A Presque Isle insulation company that started at its owner’s home is expanding into a larger headquarters.
Installations Unlimited, founded in 2015 by Buddy Collins, will soon open in a 9,000-square-foot space at 729 Main St.
The change brings new life to a building that formerly housed the AstroBowl bowling alley and seasonal Whitney Wreath facility. It’s the latest venture to join a Main Street that, once littered with empty spaces, has added more than a dozen new storefronts over the past couple of years. Maine’s drive toward heat pump usage is one element that’s grown the business, General Manager Allen Brown said.
“The state is really big right now into tightening [homes] up. They want to electrify Maine and are pushing heat pumps right now,” Brown said. “There’s no point in installing a heat pump in your home without proper insulation, because the heat can just roll out of your home.”
The company is one of five Aroostook County insulation vendors registered with Efficiency Maine. Others include Design Heating, also of Presque Isle, Webb Insulation of Houlton, Aroostook Attic & Air Sealing of Wallagrass and Hole in Your Bucket Audits of St. Francis, according to the most recent listing from Efficiency Maine.
Installations Unlimited works to help homes perform well, Brown said. Houses always leak air to some extent, but some leaks can cause heat loss through a house’s roof. Moisture trapped in walls can also lead to mold and mildew.
The company is certified by the Building Performance Institute and serves both builders and homeowners, using products like spray foam insulation, foam board, Rockwool and Fiberglas, he said.
The Building Performance Institute was created in 1993 to address issues with older homes that didn’t meet evolving energy and building codes, according to the organization. The institute works to expand energy efficiency and weatherization assistance and offers training for companies and employees.
The Presque Isle company also works with industry, and agricultural storage has been a major area of growth, Brown said.
“There have been a lot of new potato storage facilities,” Brown said. “It’s amazing hearing all the stuff that goes into these — the air channels, how everything works. The farming industry here is just so big and unique.”
As farmers increase their climate-controlled storage for potatoes and other crops, they’re either updating existing buildings or constructing new ones. Spray foam is used in many of them, owner Collins said.
Collins, a third-generation contractor and business owner, had an insulation and building performance background and decided in 2015 to specialize in that, he said. Demand has grown and the business needed a bigger space, so when the opportunity came, he bought 729 Main.
The space will allow the business to branch out into another area: retail sales.
“Before, we were strictly installing. Now, we’re transitioning into also selling insulation to the general public,” he said. “That’s the side we’re hoping to grow a little bit more from here on out.”
Renovations are ongoing at the new storefront, including the addition of three vehicle bays. A front showroom is still in progress.
With the expansion, the business also added two more employees, bringing its crew to 10, which includes himself and his wife, Collins said.
It’s been a lot of work getting to this point, but will be worth it when it’s all complete, he said. The Main Street location will make the company easier to find, especially when the front piece is finished and they open for retail.
But more than that, it means positive growth for Presque Isle.
Collins, who also deals in some real estate development, sees value in turning a once-empty property into a vibrant business.
“We’re fixing it up, utilizing it, but also investing in it, so in the future hopefully that Main Street property would have more value,” he said.
