Sustainability in Construction with Matt Daigle: RISE

Show Notes

Just in time for Earth Day, Tom and Paul were joined by Matt Daigle on this week’s episode of “The Building Code.” Matt founded RISE, a company inspired by his sustainable and environmental family values after the birth of his daughter.

As a homeowner, there are many decisions you need to make while you are building or remodeling a home. In a world of many unreliable sources, RISE aims to provide access to inspiration for homeowners interested in sustainability, trustworthy tips & tricks and even rebate opportunities.

The guys chatted industry trends:

  • Pre-Fabs: Most of the industry is still building homes the same way we did 100 years ago. However, a prefab home is a more industrialized approach where you build very precisely in a warehouse before transferring to the job site.
  • “Back to Nature” Products: We’re seeing innovations in some materials such as hemp products, which offer new ways to build and finish homes in an environmentally friendly way.
  • Healthy Homes: Indoor air quality is something that is becoming a larger topic of conversation when it comes to building a home. This impacts a variety of products but can make a big difference for homeowners.

Matt wrapped up the discussion by speaking to his charitable giving efforts. This is something that has inspired Matt since Day 1 of RISE (particularly within the “B-Corp” space). Recently, RISE has committed 1% of their revenue to environmental nonprofits and after COVID-19 subsides, they plan to double their employee head count and grow their clientele.

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Transcript

Tom Houghton:

You’re listening to “The Building Code.” I’m Tom Houghton,

Paul Wurth:

Hey everyone. I’m Paul Wurth.

Tom Houghton:

And joining us on this episode of “The Building Code,” we have Matt Daigle, founder of Rise. Matt, welcome to the podcast.

Matt Daigle:

Thanks so much for having me guys.

Tom Houghton:

Well, we’re glad that we could have you on. Right now, we’re all cordoned off in our respective houses. So we appreciate the listeners putting up with some audio that may not be completely up to our normal standards, but we appreciate you still tuning in and listening to this podcast. So Matt, let’s get started diving in right away. And for all those listeners who don’t know what Rise is, just give us a background on the company.

Matt Daigle:

Yeah, for sure. So a few years ago, all started with a bit of a personal story. My wife and I had just bought our first house together, and we wanted to renovate it just in time to move in and welcome our first kid to the world. So we rushed through it, got it all done, got it to… It was probably about 85% done, and then we moved in, and a month later, our first daughter Audrey came along, and it was a really exciting time for us for a few reasons.

Matt Daigle:

I’m not sure if you guys have kids, but for myself having our first child, it started for me to ask a lot, or I started asking myself a lot of questions like what type of future are we living behind leaving behind for her? And what type of home did we just renovate for her? And can she thrive in that house? And then I also happened to pick up my first power bill, and after this renovation, and unfortunately our first power bill looked exactly the same as the power bill before the renovation.

Matt Daigle:

So here we are with this brand new house to us. And obviously the place looked really, really nice aesthetic. My wife happens to be an interior designer by trade, and so she made sure that it looked beautiful, but unfortunately we weren’t saving on the cost of running the house, and so for me, I considered the renovation a bit of a fail. And now I’ve got a kid who even having painted the inside of the house, is it a healthy home for our kid to thrive in? So you have all these new questions that are coming along and you start asking yourself whether this house really connects with your values or your new found values.

Matt Daigle:

And so that’s really how Rise got its start. So I figured out that as an average homeowner, it’s really tough to find and to build and to renovate a home that is more sustainable. When you’re building and renovating, there’s so many decisions that you need to make, but how can you make the right decisions for you and your family without having to do too much research or having too much headache or having to go through too many contractors who don’t really know what they’re to get it right.

Matt Daigle:

So Rise was essentially started on that premise. So if you’re going to build with rise.com, we grew up as a resource for homeowners. So homeowners can consult our site to get anything from inspiration to content. It’s even rebates and incentives from local utilities on how to save, specifically on energy efficient retrofits, and we’re always, obviously looking to make that experience much more seamless for our homeowners so that everybody can have a more sustainable home.

Tom Houghton:

That’s awesome. Especially with today’s climate, it’s definitely important to think about how we’re impacting the future generation and what we’re leaving for them. And I love the idea that you’ve created this hub. I don’t know if you’d call it a hub, but it seems like it’s a hub for people to come to one place and get the information that they need and get connected to the people that they need to provide this service.

Matt Daigle:

Yeah, totally. I mean, that’s essentially the audience that we really went after. We saw that there is a shift that’s happening in terms of how homeowners are becoming increasingly involved in the build and renovation process. It goes beyond now just picking the types of finishes or furniture that or the aesthetics that you want within your home. People want to know now what’s going behind the wall, how their home is being constructed and whether or not it is meeting their core values beyond just the aesthetics. So it was obviously really important for us that whatever site we created, that it catered the content and whatever was on it, so that any homeowner could go through the information really, really easily.

Matt Daigle:

I think I looked back five, six years ago when I was trying to solve my own problem back then, and I asked my contractor, my contractor didn’t really have any answers for me in terms of how we could have had a better renovation, and then I looked online and online was, you’re going to ended up in some obscure forums that had really technical information or really opinionated information. And that’s essentially the gap that Rise is looking to fill in terms of addressing the homeowner.

Paul Wurth:

Yeah man. I think it’s a really cool idea, and obviously it’s working for you guys. So I guess that begs the question, where do you get the source of your information to make sure that it’s accurate and it’s certified, I guess?

Matt Daigle:

Sure. Yeah. So that was something that was really instilled in me almost, I mean, to be honest, it’s ingrained in our culture now to be a trusted authority in the sustainable home improvement world. And so the way that we’ve been able to do that is we do a lot of research. We have a full writing and research team, a few editors as well, that cater all of this information, and we pair that actually with an in-house SEO expert. So if you’re familiar with Search Engine Optimization, it’s essentially the way more Google and other search engines define your content.

Matt Daigle:

And the search engines actually prefer things that are simpler and easier to digest. So we’ve been very intent on building content that responds to that. So that’s essentially it. We basically have an in-house team that both, so I should say in-house and also freelancers that help us with writing and research.

Tom Houghton:

That’s awesome. I’m curious if you could speak to… Obviously the whole purpose of this site is to expand the education about sustainable building, and I guess for those home builders out there or even the homeowners who maybe are a little apprehensive of what’s it going to take to build using sustainable products? Or what should I be looking for in that sense? Could you speak to maybe what they’d find on the site or how you guys combat against the misinformation or the hurdles that people face?

Matt Daigle:

Yeah, for sure. I think that’s something that we come across all the time. Greenwashing is a thing . Unfortunately, over the last few decades, people have almost preconceived notions of what it means to really be sustainable. And by the way, when I say the word sustainable, it’s still a pretty obscure term, all right. So what we’ve learned is that the term sustainability has different meanings to different people, but we’ve narrowed it down to three core benefits for the homeowner, and those are benefits for homeowner’s health, homeowner’s wealth, and for the planet.

Matt Daigle:

So we’re always able to tie back any sort of benefits from products and materials for the homeowner back to those three core values, so to say. And so for those homeowners, I think, one of the big barriers for folks when it comes to sustainability, or one of the myths that’s been out there is it’s got to be more expensive. And that’s something that we come across all the time, and oftentimes it’s not something that’s super, very easy to position. I recently had an interview with another publication actually just yesterday, and we talked about roofing and how it’s all in how you position pricing with consumers.

Matt Daigle:

And so it’s up to our company, Rise, to almost educate homeowners on why it’s actually cheaper to buy, let’s say a metal roof versus an asphalt roof. So the sticker cost of an asphalt roof obviously is much less, or maybe just slightly less than a typical metal roof that a lot of homeowners would just opt for an asphalt roof because it’s a pretty unsexy upgrade to your house. You just have to have a roof. It’s one of those necessities. But if we can just position the metal roof as, “Hey, you’re going to need to replace your asphalt roof four times in order to equal the lifetime that you’re going to get out of your metal roof, plus the added bonus of you can recycle your metal roof at the end of life, it can be painted”, there’s all these other great benefits too.

Matt Daigle:

It’s better for the environment, water runoff, these types of things. So when you can better position the real benefits of a product, I think you’re in a much better place to have consumers make a better choice.

Paul Wurth:

Yeah. That makes total sense. Matt, what would you say are like the top three areas of a renovation, areas being like a roof for the installation or even products that today you would recommend, or you would sell the value of right now?

Matt Daigle:

Yeah, so luckily at Rise, we get to see new innovative products all the time. So because we’ve amassed a big enough audience now, we’ve recently started working with manufacturers, who make these really cool products and products that are more bent on benefiting the homeowner’s health, wealth, and planet. And so a lot of innovation happening in this space. Some trends that we’re seeing, I’m not going to name any specific companies or anything like that, but one thing that comes up for us a lot recently, not a specific product but more like a way of building and that’s prefabs.

Matt Daigle:

So if you think of how the vehicle or the car has been built in the last a 100 plus years, we industrialized or manufactured the way to build a car. We get it in a warehouse and it goes through an assembly line and all this, and we’ve perfected that. But unfortunately, when it comes to homes, we really haven’t done the same, and for the most part, we still build homes like we did a 100 years ago. And prefab homes essentially takes that concept and says, “Okay, we’re going to industrialize the way that we build homes.”

Matt Daigle:

So you bring all the building within, instead of being onsite, you build within a warehouse and you also build with a level of precision using computers and software and hardware, allowing you to build to a precision that’s unparalleled on a typical job site. So there’re lots of new technology companies working on prefab homes and bringing those to market.

Matt Daigle:

Also, it has a ton of other benefits as well that maybe aren’t so visible, but one thing with building custom homes is that there’s so much material waste that happens onsite, and one of the big pluses for prefab homes is that you’re able to divert all of that and keep it. You’re able to recycle a lot of the used or the spare parts that you might have, and so it has a lot of benefits on the material waste side. So that would be one, prefab homes. Another, I would say, there’s a surge happening in, I would say back-to-nature type of products. We’re seeing a lot of innovation on… I think typically when you think of innovation, you think of highly complex, lots of maybe chemicals and complex systems and these sorts of things, but we’re actually seeing almost a resurgence of back-to-nature type products.

Matt Daigle:

So a lot of innovation’s happening in the hemp space, as an example. Hemp, crete, hemp wood, these are all, I want to say newer materials, but materials that are now starting to come to market and they’re offering new ways to build and insulate and finish our homes in ways that are increasingly regenerative and essentially very good for the environment. So that’s another trend that we’re seeing. And maybe lastly, I think having just recently attended the International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas in January, there’s a lot of talk, I think, more than ever around a healthy home, and specifically around indoor air quality, so there’s more and more talk of buildings being increasingly well-insulated and sealed, so there’s an increasing requirement to have those homes really well ventilated and having access to a really nice indoor air quality throughout.

Matt Daigle:

And I think that’s something that touches on a variety of products, maybe not just mechanical systems, but it could also be finishes and other low VOC, or actually a really good example, just last year, I was lucky enough to go down to California for a week, and I visited for the first four passive homes in Southern California, and passive house isn’t something that you typically see in warmer climates as much as you do in colder climates, like where I live in Eastern Canada, but anyways, during my visits with these homeowners and we did a few video shoots while we were there as well of these home projects.

Matt Daigle:

And it was really interesting because without prompting them, all four homeowners told me the same thing, that during the LA wildfires last year, just a year and a half ago, LA at the time, it was blue smoke outside, it was the worst city for air quality in all of the world at the time. But yet these brand new homeowners of their passive homes, they noticed that inside their homes, it was like there was no difference for them. Outside it was blue smoke, but inside they had obviously very well sheltered from the elements, and with an amazing mechanical ventilation system, they were able to just have a clean and healthy home. So this goes to show the importance of having well insulated and sealed, but also, well-ventilated homes.

Tom Houghton:

That’s a great answer. Especially now in this post-coronavirus age, I feel like home health is still going to just be even more important. They’re talking about HEPA filters being used on planes to filter out 99.9% of the particulate matter to try to stop the spread of viruses and things like that. So I’m sure that we’re going to continue to see more in this space as we move forward. And obviously your site is just poised right at the starting gate, right at the front lines of this new world we live in, I guess. So well done to you, and obviously I think I saw on there that you can sign up as a professional. So for our listeners who are listening right now who are builders, who would like to get involved in Rise, there’s definitely an opportunity for them to do that. Is that correct?

Matt Daigle:

That’s right. Yeah. We do local listings essentially for professionals, and you can expose your entire professional on Rise. So if you happen to be an architect or designer or a builder, or really any trade, and have lots of photography, and use lots of sustainable products, you can upload your entire portfolio, even tag the photos with the sustainable products that you use, and get some eyeballs on the great work that you’re doing.

Paul Wurth:

Yeah. I was checking out your website before this, Matt, and can you talk a little bit through, I don’t know much about this, the 1% that you guys participate in, as it relates to giving back?

Matt Daigle:

Yeah, for sure. This actually… It actually touches back a little bit on your earlier question about how do we keep ourselves credible and trustworthy and all that stuff. And for us in the very early days, or at least when I started the company, I was personally inspired by a lot of folks who were involved in, what I would call it the B Corp movement. So B corporations are like a middle ground between a for-profit and a non-for-profit company, and they focus on the triple bottom lines.

Matt Daigle:

So instead of making all your decisions as a company just to make money, you make your decisions to make money, but also to benefit people and the planet. And so as a B Corp, and you have to become certified as a B Corp, and it’s quite a lengthy process to do so, takes usually six months to a year. And that can be for any existing company or a new company starting out. And there’s just over 3,000 B Corps worldwide now, and so, yeah. Anyway, I was inspired by guys, like Yvon Chouinard of Patagonia and big companies like Danone or Ben & Jerry’s.

Matt Daigle:

These are all companies that have actually become B Corps and are really, I want to say poster childs of this movement and this new way of doing business, this new form of capitalism, and it’s really exciting. So just last year in May, our company, we made that commitment much more tangible, and we did become a certified B Corp in May of 2019. And then about six months later, we almost, I want to say doubled down on that commitment, by also committing to 1% for the Planet. And 1% for the Planet is something that any company could actually sign up for.

Matt Daigle:

It’s very, very quick. You don’t need to certify it for it or anything like that, but essentially what it does is you pick a company or a set of companies that you’d like to donate to, but you essentially give back at 1% of your revenues to environmental non-profits. And so that was a big, again, something that I think we always wanted to do. I mean, we were that kind of company already, and anyway we made that tangible, just that just a few short months ago, and it’s something that we’re really excited about being part of.

Paul Wurth:

That’s really awesome. Good for you guys.

Tom Houghton:

Yeah, that’s great.

Paul Wurth:

I was just going to say, Matt, so what’s next for you guys? We all are sort of looking at the future, whenever some of our current climate uncertainty is done, we’re back to normal business. What are some of your company’s goals and vision for the next 12 to 24 months?

Matt Daigle:

Yeah, for sure. So, I mean, for us, I guess, in future, we still consider ourselves very much a startup. So our company is just the five years young and we continue to grow and learn, and for us this year, we do plan to double our head count as a company. So hiring more staff, filling more roles, continuing to grow the audience and community that we’ve amassed today. Right now we’re sitting around at 1.8 million annual users. We would like to be at 3 million by the end of this year. So some big aspirations there now that we’ve started working with manufacturers, also growing that side of the business and continuing to talk to big and small organizations who are building products that are better for people’s pockets, people’s health, and the planet.

Matt Daigle:

So I think those are the top priorities. Also being a startup we are fundraising. So that’s an exciting part of, I think, any, business, especially tech businesses that are online businesses, is raising money and being able to grow at an exponential rate while doing this. It’s something that comes back to capital. So that’s another journey that we’re part of this year.

Paul Wurth:

Yeah. It’s a great time to invest in tech right now. How does somebody invest in you guys or start that inquiry?

Matt Daigle:

Yeah, I appreciate. I mean you can reach me directly at my email at matt@buildwithrise.com, you can check us out online. We have @buildwithrise.com and, there’s a variety of emails that you can reach out to there as well. Anyone on our team is we’re a pretty tight knit group and we’re an open book, so it’s really easy to find us.

Tom Houghton:

That’s awesome. Love what you’re doing, Matt. I really think it’s super important and we’re so glad that you’re doing it for all of us, not just this current generation, but for future generations and to make our world a better place. So that’s very commendable, and we would encourage our listeners to go, sign up, create an account there, and let’s help you get to that new user goal that you’ve set out there. We can definitely try to help move that number a little bit for sure.

Tom Houghton:

So we thank you so much for coming on the podcast, Matt. We appreciate you giving us your time and telling us more about Rise and what you guys are all about. And again, love the work that you’re doing, and just wish you continued success on your journey.

Matt Daigle:

Thank you so much for having me guys. It’s been a pleasure.

Paul Wurth:

Thanks, Matt. Good luck with everything.

Tom Houghton:

Love what you heard? Don’t forget to rate and subscribe to our podcast, so you can hear from more guests that will benefit your business. Also, please check out our show notes page for more information on what we discussed on this episode. You can find it at buildertrend.com/podcast. Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next time on “The Building Code.” Appreciate you.

Matt Daigle | RISE


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