Entrepreneurial Spirit is What Drives This Product Developer

By Karen L. Edwards, RCS Editor.

He wants to be doing what no one else is and deliver a better way for the industry.

When I was asked to interview the brains behind the WeatherMaster Metal Sealant product I had no idea he would be so interesting! Everyone has a story and David Braun’s won’t disappoint you. David is the vice president of market development for Franklin International, the company behind the Titebond brand of glues, adhesives, caulks and sealants that many of you use every day.

David’s entrepreneurial spirit goes all the way back to when he was 12 years old and started a lawn mowing business. Before long he grew it to 50 or 60 homes that he was mowing each summer. You’ll see that spirit throughout this article and learn that David really likes to grow business.

First real job out of college

David was unlucky enough to graduate from college in 1982. In case you don’t remember the 1980’s, the U.S. was in the midst of a recession. It was a hard time to be graduating college and looking for a job.

David knew of Franklin International because of his relationship with the company owner’s son. They two played tennis together in high school and college and were both on the Junior Davis Cup team. David used his tennis skills and love for the game to work as a tennis instructor on the hard courts at The Country Club at Muirfield Village for two years.

During his junior year of college the owner of Franklin International at the time had mentioned to David that if he ever needed a job, to call him. “I didn’t really want to work for them because we were family friends and I didn’t want to jeopardize that,” explained David. “But then my dad told me it was time for me to get a real job, so I contacted them. I interviewed on a Friday and started that Monday.”

Gaining experience in sales

He was a few years into his job at Franklin International when he was reviewing commission checks. “I thought that I wanted to be earning commission like that so I asked if I could be in sales,” said David. “They didn’t think that I had enough experience. I asked if I could go get some experience and then come back and try it. They agreed.”

David took a sales job with Triangle Pacific Cabinetry, selling to home builders and contractors. After building up his sales over five years to hit $2 billion per year mark, David was ready to sell for Franklin International. “They said they thought that I had gained the experience I needed so I took a role managing sales in the southeast territory for 18 months.”

Developing innovative products

His entrepreneurial spirit was pulling him back in from the field. David returned to the office and worked on developing Titebond FRP, a solvent based adhesive designed specifically for use with fiber reinforced panels which he grew into a multimillion- dollar line of products for the company.

He explained that Franklin International is the kind of company where they will give you an idea and then give you the latitude to spend the time learning, researching it, developing it and rolling it out. “It’s like having your own little business inside a huge company that can support it,” explained David.

That’s how WeatherMaster for siding and windows was developed. David explained that the company had always wanted a line of caulks and they asked him to investigate it. “I researched it for 6 months and discovered some cutting-edge solutions that were being used in Europe and not here,” said David. “We created a solution in 2007 that is now a standard among manufacturers like James Hardy.”

David said he saw an opportunity in the market for a metal sealant. “There must have been 50 or 60 metal manufacturers in the market, but no one had a sealant specific to metal. They were only using a multipurpose sealant that wasn’t that great.” The result was the development of a green solution in 2009: WeatherMaster Metal Roof Sealant.

Listening to customers drives innovation

One of the ways that David help to adapt products to their customers’ needs is to listen to what he calls the ‘yeah, buts.’  One of the ‘yeah, buts’ that David heard about WeatherMaster Metal Roof Sealant was, “I love your products, but it says metal roof on the label, so my guys won’t use it on asphalt shingles.” That’s when WeatherMaster Ultimate MP (multi-purpose) was developed.

“The Ultimate MP uses the same base as the Metal Roof Sealant, but then we tweak it for the different applications. Similar to how you use flour as a base for making a cake, but then you use different ingredients to make any number of kinds of cakes,” he explained.

David shared that he wants to be the one to create something that no one else is doing to give his product the edge in the market. “I like to go where no one else has gone in a way that makes your competitors react to your product - if they even can. I want to do something no one else has done before and deliver a better answer for the customer,” concluded David.

Learn more about Titebond’s full line of solutions and request a free sample of WeatherMaster Metal Roof Sealant in Franklin International’s RCS Directory