Our History

 

In the late 1990s, the Eames family living in Southern Utah, began a quest to revolutionize Green Building Technology and sought to invent the next generation of Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF). Their first exposure on their journey was to what we’d call ICF 2.0. These were ICF Blocks made from 87% recycled Styrofoam mixed with cement. ICF 2.0 was a fantastic product but was still lacking something. After much research and experimentation, they used the International Residential Code (IRC) as their guide to invent an ICF form made from lightweight aerated concrete. They called it the “E-Z Block.” Essentially ICF 3.0!

In late 2017, during a lunch between friends—Dale Merrill, a design/build contractor for over 40-years, and Jerrold Johnson, a naturalized Jamaican and well-respected successful banker—the topic of the affordable housing crisis in Jamaica and the Caribbean came up. Dale mentioned ICF 2.0 as a possible cost-efficient solution for Jamaica and the Caribbean. The two decided to embark upon a quest to not only find the right product solution for Jamaica’s affordable housing gaps but to open a factory in Jamaica to manufacture it when they did. They joined forces with like-minded, passionate, experienced partners—the Jamaican-born founders of A-Supreme Nursing in Toronto, Canada—and started this journey together.

After researching and exploring many ICF 2.0 solutions, there remained one consistent challenge with the manufacturing of the product in Jamaica; would the supply of recycled Styrofoam locally be sufficient to scale up and meet the market demand? Persistent research led them to Aaron Eames with his Next Generation ICF Block, the E-Z Block, made of lightweight aerated concrete and not Styrofoam.

E-Z Block ticked all the boxes. It eliminated the challenge of sourcing, collecting and processing post-consumer Styrofoam. It was climate-resilient, energy-efficient, quick and straightforward to install. It was also less expensive to build with than traditional concrete block and steel while providing a hurricane-resistant solution. Soon after, we purchased a license for Jamaica and E-Z Block Manufacturing Jamaica Limited was born.

E-Z Block Manufacturing Jamaica Limited holds the exclusive license to manufacture and distribute E-Z Blocks in Jamaica.

Our Guiding Principles

Our Purpose: We supply quality eco-friendly, climate-resilient building materials, paving the way to the pride of home ownership.

Our Vision: The E-Z Block is the gold standard for Climate Resilient Building materials in Jamaica and the Caribbean.

Our Mission: Building generational wealth for the people of Jamaica and the Caribbean, one block at a time.

Our Core Values: Integrity, Vision, Persistence and Resourcefulness.

Our 3-year Goal: E-Z Block Manufacturing Jamaica Ltd. will produce 10% or more of the building blocks needed to supply Jamaica’s annual affordable housing stock.

Our People

Leadership Team

• Jerrold Johnson, Co-Founder, Managing Director
• Dale Merrill, Co-Founder, Director of Sales, Installation and Training
• Mike Churchill, Director of Business Development

Board of Directors

• Dale Merrill
• Shawna Flynn
• Benito Palomino
• Derrick Cotterell
  
• Vivienne Dickson
• Jerrold Johnson

Advisory Board

• Jon Schroth
• Ryan Hanson
• Raymond Johnson

 

Our Vision 2024

Leaning out into the future, three years from our starting date, this is what we envision for our company. Our vision statement acts as our compass and guides our decision making to bring affordable, sustainable housing/building solutions to the people of Jamaica and help everyone we serve to create generational wealth.

Our Team

The team at E-Z Block Manufacturing Jamaica Limited (EBMJ) exists to be extraordinary. We want more from life, for ourselves and equally for others. We have a champion mindset and possess winning attitudes that keep us persistently moving towards our goals. Our hearts are focused on exceeding the expectations of our customers and the ultimate end-users of our products. We understand what it means to be a part of a team, and we achieve our most significant results as a team. We are diversely talented, with unique skill sets that are complementary to advancing our mission. We are confident self-starters, yet each of us remains humble enough to be coachable, teachable and trainable. Our drive is to be better tomorrow than we are today.

At EBMJ, we are not clock watchers, but instead are dedicated, goal-oriented workers, that persist diligently on completing the task necessary to accomplish our desired objectives. We add to our team strength from referrals from our stakeholders, partners and shareholders who know who we are and understand our vision and culture. As beneficiaries of the E-Z Block, our team has first-hand knowledge and experience with our product, and a genuine desire to share it with the world.

Our Workplace Culture

We maintain a culture of respect and dignity for each other and our team, business associates and customers. People beg to be a part of our team because they want to be associated with our company brand and culture. Why? Because the strength of our “purpose before profit” culture is renowned, and association with our company opens doors for members of the team to live meaningful, purpose-driven lives.

We are unified and work hard together and play together. We provide fair compensation and benefits for our team’s services. Our incentive programs act as generational wealth-building tools for our team and their families. Our Dignity incentive plan provides the opportunity for each member of our team to attain the pride of home ownership and investment for their future. We provide health and wellness benefits and incentive programs that allow for family getaways. We enrich our team with ongoing educational, personal and professional development opportunities. We employ the “Great Game of Business” methodology, providing our team with the tool of ownership, and provide opportunities to expand into owning and/or running complementary businesses, solidifying our culture of providing opportunities for our teams’ generational wealth.

Our Product

We manufacture the E-Z Block, the incredible next-generation of Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF). Our customers and end-users choose the E-Z Block to create “Green” climate-resilient, energy-efficient buildings for residential homes, commercial buildings and other construction applications.

Our cost-efficient products make building affordable for people of any income bracket. The design and engineering of our E-Z Block allow for the quick construction of energy-efficient, disaster-resilient buildings.

The quality of life experienced in an E-Z Block constructed building is unique in that the insulated walls make interior temperatures pleasant, with minimal use of air conditioning systems, saving energy and the associated costs. Interiors are quieter due to the inherent soundproofing characteristics of E-Z Block, reducing traffic and other nuisance noises.

Our Customers

Our primary customers are residential developers, builders, and contractors while presenting a viable option for DIY home builders. Our residual customers are commercial and multi-unit developers. The beneficiaries of our product are the people of Jamaica who live, work, do business, go to school, worship or play in an E-Z Block constructed building.

Builders, contractors and developers rave about the E-Z Block’s incredible sturdiness. They are impressed with the ease and quickness of installation. They are ecstatic that their construction completion time is reduced by more than half, saving interest costs on their project financing.

Our factories and mobile plants across Jamaica are continually increasing our manufacturing efficiencies. Our research and development teams are in constant collaboration with the Faculty of Built Environment at The University of Technology (UTECH) and the Disaster Risk Reduction Centre at The University of The West Indies (UWI). Together we are striving to evolve our climate resilient product offerings to meet and exceed the needs of the island’s population.

Our work with the National Housing Trust (NHT) and the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ) to provide the E-Z Blocks for affordable homes has expanded to delivering our Strong Shell Concept homes. We have begun partnerships with local construction product retailers, and contractors, in providing the E-Z Block Strong Shell Concept homes. With the popularity of Strong Shell affordable homes, we have orders to deliver 150 kit homes over the next six (6) months. Due to this growing demand for the Strong Shell Concept home, we opened a 500 mould E-Z Block Factory in St. Catherine, dedicated to producing E-Z Blocks specifically for these homes.

 

Certified E-Z Block Training Program

Our E-Z Block certification program offers individuals the opportunity to learn the proper method of installing our block. Our training program is certified by the government’s Human Employment and Resource Training Trust/National Training Agency (HEART Trust NTA) program that is currently available at institutions in five parishes. Journeymen and Journey women with E-Z Block certifications are among the highest-paid tradespeople in Jamaica. Due to the increased demand for tradespeople, it’s given birth to new professional career positions for E-Z Block Trainers and E-Z Block Inspectors.

Carrying an E-Z Block certification card is regarded with as much respect as those carrying journeyman cards for skilled trades like electricians, plumbers, carpenters or masons. The E-Z Block certified installer feels a sense of pride knowing that they are part of our purpose-driven corporate mission, of bringing affordable, sustainable homes to the people of Jamaica as part of the plan to create generational wealth for every citizen.

The demand for certified installers, trainers and inspectors are growing daily, opening doors for career advancement and personal growth, within Jamaica and globally as we expand our reach to other developing countries.

Sales and Marketing

We consistently exceed our sales goals using a Partnership philosophy in our sales and marketing policies, believing that “together everyone achieves more!” We create win-win partnerships with organizations that have intersecting objectives, which in turn creates referrals for lead generation. Our connections with the National Housing Trust (NHT), Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ), allow us to leverage the affordable housing market, tapping into prospective customers. Our partnership with the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) and Sports Development Commission (SDC) in providing the E-Z Block for school buildings, health centres, and community centres in rural areas continues to expand. We have contracts to provide E-Z Blocks for the construction of 30 new rural schools over the next nine (9) months.

As the success of our partnership philosophy continues, it pays dividends, reducing our customer acquisition cost. This allows us to redistribute our marketing dollars more efficiently, literally giving us more bang for our buck. Now, we are expanding our social media footprint, and increasing engagement strategies, which are generating more retail sales of our “Strong Shell Concept Homes.”

Impact

Our first three years of operations in Jamaica, revenues have tripled, while our team has grown from 10 people to 50. We started with one 50 mould plant in Montego Bay, St. James and now have 1500 moulds in operation across the island with three (3) plant locations and two (2) mobile plants. At full capacity, annually, we produce 500,000 blocks (1500 homes), 1,800,000 square feet of E-Z Blocks. That equates to providing enough blocks to meet 10% of Jamaica’s affordable housing demand. Additionally, we have provided E-Z Block for three (3) major resorts, spanning the island from Negril to Kingston.

There are over 200 certified E-Z Block installers, 20 certified E-Z Block Trainers and eight (8) E-Z block inspectors across the island.

Our product has a tremendous positive impact on Jamaica’s nation-building initiative, as we impact four areas of Jamaica’s Strategic Development Goals (SDG’s):

1) Poverty reduction; as we assist in making affordable, sustainable, generational homes available to more people.

2) Cities and communities; use the E-Z Block in constructing energy efficient buildings in both residential and commercial structures, with reduced maintenance and monthly utility operational costs.

3) Education: E-Z Blocks are used to build schools and related structures, with a focus on replacing wooden constructed rural schools.

4) Partnership: EBMJ executes its business objective by creating partnerships across various sectors and industries. EBMJ is an industry leader and influencer. The E-Z Block affects the lives of over 100,000 Jamaicans who experience the benefits of buildings constructed with the E-Z Block every day.