right into the middle of summer,
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project timelines change constantly for contractors.
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And SoundSeal is set up specifically to deal
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with that. We know that those things can change
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at a moment's notice. And so for our estimating
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team to be able to get back to people quickly,
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all the way down to our phenomenal production
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team and our stocking capabilities so that we
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can quickly manufacture and get projects back
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on schedule or help save a project when things
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do arise or you have an emergency situation.
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But SoundSeal really has been exceptional at
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meeting those deadlines or even dealing with
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those issues that arise in the contracting world.
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Mark? It happens all the time. I mean, this is
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exactly why, you know, when I'm looking at it
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from my sales team to my operations team. When
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we know that the busy time is coming up, as we
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all are aware, especially with school picking
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up, what we do to help mitigate some of those
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issues and to meet the contractor's deadlines
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or the school's deadlines for reopening the classroom
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or getting certain milestones achieved over the
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summertime is we staff up. So we will bring on
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more people. We will bring in more inventory.
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We will bring in a little bit more of the products.
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you know the certain styles of the schools change
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or maybe there is a oops we forgot moment sound
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seal is there to quickly manufacture get it out
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the door, make sure it's delivered on time so
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it could be installed on time and nobody's missing
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a beat. That's one of the great things about
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our manufacturing style and the fact that we
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cover so many industries. I mean, as Aaron mentioned,
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you have the industrial side of it for your mechanical
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closets. You have the architectural side that's
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inside the classroom. There might be, hey, you
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know what, we need to treat the underlayment
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of the flooring in a particular classroom or
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things like that. So we do that. Or on the bigger
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side, we have our masonry division which does
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acoustical sound blocks right your masonry blocks
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that go into the pre -manufacturing aspect side
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of the business so sound seal is there from beginning
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to end however where the journey is whether it
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needs to be quick whether it's long term or if
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it's something to where we don't know what we
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need but we know that we need something and we
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got to get it fixed that's what we do You touched
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upon custom orders and fabric colors earlier.
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I recently learned of a new fabric line. Mark,
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can you tell me a little bit about it? Due to
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a lot of demand that's been out there for fabrics,
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as we all know and as you mentioned, right, and
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Erin said it too, there's a summer surge that
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kind of happens. So with that, materials... start
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to become scarce. And what we did as SoundSeal,
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we decided to come up with our own fabric line.
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And why did we do that? We did that so we could
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be a little bit more in control of what the product
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is, the stock of that product, how it fits within
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our current customer's needs, being patterns,
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being colors. We are not going to be limited
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now to stock out situations with our own replay
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line, which is... what we're calling it. It's
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a fantastic new line. Aaron, I want you to give
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a little bit more details about it. Yeah, absolutely.
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Replay again, brand new for SoundSeal, and we're
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really excited to get this thing off the ground
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and launch. Made right here in the USA out of
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100 % recycled content material. We have incredible
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dye lot consistency with it, and it comes in
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over 30... bright modern finishes that really
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fit today's design elements and it's been formally
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tested for acoustic properties and we've been
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kind of using it in the building here for the
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last few months just testing the waters with
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it and we've had some great success and then
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contractors on the outside world that have come
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up against some challenges with other materials
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in the market have come to love us for it and
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we've already turned a few orders and gotten
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some repeat orders out of it so with a bit of
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a soft launch internally with replay we're firing
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on all cylinders and it's full steam ahead from
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here out. Talk to me about the availability and
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the ship time on this new fabric line. Yes, so
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I'll touch on that one again. So in order to
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meet demands and meet the customer's requirements,
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SoundSeal is stocking materials to make sure
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that we have them in our own facility. So a lot
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of the times what we can end up doing is getting
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an order out in two to four weeks. So how can
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we do that? a special program to where you can
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do an expedite program that's seven to ten business
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days typically turnaround time but if we have
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the fabric in stock even if we're getting more
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and more demand a lot of times it's just the
00:14:02.899 --> 00:14:04.779
product is coming right in as long as we have
00:14:04.779 --> 00:14:08.440
materials that two to four week window is fairly
00:14:08.440 --> 00:14:11.940
easy for us to hit you know and that allows a
00:14:11.940 --> 00:14:15.879
lot of our installers to have the availability
00:14:15.879 --> 00:14:20.059
to One, work with the schedule. Sometimes they
00:14:20.059 --> 00:14:22.240
will do a split shipment because they can only
00:14:22.240 --> 00:14:24.340
install maybe a room at a time, so they want
00:14:24.340 --> 00:14:26.639
to kind of split up the shipment. We do that
00:14:26.639 --> 00:14:29.480
for them because we number, we label every single
00:14:29.480 --> 00:14:32.120
panel that's going out the door. We pre -install
00:14:32.120 --> 00:14:34.600
all the hardware to make sure that we don't have
00:14:34.600 --> 00:14:37.000
any inconsistencies. We want to make sure that
00:14:37.000 --> 00:14:39.879
it's fast, easy, and quick to install. So part
00:14:39.879 --> 00:14:42.659
of that, with the replay line, you have the fabric,
00:14:42.720 --> 00:14:45.779
you have the materials, you have the staff. We're
00:14:45.779 --> 00:14:48.940
ready. Anything to tap on on that? No, I would
00:14:48.940 --> 00:14:52.360
say that not just with replay and fabric wrap
00:14:52.360 --> 00:14:56.279
wall panels, but we have the ability to quick
00:14:56.279 --> 00:14:59.700
ship or expedite more than a handful of products.
00:14:59.740 --> 00:15:03.019
So our entire industrial line, we have the access
00:15:03.019 --> 00:15:06.799
to expedite those in 7 to 10 days if we have
00:15:06.799 --> 00:15:09.220
those products or the facings in stock. Same
00:15:09.220 --> 00:15:12.159
to what Mark was saying earlier about... keeping
00:15:12.159 --> 00:15:15.159
the replay line very heavily stocked up on our
00:15:15.159 --> 00:15:17.879
shelves here allows us to respond quickly to
00:15:17.879 --> 00:15:20.480
those contractor needs or installer needs to
00:15:20.480 --> 00:15:22.559
get them out in, you know, two to four weeks.
00:15:22.700 --> 00:15:25.820
And that expedite program has been utilized so
00:15:25.820 --> 00:15:28.440
many times day in and day out here at Sounds
00:15:28.440 --> 00:15:31.639
Heel. And then right down to other products like
00:15:31.639 --> 00:15:34.980
flooring underlayments or some of our quick ship
00:15:34.980 --> 00:15:37.980
wood grill products. We have that at the ready.
00:15:38.480 --> 00:15:41.700
to get those out the door in a very timely manner.
00:15:42.000 --> 00:15:44.440
We've seen a lot of those wood grill requests
00:15:44.440 --> 00:15:48.519
come across. For those, it's a standard 1x8 grill
00:15:48.519 --> 00:15:50.779
based off how many blades you need, particular
00:15:50.779 --> 00:15:53.379
colors. Again, it's in stock. It's ready to go.
00:15:53.559 --> 00:15:56.259
And then we have a magnificent theater board
00:15:56.259 --> 00:15:59.840
that you can put right on top of it. It's just
00:15:59.840 --> 00:16:02.840
a nice black fiberglass that goes right on top.
00:16:03.039 --> 00:16:06.139
So you get the great looks from the wood grill.
00:16:06.240 --> 00:16:08.500
You get that softness from the wood. You get
00:16:08.500 --> 00:16:10.899
the attractiveness from it. And then you have
00:16:10.899 --> 00:16:12.929
the sound. absorption in the fiberglass that's
00:16:12.929 --> 00:16:15.490
being right you know put on top and you can't
00:16:15.490 --> 00:16:18.149
even see it it all kind of disappears but the
00:16:18.149 --> 00:16:19.970
beautiful part of that is especially when you're
00:16:19.970 --> 00:16:22.690
walking into a school you know when you're walking
00:16:22.690 --> 00:16:25.129
into the administrative offices anywhere inside
00:16:25.129 --> 00:16:28.990
of there it's a great add to put into the ceiling
00:16:28.990 --> 00:16:31.629
because one you can get it done you can hang
00:16:31.629 --> 00:16:34.129
it with your standard t -grid it can hang very
00:16:34.129 --> 00:16:36.649
easily you can add some acoustics to add to the
00:16:36.649 --> 00:16:39.990
space but it adds a certain softness to the space
00:16:39.990 --> 00:16:43.340
as well and a certain amount of sophistication.
00:16:43.580 --> 00:16:47.960
So a lot of our customers, meaning the schools,
00:16:48.179 --> 00:16:51.580
very much enjoy that because when you're walking
00:16:51.580 --> 00:16:55.539
in, you want to, one, you need to get it done.
00:16:55.639 --> 00:16:58.100
It has to be there. You're not looking for necessarily
00:16:58.100 --> 00:17:00.500
the most expensive thing in the world, but you
00:17:00.500 --> 00:17:03.220
want it to look nice and feel nice. And then
00:17:03.220 --> 00:17:05.099
part of that, when you're looking at it and you're
00:17:05.099 --> 00:17:08.299
getting that sensory, again, going back to that
00:17:08.299 --> 00:17:12.190
sight and sound. Some of your key senses. So
00:17:12.190 --> 00:17:15.230
when you start to achieve goals in those regards
00:17:15.230 --> 00:17:19.309
of hitting those aspects of what's needed, really
00:17:19.309 --> 00:17:22.730
adds to the space. Absolutely. Good call bringing
00:17:22.730 --> 00:17:26.430
that up. So what I'm hearing is that you can
00:17:26.430 --> 00:17:29.509
cover interior and exterior schools soup to nuts.
00:17:29.690 --> 00:17:31.670
One area I think that we could talk a little
00:17:31.670 --> 00:17:35.190
bit more about are sports courts and outdoor
00:17:35.190 --> 00:17:37.970
fields. Is there a best time to tackle projects
00:17:37.970 --> 00:17:41.809
of this nature? No, actually, any time is a great
00:17:41.809 --> 00:17:44.450
time. But, of course, throughout the school year,
00:17:44.650 --> 00:17:47.009
it may be a little more difficult, but we do
00:17:47.009 --> 00:17:50.109
see a ton of activity in the spring and summer
00:17:50.109 --> 00:17:52.470
or in the early fall when people are getting
00:17:52.470 --> 00:17:55.750
ready for the next season. We have a great series
00:17:55.750 --> 00:17:59.150
of products on the industrial side called Vivid,
00:17:59.210 --> 00:18:02.210
and then we have a partner product called Aerial
00:18:02.210 --> 00:18:05.380
with our architectural side. Both of those have
00:18:05.380 --> 00:18:08.000
some incredible finishes, again, nice bright
00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:11.119
colors. And when we're talking about sports courts
00:18:11.119 --> 00:18:15.140
and acoustic products, we're looking at things
00:18:15.140 --> 00:18:17.700
like tennis courts, pickleball courts, outdoor
00:18:17.700 --> 00:18:20.700
basketball. Sometimes you're going to have baseball
00:18:20.700 --> 00:18:23.460
or softball, track and field, or you're going
00:18:23.460 --> 00:18:26.480
to have some multi -use spaces outdoors. But
00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:29.319
all of those can benefit dramatically from...
00:18:29.799 --> 00:18:32.299
acoustical products like that, especially when
00:18:32.299 --> 00:18:34.380
you've got schools that are in neighborhoods
00:18:34.380 --> 00:18:37.960
where you've got residential people nearby. And
00:18:37.960 --> 00:18:40.220
you want to be courteous of that as well. So
00:18:40.220 --> 00:18:44.059
applying these products on some of your fencing
00:18:44.059 --> 00:18:46.640
that's there, not only does it make it look good,
00:18:46.720 --> 00:18:49.900
it's nice and safe, and then it sounds phenomenal
00:18:49.900 --> 00:18:52.619
and it's blocking unwanted noise from other areas
00:18:52.619 --> 00:18:55.700
while making it a comfortable space to use for
00:18:55.700 --> 00:18:58.880
everybody that are using those courts. Good point,
00:18:58.920 --> 00:19:01.099
because even with the quartz, as Aaron mentioned,
00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:04.240
a lot of people are installing them early on.
00:19:04.279 --> 00:19:07.480
You've got spring, summer, fall. In the wintertime,
00:19:07.599 --> 00:19:11.299
due to the acoustical blankets that we manufacture
00:19:11.299 --> 00:19:15.500
that are specifically designed to hang on a chain
00:19:15.500 --> 00:19:18.440
link fence, as Aaron pointed out, if you wanted
00:19:18.440 --> 00:19:21.099
to, you can... Do it with some industrial -grade
00:19:21.099 --> 00:19:23.779
zip ties. Hang it up. It's quite easy. Your standard
00:19:23.779 --> 00:19:26.500
maintenance guy can go out there, install these
00:19:26.500 --> 00:19:29.240
items. When you need to, take them down. That's
00:19:29.240 --> 00:19:31.720
okay, too. A lot of people worry about snow or
00:19:31.720 --> 00:19:33.680
water or rain. You don't technically have to,
00:19:33.799 --> 00:19:36.079
but if you are worried and you are concerned
00:19:36.079 --> 00:19:39.180
about it, certainly you can go out there, install
00:19:39.180 --> 00:19:42.339
them, put them up during the season that it's
00:19:42.339 --> 00:19:44.920
there, go cut them down, put them back into your
00:19:44.920 --> 00:19:48.049
storage, and then they're put away. It's absolutely
00:19:48.049 --> 00:19:50.029
fine. That's one of the great things about that
00:19:50.029 --> 00:19:51.910
product. Absolutely. And we can't forget about
00:19:51.910 --> 00:19:54.710
our other new product launch, which is Echo Wool,
00:19:54.809 --> 00:19:57.109
which is the cementitious fiberboard, which is
00:19:57.109 --> 00:20:00.309
both an indoor and an outdoor product. It looks
00:20:00.309 --> 00:20:03.150
great. We can provide it painted. We can provide
00:20:03.150 --> 00:20:05.940
it with a natural finish. Logos. You can throw
00:20:05.940 --> 00:20:07.400
logos into it. Don't forget that. We can route
00:20:07.400 --> 00:20:12.759
logos into it. So not just looking at our acoustical
00:20:12.759 --> 00:20:16.140
blanket products or curtain products, as some
00:20:16.140 --> 00:20:18.619
people refer to them as, but the Echo Wool is
00:20:18.619 --> 00:20:20.460
an outdoor product. And then the Aerial Line,
00:20:20.619 --> 00:20:23.839
again, another great -looking product that can
00:20:23.839 --> 00:20:27.259
withstand all the elements, sun, rain, snow,
00:20:27.500 --> 00:20:30.420
UV resistance. It's all there. Definitely look
00:20:30.420 --> 00:20:32.640
into the Echo Wool if you're looking for something
00:20:32.640 --> 00:20:35.759
a little different to go. both indoors and outdoors
00:20:35.759 --> 00:20:39.440
for schools. Good point. Thanks, guys. So we've
00:20:39.440 --> 00:20:41.599
just about hit our time here. Mark, is there
00:20:41.599 --> 00:20:43.240
anything else you'd like to share with the audience?
00:20:43.579 --> 00:20:46.759
Yeah. You know, I'd just like to remind everybody,
00:20:47.019 --> 00:20:49.279
you know, we're constantly evolving and moving
00:20:49.279 --> 00:20:51.920
over here at SoundSeal. We pride ourselves on
00:20:51.920 --> 00:20:54.500
developing new product that's coming out regularly
00:20:54.500 --> 00:20:57.039
because we want to listen to what the customer's
00:20:57.039 --> 00:20:59.390
demands are. Go to our website, take a look at
00:20:59.390 --> 00:21:01.529
it on there. You're going to see new products
00:21:01.529 --> 00:21:03.490
showing up all the time. We just had a complete
00:21:03.490 --> 00:21:06.029
revamp of our website, which has been tremendous.
00:21:06.410 --> 00:21:08.789
We've gotten a lot of great feedback. All the
00:21:08.789 --> 00:21:11.849
product lines that are on there are simply amazing.
00:21:12.430 --> 00:21:15.710
Through how it's being shown, how it's being
00:21:15.710 --> 00:21:18.569
displayed, you can go on there and find reps,
00:21:18.730 --> 00:21:20.150
distributors. You want to hit up on that layer?
00:21:20.450 --> 00:21:22.289
Yeah, and before we get into there, definitely
00:21:22.289 --> 00:21:24.529
go check out the website and look at the market
00:21:24.529 --> 00:21:27.640
segments and look at our section. dedicated to
00:21:27.640 --> 00:21:31.910
classrooms or educational spaces. is a ton more
00:21:31.910 --> 00:21:34.869
information that we didn't cover on this podcast,
00:21:34.930 --> 00:21:37.490
but done a great job of including things like
00:21:37.490 --> 00:21:39.930
case studies. So you don't have to hear it just
00:21:39.930 --> 00:21:43.470
from our mouth. You can read about it. You can
00:21:43.470 --> 00:21:45.470
read in depth about the product. You can look
00:21:45.470 --> 00:21:47.829
at data sheets if you really need that. But outside
00:21:47.829 --> 00:21:51.109
of that, we have distributors regionally around
00:21:51.109 --> 00:21:55.750
the U .S. and Canada that do also turnkey installations
00:21:55.750 --> 00:21:59.150
as well. So if you have a project that is in
00:21:59.150 --> 00:22:01.680
need of this type of space, service, please reach
00:22:01.680 --> 00:22:05.240
out to our team. Again, we're ready to hear from
00:22:05.240 --> 00:22:07.940
you, and we can direct you to the right products.
00:22:07.980 --> 00:22:10.619
We can direct you to the right distributors so
00:22:10.619 --> 00:22:15.559
that you can make the project a slam dunk. Wonderful.
00:22:15.579 --> 00:22:17.519
Thank you both again, and thank you everyone
00:22:17.519 --> 00:22:18.460
who joined us today.
00:00:05.160 --> 00:00:07.799
Welcome to Catalyst Conversations, the podcast
00:00:07.799 --> 00:00:09.859
that brings you real world stories and solutions
00:00:09.859 --> 00:00:12.679
from a wide variety of acoustic experts. Each
00:00:12.679 --> 00:00:14.839
episode, we'll dive into a different topic from
00:00:14.839 --> 00:00:16.620
the world of acoustics, such as architectural
00:00:16.620 --> 00:00:19.440
and industrial noise control, seismic and vibration
00:00:19.440 --> 00:00:22.179
restraint, acoustical testing, or innovative
00:00:22.179 --> 00:00:24.480
design and engineering of sound control products.
00:00:25.079 --> 00:00:27.620
Our experts have decades of experience in this
00:00:27.620 --> 00:00:29.640
space and are eager to share their expertise
00:00:29.640 --> 00:00:32.460
with you. Join us in making the world a quieter
00:00:32.460 --> 00:00:39.979
place. Welcome to another episode of Catalyst
00:00:39.979 --> 00:00:43.420
Conversations. I'm your host, Lisa Morrow, and
00:00:43.420 --> 00:00:45.740
this episode will focus on noise control solutions
00:00:45.740 --> 00:00:48.799
in educational settings. My two guests today
00:00:48.799 --> 00:00:51.259
are from SoundSeal, one of the brands in Catalyst's
00:00:51.259 --> 00:00:54.179
portfolio. If you're unfamiliar, SoundSeal has
00:00:54.179 --> 00:00:56.100
been committed to controlling noise in every
00:00:56.100 --> 00:00:59.840
environment since 1978. Included in SoundSeal's
00:00:59.840 --> 00:01:02.979
product catalog are acoustic fabric panels, baffles
00:01:02.979 --> 00:01:05.790
and sound diffusers, industrial products including
00:01:05.790 --> 00:01:08.049
curtains, enclosures, and pipe and duct noise
00:01:08.049 --> 00:01:11.129
control, acoustic floor underlayments, acoustic
00:01:11.129 --> 00:01:14.230
wood wall and ceiling products, and more. Joining
00:01:14.230 --> 00:01:16.989
me today is Mark Rich, SoundSeal's VP of Sales
00:01:16.989 --> 00:01:19.670
and General Manager, and Aaron Duncan, Inside
00:01:19.670 --> 00:01:22.250
Sales Manager, both of whom will discuss how
00:01:22.250 --> 00:01:24.989
products in the line are suited to combat reverberation
00:01:24.989 --> 00:01:28.629
in classrooms, auditoriums, gymnasiums, and other
00:01:28.629 --> 00:01:31.689
educational spaces. The two will also discuss
00:01:31.689 --> 00:01:34.549
product and program information specific to SoundSeal
00:01:34.549 --> 00:01:39.569
that may surprise some listeners. Thank you both
00:01:39.569 --> 00:01:43.569
for joining us today. Thanks for having us. Wonderful,
00:01:43.709 --> 00:01:47.650
thank you. Before we dive in, I gave an overview
00:01:47.650 --> 00:01:49.730
of SoundSeal in our show introduction, but do
00:01:49.730 --> 00:01:51.989
you mind briefly walking listeners through why
00:01:51.989 --> 00:01:53.790
acoustics are important in school environments?
00:01:55.109 --> 00:01:57.609
Acoustics in school environments need to be really
00:01:57.609 --> 00:02:00.409
looked at because, as we all know, you know,
00:02:00.409 --> 00:02:02.909
children listening, paying attention in school,
00:02:03.150 --> 00:02:05.629
having background noises, it's quite distracting.
00:02:05.790 --> 00:02:09.849
So having the proper acoustics in the space really
00:02:09.849 --> 00:02:12.849
leads to a better educational environment. And
00:02:12.849 --> 00:02:15.129
that's not just in the classrooms. That could
00:02:15.129 --> 00:02:18.469
be just absent noise in the hallway of kids,
00:02:18.629 --> 00:02:22.409
you know. going to another school session, in
00:02:22.409 --> 00:02:25.430
the school gymnasium because of different classrooms
00:02:25.430 --> 00:02:27.490
going on. You know, there might be a lot of noise
00:02:27.490 --> 00:02:29.210
that are spilling over into other classrooms.
00:02:29.509 --> 00:02:33.090
So it makes it quite loud, obnoxious. You may
00:02:33.090 --> 00:02:37.530
not have all of the attention that's needed and
00:02:37.530 --> 00:02:39.990
or required for the student in the front of the
00:02:39.990 --> 00:02:42.330
classroom, back of the classroom, to hear and
00:02:42.330 --> 00:02:45.189
understand the teacher. So with having proper
00:02:45.189 --> 00:02:48.370
acoustics in the classroom or treated in the
00:02:48.370 --> 00:02:51.610
entire school to be quite frank, is really going
00:02:51.610 --> 00:02:54.949
to help with the attention and with the education
00:02:54.949 --> 00:02:58.650
aspect of what needs to be happening. Absolutely.
00:02:58.729 --> 00:03:01.849
Hearing fatigue is a real issue, not just for
00:03:01.849 --> 00:03:04.650
students, but also for teachers every day, all
00:03:04.650 --> 00:03:08.930
day, eight hours a day. It makes a big impact.
00:03:09.069 --> 00:03:11.789
And hearing fatigue can set in as soon as 10
00:03:11.789 --> 00:03:13.650
to 15 minutes in a really noisy environment.
00:03:13.870 --> 00:03:17.710
So having a properly treated classroom can make
00:03:17.710 --> 00:03:21.520
or break. even behavior or responsiveness to
00:03:21.520 --> 00:03:25.479
lessons and amongst other students. So a quiet
00:03:25.479 --> 00:03:29.120
classroom or a well -tuned band room or a well
00:03:29.120 --> 00:03:33.840
-treated gymnasium are going to make things astronomically
00:03:33.840 --> 00:03:36.000
different to the learning environment versus
00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:39.629
an untreated space. It's a good way to put it,
00:03:39.669 --> 00:03:41.990
especially with the hearing fatigue. So this
00:03:41.990 --> 00:03:44.310
is something that's brought up quite often to
00:03:44.310 --> 00:03:47.330
us. But when we hear about these particular issues,
00:03:47.729 --> 00:03:51.210
the hearing fatigue, as Aaron pointed out, is
00:03:51.210 --> 00:03:54.110
one of the major issues that are presented to
00:03:54.110 --> 00:03:56.409
us. And what does that really mean, right? So
00:03:56.409 --> 00:03:59.650
it's not just the students, it's the teachers,
00:03:59.810 --> 00:04:02.530
right? How is the teacher going to hear? The
00:04:02.530 --> 00:04:05.289
kid at the end of the classroom, you know, maybe
00:04:05.289 --> 00:04:07.530
some people aren't as good at speaking up or
00:04:07.530 --> 00:04:09.729
being quite as boisterous about whatever's going
00:04:09.729 --> 00:04:13.750
on. So. To his point, if you tune the room, you
00:04:13.750 --> 00:04:17.410
tune the space, you make it more enjoyable for
00:04:17.410 --> 00:04:19.850
everybody involved, the teachers are teaching
00:04:19.850 --> 00:04:23.470
better, the kids are learning. It's an all -around
00:04:23.470 --> 00:04:26.810
encompassing aspect of what we do. It's one of
00:04:26.810 --> 00:04:30.829
our primary senses that we use. And if you improve
00:04:30.829 --> 00:04:34.009
upon it like anything else, it makes the experience
00:04:34.009 --> 00:04:38.939
better. Let's pivot a little bit. Aaron, I know
00:04:38.939 --> 00:04:40.779
that you spent a number of years in the industrial
00:04:40.779 --> 00:04:43.720
division. Can we focus on products? Can we talk
00:04:43.720 --> 00:04:46.319
about some products that you've seen to have
00:04:46.319 --> 00:04:48.759
good results in school installations? Absolutely.
00:04:48.839 --> 00:04:52.579
So speaking from the industrial aspect, we often
00:04:52.579 --> 00:04:56.680
think about acoustics in classrooms or gymnasiums
00:04:56.680 --> 00:05:00.240
or band rooms or even auditoriums. But some of
00:05:00.240 --> 00:05:03.339
the things that do get forgotten about from time
00:05:03.339 --> 00:05:06.569
to time. are mechanical closets or equipment
00:05:06.569 --> 00:05:11.250
rooms or even outdoor spaces or HVAC units or
00:05:11.250 --> 00:05:13.829
even some of the things you don't see when you're
00:05:13.829 --> 00:05:17.709
in a school like duct work. So noise can travel
00:05:17.709 --> 00:05:19.949
along those, and we have a litany of products
00:05:19.949 --> 00:05:23.069
that can address all of those noise issues, anything
00:05:23.069 --> 00:05:27.550
from blankets to different types of wrap. But
00:05:27.550 --> 00:05:30.949
there's a good number of areas within a school
00:05:30.949 --> 00:05:33.790
that can benefit from some industrial. noise
00:05:33.790 --> 00:05:37.170
products, and they're very easy to install, and
00:05:37.170 --> 00:05:39.930
they're very easy for us to help people figure
00:05:39.930 --> 00:05:42.730
out what exactly is they need. Let me just pivot
00:05:42.730 --> 00:05:45.529
off of that, if you don't mind. So as Aaron kind
00:05:45.529 --> 00:05:47.569
of mentioned, and going into exactly the industrial
00:05:47.569 --> 00:05:50.350
products that fit that, we also have the architectural
00:05:50.350 --> 00:05:54.430
side of those products that assist and keep the
00:05:54.430 --> 00:05:56.990
acoustics. you know, not flowing through, but,
00:05:57.069 --> 00:05:59.389
you know, mitigating as much as possible. So
00:05:59.389 --> 00:06:01.050
what are those? Those are your standard fabric
00:06:01.050 --> 00:06:02.889
wrap panels that you would see in a classroom.
00:06:03.110 --> 00:06:05.930
They could be a standard panel, even up to a
00:06:05.930 --> 00:06:07.910
tackable one. So you can use it for artwork,
00:06:08.089 --> 00:06:10.009
whatever's needed in there. So you don't have
00:06:10.009 --> 00:06:12.870
reverberation in a classroom. If it's something
00:06:12.870 --> 00:06:14.509
you don't want on the walls, we can put them
00:06:14.509 --> 00:06:16.670
on the ceilings for you guys. Again, as mentioned
00:06:16.670 --> 00:06:19.649
prior, sometimes you just have exterior noise
00:06:19.649 --> 00:06:22.470
that's spilling into the classroom from somewhere
00:06:22.470 --> 00:06:24.529
else. So maybe your hallways need to be treated.
00:06:24.589 --> 00:06:26.810
right? That could be on the walls. That could
00:06:26.810 --> 00:06:29.509
be a digital artwork. That could be any type
00:06:29.509 --> 00:06:32.629
of school slogan that you want to put in to keep
00:06:32.629 --> 00:06:35.329
the kids excited and happy, change out the artwork.
00:06:35.670 --> 00:06:37.949
It could all be acoustic. So everything that
00:06:37.949 --> 00:06:41.689
you see on your walls, we can change and manipulate
00:06:41.689 --> 00:06:46.300
into acoustics. aiding in the space. Think of
00:06:46.300 --> 00:06:49.220
your gymnasiums, the basketball courts, they're
00:06:49.220 --> 00:06:51.459
all very loud. So what do you do? You put up
00:06:51.459 --> 00:06:54.720
maybe some baffles or banners in the ceiling
00:06:54.720 --> 00:06:58.180
to help mitigate some of the noise moving around
00:06:58.180 --> 00:07:00.199
and spilling everywhere and bouncing off the
00:07:00.199 --> 00:07:03.579
walls. We also have high impact panels and or
00:07:03.579 --> 00:07:06.519
our echo wool product, which can go right on
00:07:06.519 --> 00:07:09.300
the walls, take heavy abuse. So you're treating
00:07:09.300 --> 00:07:12.459
your school gymnasiums, treating your walls,
00:07:12.560 --> 00:07:14.459
you're treating your class. And then, as Aaron
00:07:14.459 --> 00:07:17.160
pointed out earlier, you have your band rooms,
00:07:17.420 --> 00:07:20.079
your auditoriums. Maybe you need to tune the
00:07:20.079 --> 00:07:22.939
spaces so that way the voice can be traveled
00:07:22.939 --> 00:07:26.620
or the sound could move around in the space properly
00:07:26.620 --> 00:07:30.759
so everybody is hearing it exactly as it's intended.
00:07:31.610 --> 00:07:34.410
Sound Seal does all that, as he mentioned before.
00:07:34.569 --> 00:07:36.709
He's got the industrial side. We have the architectural
00:07:36.709 --> 00:07:41.629
side. We have a great way of manufacturing products
00:07:41.629 --> 00:07:44.990
to look like something that seamlessly flows
00:07:44.990 --> 00:07:47.750
in the walls to where you never see it. Or it
00:07:47.750 --> 00:07:50.410
could be something that looks like artwork. Really,
00:07:50.550 --> 00:07:53.870
it comes down to what are you looking to do and
00:07:53.870 --> 00:07:56.730
how does it need to be treated? Absolutely. I
00:07:56.730 --> 00:08:00.189
like to build off of that. Having the architectural
00:08:00.189 --> 00:08:04.850
space considered for schools, we've got lots
00:08:04.850 --> 00:08:08.410
of bright, vibrant colors. We can do tons of
00:08:08.410 --> 00:08:11.250
different shapes. We can do clouds. They don't
00:08:11.250 --> 00:08:13.610
have to be attached all the time. They can float
00:08:13.610 --> 00:08:16.310
down from the ceiling. Banners and baffles can
00:08:16.310 --> 00:08:18.889
be designed in a specific way in gymnasiums.
00:08:19.269 --> 00:08:22.790
We can even build panels that Mark mentioned
00:08:22.790 --> 00:08:26.980
earlier. almost hidden from plain sight in spaces
00:08:26.980 --> 00:08:30.079
like conference rooms or band rooms. Having the
00:08:30.079 --> 00:08:32.840
ability to do digital artwork or custom shapes
00:08:32.840 --> 00:08:37.299
and even custom sizes makes Soundsville a really
00:08:37.299 --> 00:08:40.659
versatile, kind of a one -stop shop for a lot
00:08:40.659 --> 00:08:43.840
of the acoustical needs within schools. looking
00:08:43.840 --> 00:08:45.720
at the calendar we're quickly approaching summer
00:08:45.720 --> 00:08:47.720
vacation which means schools will be closing
00:08:47.720 --> 00:08:50.240
their doors to students do you find that product
00:08:50.240 --> 00:08:52.419
inquiries and orders pick up during the spring
00:08:52.419 --> 00:08:54.600
and summer months or is it the opposite do they
00:08:54.600 --> 00:08:57.899
slow down aaron why don't you take this one I
00:08:57.899 --> 00:09:00.240
find them to pick up. So, you know, starting
00:09:00.240 --> 00:09:04.100
in early spring, right into the middle of summer,
00:09:04.299 --> 00:09:07.600
project timelines change constantly for contractors.
00:09:07.720 --> 00:09:10.539
And SoundSeal is set up specifically to deal
00:09:10.539 --> 00:09:13.919
with that. We know that those things can change
00:09:13.919 --> 00:09:17.820
at a moment's notice. And so for our estimating
00:09:17.820 --> 00:09:20.299
team to be able to get back to people quickly,
00:09:20.299 --> 00:09:23.139
all the way down to our phenomenal production
00:09:23.139 --> 00:09:26.559
team and our stocking capabilities so that we
00:09:26.559 --> 00:09:29.460
can quickly manufacture and get projects back
00:09:29.460 --> 00:09:33.820
on schedule or help save a project when things
00:09:33.820 --> 00:09:36.240
do arise or you have an emergency situation.
00:09:36.759 --> 00:09:40.039
But SoundSeal really has been exceptional at
00:09:40.039 --> 00:09:42.899
meeting those deadlines or even dealing with
00:09:42.899 --> 00:09:45.580
those issues that arise in the contracting world.
00:09:45.639 --> 00:09:47.679
Mark? It happens all the time. I mean, this is
00:09:47.679 --> 00:09:50.440
exactly why, you know, when I'm looking at it
00:09:50.440 --> 00:09:53.919
from my sales team to my operations team. When
00:09:53.919 --> 00:09:56.960
we know that the busy time is coming up, as we
00:09:56.960 --> 00:09:59.419
all are aware, especially with school picking
00:09:59.419 --> 00:10:01.860
up, what we do to help mitigate some of those
00:10:01.860 --> 00:10:04.340
issues and to meet the contractor's deadlines
00:10:04.340 --> 00:10:06.879
or the school's deadlines for reopening the classroom
00:10:06.879 --> 00:10:10.879
or getting certain milestones achieved over the
00:10:10.879 --> 00:10:14.240
summertime is we staff up. So we will bring on
00:10:14.240 --> 00:10:16.559
more people. We will bring in more inventory.
00:10:16.879 --> 00:10:19.299
We will bring in a little bit more of the products.
00:10:21.340 --> 00:10:24.460
you know the certain styles of the schools change
00:10:24.460 --> 00:10:28.740
or maybe there is a oops we forgot moment sound
00:10:28.740 --> 00:10:32.309
seal is there to quickly manufacture get it out
00:10:32.309 --> 00:10:34.549
the door, make sure it's delivered on time so
00:10:34.549 --> 00:10:37.330
it could be installed on time and nobody's missing
00:10:37.330 --> 00:10:39.570
a beat. That's one of the great things about
00:10:39.570 --> 00:10:42.750
our manufacturing style and the fact that we
00:10:42.750 --> 00:10:45.570
cover so many industries. I mean, as Aaron mentioned,
00:10:45.649 --> 00:10:48.250
you have the industrial side of it for your mechanical
00:10:48.250 --> 00:10:50.289
closets. You have the architectural side that's
00:10:50.289 --> 00:10:52.409
inside the classroom. There might be, hey, you
00:10:52.409 --> 00:10:54.110
know what, we need to treat the underlayment
00:10:54.110 --> 00:10:57.230
of the flooring in a particular classroom or
00:10:57.230 --> 00:11:00.029
things like that. So we do that. Or on the bigger
00:11:00.029 --> 00:11:02.679
side, we have our masonry division which does
00:11:02.679 --> 00:11:06.620
acoustical sound blocks right your masonry blocks
00:11:06.620 --> 00:11:10.460
that go into the pre -manufacturing aspect side
00:11:10.460 --> 00:11:13.720
of the business so sound seal is there from beginning
00:11:13.720 --> 00:11:17.100
to end however where the journey is whether it
00:11:17.100 --> 00:11:19.700
needs to be quick whether it's long term or if
00:11:19.700 --> 00:11:22.039
it's something to where we don't know what we
00:11:22.039 --> 00:11:23.980
need but we know that we need something and we
00:11:23.980 --> 00:11:28.289
got to get it fixed that's what we do You touched
00:11:28.289 --> 00:11:31.610
upon custom orders and fabric colors earlier.
00:11:31.870 --> 00:11:34.509
I recently learned of a new fabric line. Mark,
00:11:34.570 --> 00:11:37.210
can you tell me a little bit about it? Due to
00:11:37.210 --> 00:11:40.750
a lot of demand that's been out there for fabrics,
00:11:40.889 --> 00:11:43.950
as we all know and as you mentioned, right, and
00:11:43.950 --> 00:11:46.230
Erin said it too, there's a summer surge that
00:11:46.230 --> 00:11:50.279
kind of happens. So with that, materials... start
00:11:50.279 --> 00:11:53.480
to become scarce. And what we did as SoundSeal,
00:11:53.659 --> 00:11:56.899
we decided to come up with our own fabric line.
00:11:57.139 --> 00:11:59.919
And why did we do that? We did that so we could
00:11:59.919 --> 00:12:02.899
be a little bit more in control of what the product
00:12:02.899 --> 00:12:06.539
is, the stock of that product, how it fits within
00:12:06.539 --> 00:12:09.899
our current customer's needs, being patterns,
00:12:10.100 --> 00:12:13.720
being colors. We are not going to be limited
00:12:13.720 --> 00:12:18.379
now to stock out situations with our own replay
00:12:18.379 --> 00:12:20.240
line, which is... what we're calling it. It's
00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:22.559
a fantastic new line. Aaron, I want you to give
00:12:22.559 --> 00:12:24.440
a little bit more details about it. Yeah, absolutely.
00:12:24.940 --> 00:12:28.139
Replay again, brand new for SoundSeal, and we're
00:12:28.139 --> 00:12:31.139
really excited to get this thing off the ground
00:12:31.139 --> 00:12:33.799
and launch. Made right here in the USA out of
00:12:33.799 --> 00:12:37.399
100 % recycled content material. We have incredible
00:12:37.399 --> 00:12:41.159
dye lot consistency with it, and it comes in
00:12:41.159 --> 00:12:44.909
over 30... bright modern finishes that really
00:12:44.909 --> 00:12:48.970
fit today's design elements and it's been formally
00:12:48.970 --> 00:12:52.009
tested for acoustic properties and we've been
00:12:52.009 --> 00:12:54.909
kind of using it in the building here for the
00:12:54.909 --> 00:12:56.970
last few months just testing the waters with
00:12:56.970 --> 00:12:59.590
it and we've had some great success and then
00:12:59.590 --> 00:13:02.110
contractors on the outside world that have come
00:13:02.110 --> 00:13:05.090
up against some challenges with other materials
00:13:05.090 --> 00:13:08.289
in the market have come to love us for it and
00:13:08.289 --> 00:13:11.350
we've already turned a few orders and gotten
00:13:11.350 --> 00:13:14.049
some repeat orders out of it so with a bit of
00:13:14.049 --> 00:13:17.629
a soft launch internally with replay we're firing
00:13:17.629 --> 00:13:20.049
on all cylinders and it's full steam ahead from
00:13:20.049 --> 00:13:25.019
here out. Talk to me about the availability and
00:13:25.019 --> 00:13:28.860
the ship time on this new fabric line. Yes, so
00:13:28.860 --> 00:13:32.139
I'll touch on that one again. So in order to
00:13:32.139 --> 00:13:34.600
meet demands and meet the customer's requirements,
00:13:35.120 --> 00:13:37.980
SoundSeal is stocking materials to make sure
00:13:37.980 --> 00:13:41.320
that we have them in our own facility. So a lot
00:13:41.320 --> 00:13:43.679
of the times what we can end up doing is getting
00:13:43.679 --> 00:13:46.080
an order out in two to four weeks. So how can
00:13:46.080 --> 00:13:51.399
we do that? a special program to where you can
00:13:51.399 --> 00:13:54.000
do an expedite program that's seven to ten business
00:13:54.000 --> 00:13:57.120
days typically turnaround time but if we have
00:13:57.120 --> 00:13:59.860
the fabric in stock even if we're getting more
00:13:59.860 --> 00:14:02.899
and more demand a lot of times it's just the
00:14:02.899 --> 00:14:04.779
product is coming right in as long as we have
00:14:04.779 --> 00:14:08.440
materials that two to four week window is fairly
00:14:08.440 --> 00:14:11.940
easy for us to hit you know and that allows a
00:14:11.940 --> 00:14:15.879
lot of our installers to have the availability
00:14:15.879 --> 00:14:20.059
to One, work with the schedule. Sometimes they
00:14:20.059 --> 00:14:22.240
will do a split shipment because they can only
00:14:22.240 --> 00:14:24.340
install maybe a room at a time, so they want
00:14:24.340 --> 00:14:26.639
to kind of split up the shipment. We do that
00:14:26.639 --> 00:14:29.480
for them because we number, we label every single
00:14:29.480 --> 00:14:32.120
panel that's going out the door. We pre -install
00:14:32.120 --> 00:14:34.600
all the hardware to make sure that we don't have
00:14:34.600 --> 00:14:37.000
any inconsistencies. We want to make sure that
00:14:37.000 --> 00:14:39.879
it's fast, easy, and quick to install. So part
00:14:39.879 --> 00:14:42.659
of that, with the replay line, you have the fabric,
00:14:42.720 --> 00:14:45.779
you have the materials, you have the staff. We're
00:14:45.779 --> 00:14:48.940
ready. Anything to tap on on that? No, I would
00:14:48.940 --> 00:14:52.360
say that not just with replay and fabric wrap
00:14:52.360 --> 00:14:56.279
wall panels, but we have the ability to quick
00:14:56.279 --> 00:14:59.700
ship or expedite more than a handful of products.
00:14:59.740 --> 00:15:03.019
So our entire industrial line, we have the access
00:15:03.019 --> 00:15:06.799
to expedite those in 7 to 10 days if we have
00:15:06.799 --> 00:15:09.220
those products or the facings in stock. Same
00:15:09.220 --> 00:15:12.159
to what Mark was saying earlier about... keeping
00:15:12.159 --> 00:15:15.159
the replay line very heavily stocked up on our
00:15:15.159 --> 00:15:17.879
shelves here allows us to respond quickly to
00:15:17.879 --> 00:15:20.480
those contractor needs or installer needs to
00:15:20.480 --> 00:15:22.559
get them out in, you know, two to four weeks.
00:15:22.700 --> 00:15:25.820
And that expedite program has been utilized so
00:15:25.820 --> 00:15:28.440
many times day in and day out here at Sounds
00:15:28.440 --> 00:15:31.639
Heel. And then right down to other products like
00:15:31.639 --> 00:15:34.980
flooring underlayments or some of our quick ship
00:15:34.980 --> 00:15:37.980
wood grill products. We have that at the ready.
00:15:38.480 --> 00:15:41.700
to get those out the door in a very timely manner.
00:15:42.000 --> 00:15:44.440
We've seen a lot of those wood grill requests
00:15:44.440 --> 00:15:48.519
come across. For those, it's a standard 1x8 grill
00:15:48.519 --> 00:15:50.779
based off how many blades you need, particular
00:15:50.779 --> 00:15:53.379
colors. Again, it's in stock. It's ready to go.
00:15:53.559 --> 00:15:56.259
And then we have a magnificent theater board
00:15:56.259 --> 00:15:59.840
that you can put right on top of it. It's just
00:15:59.840 --> 00:16:02.840
a nice black fiberglass that goes right on top.
00:16:03.039 --> 00:16:06.139
So you get the great looks from the wood grill.
00:16:06.240 --> 00:16:08.500
You get that softness from the wood. You get
00:16:08.500 --> 00:16:10.899
the attractiveness from it. And then you have
00:16:10.899 --> 00:16:12.929
the sound. absorption in the fiberglass that's
00:16:12.929 --> 00:16:15.490
being right you know put on top and you can't
00:16:15.490 --> 00:16:18.149
even see it it all kind of disappears but the
00:16:18.149 --> 00:16:19.970
beautiful part of that is especially when you're
00:16:19.970 --> 00:16:22.690
walking into a school you know when you're walking
00:16:22.690 --> 00:16:25.129
into the administrative offices anywhere inside
00:16:25.129 --> 00:16:28.990
of there it's a great add to put into the ceiling
00:16:28.990 --> 00:16:31.629
because one you can get it done you can hang
00:16:31.629 --> 00:16:34.129
it with your standard t -grid it can hang very
00:16:34.129 --> 00:16:36.649
easily you can add some acoustics to add to the
00:16:36.649 --> 00:16:39.990
space but it adds a certain softness to the space
00:16:39.990 --> 00:16:43.340
as well and a certain amount of sophistication.
00:16:43.580 --> 00:16:47.960
So a lot of our customers, meaning the schools,
00:16:48.179 --> 00:16:51.580
very much enjoy that because when you're walking
00:16:51.580 --> 00:16:55.539
in, you want to, one, you need to get it done.
00:16:55.639 --> 00:16:58.100
It has to be there. You're not looking for necessarily
00:16:58.100 --> 00:17:00.500
the most expensive thing in the world, but you
00:17:00.500 --> 00:17:03.220
want it to look nice and feel nice. And then
00:17:03.220 --> 00:17:05.099
part of that, when you're looking at it and you're
00:17:05.099 --> 00:17:08.299
getting that sensory, again, going back to that
00:17:08.299 --> 00:17:12.190
sight and sound. Some of your key senses. So
00:17:12.190 --> 00:17:15.230
when you start to achieve goals in those regards
00:17:15.230 --> 00:17:19.309
of hitting those aspects of what's needed, really
00:17:19.309 --> 00:17:22.730
adds to the space. Absolutely. Good call bringing
00:17:22.730 --> 00:17:26.430
that up. So what I'm hearing is that you can
00:17:26.430 --> 00:17:29.509
cover interior and exterior schools soup to nuts.
00:17:29.690 --> 00:17:31.670
One area I think that we could talk a little
00:17:31.670 --> 00:17:35.190
bit more about are sports courts and outdoor
00:17:35.190 --> 00:17:37.970
fields. Is there a best time to tackle projects
00:17:37.970 --> 00:17:41.809
of this nature? No, actually, any time is a great
00:17:41.809 --> 00:17:44.450
time. But, of course, throughout the school year,
00:17:44.650 --> 00:17:47.009
it may be a little more difficult, but we do
00:17:47.009 --> 00:17:50.109
see a ton of activity in the spring and summer
00:17:50.109 --> 00:17:52.470
or in the early fall when people are getting
00:17:52.470 --> 00:17:55.750
ready for the next season. We have a great series
00:17:55.750 --> 00:17:59.150
of products on the industrial side called Vivid,
00:17:59.210 --> 00:18:02.210
and then we have a partner product called Aerial
00:18:02.210 --> 00:18:05.380
with our architectural side. Both of those have
00:18:05.380 --> 00:18:08.000
some incredible finishes, again, nice bright
00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:11.119
colors. And when we're talking about sports courts
00:18:11.119 --> 00:18:15.140
and acoustic products, we're looking at things
00:18:15.140 --> 00:18:17.700
like tennis courts, pickleball courts, outdoor
00:18:17.700 --> 00:18:20.700
basketball. Sometimes you're going to have baseball
00:18:20.700 --> 00:18:23.460
or softball, track and field, or you're going
00:18:23.460 --> 00:18:26.480
to have some multi -use spaces outdoors. But
00:18:26.480 --> 00:18:29.319
all of those can benefit dramatically from...
00:18:29.799 --> 00:18:32.299
acoustical products like that, especially when
00:18:32.299 --> 00:18:34.380
you've got schools that are in neighborhoods
00:18:34.380 --> 00:18:37.960
where you've got residential people nearby. And
00:18:37.960 --> 00:18:40.220
you want to be courteous of that as well. So
00:18:40.220 --> 00:18:44.059
applying these products on some of your fencing
00:18:44.059 --> 00:18:46.640
that's there, not only does it make it look good,
00:18:46.720 --> 00:18:49.900
it's nice and safe, and then it sounds phenomenal
00:18:49.900 --> 00:18:52.619
and it's blocking unwanted noise from other areas
00:18:52.619 --> 00:18:55.700
while making it a comfortable space to use for
00:18:55.700 --> 00:18:58.880
everybody that are using those courts. Good point,
00:18:58.920 --> 00:19:01.099
because even with the quartz, as Aaron mentioned,
00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:04.240
a lot of people are installing them early on.
00:19:04.279 --> 00:19:07.480
You've got spring, summer, fall. In the wintertime,
00:19:07.599 --> 00:19:11.299
due to the acoustical blankets that we manufacture
00:19:11.299 --> 00:19:15.500
that are specifically designed to hang on a chain
00:19:15.500 --> 00:19:18.440
link fence, as Aaron pointed out, if you wanted
00:19:18.440 --> 00:19:21.099
to, you can... Do it with some industrial -grade
00:19:21.099 --> 00:19:23.779
zip ties. Hang it up. It's quite easy. Your standard
00:19:23.779 --> 00:19:26.500
maintenance guy can go out there, install these
00:19:26.500 --> 00:19:29.240
items. When you need to, take them down. That's
00:19:29.240 --> 00:19:31.720
okay, too. A lot of people worry about snow or
00:19:31.720 --> 00:19:33.680
water or rain. You don't technically have to,
00:19:33.799 --> 00:19:36.079
but if you are worried and you are concerned
00:19:36.079 --> 00:19:39.180
about it, certainly you can go out there, install
00:19:39.180 --> 00:19:42.339
them, put them up during the season that it's
00:19:42.339 --> 00:19:44.920
there, go cut them down, put them back into your
00:19:44.920 --> 00:19:48.049
storage, and then they're put away. It's absolutely
00:19:48.049 --> 00:19:50.029
fine. That's one of the great things about that
00:19:50.029 --> 00:19:51.910
product. Absolutely. And we can't forget about
00:19:51.910 --> 00:19:54.710
our other new product launch, which is Echo Wool,
00:19:54.809 --> 00:19:57.109
which is the cementitious fiberboard, which is
00:19:57.109 --> 00:20:00.309
both an indoor and an outdoor product. It looks
00:20:00.309 --> 00:20:03.150
great. We can provide it painted. We can provide
00:20:03.150 --> 00:20:05.940
it with a natural finish. Logos. You can throw
00:20:05.940 --> 00:20:07.400
logos into it. Don't forget that. We can route
00:20:07.400 --> 00:20:12.759
logos into it. So not just looking at our acoustical
00:20:12.759 --> 00:20:16.140
blanket products or curtain products, as some
00:20:16.140 --> 00:20:18.619
people refer to them as, but the Echo Wool is
00:20:18.619 --> 00:20:20.460
an outdoor product. And then the Aerial Line,
00:20:20.619 --> 00:20:23.839
again, another great -looking product that can
00:20:23.839 --> 00:20:27.259
withstand all the elements, sun, rain, snow,
00:20:27.500 --> 00:20:30.420
UV resistance. It's all there. Definitely look
00:20:30.420 --> 00:20:32.640
into the Echo Wool if you're looking for something
00:20:32.640 --> 00:20:35.759
a little different to go. both indoors and outdoors
00:20:35.759 --> 00:20:39.440
for schools. Good point. Thanks, guys. So we've
00:20:39.440 --> 00:20:41.599
just about hit our time here. Mark, is there
00:20:41.599 --> 00:20:43.240
anything else you'd like to share with the audience?
00:20:43.579 --> 00:20:46.759
Yeah. You know, I'd just like to remind everybody,
00:20:47.019 --> 00:20:49.279
you know, we're constantly evolving and moving
00:20:49.279 --> 00:20:51.920
over here at SoundSeal. We pride ourselves on
00:20:51.920 --> 00:20:54.500
developing new product that's coming out regularly
00:20:54.500 --> 00:20:57.039
because we want to listen to what the customer's
00:20:57.039 --> 00:20:59.390
demands are. Go to our website, take a look at
00:20:59.390 --> 00:21:01.529
it on there. You're going to see new products
00:21:01.529 --> 00:21:03.490
showing up all the time. We just had a complete
00:21:03.490 --> 00:21:06.029
revamp of our website, which has been tremendous.
00:21:06.410 --> 00:21:08.789
We've gotten a lot of great feedback. All the
00:21:08.789 --> 00:21:11.849
product lines that are on there are simply amazing.
00:21:12.430 --> 00:21:15.710
Through how it's being shown, how it's being
00:21:15.710 --> 00:21:18.569
displayed, you can go on there and find reps,
00:21:18.730 --> 00:21:20.150
distributors. You want to hit up on that layer?
00:21:20.450 --> 00:21:22.289
Yeah, and before we get into there, definitely
00:21:22.289 --> 00:21:24.529
go check out the website and look at the market
00:21:24.529 --> 00:21:27.640
segments and look at our section. dedicated to
00:21:27.640 --> 00:21:31.910
classrooms or educational spaces. is a ton more
00:21:31.910 --> 00:21:34.869
information that we didn't cover on this podcast,
00:21:34.930 --> 00:21:37.490
but done a great job of including things like
00:21:37.490 --> 00:21:39.930
case studies. So you don't have to hear it just
00:21:39.930 --> 00:21:43.470
from our mouth. You can read about it. You can
00:21:43.470 --> 00:21:45.470
read in depth about the product. You can look
00:21:45.470 --> 00:21:47.829
at data sheets if you really need that. But outside
00:21:47.829 --> 00:21:51.109
of that, we have distributors regionally around
00:21:51.109 --> 00:21:55.750
the U .S. and Canada that do also turnkey installations
00:21:55.750 --> 00:21:59.150
as well. So if you have a project that is in
00:21:59.150 --> 00:22:01.680
need of this type of space, service, please reach
00:22:01.680 --> 00:22:05.240
out to our team. Again, we're ready to hear from
00:22:05.240 --> 00:22:07.940
you, and we can direct you to the right products.
00:22:07.980 --> 00:22:10.619
We can direct you to the right distributors so
00:22:10.619 --> 00:22:15.559
that you can make the project a slam dunk. Wonderful.
00:22:15.579 --> 00:22:17.519
Thank you both again, and thank you everyone
00:22:17.519 --> 00:22:18.460
who joined us today.
