Frank Mortl - Unlocking Success in Spray Foam - PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of a live interview with Frank Mortl of the Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance (SPFA). You can read the interview below or listen to the podcast.

Intro: Welcome to CoatingsCast, the ultimate podcast dedicated to the science, art and  innovation of liquid and fluid-applied roofing, coatings for surfaces and  waterproofing. It's time to roll up our sleeves, put on our lab coats and  dive headfirst into the world of liquid protection that keeps your roofs and surfaces in prime condition. The future is here and it's liquid, so don't miss out. This is CoatingsCast, where every drop counts in the world of roof and surface protection. 

Hello, everyone. My name is Megan Ellsworth, here at CoatingsCoffeeShop.com. You are listening to a CoatingsCast. I am so excited because today we're talking about unlocking your success in spray foam and  I'm here with my friend, Frank. Hello, Frank. How are you? 

Frank Mortl III: Terrific, thanks so much. So grateful to be here today, Megan. 

Megan Ellsworth: Absolutely, I'm excited to have you and learn more about spray foam and the Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance. So, let's dive right in and just have you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about SPFA. 

Frank Mortl III: Terrific. My name is Frank Mortl III, I am the Executive Director of SPFA, the Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance. Today's a special day, it's actually my one-year anniversary today of joining the organization. Very proud and privileged to be in this terrific position representing some fabulous contractors, suppliers, distributors, consultants, applicators, really, serving as an ambassador to the industry. And it's my honor to be a representative agent, as well as to be here with you today, Megan. 

Megan Ellsworth: That's awesome. Well, congratulations on your anniversary. We love working with the SPFA and  we went to the show earlier this year and it's just a great group of people, so we're glad to be a part of it as well. 

Okay, so let's get into the conference. So, tell us about the SprayFoam Annual Conference and show. What is it and how did it go? 

Frank Mortl III: Well, it beat all budgeted expectations. We felt overall the vibe was very healthy, where the energy was at extremely high quality. The weather cooperated, which was great, but we did have higher attendance than in Daytona in 2023. We had been in Daytona in 2023. 2024, last year we were in Las Vegas, Daytona in '25, back to Las Vegas next year, but we had a record amount of PCP field exams. PCP is our professional certification program, record amount of field exams, the most exhibitors for any spray foam event that's ever been held in the history of the industry. So overall, the takeaways were extremely positive. 

Megan Ellsworth: Wow, that's huge. Oh my gosh, you should be so proud. That's really impressive, amazing. 

Frank Mortl III: Team effort and  if nothing else, it starts at the top with our board of directors, our executive committee. We have a very large board and we need them. We need them to roll up their sleeves and  they do. Very high quality volunteers at SPFA. And then the direction given to us as staff, we are growing our staff. I was I think staff member number five when I came on one year ago today, we're at eight now and  it's really exciting to see where the momentum is taking not only our industry, but SPFA as a nonprofit trade association, from a holistic standpoint. 

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah, that's really exciting. Wow, five to eight in one year is pretty huge growth, so that's really exciting. What would you say are some of your biggest takeaways from or   themes from the event this year? 

Frank Mortl III: Certainly, well, collaboration pays off, that's a big key. Whether partnering with Spray Foam Magazine for their Super Bowl party, Spray Foam World Wide for their band shell event on Monday night and several events throughout the week or   supporting spray foam coalition initiatives regarding government affairs and legislative activities. It goes to show that a rising tide definitely raised all ships in Daytona, as a result of attendance and significantly increased engagement levels. That's the key. It's one thing to attend a show and participate, but to really engage across all demographics, contractors, suppliers, distributors. It really felt like, again, the positive energy, the vibe was extremely healthy. And a lot of business was done, but yet a lot of fun was had and  that's important as well. 

Megan Ellsworth: That's always my favorite part about trade shows and in the industry we're in, is we're really good at doing business and having fun at the same time and  it seems like the show really was a great home for that. So congratulations, that's amazing. 

Frank Mortl III: That's the key. It's tough to give up your time to book a flight, get a hotel, separate from your business. You've got families oftentimes and different personal commitments, golf games to improve, but for one reason or another, these folks felt compelled. Again, record numbers for Daytona at an SPFA event and  we hope we made it worthwhile so that they have these takeaways that they can utilize to grow their business. But at the same time, reestablish those relationships, have a lot of fun, enjoy what was, again, fantastic weather right on the beach and  make it a worthwhile overall event for everyone that attended. And for the most part, that's all we've heard. Very, very positive feedback coming out of Daytona. 

Megan Ellsworth: That's great, wow. Well, I wish I had gone, my goodness, it sounds like it was a really great time. 

Frank Mortl III: Right? Next year, we'll twist your arm to get you to Vegas next year. 

Megan Ellsworth: Oh, darn. Okay. Okay, so were there any standout sessions or speakers that you would say made an impact on the conference or people that attended their sessions this year? 

Frank Mortl III: There were in addition to tremendously popular and technically proficient SPFA breakout sessions regarding high-lift foam, in particular. SPFA has received extremely positive feedback on our decision to have an expert panel during the general session this year, instead of our traditional keynote speaker. This expert panel provided attendees with significant insights on PCP, technical services, workforce development, governmental affairs and  general industry challenges that were also delivered in tangible takeaways that according to our spray foam contractor members in particular, have already been implemented into daily business operations throughout the country. 

Megan Ellsworth: Wow, wow. Okay, that's really cool. What a twist, I've not seen that instead of a keynote, having an expert panel. And especially seeing people that are somewhat your peers and getting to see what they're doing differently and learning from their mistakes and all that, that's pretty powerful stuff. 

Frank Mortl III: Well, that's a good perspective, because it's one of those things to have a keynote who's either popular or very well-versed at talking, but the industry peer-to-peer engagement and  to offer it in a town hall session so that we were open to questions. We had a floating microphone and  so this room of 200, 300 plus individuals, primarily contractors, were able to ask any question, very topical questions. Answered by a range of these experts, covering a lot of different areas within their field of the industry. And we felt that being that responsive, near-term that made sense to those particular questions that were asked, allowed for then this broader scope of answers to be applicable to the wide-ranging audience. 

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah, yeah, absolutely. That's really powerful and  I love the town hall aspect and people being able to ask anything. It's not just pre-planned topics and discussions, it's really in the moment what people want to hear. 

Frank Mortl III: It was, that's a good way to phrase it. It was in the moment and  we felt that. It went so well, because it was a debate. I mean, it's been 15, 20 years, we've had a keynote speaker, which are great. And who knows, we might bring that back again someday, but the feedback at least early on is please do not eliminate the expert panel for 2026 in Vegas. So, we're looking to reestablish that again next year. 

Megan Ellsworth: Okay. Well, I look forward to it. So the show, the trade show floor has some of the leading technologies and products that are coming out. What would you say were some of the industry trends and technologies that were discussed and shown on the trade show floor at the show? 

Frank Mortl III: That's a great question and  in particular, again, I lean into high-lift foam and  performance and installation, the different techniques primarily driven by the supplier community on how to do that newer type of application the right way. But also, energy modeling. Multi-division companies was another takeaway, including insulation, roofing, thermal sprays, concrete lifting. Along with leveraging AI efficiencies and how the world of AI now is penetrating and can make a difference through the lens of our spray foam contractors and where SPFA in particular can help provide guidance in this very turbulent, if you will, path, when navigating all things AI as it relates to the subcontractor field of work. 

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah, it's so true, because I feel like there's so many different ways we can use AI that you just don't even know about, you can't even fathom. And then you hear someone else using, "Oh, I use this in my estimating," or whatever, it's probably not even a thing they use it for, but I think it's this totally uncharted map of new technology, AI. 

Frank Mortl III: We're learning every day. Fortunately, what SPFA for example have, we have 12 committees. And literally, all of the committees are addressing some type of AI-driven protocol process within their field, whether it's geo-applications or our safety committee, our marketing committee. But we also have a really particular group called our consultants committee and  they are on the front lines. These are really the experts, boots on the ground, consultants in the field and  they're addressing a number of these questions again, daily, weekly, monthly, because it's evolving. And we're not sure where things are going to end up six months from now, September 18th, rather than March 18th and  yet SPFA is trying to stay very cutting edge in the world of AI applications. 

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah, as you absolutely should be. We're all trying to be right there with you, so we'll be right behind you. So kind of going off of that, were there any interesting or surprising developments in the industry that came out of the event? 

Frank Mortl III: Sure. I mentioned the SPFA leadership and our tremendous board of directors, all volunteers and  they're just spectacular. They took on an approach months ahead of the convention to lean heavily into, to have an intentional focus, if you will, on Spanish-speaking courses and translations, which really paid off. In addition to having a Spanish translation component within every single breakout session, we literally had subtext on every slide deck related to what was either being discussed on the microphone or what was presented on the screen. We also offered a fundamentals of spray foam application session completely in Spanish, by A-plus volunteer, Abel Sauceda of Creative Polymer Solutions, which was a major new development for SPFA. And we'll continue to lean into these types of Spanish-speaking courses in our webinars, our multiple PCP roadshows throughout the year and  certainly in a big way during SprayFoam 2026 in Las Vegas next March. 

Megan Ellsworth: I'm so glad. That is more important now than ever, making sure people feel included and seen in an industry that they make up a very large part of and  feeling comfortable in their native language, whether that's English, Spanish, German, whatever. And having that ability to pivot and add that to your breakout sessions and classes and slide decks is really, that's leadership right there, I think. 

Frank Mortl III: It's a key and  it's very intentional. Again, we have a number of good volunteers, but Abel Sauceda in particular just bends over backwards to support this industry. Can't thank him enough. 

But we also hired a gentleman last fall, first time really in a long time, if ever at SPFA. All he does is communicate with non-member contractors, trying to provide them the exposure to why it might be valuable to join or at least engage and participate in the show or other events that we put on, other opportunities throughout the year to grow an individual's business. This particular gentleman named Eddie Canales, he's bilingual himself and speaks Spanish tremendously well, speaks English better than I do. And so having that individual on staff is a wonderful asset overall to the industry, along with those volunteers that we're engaging with. So we're being very, very purposeful in our approach to Spanish translations and Spanish offerings to our SPFA community. 

Megan Ellsworth: That's awesome, that's amazing. Well, from everyone here at CoatingsCoffeeShop and our In Espanol program, we thank you for that and all the work you guys are doing. So keep it up, that's really amazing. 

Okay, so you kind of talked about membership. What comes with an SPFA membership? What are some of the benefits to being a member? 

Frank Mortl III: Sure. Well, new for 2025, we have three membership tiers. Gold, silver and  bronze for contractors, which now include deeper discounts on anyone attending an SPFA event, participating in a course or purchasing a product or a service. Again, as a trade association, the company is the member, but everyone within that company has the opportunity to benefit or engage in the services that SPFA provides. So in addition to that, SPFA provides expert, I want to really emphasize that term, expert tech support services, including priority access to Dr. Rick Duncan, who's been with SPFA for a significant amount of time. And really in my opinion, it's the leading person in the world when it comes to spray foam technical services and how not only the chemical applications matter, but that boots on the ground, in the field work can be applied and done the right way. But it's Rick and it's our network of technical experts who oversee six technical committees that are offered as a membership benefit, plus 50, more than 50, actually, on-demand technical webinars. 

There's 12 new webinars, one a month that are coming through every single year. And now we offer what's called SPFA Bucks. So the membership for a gold contractor is $5,000. Well, $2,500 goes right back to the contractor, in terms of SPFA Bucks that they can use for anything that SPFA sells, including registrations to the convention or to enroll individuals in our PCP program. The same for our silver members, it's $1,800 to be a silver member. $900 goes right back into the pocketbook of that contractor member as SPFA Bucks to utilize and  to, why? Spur engagement. It's one thing to be a member, it's another thing to really get your hands dirty and engage with the association that literally every day is doing whatever we can to push the spray foamers into a better position to grow their business. 

Megan Ellsworth: That's amazing. It's so nice too, to have those bucks that you said, because sometimes, I mean, you're paying a lot of money for a membership and then you're paying to go to all the events and you're paying to do the conference. 

Frank Mortl III: It's all ad hoc, right? It adds up. Well, imagine, $1,800. Right there, you've got $900 to spend and  it's certainly less than that to register for our convention as an example or   to engage folks in PCP. So, you've got resources right off the jump. 

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah, that's really nice. That is brilliant and  I hope other associations in the industry follow suit with that, because that's some revolutionary stuff to just helping people get engaged with all your programming. 

Frank Mortl III: That's the key. It's not just saying you're a member, it's utilizing that as an opportunity to build an individual's career and hopefully the company's overall wherewithal. 

Megan Ellsworth: Absolutely, absolutely. Okay, so what are some of those key resources and support the SPFA offers members to help them stay competitive in their market? 

Frank Mortl III: Sure. I mentioned the expert technical services. Having Dr. Duncan or any of our volunteers on our technical committees available to contractors at any given moment on a job site or during bid preparation, that's huge. It's an advantage that member contractors at SPFA have over their competition. And between Rick Duncan and our 70 plus committee volunteers who are available to contractors, it's free. It's a free major benefit and  all of these individuals serve really as an extension of a contractor's staff. They don't then have to hire someone to serve that role from a technical standpoint in the contractor company because you can lean into SPFA and utilize their hours and their availability. 

Additionally, while our professional certification program, the PCP, significantly raises the level of proficiency for spray foamers, it also places them at a competitive advantage over non-PCP contractors in the eyes of general contractors, building owners and decision makers looking to hire spray foam professionals in either the residential or commercial space. 

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah, that's so true. And what great offerings, especially Dr. Duncan, he's a revolutionary force in the industry. 

Frank Mortl III: Great terminology. I'm going to steal that, Megan. Revolutionary force, that's exactly right. 

Megan Ellsworth: Love it. Yes, because he is. Okay, so if someone's listening to this and they're like, "I need to be an SPFA member," how do they sign up? What are the next steps? 

Frank Mortl III: It sprayfoam.org, makes it very easy and informative. You're two or three clicks away from joining the organization, but also learning all of the different benefits and services SPFA has to offer. Entry-level membership is as low as $65 a month. Think about that, $65 a month. There's, in theory, got to be a way that a contractor can carve out $65 every month to take advantage of this litany of benefits to grow their business and  now is an excellent time for contractors looking to grow their business to join SPFA. Sprayfoam.org is the website to visit. 

Megan Ellsworth: Amazing. Okay, Frank, I have kind of a curveball question that I didn't prepare for you. What was your personal favorite part of the SPFA show this year? 

Frank Mortl III: I mentioned collaboration and engagement, but being at the Bandshell of... what, Spray Foam World Wide held, seeing our SPFA members and Spray Foam World Wide loyal contractors and ambassadors mixing, nobody cared. Are you an SPFA member? You Spray Foam World Wide? It was all about fun, but engagement. There were very important booths that were set up from different suppliers and whatnot. To me, that was the coolest part. We put on, SPFA put on great breakouts and  we always do and  again, the general session and the contractors luncheon and the awards ceremony, the Super Bowl party. They were all great, but just seeing that conglomeration of contractors mixing and  that to me needs to happen more often and at bigger, higher levels going forward. That was my personal favorite takeaway, Monday night at the Bandshell. Just brilliant. 

Megan Ellsworth: Amazing, I love it. So another follow-up question with that, if there are people out there wondering if they're a manufacturer or distributor wondering, "Oh, I need to be at the show," how can they get in touch with you to exhibit next year? 

Frank Mortl III: Sure. Well, get in fast because there's only so much space at these properties. We'll be at the Westgate Las Vegas next year. The footprint, it's large, but I wouldn't wait. I would get back to our website, sprayfoam.org, reach out to Lisa Smith. She is our Director of Member Engagement, she coordinates the entire show, including the exhibitors. But sooner rather than later, because either A, the spots fill up fast, there's only so many size booths available. But really, we're not looking to turn anyone away because Vegas set the all-time record for our attendance, our registrations and exhibitor attendees in 2024. So we are really expecting big things again in 2026 at the Westgate. And so sooner rather than later, is the best advice for anyone looking to exhibit at SprayFoam '26. 

Megan Ellsworth: Okay, perfect. Well, Frank, this has been amazing. Thank you so much for your time. Is there anything else you want to get out there as to why people should attend SPFA next year? 

Frank Mortl III: Well, just that again, our only goal, it's very simple. It's our mission and it's everything that the board of directors talks every time they meet, which is about every other month or so. How can the efforts that SPFA puts forth literally every day, help contractors grow their business? Period. Put a period at the end of that sentence. We're contractor-focused, more contractors into SPFA, more engagement, more support for contractors to grow, helps the manufacturers, helps the suppliers, helps the distributors, helps roofers, RoofersCoffeeShop, helps the entire industry. So, that's the goal. 

Give us a chance. That's why we put this entry level at $65 a month. Give us a year to show you what we can do to help literally build your business, because we care. We talk about growing our staff. It's not just to grow, to grow. It's so that we can have the bandwidth to apply our professional experience and knowledge into every single contractor member and help them win a bid. Create more opportunities for their local contractor business or if they happen to grow on a bigger scale. But either way, having these services available to contractors, we're a contractor-driven association and we're laser-focused on growing that particular set of contractor-based businesses in the spray foam industry. 

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah. Wow. Frank, you knocked it out of the park. That was amazing, absolutely. I will see everyone next year in Vegas at SPFA, better see all you people there. And people can go to the SPFA directory on CoatingsCoffeeShop.com to learn more. You can find their website there to go sign up, get exhibit if you want to. And just Frank, thank you for everything SPFA does for the industry and  it was a great show and  I'm excited to attend next year. 

Frank Mortl III: Well, that's very kind of you and  it was my pleasure. Thank you so much. We'd love to be on again at some point down the line. 

Outro: Absolutely. Okay, everyone, you are listening to a CoatingsCast, we will see you next time. Go check out CoatingsCoffeeShop.com to learn more and  make sure you subscribe and ring the bell so you get notified every time we upload a new episode. We'll see you next time on CoatingsCast. 

Thanks for joining us on this coating adventure. Stay tuned for more episodes and in the meantime, be sure to follow us on social media to stay updated with all things roof coatings. Until next time, stay coated. For more information, go to CoatingsCoffeeShop.com.