Community Finalist

 Company making homes in a bag

Impact Award

 Many individuals and organizations have lent helping hands to serve the world’s homeless population, but one Flower Mound company is doing all it can to help the ‘houseless’ too.

 IADDIC Shelters LLC created a portable shelter product-literally a complete ‘building in a bag.’ A completely assembled IADDIC is shrunk down and vacuum-packed in a compact 8-foot tall bag and can be sent to those in need of immediate shelter, such as natural disaster victims.

 There is no question that the IADDIC shelters are the easiest to erect housing concept yet created-and Richard Grabowski, CEO of IADDIC Shelters, said it is designed to last as long as a normal dwelling does in similar environments. And each model and size is less than $2,000.

 Though IADDIC is a for-profit business, Grabowski said the company will partner with nonprofit organizations that use the shelter to help people in need. Through IADDIC, the idea is for people wishing to help victims of natural disasters to purchase the shelter through IADDIC and the shelter company will deliver the product -a tax benefit for the donator.

 After a long and tedious design process, Grabowski said his company has patents in 39 countries and has a model available for showing, which is “the greatest.”

 ”Having models to show people is exciting because it is the culmination of years of research and prototyping, “he said. “It is one thing to tell people what you have and something completely different to be able to say, ‘Let me show you.”’ Grabowski said when he shows people his model, the conversation invariably turns to world conditions – and there is a theme in all of them, he said.  “People know a problem exists but were not aware folks are working diligently to help solve the problem,” he said.

 IADDIC has had inquires for shelters totaling 4 million to date. To make his dream of mass producing and shipping the instant shelters a reality, though, one thing stands in Grabowski’s way: raising the $500,000 needed to enter the market.

 ”Once funding is in place we will be able to package and sell the products to customers who are waiting,” he said.  His goal for this year, Grabowski said, is to enter the market and deliver more than 100,000 shelters in his first five years.  “We are on the verge of moving IADDIC from thought, through concept and into reality. With the development work behind us, we are now prepared to enter the market,” he said. “Everything we do we ask ourselves, ‘How is what we are doing right now going to get a shelter into the hands of someone who needs it?’”

 Fort Worth Business Press

 By Aleshia Howe

 ahowe@bizpress.net