Small Business Success Awards 2005

· The College of NJ SBDC
Ezekiel Fleming, Jr.
Airseal Insulators, LLC
Trenton
609-695-5450

Ezekiel “Zeke” Fleming had worked for a Dover, N.J. insulation/weatherization firm for several years when he realized that there were very few contractors performing this type of work in the central part of the state. That changed in July 2005, when he launched Airseal Insulators, LLC, a Trenton-based business that provides weatherization and all types of insulation to private residences. Since then, Fleming’s company has secured over $250,000 in contracts from Mercer, Camden and Atlantic counties, and has seen a steady increase in demand from private customers.

Knowing plenty about his craft but little about business, Zeke was directed to The College of New Jersey SBDC and its regional director, Lorraine Allen. Through Lorraine and other SBDC counselors, Fleming learned the basics of running and managing a business. He learned how to develop a business plan and obtain insurance, and how to divide business responsibilities between himself and his partner. The SBDC, and Lorraine specifically, also helped him to begin pursuing contract-bidding opportunities, by first securing his SBE/MBE status from the State Commerce Commission, and then walking him through all the steps in the bid process, from preparing the bid to participating in the bid conference to fulfilling the bid award.

Lorraine’s coaching and the bidding process had its rewards. In the short time since he’s been in business, Zeke has been awarded a two-year contract with Atlantic City (Atlantic Human Resources Inc.), a month-to-month contract with the Camden County Office of Economic Opportunity and a three-month trial with Mercer County (that could lead to a year-long contract). To keep up with the contract work, Zeke has a team of three employees, but is planning to hire and train more to meet the steady demand that the contracts and a significant market in private customers will require. Zeke cheerfully admits that he is working seven days a week and cannot meet all the demand.

Zeke says that the SBDC’s advice and assistance is responsible for the company’s solid foundation and the success he has achieved in such a short time. As an established business, he is currently working with the SBDC to apply for an SBA-backed loan in order to purchase more trucks and insulation equipment, and to develop a web site to present his service to potential customers and to educate the public about the home weatherization process.