The Evolution of Beyond Foam Insulation to the Beyond Group of Companies

Mar 14, 2025

Curt Janzen

From Hiring Struggles to Core Values: The Evolution of Beyond Foam Insulation

When Kevin and I founded Beyond Foam Insulation in 2006, we experienced rapid growth that quickly necessitated bringing on additional team members. While this growth was positive, our hiring approach was problematic. We essentially hired anyone available, particularly those with spray foam or batt and poly experience, without much consideration for character or cultural fit. This period was incredibly stressful. Our hires often came with significant personal issues - I joke that they either "loved their mom too much or not enough," or struggled with addiction or dishonesty. Maintaining a stable workforce felt like an endless battle.

"This period was incredibly stressful."

The Turning Point: Hiring for Attitude

Everything changed when we hired Chad. Unlike our previous approach, we hired him primarily for his attitude and work ethic, not his experience. Though I personally trained him in spray foam installation, Chad joined with ambitions of eventually moving into management - a mindset we deeply appreciated. Chad quickly became our most valued team member. Remarkably, colleagues with 4-6 years more experience would seek his guidance. This was our epiphany: hiring the right person and training them for the necessary skills made everything significantly easier. This realization led us to hire Leigh and several others who contributed tremendously to our company's growth and culture.

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Defining Our Identity

Around this time, we brought in a consultant named Dan who helped us define our core values and positioning statement. This process involved key team members and our significant others working collaboratively to establish three foundational values. In retrospect, these initial pillars represented aspirational goals rather than our current reality - a "self-fulfilling prophecy" of who we wanted to become. Nevertheless, these values provided crucial guidance for hiring decisions, client relationships, and vendor partnerships, making company operations much more straightforward.

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Company Evolution

As Beyond Foam continued to expand, adding roofing, thermal, and concrete lifting divisions, Kevin and I recognized the need to redefine our company identity with input from our entire team. We wanted our pillars to evolve from aspirational to authentically representative of our organization. We again enlisted Dan to facilitate a full-day event, inviting all team members, their families, and anyone impacted by the Beyond Group. Our objective was to identify both functional and emotional differentiators that set Beyond apart from other construction companies. The process began by analyzing comparative examples like Tim Hortons versus Starbucks, or Harleys versus sport bikes, examining their functional and emotional distinctions. When we shifted focus to Beyond, the experience became profoundly moving, especially hearing team members articulate what the company meant to them and the values we collectively upheld.

Our Core Values: Belong, Create, Mastery

The team ultimately identified three functional core values:

Belong

This value celebrates loyalty and family orientation. We prize team members willing to work diligently toward goals alongside people they genuinely connect with.

Create

Beyond just workplace opportunities and career advancement, this value encompasses creating better lives holistically - improved health, mental wellbeing, recreation, and overall quality of life. This requires optimism, which is essential for truly enjoying and thriving at Beyond.

Mastery

We embrace continuous improvement, aiming to get 1% better daily. While contentment is healthy, complacency is not - we maintain a growth mindset. Mastery requires principle; without proper direction, hard work becomes misdirected effort.

Implementing Our Values

After establishing these values, we redesigned our company story around Belong, Create, Master, incorporating both personal and corporate purpose into our narrative. This framework now guides our hiring processes, client acquisition, and vendor relationships, filtering everything through the lens of these core values. The journey from indiscriminate hiring to values-based operation has transformed Beyond Foam Insulation into a purpose-driven organization where team members don't just work—they belong, create, and master their craft together.

"transformed Beyond Foam Insulation into a purpose-driven organization"

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