1 Table of contents 156

2026 Disaster & Resilient City Exp Houston

From the		2
Executive Publisher		2
Tamara Bellamy		2
Tamara Bellamy		2
Chief Financial Officer		2
Publisher		2
Director of Operations		2
Business Development Managers		2
Editor-in-Chief		2
Production Manager		2
Chief Digital Officer (CDO)/Digital Strategy Manager		2
CONTACT US		2
www.builtamericamagazine.com		2
DEAR		3
READER		3
FROM OUR EDITOR		3
In every era of American infrastructure, moments of disruption have shaped how we build — and, more importantly, why resilience matters. Both The Disasters & Resilient Cities Expos exists not as a showcase of products alone, but as a convergence of leaders, technologies, and ideas responding to a fundamental truth: communities must be prepared before crisis strikes, and capable of recovery when it does. From power continuity and material performance to policy, planning, and innovation, resilience is no longer optional — it is foundational.		3
The Editorial Team		3
BUILT AMERICA MAGAZINE		4
TABLE OF		4
CONTENTS		4
DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON		4
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS		4
Key sessions, roundtables & must sees at this years show.		4
U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION		4
From Capital to Recovery. A Conversation with SBA Leadership		4
MILLENNIUM MACHINERY		4
Beyond the Machine		4
USFCR		4
Before the Contract Comes the Readiness		4
PROGRESSIVE SCREENS		4
Engineering the World’s Best Performing Motorized Screens		4
JERSEY TACTICAL		4
Built by Experience, Made in America		4
BEDLOCK SAFETY		4
When One Life is the Whole Story		4
VISUM CONTRACTING GROUP		4
Turning Preparedness into Capability		4
GENERAL SHELTERS OF TEXAS		4
Built to Outlast Us		4
COLDKEEPERS		4
American-Made Infrastructure Inside the		4
Cold Chain		4
106		4
ADDITIONAL EXHIBITORS & INDUSTRY PARTNERS		4
Recognizing the organizations helping advance preparedness, recovery and resilience		4
A STRONGER TOMORROW STARTS HERE		4
Built America Magazine		5
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		6
SHARE		7
YOUR STORY		7
CONNECT. ENGAGE. INSPIRE.		7
EDITORIAL		7
COMPETITIVE PRICING, EDITORIAL IMPACT, INFINITE REACH		7
ADVERTISING		7
MULTI-LEVEL PRICING, UNMATCHED VALUE, MAXIMUM EXPOSURE		7
For More Information :		7
editorials@builtamericamagazine.com		7
689-800-7291		8
Questions? Call us!		8
INTERESTED IN BEING		8
FEATURED?		8
WHETHER YOU’RE INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING OR SHARING YOUR IMPACTFUL STORY WITH LIKE-MINDED INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS - WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED		8
Built America Magazine		9
Welcome to Disasters Expo & Resilient City Expo Houston		12
SPEAKERS TO WATCH PANELS TO SEE		13
HIGHLIGHTS & MUST SEES		14
Top Experiences You Wont Want to Miss at This Years Show.		14
HOUSTON, TX		14
OCTOBER 14TH & 15TH , 2026		14
WHY THIS MATTERS		14
THE SHOW BY THE NUMBERS		14
300+		14
4000+		14
MULTIPLE		14
THOUSANDS		14
The Crisis Communications Crisis		15
Keeping a City Running, Roundtable		15
Funding Recovery, Roundtable		15
Getting critical capital to communities and businesses before, during and after a disaster.		15
FEATURED PARTICIPANTS		16
MEET THE		16
COMPANIES		16
SHAPING		16
WHAT’S NEXT		16
IN THIS ISSUE		17
FEATURED GROUPS		17
USFCR		17
U.S.		18
SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION		18
Standing Beside America’s Small Businesses		18
“That’s the American spirit. And when we rise, we rise together.”		18
Lisa Shimkat		19
Associate Administrator		19
Office of Field Operations		19
Chris Stallings		19
Associate Administrator		19
Office of Disaster Recovery & Resilience		19
SBA LEADERSHIP & IMPACT		19
When disaster strikes, rebuilding does not begin with lumber or concrete.		19
Recovery is not a moment.		19
It is a commitment.		19
What the SBA Actually Does		20
“Most people think SBA equals money,” Shimkat explains. “And while we’re known for loan guarantees, we don’t provide direct funding except in disaster. What we do is reduce risk for lenders so small businesses can access capital.”		20
Those guarantees make it possible for entrepreneurs to purchase equipment, expand operations, acquire facilities, or scale production. By sharing risk with lenders, SBA helps unlock growth that might otherwise stall.		20
“We’re boots on the ground,” Shimkat says. “We’re working directly with businesses and lenders to expand opportunities so small businesses can grow and build wealth.”		20
Her office represents SBA’s outward-facing presence — hosting roundtables, walking manufacturing floors, and carrying real-world concerns back to Washington.		20
“We’re working directly with businesses and lenders to expand opportunities so small businesses can grow and build wealth.”		20
MADE IN AMERICA		20
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		20
Built America Magazine		21
CUTTING THROUGH THE RED TAPE		21
In her manufacturing and trade role, she ensures small business perspectives are represented in national trade discussions. “We review agreements and examine their impact on small business,” she says, “to make sure small business has a voice at the table.”		21
For builders, suppliers, and manufacturers attending the Disasters & Resilient Cities Expo, that voice matters.		21
• Loan guarantees to expand access to capital		21
• Disaster recovery and Economic Injury loans		21
• Export financing and trade support		21
• No-cost advising through SBDCs, SCORE, and Women’s Business Centers		21
What Happens in the First 72 Hours		21
RED TAPE HOTLINE		21
redtape@sba.gov		21
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		22
Built America Magazine		23
One of the most misunderstood SBA tools is the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL).		23
“Economic injury can only be used to pay bills, keep the lights on, and cover payroll,” Stallings explains. “It cannot be used for physical rebuilding.”		23
That distinction is critical, particularly in rural communities.		23
“If a few businesses leave a small town, it can close the community down,” he says. A single grocery store. A handful of gas stations. When those businesses disappear, daily life changes dramatically. “These loans allow businesses to stay open,” Stallings says.		23
“They keep employees working and maintain stability while recovery takes place.”		23
Because for the individual standing in front of a damaged home or storefront, this is not policy. It is the most difficult moment of their life.		23
“It’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to them,” Stallings says. “In moments like that, it can never feel fast enough, but we move with urgency to get there and begin the recovery process.”		23
“In moments like that, it can never feel fast enough, but we move with urgency to get there and begin the recovery process.”		23
Economic Injury and Community Stability		23
For physical rebuilding, SBA provides separate disaster loans — up to $500,000 for homeowners, up to $50,000 unsecured for personal property, refinancing options when insurance is insufficient, and mitigation loans that help rebuild stronger against future events.		24
“These low-interest loans allow us to help people who may not have other options,” Stallings says.		24
“We take pride in getting to yes.”		24
If one leg stalls, recovery slows. People need security and stability.”		24
She encourages industry leaders to prepare before the next storm.		24
“Meet with your state recovery officials annually,” she says. “Understand the strategy and how you can shorten the runway for rebuilding.”		24
Because speed is not only about construction timelines. It is about retaining workforce and stabilizing communities.		24
“You don’t want to lose employees,” she says. “Housing needs to stand back up quickly.”		24
Builders and the Race Back to Housing		24
For contractors and developers, SBA disaster financing operates much like a traditional construction loan.		24
“Homeowners can draw down funds during construction once permits are in place,” Stallings explains.		24
Shimkat describes recovery as a coordinated system. “It’s a three-legged stool,” she says. “Financing, permitting, and coordination.		24
Growth in Stable Times		24
Outside of disaster response, SBA’s mission remains equally vital.		24
“The first thing I tell business owners is know your numbers,” Shimkat says.		24
Revenue alone does not determine sustainability. “Sales can look strong,” she explains, “but if net income is low, you have to examine costs. What can I control? What can’t I?”		24
“These low-interest loans allow us to help people who may not have other options, We take pride in getting to yes.”		24
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		24
Built America Magazine		25
A National Commitment		26
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		26
Built America Magazine		27
Because when small businesses rise, communities rise. And when communities rise, the nation rises with them.		27
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		28
Built America Magazine		29
Don’t wait for crisis to learn what’s available.		29
Start the conversation on a blue-sky day.		29
Looking to expand your domestic footprint?		29
SBA Onshoring Portal		29
Scan the QR code		29
Ready to explore SBA programs for growth or recovery?		29
Visit SBA.gov		29
For disaster assistance: SBA.gov/disaster		29
Scan to learn more.		29
“A strong company, built on integrity, trust, and a company that solves problems rather than creates them.”		30
MACHINERY		30
DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITIES SPECIAL EDITION		31
MILLENNIUM		31
MACHINERY		31
Beyond the Machine		31
From machinery and field service to engineering, scanning, CNC manufacturing and AI-driven tools, Millennium Machinery has spent more than two decades building around one question: what does the customer actually need to keep moving?		31
Millennium Machinery was not built from a perfect first attempt.		31
It came out of loss, hard lessons, family history and the kind of experience that permanently changes the way a person thinks about trust.		31
Robert Valdez grew up around machinery and engineering. His grandfather owned a machine shop in Cuba before Castro came to power and the business was taken from him. He rebuilt his working life in Puerto Rico, eventually buying another machine shop and continuing to sell diesel engine parts throughout the Caribbean.		31
Valdez started as his driver.		31
“I used to go pick up parts and drop them off,” he says.		31
“It’s about finding solutions for customers and embedding yourself in a relationship with them that makes you indispensable.”		31
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		32
BUILT AMERICA MAGAZINE		33
The Work Behind the Name		33
“Sweat and blood.”		33
Today, the company combines machinery, field service, engineering, scanning, digital technology, CNC manufacturing and increasingly AI-driven tools across mining, aggregates and		33
heavy construction.		33
“My goal is to make sure that the customer is profitable first.”		34
A Business Built Together		34
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		34
When Downtime Costs Thousands		35
But urgency does not replace diagnosis.		35
“We put our money where our mouth is.”		36
Lowering the Real Cost		36
“Those kinds of solutions are not in the textbooks,” he says. “They’re part of an overall strategy because we like to put ourselves in our customer’s shoes.”		36
Relationships That Go Both Ways		36
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		36
But the customer remains first.		37
If a competing product genuinely performs better for a particular application, Millennium will say so.		37
That transparency has created an unusual level of loyalty. Valdez says customers have sometimes resisted efforts by manufacturers to work with them directly.		37
“They’ll say, ‘No, no, no. You leave us with Millennium. We’re good.’”		37
Millennium now serves customers throughout the southeastern United States, the Caribbean and Latin America.		37
Valdez credits much of that growth to one thing:		37
“Hiring the right people.”		37
Then comes understanding a customer deeply enough to ask the questions that matter.		37
“What drives their revenue and their profitability? What stops you from growing? Where are your problems?”		37
What Comes Next		37
Scanning, digital twins, automation and AI are already changing how equipment is monitored, dangerous conditions are identified and operational decisions are made.		37
Valdez believes companies that disconnect from those changes—or from the customers experiencing them—will struggle to keep pace.		37
“If you are not completely engaged with the technology that’s being developed,” he says, “and if you’re not engaged with customers and what they see in the market moving forward,” falling behind becomes almost inevitable.		37
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		38
BUILT AMERICA MAGAZINE		39
“A strong company, built on integrity, trust, and a company that solves problems rather than creates them.”		39
After more than two decades, there may be no more accurate measure of what Millennium Machinery has been building.		39
Keep Your Operation Moving		39
U.S. FEDERAL CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION		40
Eric Knellinger		40
President, USFCR		40
Before the Contract		40
Comes the Readiness		40
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		40
BUILT AMERICA MAGAZINE		41
For more than 16 years, USFCR has helped businesses enter one of the largest marketplaces in the world. In disaster response, however, the stakes behind that work become considerably more human.		41
“At the time of a disaster is not the time to get registered.		41
They need things now.”		41
But registration, he insists, is only the beginning.		41
Beyond SAM		42
“The government buys everything from staples to spaceships.”		42
Profit		42
Prestige		42
Protection		42
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		42
When Preparedness Becomes Personal		43
“The response has to be quick because lives matter.”		43
“Lives are at stake when national disasters happen, and the contractors need to be ready, ready to go at a moment’s notice.”		44
Eric Knellinger		44
“Technology is great and it can be a great tool, but it can’t be a crutch. You have to have a human touch.”		44
Stephanie Desautels		44
Technology Still Needs a Human Being		44
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		44
A New $30 Million Commitment		45
His reasoning is straightforward.		46
“They have enough strikes against them.”		46
He is equally clear that government contracting is not an overnight success story. “These are three-year events. Anything that anybody says is going to happen overnight is not reality. It takes time.”		46
USFCR also sees a responsibility attached to that kind of trust.		46
“We have a standard that we have to live up to,” Knellinger says. “And we take that standard very seriously. Our word is our bond.”		46
“You Changed My Zip Code”		46
Of all the numbers attached to USFCR, one of Knellinger’s favorite measures of success came from a client who called him with an unusual message.		46
“Mr. Knellinger, you changed my zip code.”		46
Knellinger paused.		46
The man explained: “You changed my family’s trajectory.”		46
Another client approached him at a conference in Washington after first winning a $36,000 contract, followed by another worth more than $100,000.		46
Then came the contract that changed everything.		46
“We just won a $5 million contract.”		46
“He broke out the tears,” Knellinger remembers. “I was literally sitting there with that guy and we were crying together.”		46
That is why USFCR no longer describes itself simply as a registration company.		46
$36K		46
$100K		46
$5M		46
FROM FIRST WIN TO		46
LIFE-CHANGING GROWTH		46
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		46
“We actually help businesses grow.		46
We actually help them change their lives, change the structure of their business and really get them to that next level.”		46
What happens after that can change a company, a family—or, when the stakes are highest, how quickly a community gets back on its feet.		47
“What are you going to do when you leave here?”		47
Ready to Enter the Government Marketplace?		47
USFCR helps businesses navigate registration, compliance, certifications, market research, teaming and bid strategy across federal, state and local contracting.		47
USFCR.COM		47
855-630-6548		47
Engineering the World’s Best Performing Motorized Screens		48
“I truly almost hated my product that I was producing for 17 years. I knew there had to be a better way.”		49
From Frustration to Innovation		49
Solving the Unsolvable		49
ARTHUR JAMES | PRESIDENT, PROGRESSIVE SCREENS		49
After years of witnessing the same failures across job sites, Arthur James set out to engineer a better way — ultimately redefining how motorized screens perform.		49
THE MAGNATRACK SYSTEM		49
Designed to eliminate the failures builders accepted for decades — and establish a new performance standard.		49
There are moments in manufacturing when progress doesn’t come from inspiration. It comes from frustration. And for the companies that last, that frustration doesn’t burn them out. It sharpens them.		50
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		50
Built America Magazine		51
From Distribution to Disruption and a Legacy of Making Things		51
‘We overcome 98% or more of typical service issues.”		51
finally standing behind a product he believed in.		51
Culture Built on Belief and Values You Can Measure		51
Defining the Future of Outdoor Living		51
Adjustable Roller System		52
Aluminum Housing Brackets		52
Built America Magazine		53
Storm Protection Without Fine Print		53
DEFENDER HURRICANE SCREENS		53
Hurricane-Rated for CAT 5 Performance		53
Kevlar®-Reinforced Fabric Construction		53
Tested Beyond 157+ MPH Winds		53
10,000+ Deployment Cycles Tested		53
Effortless Deployment		54
Strongest Yet Quiet Operation		54
Built America Magazine		55
“If you build outdoor spaces without protection, it’s like building a car without brakes.”		55
A Final Thought		55
It’s whether you’re willing to stand behind the systems you install when conditions stop being convenient.		55
Learn More About Progressive Screens		55
Because a true legacy isn’t what you claim. It’s what still holds when the wind shows up.		55
.		55
www.progressivescreens.com		55
BUILT AMERICA MAGAZINE		56
DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON 2026		56
JERSEY		56
TACTICAL:		56
BUILT BY EXPERIENCE,		56
MADE IN AMERICA.		56
John Dapkins Jr. and Nick Klementowicz III spent nearly two decades building Jersey Tactical the difficult way: with their own money, American manufacturing partners, relentless field testing and a belief that first responders should never have to question whether the tool in their hands will work.		56
JERSEY TACTICAL CORPORATION		57
LIVES DEPEND ON IT		57
BUILT FROM THE FIELD		58
For John Dapkins and Nick Klementowicz, the purpose behind Jersey Tactical has always been clear: a first responder cannot help the person on the other side of a door if they cannot get through it.		58
“You can buy the most expensive gear and send someone to the best training in the world,” Dapkins says, “but if you cannot get in, you cannot save lives. Period.”		58
That reality became the foundation of Jersey Tactical.		58
Jersey Tactical was never built around what looked impressive in a catalog or at a trade-show booth.		58
Its products grew from the firsthand experience of two men who spent years working in environments where equipment had to perform under pressure and where failure could carry consequences far greater than inconvenience.		58
Klementowicz served in the Marine Corps, later worked as a bounty hunter and built a long career in law enforcement, tactical operations and SWAT. Dapkins came through patrol, narcotics, investigations and SWAT, spending 12 years on a regional team.		58
Their experiences after two of America’s most significant disasters sharpened that perspective further. Dapkins spent approximately six months working in and around Ground Zero after September 11, while Klementowicz responded after Hurricane Katrina.		58
“I broke every single breaching tool that was made at the time,” Klementowicz says of Katrina. Dapkins remembers equipment arriving after 9/11 that bent, snapped or had to be improvised together because it could not withstand the work being asked of it.		58
Those experiences helped give rise to the phrase that would become central to Jersey Tactical’s philosophy:		58
“If you can’t get in, you can’t save anyone.”		58
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		58
JERSEY TACTICAL CORPORATION		59
THE CHALKER SLING 2ND GEN		59
A FOUNDRY, A WOODEN MODEL & A PROMISSORY NOTE		59
JAMBER HAMMER IN USE		59
WWW.JERSEYTACTICAL.COM		59
“We built this from the ground up with our own money.”		60
JERSEY TACTICAL CORPORATION		61
Seventeen Years of Reinvestment		61
TANDEM DOOR BREACHING TRAILER		61
WWW.JERSEYTACTICAL.COM		61
What Made in America Actually Means		62
Its manufacturing network remains deliberately domestic.		62
Stickers are made in Kentucky. Labels come from New Jersey. Lockers are produced in Virginia. Fabrication and welding are handled in Pennsylvania, foundry work is done in New York, heat treatment is performed in Pennsylvania, and final assembly and packaging take place at Jersey Tactical’s New Jersey operation.		62
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		62
JERSEY TACTICAL CORPORATION		63
The experience reinforced something that had frustrated both men for years: what a company implies about American manufacturing and what actually happens behind the supply chain are not always the same.		63
For Jersey Tactical, domestic manufacturing is patriotic, but it is also practical.		63
The founders want to know where the material came from, understand how something was manufactured, maintain control over quality and know who is accountable when something does not meet their standard.		63
When a first responder eventually reaches for that equipment, those questions should already have been answered.		63
Dapkins coined the phrase “caveman testing” for their early approach. Klementowicz still echoes it when describing the standard they held themselves to:		63
“If John or I couldn’t break it, nobody’s breaking it.”		63
Today, engineering and formal data are part of the process.		63
Products are tested under normal human force and then pushed significantly beyond expected use so the company can understand how and where failure occurs.		63
The tools incorporate custom metallurgy, casting, welding, heat treatment and mechanical advantages developed specifically around forcible entry and breaching.		63
But the intended user is not always a specialist.		63
Dapkins says one of Jersey Tactical’s strongest capabilities is helping people who are not dedicated breachers perform effectively when a situation leaves no time to wait for one.		63
“Our forte is how to take somebody that’s not a SWAT operator or breacher and get them to be successful.”		63
Designed by People Who Have Done the Job		63
WWW.JERSEYTACTICAL.COM		63
“You can buy the most expensive gear and send someone to the best training in the world, but		64
if you cannot get in, you cannot save lives. Period.”		64
JERSEY TACTICAL CORPORATION		65
Preparedness Is Also About Where the Equipment Is		65
The End User Built the Reputation		65
WWW.JERSEYTACTICAL.COM		65
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		66
JERSEY TACTICAL CORPORATION		67
They should be confident in what matters most:		67
It was made in America,		67
and it works.		67
WWW.JERSEYTACTICAL.COM		67
BUILT AMERICA MAGAZINE		68
WHEN ONE LIFE IS		68
THE WHOLE STORY		68
For Harold King, manufacturer and owner of Bedlock Safety Products, safer fleet maintenance has never been an abstract idea. If a raised dump bed fails while someone is underneath it, there may be no second chance to decide that five minutes of preparation would have been worth it.		68
King does not need a large-scale catastrophe to define a disaster.		68
“A disaster does not have to be 10, 100, 10,000, or even 100,000 people,” he says. “A disaster can be one.”		68
That belief sits at the center of Bedlock Safety Products, a company built around a simple but serious problem: how to safely support a raised dump body while maintenance or repairs are being performed underneath it.		68
“If a bed does fall on you, you’re going to die. Or at the very least, become catastrophically injured. However, you are most likely going to die because the falling bed will crush you.”		69
It is difficult to make the stakes any clearer than that.		69
Harold spent much of his career in industrial supply, working with customers in coal mining, gravel, heavy industry and food processing. As workplace safety became more prominent in the years after OSHA came into effect, he watched customers become increasingly conscious of the risks hidden inside routine industrial work.		69
One incident stayed with him.		69
A customer had a dump truck in need of repair. When the team went to use the factory prop rod, they found it rusted in half.		69
The temporary solution was a six-by-six piece of wood.		69
“If the bed fails, the wood usually breaks and splinters,” Harold says.		69
That experience led him toward the original product that would eventually become the Bedlock system. Years later, after leaving an earlier business arrangement, he purchased the patent and started Bedlock Safety Products in 2021.		69
He came back because he believed the product could be and should be, safer.		69
Built for the Moment		70
Something Goes Wrong		70
“They’ve been tested and rated to a maximum of 50,000 pounds in pairs,” King says.		70
“The biggest challenge is convincing people that it is a problem and there is a solution.”		70
“I’ll only be under the bed for just a minute.”		70
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		70
“It takes less than a second for that box to drop if something fails.”		71
Five Minutes Versus a		71
Lifetime		71
“This is a small investment compared to the cost of a life.”		71
“We build them to last.”		72
Growing Through the People		72
Who Use Them		72
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		72
“If I have a distributor in a given area and I do get an inquiry, I will support my distributor.”		73
An Avoidable Disaster		74
“An avoidable disaster.”		74
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		74
“If there’s one fatality, it’s going to affect a lot more than one person.		75
You have families, you have friends, you have co-workers, all those people that have to deal with that single disaster.”		75
The truck gets repaired, the fleet keeps moving and at the end of the day, the person underneath it goes home.		75
Protect the People Who Keep Your Fleet Moving		75
Bedlock Safety Products provides tested dump-bed safety systems for municipal, commercial, towing, recycling, landscaping and heavy-duty fleet applications.		75
Learn more at BedlockSafety.com.		75
BEYOND		76
TRAINING		76
BUILT AMERICA MAGAZINE		77
VISUM CONTRACTING GROUP:		77
TURNING PREPAREDNESS INTO CAPABILITY		77
“They deserve a higher bar of training than a lot of them get.”		78
Preparedness Has to Be More Than a Plan		79
“In reality, if you don’t put yourself into that situation, you don’t know how you’re going to react until it happens.”		79
“We customize everything to the very last little tiny detail.”		80
Every Client Is Different		81
“Scenario-based training is a very thin line. You do too little, and it’s not realistic.”		81
Preparedness Is an Investment Before It Is a Cost		82
Products Worth Standing Behind		82
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		82
Complacency		83
Kills		83
HOUSTON		84
AND WHAT COMES NEXT		84
It is to make sure that when fear, uncertainty and pressure arrive, they are not meeting them for the first time.		85
Connect with Visum Contracting Group to strengthen your organization’s readiness before the next challenge becomes real		85
Visit visumcontractinggroup.com for more information.		85
Prepare Before the Moment Arrives		85
BUILT TO		86
OUTLAST US		86
For more than five decades, General Shelters of Texas has built its name on something increasingly difficult to manufacture at scale: trust. From backyard buildings and cabins to construction trailers, off-grid structures and steel facilities, the Center, Texas manufacturer has grown without abandoning the principle handed down by its founder — if you say you are going to do something, you do it.		86
here are buildings scattered across Texas		87
today that have been standing since 1973.		87
David Koonce knows because every so often, General Shelters of Texas comes across one. For the company’s President and CEO, those surviving structures say something more important than their age. They represent a standard established long before modern manufacturing systems and sophisticated supply chains became part of the business conversation.		87
“If we tell somebody something, we’re going to live up to that standard. And that’s kind of the Texas standard, the old Texas standard.”		87
“My father-in-law trained us all in that,” Koonce says. “If we build something or if we tell someone that we’re going to do something, we dang sure better do it.”		87
Then he gives founder James Campbell’s original version.		87
“In his words, we damn sure better do it.”		87
It is a straightforward rule, and General Shelters has spent more than five decades building around it.		87
“We’ve built our business around that,” Koonce says. “If we tell somebody something, we’re going to live up to that standard. And that’s kind of the Texas standard, the old Texas standard.”		87
FROM A TEXAS IDEA TO A MANUFACTURING BUSINESS		87
MANUFACTURING MORE OF THE BUILDING		88
General Shelters began when Campbell was selling mobile homes and, as Koonce tells it, “two cats from Arkansas talked him into building his own.”		89
Campbell gathered the materials and began manufacturing mobile homes. Regulatory requirements soon changed the direction of the operation. After being told the units required inspection stickers, he received permission to remove the furniture and sell them as mobile offices.		89
From there came another opportunity: use those same manufacturing capabilities to produce portable backyard buildings. At the time, Campbell called them “port-o-buildings.” He was also among the few manufacturers doing it locally.		89
More than 50 years later, that relatively simple product has evolved into a broad manufacturing operation spanning backyard storage and specialty buildings, greenhouses, deer stands, gazebos, cabins, carports, garages, shops, construction trailers, steel structures and commercial applications.		89
General Shelters now serves both individual buyers and larger organizational needs, with the in-house fabrication, inventory and production flexibility to take on projects that do not fit neatly into a standard catalog.		89
One of General Shelters’ most consequential decisions came in 1999, when the company began roll-forming its own steel.		89
Portable buildings had traditionally relied heavily on aluminum siding. Steel offered a stronger alternative, but rather than remain dependent entirely on outside fabrication, General Shelters invested in producing it internally.		89
Today, the company roll-forms steel and its associated trim components in 29- and 26-gauge material.		89
“It’s a 40-year warranty. It’s pretty much maintenance free,” Koonce says. The same material now appearing across barndominiums and residential renovations has been a core component of General Shelters’ buildings for decades.		89
“two cats from Arkansas talked him into building his own.”		89
“We’re constantly looking for better materials and better building practices to build the best product available on the market.”		90
THE DRAWING ON THE		90
NAPKIN		90
“We have a hard time saying no,” Koonce says.		90
A customer may arrive with little more than an idea.		90
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		90
That willingness has taken the company well beyond conventional storage structures.		91
During the North Dakota oil boom, a customer needed crew quarters capable of operating through severe winters while carrying their own water and sewage capabilities. General Shelters developed a climate-controlled solution incorporating onboard water, sewage systems and grinder pumps.		91
“We made them basically something that no one else had been able to do,” Koonce says.		91
For another customer, the company partnered with solar specialists to manufacture fully off-grid guard houses, combining solar panels, battery storage and generator backup.		91
Today, General Shelters is producing construction trailers for another customer while working toward certification for approximately 10 additional states.		91
“We’re building and meeting their deadlines,” Koonce says. “Actually, we’re ahead of their deadline.”		91
That adaptability is particularly relevant as General Shelters enters the disaster response and resilient cities conversation.		91
IF IT CAN GO DOWN THE HIGHWAY		91
For Koonce, attending the Disasters Expo is an opportunity to understand what emergency-management organizations, contractors, municipalities and other organizations actually need — and where General Shelters may be able to build it.		91
“What we want to see is: what do they need, and how can we help them develop what their needs are?” His description of the company’s capability is considerably simpler.		91
“If it can go down the highway, we can pretty much build it.” That could mean relocatable structures, construction trailers or specialty units designed around a specific operational need.		91
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		92
For contractors, municipalities, emergency-response organizations and other institutional buyers, that flexibility allows General Shelters to begin with the requirement itself, rather than forcing a customer into a predetermined product.		93
But the company is not limited to structures that move.		93
“We can build steel structures that they may need for their warehouses or being prepared for some of those things,” Koonce says. “Municipalities have needs that come up.”		93
Its core reach remains concentrated across Texas, Louisiana and surrounding states, largely because of the economics of transporting large structures. But its growing certification work and custom manufacturing capabilities are opening conversations beyond the product categories the company has traditionally been known for.		93
For buyers weighing schedule, customization and reliability, much of General Shelters’ value lies in how much of the process it controls itself: major components manufactured in-house, significant material inventory, internal quality control and a team prepared to stand behind the finished product after delivery.		93
“Number one, that General Shelters is a company that does what they say they’re going to do. That they’re going to build a quality product that you can		93
rely on.”		93
BUILT BY PEOPLE WHO		93
STAY		93
Manufacturing longevity is ultimately about more than machinery.		93
General Shelters remains family-owned, and Koonce points to employee tenure as one of the clearest expressions of its culture.		93
“We’ve got some people who have been with us for over 40 years.”		93
Recent retirees had served 34 years, 29 years and more than 20 years. “People come here and stay,” he says. “The people that work here have the mindset that they’re working here because they want to see something that they can be proud of.”		93
That pride is closely connected to what Koonce wants the General Shelters name to continue standing for.		93
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		94
And the responsibility does not end when a building is delivered.		95
“We don’t just quit when it’s over.”		95
If a customer later needs maintenance, a garage, a carport, skirting or another addition, Koonce wants the relationship to continue.		95
It brings General Shelters back to the same principle Campbell established decades ago. The company may manufacture a much broader range of structures today, with more sophisticated equipment, larger inventories and customers bringing increasingly complex requests through its doors.		95
But the promise underneath the work has hardly changed.		95
Do what you said you would do.		95
Build something worth standing behind. And build it well enough that, decades later, somebody may still be using it.		95
TEXAS MADE		95
BUILT TO LAST		95
For contractors, municipalities, emergency-response organizations and businesses looking for relocatable structures, custom steel buildings or specialized manufacturing solutions, General Shelters of Texas brings more than five decades of experience to the table.		95
To learn more about General Shelters of Texas and its manufacturing capabilities, visit generalshelters.com or connect with the team to discuss your next project.		95
Resilience Starts at the Shipment Level		97
American-Made Infrastructure Inside the Cold Chain		97
When a bridge collapses, everyone notices.		98
When a power grid fails, it dominates headlines.		98
But when a biologic arrives at 11°C instead of 8°C, nothing looks broken.		98
The box appears intact. The label reads correctly. The contents feel cool to the touch. And yet the product inside may already be compromised.		98
Domestic Manufacturing as Risk Mitigation		98
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		98
Built America Magazine		99
“We have a global patent on one-piece construction. All six sides of a box are completely sealed. There’s no thermal gaps.”		100
For healthcare systems and emergency response agencies, that speed matters. Domestic production shortens lead times, reduces freight volatility, and supports surge deployment when hurricanes, wildfires, or grid failures disrupt regional supply chains. In disaster conditions, temperature-controlled packaging becomes part of public health protection.		100
“In a disaster, it’s twofold,” Griffin explains. “One, to maintain food safety and medication safety.		100
And then the second part is getting much-needed food, much-needed medication to the site safely.”		100
Medication degradation is not visible.		100
100		100
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		100
Built America Magazine		101
Eliminating the Thermal Gap		101
“Most pharmaceuticals have to stay between 2°C and 8°C,” Griffin says. “Reaching 0°C causes flash freezing. which changes the compound and inhibits the medication, destroying biologics. And the same thing to go above 8°C. It can end up being toxic.”		101
When refrigeration access is compromised and ambient heat intensifies, those parameters become harder to maintain — and far more consequential.		101
Coldkeepers designs around that reality without relying on powered refrigeration systems that add cost and complexity.		101
A defining differentiator for Coldkeepers is its globally patented one-piece construction.		101
Traditional EPS coolers rely on separate lids and multi-piece assemblies. Seams shift. Small inconsistencies accumulate. “We have a global patent on one-piece construction,” Griffin says. “All six sides of a box are completely sealed. There’s no thermal gaps.”		101
By eliminating seam variability, the system stabilizes internal conditions across long-haul routes and changing climates.		101
Performance is validated both in environmental chambers and in field testing.		101
Extreme Insulated Mailers		101
101		101
“Virtually everything that we manufacture and do is U.S.-based — materials, 90% to 99% of everything we sell is U.S.-made.”		102
“There is no true test other than real-world,” Griffin explains. “If they’re shipping from Phoenix to Washington, D.C., we test it. It’s 110 degrees in Phoenix and 45 degrees in D.C. How does that change the packaging? What do we need to do differently?”		102
The emphasis is not volume — it is control.		102
“It’s not really about the products,” Griffin says. “It’s about the solution.”		102
Cold Chain Is an Exact Science		102
Oversimplification remains one of the industry’s biggest risks. “People think, ‘Oh, I’ve got to keep this cold.’ There’s a lot more to it,” Griffin says. “They think I’ll throw a gel pack in something and it’ll be fine. It doesn’t work that way.” Pack-out configuration requires calculated refrigerant placement, insulation layering, and buffering to prevent flash freezing while		102
102		102
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		102
Built America Magazine		103
Sustainability Without Compromise		103
Cold chain packaging has historically relied on EPS and molded coolers that persist in landfills for centuries.		103
“EPS stays in the landfill for over 500 years,” Griffin says. Coldkeepers developed a curbside recyclable product line built primarily from paper-based insulation with a thin internal moisture barrier.		103
“It is certified by Western Michigan University to be curbside recyclable,” Griffin explains.		103
“It’ll fit in your municipal recycle bin. And it actually outperforms styrofoam.”		103
Performance was not sacrificed.		103
“An inch of our paper insulation will outperform an inch and three quarters of EPS,” he says. “They cost the same, they perform the same. You either want sustainability or you don’t.”		103
Pharmaceutical clients operating under ESG mandates are increasingly choosing recyclable solutions that do not compromise thermal reliability.		103
“It is an exact science,” Griffin says.		103
During extreme heat events — increasingly common across large regions of the U.S. — the margin for error narrows. “Rarely does an event happen and everything’s 65 degrees and sunshine,” Griffin notes. “Usually extreme heat is involved. If you don’t have something engineered and strictly built to keep things cold during that kind of heat, it’s going to be compromised.” Cold chain failure rarely looks dramatic. It looks ordinary.		103
103		103
Cold Chain Protection, Engineered.		104
Beyond the Box		104
Patented thermal construction		104
Validated 2°C–8°C performance		104
Expanding insulated		104
mailers		104
Recyclable paper-based options		104
Made in the USA		104
104		104
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		104
Built America Magazine		105
“An inch of our paper insulation will outperform an inch and three quarters of EPS. They cost the same, they perform the same. You either want sustainability or you don’t.”		105
In resilience planning, cold chain packaging is often categorized as logistics. In practice, it is embedded risk control.		105
The difference between 2°C and 8°C may look minor on paper.		105
In the field, it determines whether a shipment can be used or must be discarded. Whether a hospital can proceed with treatment or wait for a replacement. Whether response efforts move forward or stall.		105
Coldkeepers works in that space — where temperature control has to hold.		105
In disaster response, the smallest variables often determine whether a system continues to function.		105
That is not a detail. It is a requirement.		105
When temperature control becomes mission-critical, precision matters.		105
To explore Coldkeepers’ American-made cold chain solutions, visit www.coldkeepers.com		105
105		105
U.S. MOBILE SOLUTIONS:		106
READY WHEN NORMAL ISN’T		106
“You shouldn’t take advantage of somebody just because they had a flood.”		107
U.S. MOBILE SOLUTIONS		107
When the Basics		108
Disappear		108
108		108
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		108
Built Around the Real Site		109
109		109
Then he studies the		110
site		110
Ready Before the		110
Call		110
110		110
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		110
Build the Rolodex Before You Need It		111
111		111
Brad Sperling | Owner		112
“If you don’t have a Rolodex, well, we’re going to build you one.”		112
A Reliable Partner First		112
112		112
“I want to be an effective partner with these people.”		113
113		113
114		114
“Money will come. It’ll get there. And if it doesn’t, I’ve lost money in the past. I let it go.”		114
U.S. Mobile Solutions exists for that gap between what a community normally depends on and what still has to function after normal disappears.		114
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		114
U.S. Mobile Solutions provides mobile kitchens, refrigeration, restrooms, laundry and other temporary facility solutions for contractors, government agencies, institutions and disaster-response operations.		115
U.S. MOBILE SOLUTIONS		115
Connect with U.S. Mobile Solutions to discuss your next deployment, temporary facility need or emergency-readiness plan.		115
Keep Operations Moving When Infrastructure Can’t		115
POWERED AND READY		116
For emergency fleets, construction crews and critical-service operators, a dead battery is rarely just a maintenance issue. It is lost time, lost money and, in the wrong moment, a missed response. ChargeSys Solar was built to solve that problem before the key ever turns.		116
"None of these product innovations mattered when the vehicles wouldn't start,"		117
Some of the costliest failures in fleet operations are also the quietest.		117
An ambulance sits exactly where the last crew parked it. The next crew climbs in, a call is already waiting, and the engine won't turn over.		117
Tim Schroeder, President & CEO of ChargeSys Solar, knows that scenario well. As a licensed professional engineer with 39 U.S. patents, Schroeder has spent decades developing products for emergency response, including the first electro-hydraulic powered stretcher and the Ferno iN/TRAXX modular ambulance interior system.		117
Over that time, ambulances became rolling electronics platforms, packed with radios, telematics and onboard systems that draw power even when the engine is off.		117
"None of these product innovations mattered when the vehicles wouldn't start," he says.		117
If a crew forgets to plug an ambulance into shore power after a shift, those parasitic loads can drain a weak battery within hours.		117
To counter this, services would leave their engines running between shifts. They avoided dead batteries, but at the cost of significant fuel burn, engine wear and hours of unnecessary idling.		117
Schroeder had seen roof-mounted solar solve the problem, keeping batteries charged whether anyone remembered the cord or not. What he didn't like was the hardware. The panels typically used were rigid, fragile and slow to install, and they created sourcing and handling headaches on a production line. Schroeder wanted something more flexible, more durable and far easier to build into vehicles at scale.		117
WHEN A DEAD BATTERY THREATENS A MISSED CALL		117
ARMORCELL AMBULANCE APPLICATION		117
117		117
BUILT FOR A ROOF THAT MOVES		118
118		118
"If the ambulance is dead, that's a missed call for help."		118
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		118
119		119
"The cost of a battery seems minor compared to a transmission. However, it's the hidden cost that adds up."		120
MARINE APPLICATION WITH ONBOARD SOLAR		120
THE COST OF TEN MINUTES		120
120		120
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		120
ONE SYSTEM, NOT A BOX OF PARTS		121
ChargeSys also saw a problem in how mobile solar was sold. Buyers were often left to piece together components from different sources and hope they worked together.		121
"For anyone that wanted to purchase solar, the online shopping options were confusing at best," Schroeder says.		121
Mismatched parts and overstated specifications left many customers disappointed.		121
ChargeSys answered with pre-engineered kits. "Tell us what you want to power, and we will work with you to size the appropriate system." The lineup runs from 38-watt systems for skid steers, excavators, loaders, tractors and cranes, through the 80- and 160-watt		121
systems popular with first responders, up to larger panels for mobile command, marine and off-grid applications.		121
Installation was treated as part of the product. Traditional vehicle solar installs can take hours or days and require procurement teams to source a long list of individual components.		121
A ChargeSys kit ships as one SKU in one box, with parts designed to work together.		121
"In a production environment it typically takes less than 30 minutes to install," Schroeder says. "We are only as successful as our customers. We constantly improve our products to streamline the installation process."		121
ARMORCELL PROTECTIVE CARRY CASE, FULFILLMENTARMORCELL PROTECTIVE CARRY CASE, FULFILLMENT		121
121		121
GEN SET ON CONSTRUCTION SITE 38W ARMORCELL		122
POWER WHEN THE GRID IS NOT THERE		122
122		122
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		122
READY FOR SERVICE		123
"We want ChargeSys to be known as a dependable partner delivering products to ensure you and your crews are enabled by your equipment."		123
Explore ChargeSys ARMORCELL systems and find the right solution for your fleet at chargesys.solar		123
"We do our job so		123
you can do yours."		123
123		123
WHEN SHUTTING DOWN ISN’T A FEASIBLE OPTION		124
In refineries, offshore platforms, LNG terminals and other live hydrocarbon environments, maintenance does not become optional simply because the work is dangerous. PetroHab, LLC was built around that reality: creating controlled environments that allow critical hot work to move forward safely without forcing an entire operation offline.		124
There are industrial environments where a single spark is more than an inconvenience		126
A BETTER WAY TO CONTROL THE RISK		126
126		126
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		126
Silicone-coated fiberglass panels could be joined securely and configured around different work areas rather than relying on disposable structures or more failure-prone zippered connection methods.		127
Earlier soft-sided systems often relied heavily on zippers.		127
“The zippers are prone to breaking, messing up, burning, melting,” Shutt says. “Once that zipper is damaged, that panel is no longer viable; its intended purpose of containing pressure is defeated.”		127
Samer’s Quadra-Lock panel interlocking design allows reusable panels to interlock securely, including at 90-degree angles, so enclosures can be configured around different work areas.		127
For operators, that flexibility matters beyond convenience.		127
“When you’re looking at a cost perspective or an investment in these units, you know that this panel is going to last a long time,”		127
The enclosure itself was only one part of the solution.		127
PetroHab also developed a safety shutdown system designed to continuously monitor hazardous conditions and help isolate hot work from the surrounding operating environment, while ensuring that the adequate amount of pressure inside the enclosure is maintained.		127
127		127
SAFETY WITHOUT LOSING THE OPERATION		128
BUILT AROUND THE JOB		129
130		130
PetroHab’s role extends beyond manufacturing and equipment rental. The company supports project planning, mobilization, enclosure installation, monitoring and field operations through trained technicians.		131
131		131
SIX METERS ABOVE AN LNG TERMINAL		132
“This project demonstrated that certain hot work tasks can be completed at an operating LNG facility with the right planning, controls and trained personnel.”		133
133		133
MADE IN		134
AMERICA		134
Shutt estimates that approximately 80 percent of its operations are outside the U.S.		135
“I believe that domestic manufacturing is of the utmost importance for the United States to maintain its competitive advantage in the world.”		135
135		135
THE HUMAN PART OF THE SYSTEM		136
THE WORK THAT CANNOT WAIT		137
138		138
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		138
“There are no ifs, ands or buts in this industry because lives are at stake.”		139
It is whether the work was completed safely — and whether everyone who walked into that enclosure gets to walk back out.		139
SAFER WORK. LESS DOWNTIME.		139
139		139
VANDOIT:		140
TAKING SERVICE WHERE THE PEOPLE ARE		140
When infrastructure disappears, the work does not. VanDoit is building mobile clinics, command centers and crisis-response platforms designed to take essential services wherever they are needed, and keep them operating when everything around them stops.		140
There are days when a vehicle is transportation.		141
“The problem we solve is simple to say and hard to do: the service has to be where the people are.”		141
Most essential services are built around a physical location, with power, connectivity, privacy and equipment inside. During a disaster, or in rural and underserved communities, reaching that building may be the very problem.		141
“We put the building on wheels,” McCauslin says, “and we make sure it keeps working when nothing around it does.”		141
THE MISSION DEFINES THE VEHICLE		141
141		141
Then there are days when what happens inside it can determine whether a patient receives care, a police department can coordinate an emergency, or a community cut off from normal infrastructure can keep moving.		141
Jared McCauslin thinks about the second kind of day.		141
“Nobody notices the van on a good day,” says McCauslin, Co-Founder and CEO of VanDoit. “They notice it when it didn’t start, when the power died, or when there was nowhere private to talk. We design for the day it can’t fail.”		141
VanDoit is a family-owned American manufacturer in Blue Springs, Missouri, transforming Ford Transit vans into mobile clinics, command posts, crisis units and disaster-response vehicles. Its roots reach back to Kline Motors in 1947, and today the company has built more than 2,000 modular vans for organizations across all 50 states.		141
But McCauslin doesn’t begin by talking about vehicles.		141
142		142
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		142
BUILT AMERICA MAGAZINE		143
For agencies balancing grants, budgets and fiscal years, longevity becomes part of the investment.		143
REMOVING THE WAYS IT CAN FAIL		143
Disaster response is unforgiving of weak assumptions.		143
Electricity disappears, communications are disrupted and crews may be working through the night.		143
“After a couple thousand vans, you learn that reliability is mostly a list of things you decided not to do,” McCauslin says. VanDoit avoids generators whenever possible. It does not use wood in its interiors. Mechanical fasteners replace adhesives, while marine-grade materials withstand rain, heavy use and repeated sanitation.		143
“Every one of those decisions removes a way for the unit to fail on the worst day.”		143
Of all those decisions, power has commanded particular attention.		143
“Power has been my obsession since the early days of this company,” McCauslin says, “and it’s the part of the build I’d least want to cut corners on.” Each unit carries a lithium battery system independent of the engine, with three ways to charge: solar, the vehicle’s charging system and shore power. Command vehicles can keep radios, routers, monitors and cellular or satellite connectivity operating. Clinics can maintain refrigeration, climate control and telehealth.		143
Yet capability means little if the people relying on it cannot operate it under pressure.		143
“The person running the unit at 2 a.m. after a storm is a nurse or a deputy, not an electrician,” McCauslin says.		143
143		143
“Power has been my obsession since the early days of this company,”		143
WHEN THE WORK HAS TO MOVE		144
144		144
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		144
BUILT AMERICA MAGAZINE		145
BUILT IN MISSOURI		145
VanDoit fabricates approximately 80 percent of its own parts across more than 100,000 square feet in three Missouri facilities. Its equipment includes CNC machinery, plasma cutters and a waterjet operating at 50,000 PSI.		145
The team calls it the Dream Factory.		145
“It lets us control quality from the skeleton up instead of hoping a supplier got it right,” McCauslin says.		145
Engineers, fabricators and an in-house service team remain close to the product, giving VanDoit control over changes, components and support after delivery.		145
For McCauslin, though, American manufacturing ultimately comes down to accountability.		145
145		145
“Standardize what’s underneath. Tailor what’s on top.”		145
Across a fleet, the Ford Transit chassis, aluminum skeleton, power architecture and electrical standards remain consistent, simplifying training, service and parts. What changes is the mission layer: one unit might support command operations, another healthcare and another logistics.		145
“And because the modules move,” McCauslin says, “a unit can change roles later without being rebuilt.”		145
VanDoit already produces specialized vehicles for large fleet customers, and many organizations begin with one vehicle before returning for more.		145
“When they come back for units two, three and ten, the platform is already proven in their hands.”		145
BUILD THE PARTNERSHIP BEFORE THE EMERGENCY		146
“What happens to your services when your building is out of commission?”		146
146		146
2026 DISASTERS & RESILIENT CITY EXPO HOUSTON EDITION		146
SHOW UP AND WORK		147
“When a responder or a patient or a whole neighborhood was depending on it, the VanDoit started, the lights came on, and the people inside could do their jobs.”		147
READY TO PUT YOUR MISSION IN MOTION?		147
Meet the VanDoit team at Disasters Expo & Resilient Cities Expo USA in Houston and step inside a platform built to work where the need is.		147
VANDOIT.COM		147
147		147
CLOSING LINES		149
With Gratitude		150
THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS & PARTICIPANTS		150
We extend a special thank you to the U.S. Small Business Administration for their continued partnership with Built America Magazine and for their meaningful contributions to this issue. Their leadership and collaboration help elevate the national conversation around resilience, recovery, and the critical role small businesses play in strengthening American communities.		150
HONORING THOSE WHO MADE THIS EDITION POSSIBLE		151
U.S. Small Business Administration		151
Millenium Machinery		151
USFCR		151
Progressive Screens		151
Jersey Tactical		151
Bedlock Safety		151
Visum Contracting Group		151
General Shelters of Texas		151
Coldkeepers		151
U.S Mobile Solutions		151
ChargeSys Solar		151
PetroHab		151
Vandoit		151
Commemorating the 5th Annual Disasters Expo & Resilient Cities Expo		151
SHARE		155
YOUR STORY		155
CONNECT. ENGAGE. INSPIRE.		155
EDITORIAL		155
COMPETITIVE PRICING, EDITORIAL IMPACT, INFINITE REACH		155
ADVERTISING		155
MULTI-LEVEL PRICING, UNMATCHED VALUE, MAXIMUM EXPOSURE		155
For More Information :		155
editorials@builtamericamagazine.com		155
PEOPLE. PROJECTS. POSSIBILITIES.		156

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