Drywall has owned the garage for decades. Joel Koops says Trusscore installs three to four times faster, and the installed cost lands close to finished, painted drywall.

In this episode of the Grit Blueprint Podcast, I'm on the Do it Best Fall Market floor with Joel Koops, Executive Vice President and Co-Founder of Trusscore, talking about how garage wall panels made from PVC went from barns and car washes into garages, basements, and mudrooms. We get into why contractor add-on services like a garage makeover fit on jobs you're already running, and why lumberyards can earn better margin on a drywall alternative that isn't a commodity.

Ben and I put Trusscore SlatWall in our own studio, so I've got opinions on garage slatwall storage too. Check out our recent episode of Building Grit to see how it went: https://youtu.be/xGf369DE0hU

What's inside:

✅ How Joel and co-founder Steve Bosman started Trusscore after watching wood and steel rot inside agricultural buildings

✅ Why food processing plants, breweries, and car washes need PVC wall panels that survive daily washdowns

✅ How residential became Trusscore's fastest growing market after CEO Dave Caputo came in in 2019

✅ Trusscore Wall&CeilingBoard and Trusscore SlatWall explained: PVC extrusion, white and gray, and mixing the two

✅ Why garage slatwall storage beat pegboard and plywood for hanging camera gear in our Grit Studios

✅ How farmers put the first panels in their garages and neighbors spread the word

✅ Why lower skilled crews can install it, and how the Trusscore Trusted Installer Program brings in work

✅ Installed cost versus finished, painted drywall, and why install speed changes the math

✅ Why lumberyards and hardware stores can earn better margin on a product that isn't a commodity

✅ Cutting with a battery saw or snips, with no vinyl brake required

✅ Who to pitch: homeowners, contractors, commercial jobs, and custom home builders

✅ How Do it Best members can order through Boise Cascade and Palmer-Donavin, with product available in two to three days anywhere in the U.S.

Featuring:
Joel Koops, Executive Vice President, Trusscore

This episode is sponsored by Trusscore. Find a dealer, get an estimate, or find a Trusted Installer at trusscore.com.

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🚀 About Stefanie Couch

Stefanie Couch is the founder of Grit Blueprint and a third-generation building industry professional.

Grit Blueprint helps manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and industry leaders build authority, grow visibility, and become unmistakable in their market.

🔗Learn more: https://gritblueprint.com
Instagram: @StefanieCouchOfficial
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I found Trusscore on the show floor at IBS 2026. Now it's on the walls of Ben's office.

This episode of Building Grit starts at the Trusscore booth at IBS 2026 with Joel Koops, Executive Vice President and Co-Founder of Trusscore. Joel says Trusscore goes on three or four times faster than drywall. It's waterproof, chemical-resistant, and you can wash down your garage after it's installed.

Ben, Heidi Pearl, and I framed up an 11 by 20 office for Ben, watched some install videos, and did our first Trusscore project ourselves. Trusscore gave us the panels for this build, and the finished 'Grit Garage' is exactly what I had in my mind.

What's inside:

✅ Joel Koops at on why Trusscore is a more durable drywall replacement

✅ Why it goes on three or four times faster than drywall and lasts as long as your house does

✅ Trusscore SlatWall and Wall&CeilingBoard, in white and gray

✅ The plan for Ben's 11 by 20 office: SlatWall in the middle, gray board at the top and bottom, and a 38-inch counter for gear

✅ How the panels click together, screw in, and go all the way up the wall

✅ The finished Grit Garage with Trusscore SlatWalls: tripods, selfie sticks, GoPros, lenses, and the gear we take to job sites

Featuring:
Stefanie Couch, Founder and CEO, Grit Blueprint
Ben Couch, Co-Founder and COO, Grit Blueprint
Joel Koops, Executive Vice President and Co-Founder, Trusscore
Heidi Pearl, Golden Retriever, Grit Blueprint

Companies and products featured:
Trusscore
Trusscore SlatWall
Trusscore Wall&CeilingBoard
Do it Best
Boise Cascade
Reeves Building Supply

Chapter markers:
00:00 Finding a Drywall Alternative at IBS 2026
01:12 Trusscore Install Day at Grit Studios
03:28 Grit Garage Tour: SlatWall Storage for Camera Gear
04:31 How Trusscore Panels Click Together and Install

Explore Trusscore at https://www.trusscore.com/

This project was provided in part by Trusscore in partnership with Do it Best. We got the material from Boise Cascade, and Reeves Building Supply, right across the street from us in Clayton, brought it over to us.

Build Authority. Gain Visibility. Drive Growth.

You do great work. The right people should know it.

Grit Blueprint helps building industry companies and leaders build authority, increase visibility, earn trust, and turn that trust into revenue.

📅 Book a Strategy Call

Ready to become more visible, more trusted, and easier to choose?

https://meetings-na2.hubspot.com/stefanie-couch

📧 Join the Newsletter

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Subscribe for honest conversations and growth strategies for the building industry.

https://www.youtube.com/@stefaniecouch

🚀 About Stefanie Couch

Stefanie Couch is the founder of Grit Blueprint and a third-generation building industry professional.

Grit Blueprint helps manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and industry leaders build authority, grow visibility, and become unmistakable in their market.

🔗Learn more: https://gritblueprint.com
Instagram: @StefanieCouchOfficial
LinkedIn: Stefanie Couch

Your sales team just made a promise.

Now operations needs to deliver.

In this episode of the Grit Blueprint Podcast, I’m in Clayton, Georgia, with Ron Herrin, VP of Sales, and Lee Allen, VP of Manufacturing & Procurement at Tucker Door & Trim, talking about the relationship between sales and operations, what happens when things go wrong, and how communication and experience help teams keep the promises they make.

We talk about the challenges of selling highly customized products, the questions sales needs to ask before saying yes, why problems are an opportunity to build trust, and how Tucker Door & Trim has used technology to give customers more control over quoting, inventory, and delivery timelines.

What’s inside:

✅ The relationship between sales and operations, and why getting both sides aligned matters

✅ Why Tucker’s sales team is known for saying yes to complex and unusual projects—and why operations has to ask the right questions before making them happen

✅ The questions that should be asked before ordering a door or window, including where the product is going and how it will be used

✅ Why using the wrong product in the wrong application can create problems, claims, and unhappy customers

✅ Why communication may be the most important part of keeping a customer relationship on track

✅ The importance of saying, “I don’t know, but I will get you the answer,” instead of giving a customer the wrong answer

✅ Why Ron believes you should “run to the fire” when something goes wrong rather than avoid the problem

✅ How Tucker developed its design portal to let customers quote directly, see live inventory, track orders, and receive real-time delivery estimates

✅ How technology and configurators are helping educate customers, reduce mistakes, and change the way the millwork industry does business

✅ The role AI could play in manufacturing, production, and the skilled trades

✅ Why experience still matters in an increasingly technology-driven industry

✅ How Tucker develops its people from entry-level positions into long-term careers and leadership opportunities

✅ The challenges of industry consolidation and what can happen when companies become disconnected from their customers and talent

Featuring:
Ron Herrin, VP of Sales, Tucker Door & Trim
Lee Allen, VP of Manufacturing & Procurement, Tucker Door & Trim
Hosted by Stefanie Couch, Grit Blueprint

Build Authority. Gain Visibility. Drive Growth.

You do great work. The right people should know it.

Grit Blueprint helps building industry companies and leaders build authority, increase visibility, earn trust, and turn that trust into revenue.

📅 Book a Strategy Call

Ready to become more visible, more trusted, and easier to choose?

https://meetings-na2.hubspot.com/stefanie-couch

📧 Join the Newsletter

Get practical strategies and tools to build your authority, grow your visibility, and strengthen your business.

https://421r60.share-na2.hsforms.com/2RMwQMXe2QLyk3sl9dv2gXQ

🎥 Watch More Grit Blueprint

Subscribe for honest conversations and growth strategies for the building industry.

https://www.youtube.com/@stefaniecouch

🚀 About Stefanie Couch

Stefanie Couch is the founder of Grit Blueprint and a third-generation building industry professional.

Grit Blueprint helps manufacturers, distributors, dealers, service providers, and industry leaders build authority, grow visibility, and become unmistakable in their market.

🔗Learn more: https://gritblueprint.com
Instagram: @StefanieCouchOfficial
LinkedIn: Stefanie Couch