Alchatek Blog

A self-described philanthropic entrepreneur, David Park is committed to creating value-driven opportunities that are both scalable and profitable. He has spent the last 15 years developing communities, organizations, and businesses by leading them to discover their full potential, develop a wider vision, and determine the best course of action to achieve their goals.

His work previously as a Business Development Manager in the Dental Laboratory industry helped David gain a unique perspective when it came to creating opportunities that offer value for all parties involved in the process. Influenced by Jeff Bezos and Sam Walton, he aspires to implement solution-driven sales initiatives here at Alchemy-Spetec.

As the Inside Sales Manager, David will develop and implement all inside sales initiatives within Alchemy-Spetec, as well as provide technical service and solve chemical grouting challenges for customers, contractors, and distributors. David looks forward to creating optimal, effective, and rapid results in his role as Inside Sales Manager.

In his personal life, David is happily married to his wife Aelim and is a new proud father of their baby girl, Noel. Outside of the office he also enjoys playing sports, serving his local church, and working in the music industry space as a sound engineer, guitarist, and wedding DJ.

Jim Spiegel, VP of Sales and Business Development, adds, ''We're excited to welcome David to the Sales Team as Inside Sales Manager.  David not only brings a prestigious degree from Georgia Tech in Business Administration, but also several years of professional experience in managing CRM workflows, outbound sales programs, and social media outreach campaigns.  We're lucky to have such a competent and detailed-oriented professional join our team."

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With over 10 years of experience, Joel has a broad understanding of general practices in the construction and services industries. He has spent the last 6 years focused on ground improvement by use of chemical grouting with structural polymers, and possesses both technical and marketing expertise. His background includes contract negotiations, injection plan design, project management, market education, and hands on application of a variety of polymer solutions. Joel utilizes his industry knowledge to assist contractors with marketing strategies, material needs, and product application. Located in the Pacific Northwest, he enjoys his spare time in the great outdoors.

Jim Spiegel, VP of Sales and Business Development, adds, "Joel brings much-welcomed geotechnical experience to a quickly-growing Geotech Division.  His ability to communicate with the design community while also exhibiting superb field support is a rare skill set in the industry.  We're confident that Joel is another industry-leading professional sure to provide immediate value to Alchemy-Spetec Goetech customers."

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With 1,350 miles of coastline, Florida is home to countless seawalls.  If you're a property owner or manager in the Sunshine State, you have landed in the right place. Alchemy-Spetec provides environmentally safe seawall repair polyurethane materials to contractors covering all of Florida. (These seawall repair foams are NSF approved for contact with potable water.) If you have a seawall requiring evaluation, we'd be happy to refer you to an experienced contractor covering your area. Call us now at 404-618-0438.

If you're still in research mode, we have plenty of information for you on this website about polyurethane seawall repair. Visit the Seawall Repair Overview Page for a brief explanatory video, product info and a complete list of seawall repair blog articles at the bottom.

In a previous blog post, Polyurethane Seawall Repair Explained, we reviewed the benefits of repairing with polyurethane...

Why Use Polyurethane for Seawall Repair?

Non-Intrusive Application
Polyurethane can be injected through pipes directly into voids and loose sandy soil using small portable equipment.

Proven Solution
Seawall repair resins are used extensively seal cracks, voids and defects as well as for filling voids and stabilizing the soil.

Creates an Impermeable Mass
Polyurethane seals leaks along the wall, fills the voids that have occurred, and mixes with the soil to form a solid, impermeable mass.

What Are the Results of Polyurethane Seawall Repair?

Long Lasting Solution
Alchemy-Spetec seawall repair resins cure to a strength greater than crystalline bedrock. Combined with proper drainage, this method can greatly extend the life of your seawall.

Water Tight Seawall
The resin reacts with water or moisture in the soil and expands to fill voids while it permeates sandy soil to form a solid, strong, watertight mass.

Click here to read the rest of Polyurethane Seawall Repair Explained.

Property owners and managers in Florida can rest assured.  If you have seawall problems, we have you covered.  Contact us at 404-618-0438 for a referral to a contractor near you.  

Want more information on seawall repair with polyurethane?

In January of 2020, Alchemy-Spetec launched The Injection Connection podcast, hosted by Jim Spiegel. Jim is the Vice President of Alchemy-Spetec and a Board Member at the International Concrete Repair Institute. As of August 2020, there are eight episodes packed with valuable industry information.

If you've missed any of these podcast posts, we invite you to review the guide below...

Episode One - Introduction

Episode 1 is a brief intro about the host, Jim Spiegel, and the intended content of the show. The Injection Connection is produced for contractors, distributors, and design professionals in the infrastructure repair segment, or broader construction industry. The podcast aims to provide unique insights through the lens of the chemical grouting industry.

Episode Two - The QP Factor

This episode is an overview of the patented QP Factor system used to quantify chemical grout leak seal success. The presentation was originally given at the ICRI National Convention by Jim Spiegel, and is being reproduced remotely for an engineering firm in the San Francisco Bay Area. This is the industry's first patented method for leak seal quantification.

Episode Three - Interview with Kevin Earles

Guest Kevin Earles is a long-time friend of Jim Spiegel, and the National Sales Director for EPMS Supplies based in Nottingham, UK. Topics covered include how they met one another, the future of online distribution, Brexit, and more. Kevin has been in the speciality construction distribution industry for almost 25 years.

Episode Four - Interview with Adam Tracy

Guest Adam Tracy, of A-1 Foundation Crack Repair, offers a unique perspective into the residential leak seal industry through his Civil Engineering education. Adam and Jim discuss differences in residential vs.commercial projects, as well as finding new talent, learning from contractors, and more.

Episode Five - Helms Polyfoam

The Injection Connection welcomes two guests from Helms Polyfoam: JR Crowell, VP & COO, and Morgan Helms, President & CEO. In this episode, Jim Spiegel discusses the history of the Helms business, the future of customer support, and the importance of relationships.

Episode Six - Jack Whitworth

Jim and guest Jack Whitworth, 26-year chemical grouting sales professional, discuss the importance of education, mutual benefits of competitors working together, and driving our families crazy during the Covid-19 lockdown time.

Episode Seven - Ann Thaxton

On Episode 7 of The Injection Connection, Jim sits down with Ann Thaxton, from Concrete Titans, a marketing and advertising agency offering services to the concrete lifting, and residential foundation repair markets. Ann offers great insights into the most current lead capture strategies, trends in the industry, and how marketing dollars are actually worth more in the current Covid-19 crisis.

Episode Eight - Matt & Travis of Lift It Rite

On Episode 8 of The Injection Connection, Jim sits down with Matt Chittick and Travis Germick, co-owners of Lift It Rite, LLC., a residential slab-lifting business servicing the Greater Atlanta and surrounding markets. Matt and Travis offer valuable insights on how to start a lifting business, production considerations, and the under-appreciated value of showing up with a smile (and perhaps a hamburglar costume!).



Check out the podcast on TheInjectionConnection.com and the following platforms:

• Spotify
• iTunes/Apple Podcasts
• SoundCloud
• TuneIn
• Google Play/Google Podcasts
• YouTube

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According to the Detroit Free Press, rising water levels on the Great Lakes have hit records in 2020, leading to extensive flooding and unusually aggressive shoreline erosion. Many property owners and contractors in the area are now researching seawall repair methods. This type of research typically reveals three options: the common methods of excavation or repair with cement grout, and the next generation method of repair with high-strength polyurethane.

Common Seawall Repair Options

In a previous blog post, An In-Depth Look at Polyurethane Seawall Repair, Andy Powell explained two of the most common options, along with their drawbacks...

Seawall Excavation

You can tear out the wall (or part of the wall) and replace it. This approach has a few daunting downsides. Namely, it can be…

• Costly
• Time consuming
• Environmentally damaging
• Requires time consuming permits

Paying for a new seawall is no doubt going to cost more than any kind of repair. A complete rebuild will also take some time. Not to mention the inevitable mess, a good portion of which is likely to end up in the water. Excavation also requires getting a permit, which can eat up a LOT of time. 

Seawall Repair with Cement Grout

We still see contractors and property owners filling sinkholes and trying to plug seawall leaks concrete. This outdated approach has many disadvantages when compared to polyurethane repair. For example, it’s…

• Product, labor and machinery intensive
• Time consuming
• Prone to degradation
• Heavy (adds weight to seawall or bulkhead already under stress)

The amount of cement grout, labor and machinery required can be quite disruptive as well.  Compared to the stealth, surgical approach of polyurethane repair, the property owner can end up with quite a mess on their property during a cement grout repair job. Needless to say, with all this extra material, machinery and labor – the whole process takes longer than your typical polyurethane repair. Cement grout is known to shrink and degrade over time as well. Imagine the frustration of paying for an expensive seawall repair, only to see it wash out over the next few weeks. Cement that doesn’t wash out can add weight to the structure and sink over time.

Click here to read the rest of Andy Powell's blog post - An In-Depth Look at Polyurethane Seawall Repair.

Next Generation Seawall Repair with Polyurethane

Polyurethane repair material addresses the primary weaknesses inherent in excavation and repair with cement grout. This includes minimal disruption from equipment, labor, and messy materials; plus a quick return-to-use time. Alchemy-Spetec offers high-strenth polyurethane foams for repairing seawall cracks, voids, and surrouding soil.  Alchemy-Spetec seawall repair foams are also NSF-approved for contact with potable water.

Want more info on polyurethane seawall repair?

3M Scotch Guard 5600 can still be found in engineer specifications for a variety of leak seal applications. However, this product is no longer manufactured. Fortunately for anyone using these specs, Spetec PUR GT500 is available a substitute.  See the details below and call us at 404-618-0438 with follow up questions!

Uses for Spetec PUR GT500:

• Sealing cracks in concrete structures through pressure injection.
• Sealing hairline cracks, expansion joints, wide cracks, pipe joints, pipe penetrations.
• Saturating dry oakum to create a flexible gasket for sealing pipe penetrations, joints and larger defects in concrete structures.

Advantages of Spetec PUR GT500:

• Non-flammable. Does not contain any volatile organic compounds
• No catalyst required.
• Tenacious bond to wet concrete.
• High elongation.
• Thin enough to penetrate tight cracks.
• Hydrophilic.
• Phthalate free (more environmentally friendly).
• Certified to NSF 61-5 (Approved for contact with drinking water).

If you're working with old specifications designating 3M Scotch Guard 5600 for leak seal applications, you can definitely use this product as an alternative. Engineers writing new leak seal specifications for the uses mentioned above should also consider including Spetec PUR GT500. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call our industry leading technical support team at 404-618-0438.

Want more information on Alchemy-Spetec Leak Seal products?

One request we often receive is to explain the difference between AP Fill 700 polyurethane foam and cement grout for soil stabilization. When you're asked a question repeatedly, it's probably a sign that the answer(s) would make a good blog post. So here they are...

AP Fill 700 is a one-component, water activated, hydrophobic, low viscosity, closed cell foam. It adds no weight to the soil, has a quicker set time, resists erosion, and displaces groundwater, and expands during installation - penetrating small soil gaps in the process. AP Fill 700 can also be adjusted to work in flowing water and installed in any climate. These are all very beneficial characteristics for soil stabilization. As you'll see in the comparison table below, the characteristics of cement grout are not exactly the same.

Comparing AP Fill 700 & Cement Grout for Soil Stabilization

Environmentally Safe

AP Fill 700 is NSF approved for contact with potable water, ensuring compliance with the Safe Water Drinking Act (SDWA) and guaranteeing peace of mind for in-the-field stakeholders on soil stabilization projects.

Want more information on soil stabilization with polyurethane?

This article is an excerpt from Episode 8 of Alchemy-Spetec's podcast The Injection Connection, featuring Matt Chittick and Travis Germick, co-owners of Lift It Rite, LLC, a residential slab-lifting business. The Injection Connection is hosted by Jim Spiegel: Vice President of Alchemy-Spetec and Board Member at the International Concrete Repair Institute. (If you'd rather watch the video clip of this exchange, it is posted at the bottom of the article.)

Jim Spiegel: When you’re on slab lifting job, what do you think holds you up the most often?

Matt Chittick: I would say binding slabs are the hardest thing that we deal with. But we've done a couple of jobs here recently where the bind was good and it allowed something to come up together like we needed it to, versus breaking that crack that was binding apart and lifting one side versus the other side. But binding slabs are generally the hardest thing to figure out and make work for you, I would say.

Jim: So, when you have something binding, when do you make the decision to cut into it?

Travis Germick: Well, you can look at it and say, okay, there's a possibility of it binding or something like that, we'll go ahead and take care of it. I mean, those saw blades we were talking about earlier in the podcast are amazing that we picked up. So we’re not as scared to pull it out and saw through what we got to saw through.

Matt: They cut like butter. That was an actual company that we met out there at the World of Concrete. We bought three blades from the guy. Well, actually he sent us one first. We tried it, we were like, yeah, need more of these. And I don't think we've used any of the ones we just bought. I think we're still on the first one.

Travis: We are. I mean, they're really good blades.

Jim: You want to give them a plug? What kind of blade is it?

Matt: Diamond Blade Warehouse.

Travis: There you go.

Jim: Super blade from a Diamond Blade Warehouse and of all the blades you've used, you think that's one of the better ones?

Travis: Yeah it really is, whether it's a cured concrete, old stuff where the house has been there for forty years or whether it's stuff that’s two years old.

Watch the excerpt...

Want more information on polyurethane slab lifting?

This article is an excerpt from Episode 8 of Alchemy-Spetec's podcast The Injection Connection, featuring Matt Chittick and Travis Germick, co-owners of Lift It Rite, LLC, a residential slab-lifting business. The Injection Connection is hosted by Jim Spiegel: Vice President of Alchemy-Spetec and Board Member at the International Concrete Repair Institute. (If you'd rather watch the video clip of this exchange, it is posted at the bottom of the article.)

Jim Spiegel: If there's one thing that you guys, a piece of advice or some sage wisdom, as I know you guys are full of that as well as punch lines (laughter), what would you say to someone thinking about getting into the lifting business?

Travis Germick: If you're going to get into the industry, I would say get with Alchemy-Spetec and get some training. Hang out with those guys, come down and watch someone do the work. Get with a reputable company, come with us and work for a day or two and see what it's all about.

There's a lot of people that can definitely do this job but there's also a lot of people that could not do this job. There's a work ethic that goes with it. And I think with any spray foam or something like that, if it's insulation or whatever it is but there's a special ethic that has to go with it and special type of person it takes to get into this. But we absolutely love it. Every day, we get up, we're excited to do what we do because our customers’ minds are blown every time they see foam lifting concrete. And we feed off of that. I mean, they're over there like, “wow, that was cool” and I'm like, “I know, right?” That was really neat. We’re really psyched about it as well. There's a lot of times where Matt and I are high fiving each other because, that was a really cool job we just did.

That’s the only takeaway I have with it. I think it's a great industry to be in. I think it's a great service that we're offering and it's cool, too. It really is some neat stuff. What do you think, Matt?

Matt Chittick: I 100% agree. I would tell somebody you can learn all the ins and outs of it but until you get on the job sites and you see some things happen and you kind of roll with the punches, me and Travis, we have fun. If you have fun, it doesn't feel like you're working. And I would say have fun. You want to look for more good jobs than bad, but don't let the bad jobs bring down your attitude because your customers will feed off of your attitude. If you have a great positive attitude, those customers are going to have a great positive attitude. And if they have a great positive attitude, guess what, they love writing checks.

Jim: Yeah. I couldn't agree with you more that the attitude is such a big part of it. And then that starts when you get out of your truck, right?

Travis: Absolutely.

Jim: If you get out of your truck and you’re all smiles and having a good time with them, it just leads into a good experience. Not only do they feel like they trust you, but when things go wrong, they're more tolerant, I feel.

Matt: Yeah, absolutely. I would say because of our attitudes and things like that, we've been able to explain some things to customers and show them what happened here, what happened there and whatnot and they know that we're professional because that's the way we come across. We keep them involved in it, and when they see these things happen, I think they are a lot more tolerant and really accept some of the imperfections. That might be because getting concrete back to the original exact part or area whre it was might not always be what you can do. But if you talk about those expectations and you keep the customer informed and you're upbeat and positive, that's just going to transcend right to your customer and then everybody's okay and everybody's having a good day.

Watch the excerpt...

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This post is part of the Alchemy-Spetec Contractor Lens series, featuring views, news & case studies written by our customers.  This article, written by Robin Smith of Dalinghaus Construction, reviews common causes of trip hazards and the repair solution of polyurethane concrete leveling.  If you're an Alchemy-Spetec customer and you'd like to discuss writing content for our blog, please send an email to marketing@alchemy-spetec today!

Raise your hand if you have ever tripped walking down the sidewalk!

Well you are trippin’ for 1 of 2 reasons:

1. You are uncoordinated, and can’t be trusted to walk and chew gum at the same time (that would be me).
   OR
2. Uneven concrete slabs created a trip hazard that you have just fallen victim to!

What causes concrete to shift, become uneven, and cause these trip hazards?

• Expansive clay soil: Expansive clay soil is prone to swelling and shrinking. Changes such as temperature, drought, and moisture causes it to expand and contract...causing the concrete to move.
• Soil compaction: When preparing to build a home, the soil must be moved around, or graded, to create a level base to build upon. If the soils aren’t properly compacted before the concrete is poured, over time, it eventually compresses and can settle. This settlement can cause the concrete to shift.
• Leaking water: If a plumbing or irrigation line springs a leak, it can erode the soil around the concrete, causing it to be unstable.
• Poor drainage: Similar to a leak, improper drainage can also cause erosion.

Concrete removal and replacement can be costly. There is a cost effective solution that can even out those dangerous trip hazards in just 1 day!

Polyurethane concrete leveling to the rescue! Polyurethane concrete leveling, also known as “polyjacking”, is a process in which the contractor drills small holes through the affected sunken slabs. A port is then placed in the hole, the polyurethane is injected as a liquid, then quickly expands to lift the slab back into place.

If you are a visual person like me, check out this video on the Dalinghaus Consruction YouTube channel...

Whether it is a sidewalk, porch, patio, or a VERY busy Orange County Transportation Authority bus stop (insert one more rad video)...

...polyurethane concrete leveling is often an excellent solution, without breaking the bank!

Click here for more information on Dalinghaus Construction.

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