Corbond Corp. rooted locally, branching nationally

Most people probably don’t give much thought to what is hidden behind the walls of their homes, as long as everything is working the way it’s supposed to.

By ERIN NICHOLES Chronicle Staff Writer

http://bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2004/02/29/news/corbondbzbigs.txt

But should people happen to catch a glimpse of their insulation and find a hardened, lavender-color foam, they may be interested in knowing that this practical product is the brainchild of a local guy.

It’s called Corbond, and it’s a one-of-a-kind insulation from a growing company with roots planted firmly in the Gallatin Valley.

"We were the first in the U.S. marketplace to develop the chemistry of foam we use for insulation," said Blair Johnson, national sales manager for Corbond Corp., which is headquartered in a small building on the frontage road just east of Bozeman.

Until recently, Corbond’s ties to the area have been as hidden as the insulation in a finished home. But the company is getting more attention as owner Neal Ganser prepares to pump a large chunk of money into the Gallatin Valley.

He recently bought the former Con Agra/UAP building in downtown Belgrade for a Corbond manufacturing facility. The plant, slated to open in 2005, will provide local jobs, and Ganser may build a retail and residential development to accompany the facility.

It’s been two decades since Ganser, then working as a roofer and insulator, planted the seed of a dream that would become Corbond. He has since seen his company through growth spurts and dry spells, until finally, Corbond is reaching full bloom.

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Corbond Corporation

32404 East Frontage Road

Bozeman, Montana 59715

(406) 586-4583

Fax (406) 586-4584

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Walls that work

Insulation may not be something most people talk about over coffee or at the dinner table, but it should be a high priority for anyone building new homes or remodeling, said Ganser, 53.

Insulation — whether it’s the traditional fiberglass type, which looks like cotton candy, or a spray-on foam like Corbond — is supposed to protect the inside of buildings from whatever is going on outside.

"Every fiberglass-insulated house tends to fail when it is needed most," Ganser said. "If you’re using fiberglass, you’re cutting corners."

Ganser said fiberglass insulation, largely because it is not tested to work in cold climates with varying conditions, does not keep out all air and moisture. As a result, it promotes the growth of molds that can cause respiratory, skin and nervous system disorders.

Corbond, on the other hand, completely seals a building from the outside elements and will not "create a third micro-climate in your walls, where mold grows," Ganser said.

"It’s literally like a brick wall, no air will go through it," said Shawn Koenig, owner of Gallatin Insulation, the local Corbond dealer. "And if air won’t go through it, moisture won’t either."

The material is a combination of two wet ingredients that create a purple foam when combined. The roots of the company’s name best best describe how the stuff works.

"It goes into the core of the wall, and it bonds there," Ganser said.

The Corbond motto is, "Walls that work no matter what," and more and more people are buying into it. Corbond is now in more than 20,000 homes nationwide, and Corbond warehouses are in towns across the United States.

Roots and branches

Ganser’s attachment to the Gallatin Valley was formed when he was a young man and moved west from Wisconsin to attend Montana State University.

He comes from a long line of insulators and wound up entering the work force as a roofer and insulator.

He had worked with other spray-on insulations, but wanted to develop a formula that was specifically designed to work in Montana’s unpredictable, cold conditions.

He experimented, and tested his product on potato cellars on area farms.

"I thought, ‘This stuff is working good in potato sheds, why not try it in houses’," he said.

In the mid-1980s, Bozeman suffered an economic downturn, and work was scarce for contractors. So Ganser hired a chemist to perfect a formula, and trademarked the Corbond name and its lavender color so his product could be marketed nationally.

That wasn’t easy.

"Up until quite recently it’s been mostly frustrating," Johnson said of his entrepreneurial endeavor. "The sales needed to be tweaked and the timing wasn’t right in the marketplace. The growth didn’t really start happening until 1998-1999."

But today, dealers across the United States are recommending Corbond to homeowners, including Koenig.

"We went with Corbond because it’s a product that was made to be sprayed in Montana at our elevation to hold up against the varying temperatures that we experience up here," Koenig said, adding that he also sells fiberglass insulation.

Although the cost of Corbond — which is about three times as much as fiberglass insulation — sometimes makes it a tough sell, it’s worth it, Koenig said.

Koenig recently insulated a shop at his business with Corbond, and is saving thousands of dollars in heating costs, he said.

"As the price of natural gas goes higher, you can spend a little more on your insulation and recoup the savings year after year after year," Koenig said.

As for the future, Corbond will become a stronger facet of the local community when the new plant opens, Ganser said.

His long-term goal is to triple the size of Corbond Corp. in the next five years, which mostly will be felt on the national level.

But locally, Ganser’s goal is to "give Belgrade a redevelopment of that part of town."