Presenter Information
Name: Brion McMullen, Jason Nagaki, Paul Riddell, and Howie Scarboro
Title: Brion McMullen-President/CEO and founder of IceBlox Inc. d.b.a. Snoblox-Snojax, Jason Nagaki-VP Riddell and Company/SnoBar, Paul Riddell-President/Riddell and Company/SnoBar and Howie Scarboro-National Sales Manager, SnoBlox-Snojax, SnoBlox
Background: Brion McMullen has over 35 years of experience in the snow guard industry and currently holds the patent on the original SnoBlox and SnowBreaker snow guards. In 1980 he went into business with his late father Jack McMullen, who invented the first polycarbonate snow guard and opened Snojax, Inc.
Brion ventured out on his own and opened IceBlox, Inc. in the year 2000. He has since purchased the assets of Snojax, Inc. and was granted another patent for the revolutionary SnowBreaker design. Through the years, he has successfully built his small company from 2 products to now over 50 different products. His strong belief in customer service has enabled the company to be nominated for numerous customer service awards for the last three years in a row. He is a gold member of the NFBA.
Jason Nagaki began his career in the snow retention industry over 18 years ago with a degree in architecture and a CAD background. Since then, he has specialized in advising architects how to design snow retention systems for all types of roofs as well as designing for architectural aesthetics. Jason was the primary advisor and designer of the largest snow retention project in the United States! He has been awarded numerous patents with several more patents pending on new and improved ways of keeping snow and ice from avalanching off of roofs.
Paul Riddell has over 25 years in the Metal Roofing and Snow Retention Industry. Having studied business management at Santa Clara University, he started working full time for the family business, Riddell & Company, Inc., 20 years ago. During that time he was closely involved in the development and implementation of the first patented bar type snow retention system called SNOBAR. Riddell & Company has been in business since 1976 leading the way in the standing seam metal roofing usage in Colorado. Some of the first jobs Riddell & Company sold standing seam roofs on were in the mountain areas of Colorado and the need arose for holding sliding snow on the roof after several cars were destroyed. That need lead to being involved with the first patented bar system as well as selling the first ever snow retention system that used a slide in color strip that matched the roof called SnoHorse. Paul Riddell, with his business partner Jason Nagaki, purchased the family business over 12 years ago. He continues to lead the industry with innovative cutting edge designs and patents.
Howie Scarboro has a 20 year background in sales and marketing, primarily with construction and real estate products. He oversees daily operations, sales, and marketing activities for all IceBlox Inc divisions. Howie consults with design professionals, contractors, and owners to develop proven snow retention systems for new construction and retrofit. Besides snow retention, his other markets include standing seam roof clamps for solar panel attachment, fall prevention anchors, and Windguard systems that significantly increase wind uplift for metal roof systems.
Howie also focuses on new product development, product testing/certifications, and technical writing. His education articles regarding Snow Guards have been published in various roofing industry publications over the years.
