Growing out of the economic shambles of WWII, Garland Insulating remains a family business that focuses on being a thermal service provider for building construction. W&C was able to speak with Ferrell Drum, the company’s chairman of the board. The company conducts spray foam, cellulose, fiberglass, crawl space and other types of insulation services. 

Located outside of Houston in Stafford, Texas, Garland Insulating works its magic on “helping Texas residents create a more comfortable, safe and energy-efficient environment,” says Drum. 

The company currently has multiple “service points” in Texas including Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, College Station and South Texas.

A Little Piece of History

Established in 1948, Garland Insulating began as a part-time income source for Drums’s father. After WWII, the business became his primary source of income, allowing Drum to grow up in the industry that now is his source of income. 

Garland Insulating now has 265 employees on staff and is currently a member of the Insulation Contractors Association of America and the National Association of Home Builders.

Drum notes that since taking over Garland Insulating, the company’s revenues have grown significantly. 

“Today we produce as much revenue in four hours as the company used to on an annual basis,” says Drum. 

On the Rise

In the midst of transferring the reins to the third generation, the company’s growth is on a steady incline in the residential market. The company currently services homeowners, homebuilders and commercial properties. 

The company is currently being challenged with the oversupply of contractors that are in the supply chain. 

“Our present business footprint in the Texas market and business climate are strong and thriving,” says Drum, who is also very knowledgeable on sociology. 

Drum also says that labor constraints are making planning for the future challenging due to the “strong head winds” it produces. 

The company’s hardest aspects include growing the geographic footprint beyond Texas and increasing the company’s reach beyond residential housing. The company currently works with products, such as Demilec, Owens Corning, CertainTeed (Insulation) and Johns Manville.

“Our most important move within the past eighteen months was to embrace, educate, internally and the market place the new building codes,” says Drum about the company’s 2018 outlook. “The goal is to install thermal products within the building envelopes of our builder’s construction projects.”

Staff Biographies

Hayden Drum, President

Hayden A. Drum served as vice president for several years before his appointment to president. He is responsible for managing the company’s strategic planning, acquisition integration, and various corporate and accounting functions. Drum has also held the position of branch manager at its Houston location. Prior to joining Garland, he held the position of associate at Rockbrook Capital LLC, where he specialized in Mergers & Acquisitions advisory to the Oil Services Industry.

Drum earned a B.B.A with honors, Magna Cum Laude, in Finance & Entrepreneurship from Baylor University. During his tenure at Garland, he has also served in roles with the ICAA and Spray Polyurethane Foam Committee. He also holds several certifications in building science including Building Performance Institutes’ Certified Building Analyst & Envelope Professional.

Sholana Wells, Vice President of Sales

Sholana Wells has worked and/or consulted with Garland Insulating in various positions for the better part of a decade in discontinuous intervals. In her current position, she is responsible for guiding the sales and estimating teams and creates and implements procedures to maximize customer satisfaction and retention.

Wells joined the company after divesting of her closely-held events venue business. Before founding her events venue business she was responsible for managing the Southwest Region sales team of GreenFiber, the largest manufacturer of cellulose fiber insulation, fire, and sound products, which covered Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and New Mexico. She held that position for more than 12 years. Wells began her career working as a salesperson for Garland Insulating in the Dallas market in the early-’90s.

Wells is an active member in the ICCA, NHBA and holds several technical certifications in the insulation and contracting fields.

Ahndrea Gamboa, Executive Vice President of Operations

Ahndrea (“Ahni”) Gamboa has been with the company since 2003. She joined as a sales team member at the Dallas location and achieved several top achievements within Garland including leading salesperson for multiple years. Prior to joining Garland, Gamboa worked in sales for Almod Diamonds Ltd, a vertically integrated diamond company. She is active in the industry and currently sits on the Coalition Board for the High Performance Insulation Professionals organization.

Gamboa earned a Bachelors of Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from Baylor University.

Chris Cancila, Vice President of Finance

Chris Cancila joined Garland Insulating in November 2015. He has served as a corporate controller in a variety of industries including: Oil & Gas, Manufacturing, Retail, Transportation and Construction. Most recently, he was controller with Premium Energy Group, an oil services and manufacturing company. 

Cancila earned his undergraduate degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He also holds a graduate degree in Business Administration from Our Lady of the Lake University in Houston. In addition to his undergraduate and graduate degrees, Cancila completed the CPA exam and held a CPA license in Missouri. He is also a Certified Continuous Improvement Leader and a QuickBooks Certified Pro Advisor.  

Ferrell Drum, Chairman of the Board 

Ferrell Drum began working for Garland Insulating Ltd. after graduating from Harding University in 1971. In 1973, he purchased the company from Paul Drum, who founded the company in 1948. During Ferrell’s leadership, Garland’s revenues have experienced notable growth. He is committed to ensure Garland’s customers are served with superior service, science-based thermal applications, and treated with the upmost human dignity. He holds a strong passion to assure his team takes thermal performance seriously. Drum motivates the Garland Team to take on the responsibility of leading the Texas housing market to provide homeowners and occupants comfort, energy conservation, and reduced relational cost.

He is active in the insulation contractor industry, where he is the current president of the ICAA and previously sat on the board for Insulate America. He has also served in various roles of service outside of the industry throughout his career.