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Billy Hamilton, Icy Conn, Codi Conn, and Boyd Miller pose for a photograph in front of the Blow ‘Em Tight business trailer.
“Blow ‘Em Tight” keeps ‘em warm
by Brandon Frye
Choctaw Nation
Caddo, Okla. - In a meeting with representatives from Choctaw Nation departments aimed at helping businesses, Choctaw Codi Conn and his wife Icy Conn offered to help make homes more energy efficient and comfortable for the Nation and its people.
Their business, Blow ‘Em Tight Insulating, based in Caddo, began in August of 2012. It grew from an interesting investment to being able to insulate barns, shops, houses, and everything in between with cutting edge equipment.
Speaking of how the business started, Codi said “Icy’s father was a contractor for around 30 years. We got together and talked about the long haul.” He said he and his father-in-law decided the insulation business was a good field to get started.
Icy said her husband Codi is an online trade enthusiast and likes doing swaps online. He was browsing Craigslist when he found the fiberglass and cellulose insulation machine he used to start Blow ‘Em Tight.
But to get his business off the ground, Codi had to make a sacrifice. “We traded a toy for a business,” Icy said about Codi’s willingness to sell his four-wheeler to collect the funds to buy his first machine. She said she comforted him with the thought that, when the business takes off, it would pay for a new toy and more.
With his new setup, Codi said, “I insulated a few houses and realized that the job market was moving toward spray foam. At the first of this year, we invested in a spray foam rig. Now we can do fiberglass, cellulose, and spray foam for houses, shops, and barns.”
Mr. and Mrs. Conn explained the benefits of foam insulation as being practical and more energy efficient. In terms of application, the foam can be used to seal leaks and cracks in construction of buildings such as outside shops. It can be sprayed into enclosed spaces in the walls of houses and will expand to fit the area, and it is just not as messy as fiberglass or cellulose.
“More people are spending a little bit more money on spray foam insulation because it is more energy efficient with long term use,” Icy explained. She added that the foam performs better the more extreme the weather gets. It keeps cold in when it is simmering outside and heat in when it is frigid, thanks to the better, air-tight seal. In time, she said, the investment pays for itself in energy bill savings.
“It’s a part time business now. But I have always wanted to see him have his own business, do his own thing, be his own boss,” Icy said in support of her husband’s business venture. “We just want to be able to live comfortably while Codi has his own business. We really try to stick to old fashioned business standards.”
Billy Hamilton, Small Business Services Manager with the Choctaw Nation’s Business Development Department, made himself available to help the Conns with their goals for Blow ‘Em Tight.
Hamilton’s position allows him to develop a mentoring or coaching relationship with Choctaw business owners, guide them to plan for growth and take action on it.
“We’re working with Blow ‘Em Tight one on one now, as far as setting goals on where they want to be. You could tell Codi had big dreams in his eyes, now it’s a matter of putting them on paper,” Hamilton said. “But when it comes to business planning, it is also something you live and breath by, not just something you write down and put on the shelf. We can set some long term goals, then see how to grow capacity.”
Boyd Miller, Preferred Supplier Program Manager with the Nation, also offered aid to the Conns. “We want to promote all of our Choctaw businesses,” he said. Miller works to increase business opportunities for Choctaw tribal member-owned business enterprises.
Miller, and the Preferred Supplier Program, help by registering businesses so that they will be shared and made available for selection when work needs to be done or products need to be bought.
“Blow ‘Em Tight is enrolled and registered in the Preferred Supplier Program,” Miller said. He added as the program takes off, these business will be shared amongst other tribes, as well as any internal departments, and also Choctaw members, so they can access and be able to choose Blow ‘Em Tight for insulating services.
