In this episode of The Cool Times Podcast, hosts Vince and Jenna Free welcome Gary O'Donnell to the show. Gary, a seasoned professional with 26 years of experience in the industry, recently joined the team at Karis Cold, a leading developer specializing in cold storage and spec buildings. As Gary shares his journey and insights, listeners gain a deeper understanding of the dynamic world of cold storage development and the role of a VP of Construction. Gary provides insights into Karis Cold's rol...
Oct 03, 2023•52 min•Ep. 36
Welcome back to another exciting episode of the Cool Times podcast! This week, hosts Vince and Jenna Free are joined by the industry expert Carson Miller, a true friend of the show and an integral part of the Assured Partners team. Carson's journey into the world of insurance and risk management is not just a career, but a passion that runs in his DNA. Tune in as they dive into the captivating world of captive insurance, real estate risk management, and how Carson's unique approach to partnershi...
Sep 14, 2023•45 min•Ep. 35
In this exciting episode, hosts Jenna and Vince Free are joined by Christopher Ware, Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Initiatives at NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association. Christopher shares insights about the upcoming I.CON Cold Storage Conference, a unique event tailored to developers, owners, and investors in the cold storage industry. Christopher Ware introduces himself and his background, highlighting his journey from a history major to becoming a sea...
Aug 16, 2023•24 min•Ep. 34
In this episode of the Cool Times podcast, Vince and Jenna Free, the dynamic duo and business partners, sit down with Jake Stefan, President at ARCO Design Build Companies Inc. As they explore all things cool about cold storage, they dive deep into Jake's journey, experiences, and insights that have shaped his successful career. Jake Stefan's inspiring journey in the cold storage industry is showcased, highlighting the importance of seizing opportunities, embracing challenges, and cultivating a ...
Aug 10, 2023•48 min•Ep. 33
In this episode of Cool Times podcast, hosts Vince and Jenna Free invite special guest Mike Jones, the President at Primus Design Services, a registered architect and the design component for Primus Builders. Mike Jones tells the listeners about his company and what he does for Primus and the industry. He also talks about the synergy of being a true design builder and the in-house capacity to do that. He explains that they have other self-performing entities that Primus is doing now too, such as...
Jun 14, 2023•48 min•Ep. 32
In this episode of the Cool Times podcast, hosted by Vince and Jenna Free, with special guest Peter Bartell, the co-hosts start with the sponsorship spotlight segment, thanking the sponsor Versi - Foam for their support. They then move on to talking about the origins of the podcast and the CEBA executive board meeting, where the attendees strategized and talked about how to take the industry to the next level. They introduce Peter Bartell, the vice president and one of the owners of Versi - Foam...
May 04, 2023•43 min•Ep. 31
On this week's episode, Vince and Jenna Free are joined by guests Doug Bowen, Business Development Manager at Solidus and Jeff Hall, Founder/CEO of Paragon Construction Consulting & Solidus to discuss their experiences in the cold storage and construction industry. Doug and Jeff explain how they got started in the cold storage industry, their first experiences in the industry, and the mentors that helped them along the way. They also discuss their current projects. Doug and Jeff also share t...
Apr 05, 2023•55 min•Ep. 30
Welcome to the Cool Times podcast with your Hosts Vince and Jenna Free! In this episode we are introducing our new series, Sponsorship Spotlight. Our first spotlight is on Chase Deaton, the Director of Sales for Rytec High-Performance Doors. Chase is a legend in the industry and has been supporting Rytec for 20 years. He talks about his competitive nature and how it drives him to be successful. He shares what is new in the Rytec world, such as their latest automation projects and the Smart Facto...
Mar 22, 2023•37 min•Ep. 29
Hosts Vince and Jenna talk with Maggie Christiansen, Regional Sales Manager at Kingspan Insulated Panels. Maggie has been in the industry for almost 20 years and has a wealth of knowledge to share. Maggie shared her story of how she got into the industry, starting with her dad’s independent manufacturer's rep business. Maggie worked for her dad for 10 years prior to Kingspan hiring her as the Regional Sales Manager. Maggie explained Kingspan is the largest manufacturer of insulated metal...
Mar 08, 2023•53 min•Ep. 28
Hosts Vince and Jenna talk with Jon May, Associate Vice President, Business Development for Industrial Services at Epstein Architecture, Engineering and Construction.Jon joined Epstein in 2017, bringing with him five years of engineering and management experience for clients in the manufacturing and food processing industries. As part of the Business Development team, Jon leads our efforts to develop new opportunities and manage client relations in Epstein’s industrial markets including food, ma...
Feb 22, 2023•34 min•Ep. 27
Hosts Vince and Jenna talk with Sam Tippmann, President and CEO of Tippmann Innovation. Sam provides the expertise of all facets of the company from initial customer contact to planning, design and implementation of refrigerated facilities, with over 3,000,000 square feet of refrigerated facility construction experience. Sam has been involved in the refrigeration and food industry his entire life. His first job was sweeping the floor in his father’s refrigeration equipment facility. Sam and the ...
Feb 08, 2023•55 min•Ep. 26
Hosts Vince and Jenna talk with Scott Griffin, President and Chief Executive Officer at Griffco Design/Build, Inc. As President and Chief Executive Officer, Scott’s role is to provide overall direction and ensure Griffco remains aligned with the client’s goals and objectives. Since he founded Griffco in 2007, the company has grown to more than 60 employees and $200 million in revenue. Scott has more than 30 years of experience in the food distribution and commercial construction industries. Grif...
Jan 26, 2023•55 min•Ep. 25
Hosts, Vince and Jenna talk with Todd Schell, Executive Vice President, Industrial Sector at Ryan Companies US, Inc. Todd brings more than three decades of experience to his role at Ryan as Executive Vice President of the Industrial market, with an extensive preconstruction and construction background. He leads a team of specialists dedicated to the planning, design and construction of distribution and manufacturing facilities, with a focus on an integrated approach that translates into collabor...
Jan 11, 2023•37 min•Ep. 24
Hosts, Vince and Jenna talk with Dave Arnett, Project Engineer at United States Cold Storage, Inc. They talk about great experiences in the cold storage industry and Dave’s journey to becoming a Project Engineer at United States Cold Storage. USC's century of cold storage excellence in America is backboned by 42 world-class facilities across 13 states. Their purpose goes beyond industry-leading locations and services. USCS has over three thousand hardworking employees who love what they do, dedi...
Dec 20, 2022•46 min•Ep. 23
Hosts Vince and Jenna talk with Kate Lyle, Architect and Director of Industrial Cold & Food. Kate Lyle brings over 16 years of architectural design expertise to the Ware Malcomb team. As Director, Industrial Cold & Food, she is responsible leading the growth of Ware Malcomb’s Industrial Cold & Food Studio across the Americas. Kate is also active in the Controlled Environments Building Association (CEBA). Kate specializes in complex project types including food processing, manufacturi...
Nov 15, 2022•41 min•Ep. 22
On this episode of the Cool Times Podcast, Hosts Vince and Jenna introduce Chris Parmele, National Sales Manager at Fastener Systems Incorporated (FSI). During Chris' college years, he played college football at Central Michigan. He has a degree in Business and a master's in athletic administration. After college, he worked at Dow Chemical for almost 20 years. Fastener Systems Incorporated (FSI) is a national company with customers in all 50 states, Canada, and overseas. Since its inception in 1...
Oct 11, 2022•40 min•Ep. 21
Hosts Vince and Jenna talk with Matthew Ott, President & CEO of the Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA). GCCA is a coalition of organizations including the International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses (IARW), World Food Logistics Organization (WFLO), Controlled Environment Builders Association (CEBA), and International Refrigerated Transportation Association (IRTA). Collectively, these core partners work to ensure that a universally strong cold chain exists globally, maintaining qualit...
Sep 28, 2022•45 min•Ep. 20
In this week's episode of the Cool Times Podcast, Host Vince and Jenna interviewed Trent Lesikar, Founder/President of Axis Construction Solutions. This interview features Trent, who has Ten years of experience in business development and operational leadership roles in construction contracting services. Vince, Jenna, and Trent highlight the topics about Trent's journey and cool moments in the cold storage industry, high-speed doors, lessons from owning a business, and why you should consider bu...
Aug 02, 2022•30 min•Ep. 19
In this episode of the Cool Times Podcast, Vince Free and Jenna Free interviewed Wes Ledford , Strategic Account Manager at The Miner Corporation. Wes is dedicated to reducing cost and increasing energy efficiency in high performance door applications. Miner is the nationally recognized leader in emergency repair service for docks, doors, glass and more. Miner eliminates high downtime costs through ‘round the clock’ repair service, cost-saving solutions and planned maintenance support. Miner ser...
Jul 19, 2022•35 min•Ep. 18
In this episode of the Cool Times Podcast, Vince Free and Jenna Free interviewed Carl Weiland , Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at Weiland, Inc. Carl represents Weiland Inc. as the national leader in doors & windows for inspected food facilities, pharmaceutical, cold storage, and cleanroom environments. They strive to make products and offer a level of support to their customers that transcends their competition. Some of Carl's favorite roles include engaging with and educating customers, ...
Jul 06, 2022•37 min•Ep. 17
In this special episode of the Cool Times Podcast, Vince Free , President/CEO at FREEZ Construction and Jenna Free , COO at FREEZ Construction, shared a very cool experience about Vince's invitation to play for Team USA in the Masters Inline Roller Hockey World Championships in Brunico, Italy. They also mention their interesting and great experiences in different phenomenal places in Italy. Story Notes: Roller Hockey Event Playing on Team USA Germany Influence in Northern Italy Drinking Aperol S...
Jun 20, 2022•16 min•Ep. 16
In this episode of the Cool Times Podcast, Vince Free and Jenna Free interviewed Brian King , Founder & President at A M King . Brian is a 30-year veteran who has managed the design and construction of projects in more than 20 states and in Europe, encompassing in excess of 20 million square feet of new, expanded or renovated building space. Sectors include food processing and distribution, industrial, manufacturing, and commercial properties. A M King is an integrated Design-Build firm base...
Jun 07, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 15
In this episode of the Cool Times Podcast, Vince Free and Jenna Free interviewed Chris Bertalan, Territory Sales Manager at All Weather Insulated Panels. All Weather Insulated Panels (AWIP) is an innovator in the design, construction and advancement of insulated metal panels and is strategically positioned to meet the growing energy, environmental and economic challenges facing the North American building industry. AWIP provides its customers with a broad line of insulated wall and roof panels a...
May 24, 2022•31 min•Ep. 14
In this episode of the Cool Times Podcast, Vince Free and Jenna Free interviewed Erich Klemm, Project Manager at Burns & McDonnell. Erich has 16 years of experience in the engineer-procure-construct (EPC)/design-build delivery of projects for Food & Beverage, Consumer Products, Manufacturing, and Industrial clients, and he currently serves as a Project Manager for Burns & McDonnell. Erich’s priority is to provide customized services to help clients maximize their return on invested c...
May 10, 2022•39 min•Ep. 13
In this episode of the Cool Times Podcast, Vince Free and Jenna Free interviewed John Howell, Senior Project Manager at Fisher Construction Group Thermal Division. John has been in the Cold Storage Industry since 2010. He was a Territory Sales Representative at Rite Hite/Arbon Equipment Corporation from 1999 to 2010. He helped develop the FasTrax and Barrier Glider doors, which are still Rite Hite’s flagship high speed door products out in the market. In 2010 John joined Iso-Quip Corporation as ...
Apr 26, 2022•41 min•Ep. 12
In this episode of the Cool Times Podcast, Vince Free and Jenna Free interviewed John Hatters , National Sales Manager of Industrial Solutions at Jamison Door Company . John is an experienced National Sales Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the building materials industry. He is skilled in Negotiation, Management, Sales, and Sales Operations. Strong sales and management professional. Jamison Door Company provides entry and exit solutions for a variety of applications and industri...
Apr 01, 2022•41 min•Ep. 11
In this episode of the Cool Times Podcast, Vince Free and Jenna Free interviewed Steven Hansen Jr . , Project Manager/Estimator at Hansen Cold Storage Construction . Steven is an Experienced Project Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the construction industry. Skilled in Construction Engineering, Fresh Produce, Meat Processing, Coolers, and Pharmaceutical Industry. Strong operations professional with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) focused in Political Science and Government from Pep...
Mar 29, 2022•41 min•Ep. 10
In this episode of the Cool Times Podcast, Vince Free and Jenna Free interviewed Jess Malone , Program Manager, Food & Beverage at Alston Construction. Jess joined Alston in February of 2018 and has been instrumental in cultivating Food & Beverage relationships. Jess will continue to develop relationships, while coordinating preconstruction, process design and operational execution. Her extensive knowledge in the industry has helped Alston secure projects with Monster Energy, Crystal Gey...
Mar 15, 2022•39 min•Ep. 9
In this episode of the Cool Times Podcast, Vince Free and Jenna Free interviewed Robert Brodsky , Divisional Vice President at Stellar. Robert has extensive experience in construction and management with a focus on the low temperature and food processing sectors. Robert has also worked in the industrial roofing industry. He has held positions as Field Superintendent, Project Manager, Division Manager and Vice President. Rob has more than 32 years of industry experience, including 20 years with S...
Mar 01, 2022•38 min•Ep. 8
In this episode of the Cool Times Podcast, Vince Free and Jenna Free interviewed Bill Moultrie , Vice President National Program Management - Cold Storage Lead. Bill shares his fantastic journey in becoming part of Stream Realty Partners; prior to joining Stream, Bill was a Project Executive for Choate Construction Company. As a 30-year commercial real estate veteran, Bill has delivered complex projects focusing on cold storage for corporations such as Gourmet Foods International, General Mills,...
Feb 15, 2022•41 min•Ep. 7
