Meet the Team | Kaylen Handly
This year we’re introducing a series on who makes us Benjamin Obdyke. We want to highlight the people that represent our brand every day by educating the community on what it means to Build Better.
Who is Kaylen Handly?
Kaylen Handly is well on his way to becoming an Obdyke veteran. Eight years ago, Kaylen started as a Market Development Manager, then Sales Manager, eventually leading him into his current role as Benjamin Obdyke’s Technical Innovation Manager. In his role, he works with the nitty-gritty details and uses his knowledge of building science to develop the products that make Benjamin Obdyke what it is today.
While Kaylen has worn many hats in his time at Obdyke, his current role allows him to lean on his history of being in the field on job sites to connect with our customers and understand their pain points – and use his passion for the craft to find the answers. “One of the things that I love the most about my job is being able to create or find a solution for our customers. I’m often able to offer them a product or installation technique that will help make their build more efficient – and that’s extremely fulfilling”, said Kaylen.
He often refers to his job as a fun puzzle he gets to solve. If a customer is working with a member of our sales team but has a need or want to learn more about installation techniques or building science best practices – that’s where Kaylen comes into play.
What is his Favorite Project?
In recent years, Kaylen’s focus has been on developing new innovative products and technologies – one of those being HydroGap SA, a self-adhered version of our high-performance HydroGap drainable housewrap. Several years and many iterations later, this product is now one of our keystone moisture management offerings. Marrying the acrylic technology with the drainable capabilities of HydroGap took perseverance, but well worth it.
“One of the things we pride ourselves on as a company is listening to what our customers want. During the development of HydroGap SA, we were involving contractors and installers, testing it in the field, and using all of that feedback to make it the best version of itself it could be.”
What He Looks to Accomplish in 2023
Kaylen’s goals for this year center around a couple of new, innovative, and highly-anticipated products coming to market this year. We’ve seen a lot of success with Cedar Breather, one of our most popular products, and are now exploring how to further protect the roof and the building assembly from moisture intrusion.
Here to Help You Transform Your Craft
At Benjamin Obdyke, we strive to help you Transform Your Craft. But what does that mean? According to Kaylen, “Transforming your craft summarizes what we’re all about. We’re constantly trying to evolve our building practices to create a sustainable home that will stand the test of time. In this industry, we often rely on our past history of doing things one way. This makes it difficult to change and adapt. However, to keep up and build the best structures we possibly can, it’s imperative that we step out of our comfort zone and utilize the new products and techniques at our disposal to build better.
What He Does Outside of Obdyke
From flipping houses with his wife and working on real estate investments to getting his adrenaline pumping by doing endurance racing with friends and slowing things down to kayak and fish – Kaylen is constantly on the go.
