Polyurea Manufacturer Wants to Seal a Deal to Manufacture Refugee Shelters

Starting with nothing more than a concept, Louisiana chemist Tom Leaverton is producing an exclusive line of products to stop corrosion, prevent leaks, eliminate odors and reduce cooling costs.

(PRWEB) December 11, 2004 -- Louisiana chemist Tom Leaverton was surprised how much nightclub owner Mike Roberts knew about his polyurea business when the two of them met a couple of years ago.

I was standing in Sir Speedy having fliers printed announcing my retirement from Top Gun Nightclub when Tom arrived to pick up some print work of his own," Roberts recalls. Karen, the storeowner, introduced us and made a casual remark Tom should hire me to sell his product. Much to his surprise, I told him what I had read about his company in an article recently published in a local business journal. I also reminded him we had met over 10 years earlier, when Toms company applied a sealant to the pool area of the Holidome, where I managed Bobisox Lounge at the time."

Now, the former strangers are partners with former AFL football and pro wrestling legend, Ernie Ladd, and Monroe attorney Bob Lee as the executive team for Pro Set, Inc. Housed in a small warehouse in Monroe, LA, the company manufactures polyurea, a plastic-like coating sprayed on surfaces for waterproofing.

The product was first manufactured by Texaco about 20 years ago," explains chemist and CEO Leaverton. Unfortunately, because the original formula was rigid, applications were limited. I wanted to find something that was more flexible."

After three more years of research and development, Leaverton perfected his formula for Poly Pro polyurea. In 1997, he founded Pro Set, Inc., and hired former Grambling State University football player and longtime friend, Ernie Big Cat" Ladd to market the product, primarily used as a waterproofing agent for roofs.

Pro Set is a lot like the AFL in its early years," Ladd explains. Despite its life-and-death struggle against the well-financed NFL, the quality of the AFL ultimately prevailed. They proved quality-in produces quality-out. Not long ago, hardly anybody ever heard of Pro-Set or polyurea. Now, architects and engineers are writing our products into their specifications as preferred applications to stop corrosion, prevent leaks, eliminate odors and reduce cooling costs."

Leaverton says the City of Monroe, LA, recently contracted Pro Set to stop the leaks in the Civic Center roof. Apparently, roof leaks had been a major problem at the Civic Center for quite some time. They needed a temporary fix to stop the leaks for a couple of years. We were able to apply a coating which completely eliminated the problem for less than $30K. One of the things that makes our company unique is we are the only firm which not only manufactures the coatings, but also applies them. If theres ever a problem, people know where to find us, and we know how to fix it."

During the last two years, Pro Set has worked its way to the tops of other buildings in Ouachita Parish. The toughest part about getting started was convincing people to give us a try," Leaverton adds. Folks like Bill Kite at Euroboard, Tom Baker at The Toggery, Bing Bishop Construction, GE Manufacturing, Breck Construction, Cooley Printing, Mann Construction, and Jim Bailey Construction were the ones who helped us establish the reputation which has now put us in markets around the country."

Roberts, now Director of Sales, says security concerns have created new markets for pure polyurea coatings. Since 9-11, all federal buildings require a 250-foot buffer zone," he explains. Applying a 1/8" coating of our product as a bomb proofing agent to the inside and outside walls reduces that buffer requirement to 125 feet. In some cases, federal agencies which may have been forced to relocate because they couldnt maintain a 250-foot buffer in their current location can stay where they are, saving taxpayers thousands of dollars."

Pro Set doubled 2003 sales in 2004, and already has projects on the books for the first quarter of 2005 to exceed all of 2004 sales. Were very excited about some of the possibilities for growth here in Ouachita Parish," Leaverton gauges. Right now, were looking for help, perhaps from Louisianas Economic Development officials, to help us market a prototype for refugee shelters. At the request of a United Nations delegate, we developed an inexpensive, strong waterproof shelter to house 6-8 people for less than $700. We could hire the labor to manufacture huge quantities of these huts right here to be shipped all over the world. We simply need more help to get the word out."

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