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It's been a slow start for Purinton's builder customers to jump on the insulated walls without consumer demand, so Purinton decided to promote poured-in-place insulated wall systems at a local home show earlier this year. His booth, which was constructed of aluminum forms showcasing the different insulation systems, brought in heavy traffic throughout the two and a half days of the show. "There was a tremendous amount of interest in concrete homes and insulated basements," he says. "I think consumer demand is going to drive the concrete industry toward green technology, and at some point it will be government mandated."

A bright future
Despite 90 percent of his work coming from the residential arena - high-end, single-family homes and 50+ housing developments - Purinton saw a 10 percent increase in business in 2006 over the previous year in light of the downturn in the residential market. Purinton credits his professionalism and reputation for this success, and the fact that he tries to stay one step ahead of his competition. "We pride ourselves on being first in our market to utilize new technologies," he says.

All Purinton Builders bids go out with a full-color company brochure and literature on any products that Purinton plans to use on a project. "If a customer gives me a deadline for a bid, I'll go in three or four days earlier and present the bid in person. I want to sell my company and our products, not a price," he says.

Purinton sees his company heading toward continuous growth in the future, and is in the process of transferring partial ownership to his son, Michael, who has been an integral part of Purinton Builders for 10 years. The close-knit attitude that Purinton gives his family business, which also includes his wife, Gayl, as office manager, is reflected in the way Purinton treats his employees and gives back to his community. Last year, Purinton Builders teamed with one of its ready-mix suppliers, TilCon Connecticut, Inc., to build six foundations for the local Habitat for Humanity chapter. This is a volunteer project Purinton plans to continue with in the future, and within a year hopes to supply Habitat for Humanity with an energy-efficient concrete home.

Purinton believes strongly in the CFA's effort to educate concrete contractors across the country. He has learned a lot from the organization that has helped him improve his business, and Purinton is looking forward to sharing his knowledge and experiences with other contractors in the industry. He would love to assist more New England contractors in becoming active in the CFA. "The quality of concrete workmanship increases proportionately to someone's knowledge," he says, "and anything you can do to bring up the quality of workmanship is good for the industry in general."