Cool Times Podcast

Someone sits down with a stack of samples—lighter, stronger, different. The words come careful at first: thermal bridging, composite materials, a better way. But then the story spills: a million-square-foot warehouse in Denver, seven thousand rods, half of them wrapped in insulation that no longer needs to exist. That's the moment the room shifts. Not from a pitch, but from recognition. The person across the table has heard the same thing back nine times in a row from architects and engineers: This is a winner. When is it going to be available? Joe Trujillo, president of Xō Structure, spent nine years watching the cold storage industry solve the same problem the same way—expensive, inefficient, wasteful. Then he built something else: a modular structural system and ceiling tee that eliminates thermal bridging, cuts assembly time in half, and passes Class A fire rating validation. On Cool Times Podcast, Trujillo breaks down how engineering innovation challenges the status quo in cold chain logistics, and what it takes to get an industry to pay attention when you've actually solved something they've lived with for decades. Vince Free recognizes immediately what this means: fewer rods, less labor, lower CapEx, a shift that industry stubbornness might resist but cannot ignore. The conversation cuts through the noise to ask the question that matters—not what can we sell, but why have we been building it this way all along? About the Guest: Joe Trujillo is president of Xō Structure, an innovator in modular cold storage construction systems. His work in thermal performance, structural efficiency, and cold chain logistics is reshaping how the industry approaches warehouse design and operational costs. CONNECT WITH JOE TRUJILLO You can find Joe Trujillo here: Website: https://www.xostructure.com/ 🎯 Sponsored By: RytecDoors https://www.rytecdoors.com/ Versi-Foam https://www.rhhfoamsystems.com/

Someone was breaking bones, running out of talent, knowing his body couldn't sustain the pace anymore. A single question from a stranger changed everything—not because it was harsh, but because it named what he already felt: *you can't do this forever*. That moment, delivered during a motocross lesson while healing from injury, sent him toward a twenty-year career he never knew existed. Now Bryan White, the newly appointed executive director from association management firm Kellen, is stepping into controlled-environment construction at the exact moment CEBA is splitting from its parent organization to become its own entity. White's task is monumental—building the infrastructure from nothing: databases, websites, email systems, registration platforms. What makes his perspective invaluable is that he brings two decades of career reinvention to an industry where competitors genuinely love each other, where people volunteer their time and passion, and where a single conversation can shift your entire trajectory. On Cool Times Podcast, listeners will discover how to navigate organizational transitions, earn trust in close-knit industries, and lead through vulnerability. Vince Free, longtime CEBA member and host, understands the weight of what this moment means for the community. He and co-host Jenna welcome Bryan White into a conversation about transition, institutional trust, and the person chosen to guide CEBA through its most transformative season—exploring what it takes to build something meaningful from nothing. About the Guest: Bryan White is the Executive Director of CEBA, brought on by association management firm Kellen to lead the organization's independence and infrastructure development.

A stranger pulls a young man aside on a construction site and asks one question: "What do you want to do with your life?" Twenty years later, that moment still echoes—not as nostalgia, but as a blueprint. Lead by showing up. Exceed what's expected. Keep your fingerprints on everything that matters. Josh Currie has spent three decades building cold storage facilities that keep food moving through America's supply chain. From his early days in concurrent enrollment and grocery retail to launching ThermCon as a specialized construction firm, he's navigated startups, shutdowns, and scaling—all while refusing to outsource the details that separate good projects from legendary ones. On this episode of Cool Times Podcast, you'll discover how mentorship flows both directions, why the cold storage industry remains resilient despite tariffs and automation pressures, and what it means to build a business where people still want to show up. Vince Free brings his signature curiosity and high-energy questions to a conversation about scaling without losing soul—a tension he understands deeply. Josh's philosophy of relationship-first leadership and presence mirrors the ethos that keeps Vince connected to the networks and people who matter most in this industry, even as markets shift. About the Guest: Josh Currie is founder of ThermCon, a boutique cold storage construction and special projects firm. Active in GCCA and CRITA, he's a 30-year veteran of facility design, insulated metal panels, thermal performance optimization, and the networks that build resilient supply chains.

A man in his fifties sits in a New Jersey office, three decades of warehouse grit still visible in his hands, recounting a summer at sixteen when he dressed in a suit to secretly unload frozen containers before dawn. His parents had no idea. One sentence from the warehouse owner—just one—changed the trajectory of his entire life. This is the story of how two lumpers from the ground floor became architects of an industry transformation. Dan DiDonato, John Ingrassia, Gary Ortiz bring thirty-five years of cold chain mastery to Cool Times Podcast, built on concrete pours, pallet refurbishment, and eventually running hundred-million-dollar regional cold storage operations. Now they're launching Unit Cold Storage—a modular cold storage solution engineered for small and mid-size food, pharma, and e-commerce companies that need speed, flexibility, and real control over inventory. Vince Free digs into how two warehouse kids spotted the exact gap the industry overlooked and are now reshaping cold storage infrastructure for the era of thirty-minute delivery windows. For Vince, this conversation hits different. It's about the relationship-first mindset that built empires—how listening to what operators actually need, not what corporate thinks they need, creates real solutions. It's also about recognizing the people who shaped an industry from the inside, the ones whose hands-on wisdom translates into innovation that works. Check out Unit Cold Storage: https://unitcold.com/ Don’t miss this architecture-meets-cold-storage deep dive with one of the most passionate leaders in the biz. Chill out with the full episode at 🌐 www.cooltimespodcast.com 🎯 Sponsored By: Versi-Foam Systems https://www.rhhfoamsystems.com/

Nick Strube, Vice President at FoodTech, sits down with Vince Free to discuss the unsexy-but-essential world of cold storage and food processing construction. But the real story is simpler: two Wisconsin guys who graduated from UWM the same year, played bags at Brewers games, and somehow never crossed paths until now. Nick's been in the industry for twenty years because someone gave him a foot-in-the-door opportunity, and he just kept saying yes — to learning new tasks, to seeing how food actually gets made, to building the kinds of spaces that keep America fed. In this episode, you'll learn how food production facilities demand a completely different design philosophy than cold storage warehouses, how FoodTech sequences massive European equipment through tight spaces, how modern 3D modeling and iPad walkthroughs are changing the game on job sites, and the story of the time FoodTech had to retrofit an ice cream freezer with a foot of ice between the panels, working in five feet of space while the conveyor stayed running and the world was locking down. A warm, hometown-flavored conversation that makes the industry feel small in the best way. ❄️ Cool Takeaways:- The UWM Graduation-Year Reveal — Vince and Nick discover they graduated from the same school, the same year (2005–2006). The moment crystallizes why Vince has been hunting Nick down — two Wisconsin guys living parallel lives in the same industry. Sanitary Design: Where Food Production Gets Complex — Nick explains why food production facilities require elaborate wash-down protocols, bacteria containment design, and material selection — unlike cold storage, which is 'a little more flexible.' The stakes are E. coli, listeria, cross-contamination. The Mister Rogers Factory-Tour Callback — Nick describes his genuine joy at factory tours — seeing how food is made, understanding the logic of production flow, experiencing the wonder he felt as a kid watching Mister Rogers. This is why he stayed in the industry for twenty years. Revit & iPad Procore: Virtual Walkthroughs Before Construction Begins — FoodTech construction managers carry iPads on job sites and can stand in a physical location while viewing the 3D model on their device — seeing finished conditions and avoiding the RFI nightmare that slows traditional projects down. The Ice Cream Freezer Rescue: A Foot of Ice, Five Feet of Space, Spring 2020 — A repeat client's ice cream freezer had a foot of ice between the panels due to vapor leaks. With racking tight to the wall, a conveyor running, and COVID lockdowns beginning, FoodTech engineered a solution to replace a 30-foot-high wall in a five-foot workspace while keeping the facility operational. Boston vs. Wisconsin Accents: The Office Rivalry — FoodTech has offices in Rockland, Massachusetts and Brookfield, Wisconsin. The teams regularly debate whose accent is thicker — and despite Vince's failed Borat impression, the Wisconsin crew holds its ground. 🔗 CONNECT WITH NICK You can find Nick Strube here: Website: https://foodtech.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-strube-aia-47467710b/ 🎯 Sponsored By: Rytec High Performance Doors https://www.rytecdoors.com/ Fastener Systems Inc. (FSI) https://www.fastenersystems.com/