She’s Back and Better Than Ever!

Spray Foam Magazine - Show Issue 2020 - Women are at the forefront of the workforce like never before in history. Their contribution to their respective industries is undeniable. Each of these powerful individuals has her own story to tell. Spray Foam Magazine had the pleasure of getting better acquainted with Betsy Cosper, VP of Marketing for Demilec.

Spray Foam Magazine: Can you tell us a bit about your background and how/why you got in to the spray foam business?

Betsy Cosper: I grew up in Montreal where I went to McGill University and received a Bachelor’s Degree with a major in Food Science. Following that, I completed my MBA where I had the opportunity to go on exchange and moved to France for a year to complete my studies and improve my French. Once back in North America, I lived and worked in both Canada and the U.S. I also spent a lot of time traveling to Europe while I worked on some global businesses.

My career has always been in marketing, but it has spanned several different categories.

I started with Kimberly Clark and my main brand was Kleenex. Next was onto MARS where I spent many years working on Pedigree and Whiskas and launched two great snack products, one called Dentabone and the other called Temptations -they became multi-million dollar products. One of my favorite categories (besides spray foam) is lawn and garden. I worked for Scotts Miracle-Gro across all of their businesses and I especially enjoyed lawn care. I understand the passion to have a perfect lawn and to this day spend many hours with my husband (who also worked there) ensuring we have the best looking lawn in the neighborhood. We have a pretty nice garden too.

All these experiences eventually led me to the world of spray foam where I felt the thrill of being challenged to market a product that people do not feel is sexy. It seems though, that the longer I work on the category, the sexier it becomes. When I discovered the spray foam industry almost ten years ago, it was something that captured my areas of interest. The innovation in the category and the positive environmental story are remarkable and I was amazed at how underdeveloped the category was. Being a marketer, I felt very drawn to this category that I wanted the world to know about. As well, I liked the challenge of working on a category that was under-represented by women and what I could bring with my unique skill set to the company I was with and the industry. I don’t want to say it was groundbreaking as there were some very credible women already in the industry, but I felt that being in an executive position, I could contribute to opening doors and attracting even more amazing women to the spray foam industry.

SFM: What does being VP of Marketing for Demilec mean to you?

BC: I am delighted to be working at a company like Demilec. I love working in the spray foam market and the team at Demilec is so passionate about product innovation, sustainability, and ensuring our customers have a great experience dealing with us. It feels like a family working together, a true team environment. I have an awesome North American marketing team located in our offices in Montreal, Quebec and Arlington, Texas. My team shares my passion for the industry and the desire to expand the SPF share of the insulation category. Being head of marketing allows me to lead the way on delivering our vision to be the global insulation solution provider of choice. I think the global move to SPF benefits the planet through its energy efficiency and our use of discarded plastic materials in our products.

Demilec products are developed and created using renewable and recycled materials, which contributes to a more sustainable design. In 2019, we reached a milestone in that we recycled our 600 millionth plastic bottle! Tons of plastic waste is diverted from landfills and used in development of our products. Cleaning up the plastic in our oceans is another area near and dear to me and I am an executive member of the Blue Dream Project based out of Italy; an organization doing research and education on the harmful effects of plastic in our oceans.

SFM: You have completed your studies in Culinary Arts and worked in fine dining. Tell us about that! What is your favorite dish to make?

BC: I have always had a passion for food and the way that food brings people together. I studied under some wonderful chefs at a culinary arts school in Toronto with a focus on classic French cuisine. I have a real appreciation for the hard work of running a kitchen and the pressure the staff is under to deliver these wonderful meals we get to experience in restaurants. I think my job as VP Marketing is much easier. As far as favorite dishes, I have to say that, in general, I love the challenge of the classic French sauces because I can make just about anything and the sauce ensures it will be fantastic. As far as a meal though, I really enjoy cooking the perfect steak. My son Luke loves a great steak, and for me being able to trim and cut my own steaks, lets me know that I am serving the best to my family. As much as I love steak, I think making the perfect Eggs Benedict is my favorite meal to eat. I have taught my daughter how to make it and she has a wonderful tradition now at her university where she makes Sunday breakfast of Eggs Benedict for her friends. For me, this is the ultimate because the food is bringing the friends together and this is what I love about it.

The other area of food that is of great interest to me is honey. We have three bee hives in our back yard and our bees (the girls) produce the most delicious honey imaginable. We became interested in bees due to their declining population and their importance for the environment and decided we wanted to do our little bit by having our hives. I was a bit hesitant at first, but as it turns out, I love the bees. They are fascinating to learn about and to watch communicating with each other through their movements to let each other know which direction to fly in to collect the pollen. Each one has a role and responsibility and each bee knows exactly what their contribution to the hive is. The biggest surprise has been the wonderful honey and the quantity of honey the bees make. Our neighbors, friends, and family all know to come by when they need some honey and I have been spending time in the kitchen adapting and developing recipes that use our honey.

SFM: What is your definition of success?

BC: For me, success is about having a sense of purpose; whether for work, family, or community. I have always been a very driven person and I think it is important to have purposeful goals and persevere to achieve those goals- I believe this gives you a feeling of fulfillment and happiness. It is important for me to know that what I am doing is helping myself and others lead a better, happier, healthier life. That gives me a tremendous sense of satisfaction and accomplishment- to me that is what success feels like.

SFM: How does it feel to see more and more women coming up in the industry?

BC: I am delighted to see more women in the industry. I am excited to see social media groups like Spray Foam World Wide Wives because these things support and encourage women to be in this type of industry. I think women bring a unique skill set to the workplace and excel naturally in areas like integrity, building relationships, sense of ownership, adaptability, and their flair towards lean management.

One thing I have to say is that although I came into this industry with very little knowledge about construction and insulation, there has never been a moment when a colleague or a customer has not been more than happy to help explain something to me. I have never felt like I don’t belong and I think that says a lot about this industry and why we all get so passionate about it.

I always advise women to get connected with fellow women in the industry; they are very accomplished and want to help other women to be successful. Get with the right group of women- there are many groups out there where women want to help other women achieve their goals and potential. Through several residential construction groups targeted to women, I have met the most impressive group of people who bring a variety of skills to the construction industry. A personal example of reaching out to other women and a group was when I decided I wanted, in the future, to be on a corporate board and I joined the ACE Board Certification Training for Women. Not only was the education top notch, the network of women I am now a part of is amazing. It feels like a sisterhood of women supporting and helping each other. As a result, I landed my first board job and am now networking into other opportunities.

SFM: What do you enjoy doing in your off time?

BC: I love to travel, see the world, and experience different cultures. We are a very active family and like to find places where we can hike or scuba dive. But when we are at home on weekends, we spend a lot of time taking care of our back yard. We have a lovely area where we attract many different kinds of birds, we have a pond that has populated itself with quite a bit of fish, and we enjoy growing our own vegetables and herbs. The most fun of all is when the weather is nice because one of our hobbies (and it was my husband who introduced me to this hobby) is classic cars and taking our 1950’s car out for a ride or displaying it in a car show. We have a 1957 Ford Fairlane- the one with the retractable roof. It is beautiful! My husband is always shining it up or doing some work on it so we can enjoy it on the weekends. We spray foamed our garage specifically so he can comfortably work on cars through the winter- and it is fantastic. We also enjoy taking the car to car shows where we can hang out and chat with other car enthusiasts.

SFM: Is there a quote or mantra that inspires you every day?

BC: To get me starting off on a task, especially something I might find hard to do, I have always liked this quote from Dr. Seuss: You’re off to great places, today is your day. Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way. I always encourage people to take that first step towards a goal they have. Doors start to open once you start looking for them.

SFM: What is the best advice, either personally or professionally, that you have received in your lifetime?

BC: You will only ever be able to do 80 percent of your tasks- make sure you pick the right 80 percent. I think this is all part of ensuring that you have focus in the right areas. One of the CEOs I worked for used to ask us, “Is this the flea or the elephant?” Make sure you are focusing on the big opportunities. In my career I have always preferred to get a few things done really well rather than to spread myself out too thin and accomplish nothing. The few things done well will always provide more opportunity than many small things that end up being insignificant and not amounting to much impact.

SFM: Any advice to women looking to climb the ranks in the industry?

BC: Raise your hand. You do not move into new positions without taking some risks along the way. Look for new opportunities. Let people know you want to be on projects- even if it’s out of your comfort zone. Opportunities can come when you do not expect them and when you find something that interests you, raise your hand and ask for it. Even if you are not chosen, by raising your hand you are letting others know you are interested in stepping beyond your current role. I always encourage women as well as my male colleagues to be with people who will stretch you. If you surround yourself with people who push you beyond your current capabilities, you’ll be more likely to stretch yourself. It’s uncomfortable, but that’s how we can truly grow; especially into leadership positions.

Spending time out in the field is really important. Know the industry you are in. Understand first-hand how the products are used, figure out the challenges the users face, and build relationships with your customers. These are invaluable experiences and the knowledge you gain is tremendous. Never miss the opportunity to connect with people. Great leaders show people that they care about them at all levels of an organization. Each person has a role in the functioning of an organization and each person deserves to feel that they are valued and that they make a difference.

SFM: Anything interesting happening at Demilec that you are able to share with the reader?

BC: The R&D at Demilec is impressive. Our big news continues to be our award-winning HFO product. In particular, its ability to perform at cold temperatures is unsurpassed. The continued growing interest in sustainability is very exciting for us because the sustainability of foam goes beyond just energy efficiency. We manufacture our own polyols and we use recycled PET in the formula. The amount of plastic that gets used through our process is tremendous and goes a long way to help reduce plastic waste and addressing climate change. I think this is a very important area for the younger generation who are showing great interest in using products that help save the planet. Demilec will continue to be a leader in the industry in this area.

In addition to the core product line, we have quite an interesting specialty line of products that will be shown off at World of Concrete- our specialty portfolio is something to keep an eye out for. The investment in the business is one of the things that attracted me to Demilec. We have new leadership, new thinking, and a culture of innovation. Finally, our global expansion is a top priority. We launched in Dubai last year and there are several more launches to come in 2020.

The work we have going on is exciting and I think Demilec is poised to become the undisputed leader in the market.

SFM: What do you see on the horizon for the spray foam industry?

BC: I see nothing but great things ahead, especially with the younger generation showing great interest in health and the environment. Increasing homeowner demand around sustainability is forcing builders to re-think the products they are selecting for their projects. Just as chefs, through consumer demand, are changing their ingredients to more organic and sustainable choices for their recipes, so must the builder re-calibrate the choices for inputs to a building. The next generation of buyers is more demanding of environmentally aware and energy-efficient products, and spray foam is an easy choice for builders to deliver on homeowner demands today and into the future. One of the biggest areas in front of us is the transition to HFO blowing agents. We already see it happening in places like California and Washington and several more states will follow. Canada will transition next year as well. The new HFO blowing agents have low GWP and dovetail perfectly with this trend towards sustainability. At Demilec we have invested in innovation and our Heatlok HFO demonstrates that you do not have to sacrifice quality and cost to improve the environmental profile of your building.