The Management Team:

Jay Williamson, Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer

Jay has a long and productive history in the construction components industry, and in fact is regarded by many as the father of the modern ICF industry.
After years building marketing organizations, Jay entered the Insulating Concrete Form (ICF) business in 1986. He was the first to create a nationwide marketing organization for ICF's, establishing over 500 distribution points for his ICF product under the brand name, American Polysteel®, Inc. In 1993 Jay was able to introduce the ICF concept to a broad consumer market, winning national acclaim, in two Bob Vila's Home Again, television programs. Jay's ICF product was also featured in a three-year PBS Hometime® television series with Dean Johnson, which continues to air today on The Learning Channel®.
In 1994 he formed Reward Wall Systems® to introduce a new ICF design. Reward ignited the industry with its new design that became the keystone for a marketing program directed to both residential and commercial customers. Reward achieved national coverage with over 700 distribution points and became widely regarded as the industry leader. Jay began to formulate a new design concept that would prove capable of achieving his dream of making this highly efficient construction material available to the moderate price homebuyer. Phoenix is the embodiment of that concept.
Jay has served as a member of the Advisory Council for the Concrete Foundation Association, the National Association of Home Builders, American Concrete Institute, and the Insulating Concrete Forms Association, where he served as chairman of the Promotions Committee. He is currently serving on the Editorial Advisory Board for Permanent Buildings & Foundations.

Dave Henney, Vice President Engineering

Dave has been a registered professional engineer for 30 years. He is currently registered in the states of Colorado and Nebraska, where he has  worked on civil and environmental engineering projects for consulting engineers, including the largest design-engineering firm in the United States. He has also performed civil engineering and facility management services for the U.S. military across the United States, in Puerto Rico and in Germany. Dave has pursued increased technical knowledge in energy efficient structures since designing a passive solar house in 1976 and investigating the prospects of privatized military family housing in the late 1990’s. He has played a primary role in the development of the Engineered Wall System ®

Steven Lowrie,

A seasoned management executive and social entrepreneur, Steven has 25 years of experience in marketing, public relations, real estate, finance and business development. Relocating to the U.S.A. in 1993 from Scotland, he formed a company involved in creating strategic partnerships with Federal, State and local governments, banks, real estate groups, builders and others to promote awareness in residential energy efficiency and financing. In a four-year period, his company impacted the energy efficiency of over 50,000 homes in 42 States.
He negotiated, designed and implemented several national programs for the financing of energy efficient new homes, among which were those of E-Seal and Energy Star. Steven has been a featured speaker at literally hundreds of conferences in the U.S.A., Australia and Europe and has appeared in many radio and TV interviews about real estate, energy efficiency and the environment.

Carl Martens, Vice President and Regional Manager

Prior to Carl's involvement in the ICF industry, he held executive positions in marketing, with most of his efforts centered on training and sales innovations. He was also a journalist for a national publication, as well as a radio talk-show host for two years. Joining Jay's organization in 1996, he soon found himself as Director of Educational Services for Reward Wall Systems. It was in this position that he introduced the first AIA nationally sanctioned ICF educational program for architects. In many cases, this was the first exposure to ICF technology architects received throughout the country. He recognizes that this type of education and promotion must still be made a high priority, especially now that the Phoenix System ICF can compete with any other insulated wall type. Originally from Wisconsin, where he attended the University of Wisconsin, he moved to Nebraska in 1969.

Virgil Baker, Vice President and Regional Manager

Virgil has over 30 years experience in sales, marketing, & management. He has about 14 years construction experience, with his own company where he specialized in energy efficient custom homes & light commercial buildings. Joining Jay Williamson in late 1989, he helped set up the distribution program and was also instrumental in developing on the job training programs to teach individuals how to build & install ICF systems, in a timely fashion. He was also very successful in training ICF users how to increase sales and better satisfy their customers. Virgil has hired and trained several successful representatives to market and service ICF accounts, the goal with Phoenix being to show both contractors and customers how every one wins when the Phoenix System is used.

Richard Walter, Vice President and Regional Manager

Graduating with honors from Brooks Institute with a BPA and a BS degree in Transportation Management, Dick has worked throughout the south in the Oil Industry as a Professional Illustrator. He then moved to Washington State where he worked for Westinghouse Hanford at the Nuclear Reservation, first as a Senior Photographer and then as Public Relations Specialist. Dick's background in marketing has led him into Shopping Center management and then management of a large recreational vehicle dealership serving 3 states. In 1984 Dick moved to San Diego where he managed one of the largest marinas and then, as a licensed Captain, opened his own Marine Survey company. His background in construction includes working for DYK, one of the premier municipal water tank construction companies which specializes in pre-stressed concrete water tanks to 15 million gallons.
Dick is certified in ICF construction, a certified Energy Rater, and was a Factory Rep for Reward Wall Systems before joining the Phoenix team to head up the Northwest office in 1999.

Debbie's career began in the building industry where she was involved in telemarketing and administration. She then spent a period of years as an accountant and auditor in the restaurant industry for a major regional restaurant franchise, eventually creating the first ever woman-managed $1m Taco Bell outlet. Ten years ago she returned to the building industry, joining her father Jay Williamson in the ICF movement where she held overall responsibility for sales and lead management, accounting and customer care. She is now responsible for all aspects of the Phoenix Corporate Office function.