At BUILD24: AWCI’s Convention + Expo, Travis Vap, president and CEO of South Valley, Inc., an SFIA member, caught up with Jill Bloom, Walls & Ceilings group publisher, for an interview on the industry podcast, “If Walls Could Talk.”
Vap talks about the significance of receiving the inaugural Walls & Ceilings Leadership Award. He also shares insights into the ongoing growth and expansion of South Valley.
‘Latinos and Women in Leadership Roles’
Vap, winner of Walls & Ceilings’s first Leadership Award in 2023, epitomizes all the qualities necessary for leadership, the magazine says. He is involved in the industry, notably serving as a term president at AWCI, participates actively in community outreach and involvement, makes sound business decisions and practices and runs a fiscally sound company.
“When I started at South Valley in 2002, everybody in leadership looked like me,” says Vap, speaking of the diversity at South Valley. “Today, everybody doesn’t look like me, and that’s great.”
“We have majority Latinos and women in leadership roles — that’s diversity!” says Vap. “What we found is we’re just a better company because we’re more inclusive.”
Machine Learning and Robotics
Since 1976, South Valley has specialized in metal stud and drywall construction services. The company operates four distinct business units dedicated to residential, commercial, glass systems and prefabrication.
“In 1976, South Valley Drywall started in custom residential single-family homes,” says Vap. “To this day, we do 1,500 to 1,800 units a year.”
South Valley continued to expand by establishing a commercial and demountable glass division.
In 2012, South Valley expanded again by introducing South Valley Prefab, which focuses on building envelope exteriors for midrise and high-rise structures. The company recently completed the development of a new state-of-the-art 75,000 square foot standalone prefab facility.
“We run a full production facility with 13 to 15 people, which previously would take 40 to 50 people,” says Vap. “We do it through inventing our own technology with machine learning and robotics.”
Watch the full podcast.
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- SFIA’s 2024 Annual Meeting: Celebrating Success, Awards and Strategic Insights