EP 28 · 2022-04-04 · 1:16:30
Solar Cladding as a Cladding Replacement: BIPV, Rainstick Water Recycling, and Atlantic Canada Sales Strategy | Barry Osmun, AzSpecd Solutions
Barry Osmun of AzSpecd Solutions explains how building-integrated solar cladding and recycling-shower technology let Atlantic Canada contractors green-retrofit commercial and residential envelopes without aesthetic compromise.
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⟶ The story, written up — a sharp read with every fact on the record. Or skip straight to the moments that matter, as clips.
// CHAPTERS — TAP TO JUMP THE PLAYER
0:03Background: from roofing sales to LEED certification — Barry's unconventional path — BA in economics/English, academic probation, 15 years at Shaw Brick, 4 at Pella, then Stone Depot — builds a full-envelope knowledge base. He describes why a liberal-arts degree opened doors in construction sales.8:00Founding AzSpecd and the rain-screen primer — Barry explains his 2018 entrepreneurial launch as a manufacturer's rep, a COVID pivot to PPE (importing from China, tracking shipments to airports), and a quick primer on rain-screen systems for listeners unfamiliar with building-envelope basics.16:23Metrics BIPV solar cladding — technology and the SMU Loyola install — The core product: building-integrated photovoltaic honeycomb panels that look like standard ACM cladding but generate solar power. Barry explains the sell — 'you were going to spend $35 on masonry, spend $50 and get payback.' The first Atlantic Canada commercial install at Saint Mary's University Loyola Building (EllisDon) is described, including core-drilling through existing precast for wiring.29:05Government appetite, private-sector resistance, and missed cranes — Barry describes meetings with NS Environment Minister Tim Hallman, the province's plan for 25% renewables in new government buildings, and frustration at seeing 42 cranes in Halifax representing 'missed opportunities.' He distinguishes developer types: forward-thinking (e.g., PolyCorp) vs. pure-margin-focused.36:50Solar Vision outdoor lighting and First Nations energy strategy — Barry introduces Solar Vision (Quebec-made solar street/park/warf lighting, 400 Canadian projects), its no-trench install advantage, and his strategy of working with First Nations communities — including a Miramichi-area co-op and Kahnawake — who he calls 'environmentalists before it was cool' seeking energy sovereignty.47:59Rainstick shower recycler and the vision for a fully-green home — Rainstick recycles 80% of shower water via UV treatment in real time, with an app for monitoring. Barry describes piloting units in First Nations homes, a Fredericton tiny-homes initiative (12 Neighbours) by philanthropist Marcel Lebrun, and a model passive house in Kirkland Lake combining Metrics cladding, Rainstick, and Solar Vision lighting.57:3035 years of sales philosophy — listen first, adapt, admit gaps — Dan invites Barry to share construction-sales wisdom. Key lessons: listen before pitching, adapt your communication register from jobsite to architecture firm, and admit knowledge gaps openly rather than bluffing — then follow up within 24 hours. Atlantic Canada's relationship-based market is contrasted with high-volume Toronto call-report culture.
// THE INTRO
Host Daniel Arsenault sits down with Barry Osmun, founder of AzSpecd Solutions, a Halifax-area manufacturer's-rep agency specialising in green-energy building products. Barry traces a 35-year construction-sales career (Shaw Brick, Pella Windows, Stone Depot) that pivoted in 2021 toward renewables after a son-catalysed epiphany. The episode covers three product lines he now reps: Metrics (BIPV solar cladding that replaces ACM panels at ~$50/sf vs $30 for plain ACM, with payback in ~5 years), Solar Vision (Canadian-made off-grid solar street/park lighting requiring no trenching), and Rainstick (a real-time UV-treated shower recycling 80% of water). Barry details the first Atlantic Canada commercial BIPV install at Saint Mary's University Loyola Building (EllisDon project), outlines how government mandate + grant incentives will drive private-sector adoption, and shares his strategy of targeting First Nations communities as early adopters motivated by energy sovereignty and water scarcity. The back third of the episode pivots to 35-year sales philosophy: listen before pitching, adapt communication style to the audience (jobsite vs. architect's office), and admit what you don't know within 24 hours. The episode is a strong community-of-practice contribution for envelope contractors and progressive developers, though thin on hard numbers and constrained by very low reach.
// THE LESSONS
See all 12 lessons ▸Frame BIPV solar cladding as a replacement for what you were already going to buy, not an add-on cost — the delta from standard ACM ($30/sf) to solar panels ($50/sf) is ~$20, not $50.
“you were going to spend that so this stuff here you know it's probably gonna cost you about 50”
Getting in early on an innovative product line secures the territory but stretches the sales cycle — be prepared for months of promotion before first revenue.
“the good is getting in on the ground floor the bad is that the sales cycle is going to be a little longer”
In Atlantic Canada construction sales, relationship depth beats call volume — customers want to deal with the same rep for five years and will give you their attention if you give them yours.
“our customers really expect and respect a relationship they don't want that revolving door of sales reps”
Adapt your communication register completely between the jobsite and the architect's office — same visit, different language, or you lose both clients.
“you need to bring yourself from the cursing and squaring level with the contractor to the technical level with the architecture”
Admitting you don't know something and following up with the correct answer within 24 hours builds more credibility with architects than bluffing — it signals honesty and that the client will get accurate specs.
“don't pretend you know everything i don't know everything...they're surprised that you actually do follow up”
Retrofit is often a larger immediate market for building-integrated solar than new construction — owners of tired 1970s buildings need both modernisation and energy offset, and solar cladding delivers both in one install.
“i had thought when i took it on it was just for new construction but it's as much or maybe more so for retrofit”
First Nations communities are a high-quality early-adopter channel for green building products: they are highly motivated (energy sovereignty, water scarcity, alignment with cultural values), well-organised, and often have access to government funding for sustainable infrastructure.
“in the reservations their young people are becoming educated they have their own architects their own engineers focused on green energy”
Off-grid solar street lighting removes the need to trench electrical conduit, making it cost-competitive with conventional site lighting even before energy savings — the install advantage, not just the sustainability angle, closes the deal.
“the great thing is you don't need to dig a trench”
A BA in arts or humanities is underrated preparation for construction sales — the ability to structure arguments, present clearly, and communicate at multiple registers is the job, regardless of how you learned it.
“what the ba really gave me was a well-rounded education that allowed me to put logical arguments together”
The biggest renewables adoption lever for private developers is combining legislative mandate (minimum % renewable in new builds) with direct financial incentive (grants) — neither alone is sufficient.
“my hope is that there's going to be a combination of legislation and reward”
When repping a manufacturer, becoming a turnkey integrator (coordinating engineers, architects, and installers) de-risks adoption for the client and differentiates you from a pure product broker — especially for novel building technology.
“offering more of a turnkey acting as a consultant almost a project manager type of approach”
LinkedIn is an underused prospecting and partnership tool for Atlantic Canada construction sales — it surfaces emerging manufacturers (like Rainstick) and policy developments that would otherwise take months to find via trade shows.
“linkedin is a great source...if i can give any advice to a young entrepreneur spend some time on linkedin”
// CLIPS FROM THIS EPISODE
Emotional · 5:09
“you know my childhood was a little bit tumultuous my dad had cancer”
Story · 6:26
“finally he says these aren't very good marks mr ross are they”
Story · 9:18
“i'd been working with a company called sunny we out of toronto”
Story · 10:38
“you've probably heard the horror stories it was like the wild west”
Framework · 13:50
“people think because you're putting up a brick or a masonry wall there's no water penetrating”
Story · 17:46
“didn't your son say something to you too”
Hot take · 21:08
“just as a bit of a social experiment i was in to see an architect last week”
Framework · 22:54
“commercially everything's all cut to the shop drawing”
Framework · 26:34
“i always tell guys say well how much is it”
Story · 30:20
“the nova scotia government i couldn't be more happy with the response”
Hot take · 32:27
“you drive around halifax and you see 42 43 cranes up here”
Emotional · 43:06
“our indigenous people they were environmentalists before it was cool”
Framework · 49:09
“what they've been able to do is invent a shower that recycles 80 of your shower water”
Hot take · 52:10
“we take water for granted here we really do”
Story · 57:50
“if you want to cover off the aesthetics issue there's wind manufacturers now”
Framework · 1:08:42
“i see too many young sales reps walking into an architect's office and starting with the pitch”
Hot take · 1:13:19
“this is the maritimes we're not on yonge street in downtown toronto”
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// FEATURED BUSINESSES
// FACT-CHECKED ✓ web-verified, with sources
✓ VERIFIED
The Saint Mary's University Loyola Building is the first Atlantic Canada commercial BIPV install (Mitrex solar cladding, EllisDon GC).
The project is confirmed and completed (2023–2024). Public sources describe it as North America's TALLEST solar-integrated building — a stronger and more significant claim than 'first Atlantic Canada BIPV'. EllisDon's role is confirmed (listed as Builder on the Mitrex page, alongside Markland Constr…
SOURCE ▸// COMPANIES & ORGS ✓ verified
AzSpecd Solutions Inc. ▸Barry OsmunMitrexSolar Vision Inc.RainStick ShowerEllisDon Corporation ▸Saint Mary's University Loyola Residence Recladding12 NeighboursMarcel LeBrun
// PROJECTS NAMED
Saint Mary's University Loyola Residence Recladding12 NeighboursKirkland Lake First Nations passive house
SOURCE: podscope · public episode data · cEIKmu18ZcE