LIVE from RISKWORLD 2022: Camille Graham, Floodproofing.com
Attending the first RISKWORLD for herself and her company, Camille Graham, National Project Manager for Floodproofing.com shared with host Jamie Gassmann how rewarding the conference was for building new relationships. She talked about the comprehensive services provided by Floodproofing.com, the increase in flooding across the country, the need to consider flood mitigation services regardless of one’s location, and much more.
Workplace MVP is underwritten and presented by R3 Continuum and produced by the Minneapolis-St.Paul Studio of Business RadioX®.
This show was originally broadcast from the RIMS 2022 RISKWORLD Conference held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California.
Camille Graham, National Project Manager, Floodproofing.com
Since 2001, Floodproofing.com has been providing global floodproofing product options and education to design professionals, municipalities, and property owners. Their goal is to provide the best mitigation solutions through complementary project design analysis.
Floodproofing.com is built upon the legacy and expertise gained from the development of Smart Vent Products Inc., which has propelled the company into an industry leader. A team of Certified Floodplain Managers and Flood Mitigation Specialists provides the industry with a portfolio of innovative dry and wet floodproofing systems.
About Workplace MVP
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Workplace MVP Host Jamie Gassmann
In addition to serving as the host to the Workplace MVP podcast, Jamie Gassmann is the Director of Marketing at R3 Continuum (R3c). Collectively, she has more than fourteen years of marketing experience. Across her tenure, she has experience working in and with various industries including banking, real estate, retail, crisis management, insurance, business continuity, and more. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mass Communications with special interest in Advertising and Public Relations and a Master of Business Administration from Paseka School of Business, Minnesota State University.
R3 Continuum
R3 Continuum is a global leader in workplace behavioral health and security solutions. R3c helps ensure the psychological and physical safety of organizations and their people in today’s ever-changing and often unpredictable world. Through their continuum of tailored solutions, including evaluations, crisis response, executive optimization, protective services, and more, they help organizations maintain and cultivate a workplace of wellbeing so that their people can thrive. Learn more about R3c at www.r3c.com.
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TRANSCRIPT
Intro: [00:00:02] Broadcasting live from Riskworld 2022 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, it’s time for Workplace MVP. Brought to you by R3 Continuum, a global leader in helping workplaces thrive during disruptive times. Now, here’s your host.
Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:22] Hi, everyone. Jamie Gassmann here with Workplace MVP and we are broadcasting from Riskworld 2022 Expo Hall in R3 Continuum’s booth. And joining me is Camille Graham.
Camille Graham: [00:00:22] Hello.
Jamie Gassmann: [00:00:37] Hello. From Floodproofing. Talk to me about your company and tell me a little bit about your background.
Camille Graham: [00:00:42] Yes. Thanks for having me, Jamie. We are Floodproofing.com. We are all the way from New Jersey. It’s our first time out here in San Francisco, for me personally ever. And it’s our first time that our company is doing this conference. We do all things flood mitigation. So, we provide flood panels, flood events, and even flood glass, deployable systems and passive systems to prevent flood water from entering into a building. We also have flood vents that let water through to alleviate the pressure on a building. And we have an insurance agency risk reduction plus group that helps to pass on the insurance savings that you should see from having proper flood mitigation through to your insurance premium. We are a one-stop shop for all things flood mitigation.
Jamie Gassmann: [00:01:28] Very interesting. And so, you mentioned this is your first time expo-ing at RIMS.
Camille Graham: [00:01:33] Yes, it is.
Jamie Gassmann: [00:01:33] So, talk to me about, you know, what were some of the things that made you decide that this was where you needed to be for sharing your business and what you guys do.
Camille Graham: [00:01:42] So, we actually – one of our partners that we work really closely with, Tiger Dam, is also here and they told us that this is the most beneficial conference that they come to every year because they meet people that have an immediate need for what we do. They have an immediate problem that they need to solve with flooding and they’re looking for solutions. And so, it’s cool. We usually go to conferences where we work with a lot of architects and engineers, which is incredible because we get specced early on in the design phase. But there’s also a huge need for property managers, risk managers, people that have buildings now that need solutions, and we’re here to provide them.
Jamie Gassmann: [00:02:23] And so, I mean, we’re at the end of day one. And so, talk to me. How have your conversations been going so far with, you know, the traffic that’s been coming through?
Camille Graham: [00:02:32] It’s been awesome. We have had some of the most incredible conversations with people that have experienced flooding or they know that they’re in a flood zone. And with the changing climate and with the increased risk that’s posed by flooding all over the country, people know that this is an issue that they need to solve. They’re looking for solutions and it’s top of mind more today than ever before. So people are coming eager to find a solution to that problem. And it’s just been the most progressive conversations that we’ve had at a conference.
Jamie Gassmann: [00:03:06] That’s fantastic. And so, looking at flooding, just out of pure curiosity, are there areas within like the North, obviously, America, I think you’re kind of more in the U.S. for your services? Are there some areas that are more prone to flooding that doesn’t have this protection in place than others? Talk to us a little bit about that.
Camille Graham: [00:03:27] Yeah. So, I will say that a lot of people, when they think about flooding, they assume coastal. They think oceans, they think beach towns, they think Florida. But actually, all over the country, you know, this risk is present. A lot of flooding that happens is flash flooding from rainstorms. So, yes. Do we do a ton of work in coastal communities like Florida, like New Jersey, like New York City, and Hoboken? We do. But we also do a ton of work in places that probably would not be top of mind when you think about flooding because this issue is all over the country these days.
Jamie Gassmann: [00:04:04] Yeah, absolutely. And so what – so, you mentioned flash flooding, but what are some other natural or even none, like maybe manmade situations that are causing flooding within the country that businesses should be aware of?
Camille Graham: [00:04:17] Yeah. So, we have – sometimes in your drainage system so you might have an area where that sees a lot of rainfall and then the system is completely overwhelmed and it can’t handle the amount of rain that you saw so it can kind of backflow and cause flooding all through the streets, which causes a horrible issue that might not have been expected.
Camille Graham: [00:04:37] During Hurricane Ida in the northeast, you know, this storm was hitting Louisiana and we knew that it was going to cause a huge issue down there. And then, the next thing we knew, up north in Philadelphia and in New York City, there was, I mean, life loss because of flash flooding and flooding that happened that we did not expect. We didn’t expect it to come. It was actually considered to be like a 500-year flood event. Vine Street through Philadelphia was completely flooded to a point that nobody had ever seen before, nobody would ever expect. And one thing that I want to say is that when a storm like that happens, it might be considered a 100 or 500-year flood event but that doesn’t mean that if it happened yesterday, it can’t happen again tomorrow. These things can happen more than once within that 500-year frame, and they probably will as time goes on when we start to see these things happening more frequently.
Jamie Gassmann: [00:05:38] Yeah. And so if there’s a business out there that, let’s just say, they’re not in a prominent flood area, maybe they’re not in a floodplain, it’s not anything that’s really on their radar from a location perspective, what is some advice that you would give to them in terms of how they should be looking at this as part of their overall risk mitigation?
Camille Graham: [00:05:57] Yeah. I always say don’t just think about today and don’t just look at necessarily the history of flooding in an area but think about the future and really just consider the resiliency of your business or your building where you’re at. Whether it be flood insurance or a flood mitigation system in place, if there is an event, having something in place is just going to allow you to open your doors, you know, sooner than if, obviously, you had a flood event. So it’s something that we say, always consider, never think that you’re not vulnerable to something like this, and protect yourself, not just for today, but for the future.
Jamie Gassmann: [00:06:37] Yeah. Great advice. And thank you so much for joining us. If somebody wanted to reach out to you to get more information or to learn a little bit more, how would they go about doing that?
Camille Graham: [00:06:46] Yes. They can go to floodproofing.com. Our website is an awesome resource. You can find everything that we have to offer and you can reach out to us on that website.
Jamie Gassmann: [00:06:57] Yeah. Very interesting information. Thank you again. It’s been great to chat with you.
Outro: [00:07:06] Thank you for joining us on Workplace MVP. R3 Continuum is a proud sponsor of this show and is delighted to celebrate most valuable professionals who work diligently to secure safe workplaces where employees can thrive.
