Perlite Today – Fall 2023

PERLITE A QU AR T E R LY P U B L I C ATI O N O F TH E PER L I TE I NS TI TU TE

TODAY

FA LL 2 0 2 3

The 2023 Perlite Institute Annual Meeting Recap: Connecting Perlite Professionals in Athens, Greece The 2023 Perlite Institute Annual Meeting took place from September 17 - 20 in Athens, Greece, and was a successful and enriching event for all attendees.

The meeting kicked off on Sunday with a Tour of Athens, allowing participants to explore the rich history and culture of the city. In the evening, a reception was held to welcome and connect professionals from the perlite industry around the world. It was an excellent opportunity for networking and building connections.

The agenda was filled with industry updates and information on Monday and Tuesday. Attendees had the chance to learn about the latest developments in the industry, including discussions on sustainability and manufacturing improvements.

The presentations were informative and provided valuable insights into the current industry environments, as well as important reports on the work of Perlite Institute committees.

Speakers shared their expertise and knowledge, offering attendees new perspectives and ideas to implement in their businesses. The presentations are available in the members-only area of the website.

“A beautiful place, quite interesting topics, great networking, and a nice atmosphere. What else to ask from an annual meeting with business professionals!”

– Emmanuel Tsontakis, Industrial Minerals Perlite

Cotinued on next page...

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P ER LITE TO D AY – FA L L 2 0 2 3

The Annual Meeting received positive feedback from participants. Mehrican Asit from Genper Group of Companies expressed gratitude for connecting with passionate perlite professionals and sharing insights. Anita Mulqueeny from Infigro Natural Technologies highlighted the informative presentations and valuable networking opportunities. And, Emmanuel Tsontakis from Industrial Minerals Perlite praised the beautiful location, exciting topics, great networking, and pleasant atmosphere.

“I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to participate in this year's Perlite Institute Annual Meeting. Connecting with passionate perlite professionals and sharing insights was truly inspiring. A big thank you to the Perlite Institute for organizing this valuable event, and to everyone I had the pleasure of meeting. Let's keep the momentum going for the perlite industry!”

– Mehrican Asit, Genper Group of Companies

Special thanks to all who attended and helped plan the meeting.

THANK YOU 2023 Annual Meeting Planning Committee Anita Mulqueeny, Chair Achilleas Amanatidis Panos Angelopoulos Linda Chirico Antonia Ekonomakou Jake Hess Matthew Malaghan Bill Mihalopoulos Chuck Vogelsang Lori Zelesko

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THE P E R LITE I N S T I T U T E ’ S C O R E VAL U E S :

Integrity is Our Guiding Principle

Volunteering is the Best Form of Leadership

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“The 2023 Annual Meeting had informative presentations about sustainability and manufacturing improvements that are applicable to our current business environment. The conference also provided an excellent opportunity for networking with industry experts who assist us in staying up to date with the latest developments in the perlite industry. I was also able to make valuable connections with professionals that I had not previously met.”

– Anita Mulqueeny, Infigro Natural Technologies

THE P E R LITE I N S T I T U T E ’ S C O R E VAL U E S :

Integrity is Our Guiding Principle

Volunteering is the Best Form of Leadership

Collaboration Generates Better Ideas

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P ER LITE TO D AY – FA L L 2 0 2 3

Message from the President

by Jake Hess

The Perlite Institute’s 2023 Annual Meeting in Greece is one that we will all remember! What an amazing place! We had standout sessions, engaging speakers, and time to spend with (if we weren’t before, we are now) friends.

Every year, if I come back with one new piece of information or strengthen my industry connections, I consider it time and money well spent.

This year, I left inspired and proud to be part of an organization with so many members working together to educate the public on perlite's significant and positive impact. Our workgroup reports gave us an important overview of our collective knowledge at work, educating the public about perlite.

Our collaboration is more than any of us can do on our own. Whether it is using perlite as a soil amendment, filter aid, insulation, or in manufacturing and construction, the Institute plays a crucial role in educating the public—the information we publish and the research we do are essential for the well-being of consumers.

The Perlite Institute’s educational efforts also build trust between the industry and the public. This trust is essential for the long-term success and reputation of the industry.

Of course, educating the public about the industry's offerings can stimulate market demand, leading to business growth and expansion opportunities for our members. The Perlite Institute is also a showcase of industry innovations and advancements.

This year, I left inspired and proud to be part of an organization with so many members working together to educate the public on perlite's significant and positive impact.

Thank you to everyone who is a part of our important work. Your dedication to the Institute is very much appreciated! Working together to educate the public is a valuable endeavor that benefits all stakeholders. It fosters public awareness, understanding, and engagement while promoting industry benefits, transparency, and goodwill. I believe our collaborative approach will continue to contribute to the long-term success and sustainability of our industry.

Jake Hess

Geochemical Behavior Final Report The Perlite Institute has received the final report about the research project titled “Geochemical behavior of macronutrients in various soil types amended with perlite.” This project was funded by the Institute, and we are pleased to announce that it has been successfully concluded. We are excited to share the results of this project with our members. You can view the report HERE. The research findings will be used to create a product guide brochure that will be available on our website. We believe that this project's outcomes will be useful to professionals and enthusiasts in the horticultural industry.

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THE P E R LITE I N S T I T U T E ’ S C O R E VAL U E S :

Integrity is Our Guiding Principle

Volunteering is the Best Form of Leadership

Collaboration Generates Better Ideas

P ERL IT E T O D AY – FA LL 2023

PERLITE TODAY

is a quarterly publication of the

PERLITE INSTITUTE, INC. 2207 Forest Hills Drive Harrisburg, PA 17112 USA Phone: 717.238.9723 Fax: 717.238.9985

www.perlite.org

Perlite Today is published electronically four times per year.

The mission of the Perlite Institute is to further the success and growth of the perlite industry worldwide by providing its members networking opportunities, education and research; foster customer-driven marketing, promotion and product development; and increase the public’s awareness and knowledge of perlite and its current and potential uses.

2023 Board of Directors Jake Hess

Israel Ferreres

Alan Kiraly

Keith Hoople

Vice President Supreme Perlite 4600 N. Suttle Road Portland, OR 97217 Phone: (503) 286‐4333 alan@supremeperlite.com

Past President Midwest Perlite, Inc. 4280 West Parkway Blvd.

Appleton, WI 54913 Phone: (920) 731‐2671 keith@midwestperlite.com

Reema Bolokbaeva

Jannick Knudsen

Linda Chirico

Bridget Sheehy Tipton

Carolina Perlite Company PO Box 158 Gold Hill, NC 28071 Phone: (704) 279-2325 lchirico@carolinaperlite.com

Whittemore Company 681 East 5th Street, Unit 1 Boston, MA 02127 Phone: (978) 815-6420 bsheehy@whittemoreco.com

Michael Dunlavey

Edgar Valmana Velazquez

President Hess Perlite 100 Hess Drive Malad City, ID 83252 Phone: (208) 766‐4777 jake@hesspumice.com

Gulf Perlite, LLC Techno Park, PO 263275 Jebel Ali, Dubai, UAE Phone: +971 (0)56 6080223 admin@uaeperlite.com

P.V.P. Industries PO Box 129 North Bloomfield, OH 44450 Phone: (440) 685-4701 mike@pvpind.com

Matt Goecker

Nordisk Perlite Hammersholt Erhvervspark 1-5 Hillerod, DK 3400 Phone: 0045 7878 9515 jannick@nordiskperlite.dk

Termolita Callejon del Marmol 201 Zona Industrial Santa Catarina, NL 66364 Phone: +52 8181510480 evalmana@termolita.com

Dicalite Management Group 1 Belmont Avenue, Suite 500 Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004 Phone: (775) 287‐9796 mgoecker@dicalite.com

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Treasurer Ausperl 177 Balmes Street Barcelona, Spain 08006 +34 633 066 006 israel@ausperl.com

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Technical Q&As Inquiring Minds Want to Know More About Perlite!

by Chuck Vogelsang, Perlite Institute Technical Consultant The number of inquiries in the first eight months of this year were 86% the quantity of last year for this same time frame.

Chuck Vogelsang,

• User wanted sources Perlite Institute Technical Consultant of expanded perlite for lightweight concrete on the East Coast of the U.S. Advised him that the perlite from a typical hardware store was not good for application and that he needed to contact local suppliers directly for the proper grade.

• Inquirer wanted to know if subfloor perlite could be used under a clay rather than concrete media. Really would depend on how thick the clay and tightly compacted.

One may be able to compare the strength of it versus a lightweight concrete.

The majority of the inquiries continue to be in the construction, environmental, filtration and insulation areas.

• Applicator wanted to know the compressive strength of sub-slab insulation. Gave them our Perlite Institute bulletin on the matter and explained that the concrete floor about the perlite provides the strength needed. It is similar to other lightweight insulations which provide insulation not strengths.

Insulation: • Company wanted cryogenic material for cold box.

Sent him a listing of local suppliers along with a recommendation to use a respirator if they were going to use bagged material.

Construction: • Inquirer wanted information on roof deck being about one inch. Sent information on strengths and recommended thicker pour. Inquirer also was planning on installing deck over foam insulation.

• Ready mix supplier wanted nearby sources of expanded perlite. Provided him with sources along with a note to NOT use horticultural perlite.

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• User wanted to know the projected insulation for eightinch block. Informed her that insulation was about an R3 for every one-inch thickness. The block insulation is dependent on the density of the block itself. Sent our Perlite Loose-Fill Insulation bulletin to illustrate the differences.

• DIY (do-it-yourself) individual wanted sources of expanded perlite for chimney liner in California.

• Inquirer wanted information on various prefabricated insulation products.

Continued on next page...

THE P E R LITE I N S T I T U T E ’ S C O R E VAL U E S :

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Collaboration Generates Better Ideas

P ERL IT E T O D AY – FA LL 2023

• PI member recommended a new bulletin on pros and cons of perlite versus various insulting products on market today such as foams.

• User was considering using expanded perlite for insulating liquid hydrogen tanks in an aircraft.

• Homeowner wanted guidance on pouring loose-fill between walls in a two-story building. Recommended using a respirator even though material is inert but will make one cough. Also recommended complete sealing of any opening since perlite flows like water and will leak out. Person wanted possible sources of expanded perlite in their area which was provided. Did inform them that horticultural perlite like at a hardware store was not the correct sized grade for this application.

• Homeowner wanted to know where in California to get expanded perlite for insulating a pizza oven. Gave them possible suppliers in the area.

• Ship servicer in Illinois wanted possible sources of expanded perlite for insulation. Gave them a list of possible suppliers in the area. Also let them know that a number of these suppliers have the capability to provide material in bulk as well as in bags. Did recommend the use of respirators since the dust will make one cough.

Filtration: • European filter aid user needed to know where other sources of perlite filter aid was made since they were “short” on supplies. Our web site does NOT list individual company locations so I gave them the ones I am aware of.

• Inquirer wanted to know if perlite filter aid could be used to filter solids out of liquids and what grade would be recommended. Informed them that the grade needed depended on the desired particulate, its concentration, the desired clarity, the rate required, and the filtration equipment being used. Recommended this be done with their equipment supplier.

• Perlite filter aid user wanted a precoat tank for their application for replacing a DE system. Informed them that the Perlite Institute is a technical international group which does not sell or manufacture anything. Did recommend that they use a flat blade mixer for agitating the tank and not a high shear mixer which would break down the particles.

Industrial: • A researcher from India wanted a source of microsphere or fine perlite fillers for auto body filler. Sent them our Perlite Institute bulletin on the various grades to illustrate the point. Recommended they contact their local perlite suppliers for their recommendations and samples.

Horticulture: • Person wanted to know mix recommended for a backyard light soil mix in New York. Recommended talking with local garden supply since every soil mix is unique to their areas.

• User wanted to grow capsicum in only perlite.

Was putting the seedling cubes on top of perlite with drippers but wasn’t having much luck.

Recommended putting the seedlings in the perlite like other horticultural applications. Gave her our Perlite Institute bulletin on effective water holding of perlite.

Miscellaneous: • South American group wanted to confirm that a given chemical analysis would determine if the mineral was perlite. Informed them NO. Gave them our bulletin on perlite that illustrates the range of chemical composition. Also informed them that one would have to have a lab expand material. Referred them to in.mat-Lab and Silbrico Corporation for testing services. New Mexico School of Mines no longer performs such testing.

• Perlite Institute member wanted the most recent PI test methods which are being updated.

• Perlite Institute member wanted information on the melting point of expanded perlite. There are a number of them since it melts a little, then hardens, then melts more at higher temperatures. Expanded perlite really cannot be stuck together without a binder to form a solid formed mass.

THE P E R LITE I N S T I T U T E ’ S C O R E VAL U E S :

Integrity is Our Guiding Principle

Volunteering is the Best Form of Leadership

Collaboration Generates Better Ideas

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Member Profile David Gittins

R&D Director at Imerys As part of our Member Spotlight series, we recently talked with David Gittins, a San Jose, California resident and R&D Director at Imerys.

Q: How long have you been in the industry, and why did you get into this industry?

A: I entered the industry almost by default when Imerys acquired

World Minerals in 2005 and then S&B Minerals in 2015. Before then, we primarily focused on other minerals, clays, carbonates, etc. My toolbox suddenly had a new Lego brick. Since then, I have used it whenever required in my work.

Q: Tell us about your company and what you do in your current position.

A: I am the Science and Technology Director for Performance Minerals Americas.

Imerys has two business units: Performance Minerals and Refractories Abrasives & Construction Materials. Performance Minerals is geographically in Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

Within that space, we're market-focused. Rather than just managing perlite, we say, “we have this hole in the ground; where do we sell it?”

Our company is organized by market, which puts us closer to customers.

Within Performance Minerals, we have paint, plastics, filtration minerals, ceramics, pharmaceutical products, food products, etc. My job is to be the ‘technology translator.’ A customer could say, “I'm looking for this physical or chemical property,” and it's the job of our Science and Technology Team to link that back to a mine and then to a process.

Currently, we are selling perlite, the mineral of focus, to various industries. However, the product differs in particle size, shape, chemistry, and surface treatment.

Additionally, various qualification tests must be conducted to ensure the material meets the required specifications for each industry. For instance, a very tight 6 Sigma-esque type specification needs to be met for pharmaceuticals.

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Q: What is the biggest industry-related change or challenge you've seen over the years, and what have you done to overcome it?

A: Substitution with alternate

materials, for example, wood fiber in horticulture and PU foam in insulation.

The challenges in the food and beverage market are now with inflation and companies trying to squeeze their supply chains. So, for all materials used in the processing of foods—like perlite or diatomite— they're looking for efficiencies.

Sustainability is the primary issue if we are talking about the building and construction market. There are tax credits for CO2 reduction from federal governments, so now—with a carbon price—these companies are asking how to take carbon out of their supply chain. Whereas before it could have been a ‘nice to have,’ now there is some real money available to pay them to de-risk.

I get employed to solve problems, so problems are a good thing for me!

That's where we can help customers do new things in any direction they want to go.

THE P E R LITE I N S T I T U T E ’ S C O R E VAL U E S :

Integrity is Our Guiding Principle

Volunteering is the Best Form of Leadership

Collaboration Generates Better Ideas

P ERL IT E T O D AY – FA LL 2023

Q: How long have you been a member of the Perlite Institute, and why did you join?

Technical Consultants for Members

A: World Minerals and S&B were

The Perlite Institute contracts with two consultants to assist with technical inquiries on behalf of the Perlite Institute. You can reach these two consultants by contacting them as follows:

original members, so when Imerys took over, we rolled in.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your membership with the Perlite Institute?

A: I enjoy benefiting from the

eyes and ears of the other members to get a better understanding of the changing technical and market landscape.

Q: Tell us a fun fact about yourself.

A: I enjoy backyard gardening and make sure I use perlite-containing growing media.

Chemistry is just cooking with materials. I use gardening to destress by focusing on controlling things to go out into the garden, where the natural world is front and center. As much as you may want to grow something in a particular place, nature has other ideas. So, in some ways, I still have my curiosity of experimentation, but it completely de-stresses me. It is something I can go outside for. I can leave and go on a business trip. I can come back, and it's still there. Gardening is a world of a whole lot of happy accidents!

My partner is always surprised when I come home with another plant, something I cannot possibly have space for. She doesn't realize that I kill more plants than I have now in my yard. I typically buy something because there's a hole where the last plant was.

Chuck Vogelsang

Technical Spokesperson Consultant Perlite Institute (805) 264-0976 techadvice@perlite.org

Dr. Panos Angelopoulos Research, Technical and Marketing Consultant Perlite Institute 0030 6972 599646 techconsult@perlite.org

Welcome, New Members!

Agrekal HaBonim Industries Moshav HaBonim, Israel

Alkhajah Factory Sitra, Manama, Bahrain

Industrial Minerals PCP Perlite Ellinikon-Athens, Attica, Greece

Perlite Hellas SA Volos, Thessaly, Greece

THE P E R LITE I N S T I T U T E ’ S C O R E VAL U E S :

Integrity is Our Guiding Principle

Volunteering is the Best Form of Leadership

Collaboration Generates Better Ideas

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P ER LITE TO D AY – FA L L 2 0 2 3

Speaking of Perlite

by Panagiotis Angelopoulos, Perlite Institute Technical and Marketing Consultant

Fertilizers are important to crop yields, securing production, and increasing farmers’ income, but also in enhancing cultivation efficiency and thus reducing the farmland needs. However, the excessive use of fertilizers leads to serious issues such as nitrogen leaching, soil compaction, loss of soil carbon and organic matter and serious soil degradation.

Panagiotis Angelopoulos

Fertilizer reduction is a primary concept and core objective in most institutional policies, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The European Green Deal, approved in 2020, is a set of policy initiatives by the European Commission with the overarching aim of making the European Union (EU) climate-neutral in 2050. The plan is to review each existing law on its climate merits and also introduce new legislation on the circular economy, building renovation, biodiversity, farming and innovation. The program was approved in 2020 with a total budget of 1 trillion euros for the current decade.

The Farm to Fork Strategy is at the heart of the European Green Deal, aiming to make food systems fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly; it comprehensively addresses the challenges of sustainable food systems and recognizes the inextricable links between healthy people, healthy societies and a healthy planet. This strategy implementation is motivated by an urgent need to reduce dependency on pesticides and antimicrobials, reduce excess fertilization, increase organic farming, improve animal welfare, and reverse biodiversity loss.

To achieve these goals, a pillar action is reducing the use of fertilizers by a solid 20% (at least) by 2030.

This will be achieved by: • Implementing and enforcing the relevant environmental and climate legislation in full • Identifying with Member States the nutrient load reductions needed to achieve these goals • Applying balanced fertilization and sustainable nutrient management • Managing nitrogen and phosphorus better throughout their lifecycle

Figure 1: Aspects of the farm-to-fork strategy

Furthermore, the Commission will also work with member states to extend the application of precise fertilization techniques and sustainable agricultural practices, notably in hotspot areas of intensive livestock farming and recycling organic waste into renewable fertilizers.

Expanded perlite has established a vital role in agriculture as soil amendment media, providing aeration, increasing water-holding capacity, and improving drainage properties. In addition, it has been proven that expanding perlite can reduce irrigation water by up to 50% without affecting plant growth and health (applied for grass and bougainvillea plants) in hot, arid, and Mediterranean climates. Interestingly, the researchers observed Continued on next page...

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THE P E R LITE I N S T I T U T E ’ S C O R E VAL U E S :

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Collaboration Generates Better Ideas

P ERL IT E T O D AY – FA LL 2023

increased phosphorous, nitrogen and potassium in plants’ tissues when the growing media contained perlite. The Perlite Institute decided to focus on this preliminary but very important finding by extending the research project focused on irrigation water reduction for one more year. In that case, researchers from the Agricultural University of Athens studied the effect of fine perlite on nutrient retention in the rhizosphere soil environment. At this part of the project, the aim was to examine the hypothesis of reduced nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus leaching from soils with different physicochemical properties in the presence of fine perlite, which would prove their retention in a perlite-soil mixture and thus render it available for the plant. Tests were carried out using a soil-perlite column and solely perlite in an aqueous solution, using experimental setups depicted in Figure 2.

Figure 2: Graphic depiction of the experimental setup used in the column leaching study (a) and the batch experiment (b)

For the column leaching experiment, four topsoil samples with various physicochemical properties were chosen based on their pH. The soils were analyzed for their pH and electrical conductivity (EC) values, the organic matter content and the grain size distribution (soil texture). The addition of macronutrients in the columns was achieved by fertigation using a commercial fertilizer (N-P-K) 2020-20 formulation. The application was completed in two doses, adding in a total of 100. Finally, the concentrations of macronutrients were determined in the collected leachate. In a batch experiment, perlite was poured into a water solution with known concentrations in N-P-K. After materials interaction, the final concentrations of the elements of interest in aqueous solution were measured to determine the amounts retained by perlite.

These are the three major conclusions drawn from this study: • It was shown that perlite demonstrated remarkable nutrient adsorption capacity, exceeding ion exchange expectations and suggesting the involvement of physisorption mechanisms.

• The presence of perlite significantly affected leaching rates and nutrient mobility within the soil, underscoring the necessity for site-specific optimization.

• Soil characteristics played a pivotal role in determining the effectiveness of perlite, emphasizing the importance of customized approaches.

The findings of the experimental study constitute proof that—further to the wellknown effect of expanded perlite as a soil amendment—it can help increase the efficiency of fertilizers in the studied cases.

Taking this into account, an opportunity emerges that expanded perlite can potentially be a key player in the global movement towards reducing fertilizers.

We should keep in mind that the soil-water system is complex, with the soil properties having a deterministic role in its total behavior. Thus, a customized approach should be applied to ensure the desirable performance after the selected mix design and application technique, as well as for optimization purposes.

Note: The Perlite Institute has funded the research project entitled “Incorporation of perlite in sandy soil as a measure to reduce irrigation water needs of turf grass and Bougainville,” and its extension with a focus on the effect of fine perlite on nutrients’ retention in the rhizosphere soil environment.

All reports are freely available for Perlite Institute members and can be found in the members-only section of the website.

THE P E R LITE I N S T I T U T E ’ S C O R E VAL U E S :

Integrity is Our Guiding Principle

Volunteering is the Best Form of Leadership

Collaboration Generates Better Ideas

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P ER LITE TO D AY – FA L L 2 0 2 3

How to Communicate Your Vision with Buy In

by Jeff Tippett

By this point, you’ve developed your vision and are ready to change the world. But do you know how to communicate that vision to others, and how to get them to buy into the idea? Here are a few ideas on how to do just that.

First, make sure you actually know what your team expects from you. Things will go poorly if you enter the conversation expecting them to unquestioningly do whatever you say.

You must be prepared to address their concerns, and understanding where they’re coming from goes a long way in doing that.

It’s also important to remember that the people within your organization know quite well how things have worked in the past and probably have some good ideas on how best to move forward.

Convincing everyone at once of that best path forward can be a big lift. It might help to find someone within the group who you can initially get on board to help bring others with him or her. This individual must be someone you and the majority of those on your team trust. You may not be the best messenger for every member of the team. Someone who they trust and with whom they work side by side may well be the best choice.

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One way to ensure everyone is on board with your new vision is to have sessions in which everyone is invited to collaborate and critique.

If people feel like they play a role in crafting that path to the future, they’ll be far more likely to remain invested and help see it through.

The big takeaway here is that you must articulate your vision within the context of your group’s values. And that vision must be top of mind for every team member. There’s a tendency to create a big idea and then expect the weight of its importance to carry it through. Don’t make this mistake. You invested the time in creating a vision for your group—see it through to the end.

One way to ensure everyone is on board with your new vision is to have sessions in which everyone is invited to collaborate and critique. If people feel like they play a role Continued on next page...

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Continued on next page...

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P ERL IT E T O D AY – FA LL 2023

in crafting that path to the future, they’ll be far more likely to remain invested and help see it through. Another consideration is your own availability. Don’t expect to drop a new way of thinking and culture onto the team and then leave without playing an active role.

Also be prepared for those who don’t buy into that vision.

You may not be able to entirely convince them, but understanding their reasons for pushing back can help you strengthen your messaging to others and thereby ensure that everyone has their concerns addressed. Keep your ears open for complaints. Consider those complaints to be indications that people are engaged. Think of them not as negative pushback but as constructive criticism.

Finally, your vision must engage the emotions. People won’t get on board with something that bores them. They need to have a visceral connection with the idea behind the vision, not just the text on paper.

With these tools, you’re ready to move to the next step and take your vision to those beyond your team.

About the Author:

Jeff Tippett

Jeff Tippett is the international best-selling author of two books, Pixels Are the New Ink and Unleashing Your Superpower: Why Persuasive Communication is the Only Force You Will Ever Need. Speaking to international audiences through keynotes and seminars, Jeff helps attendees increase their effectiveness, gives them powerful tools to reach their goals, and empowers attendees to positively impact and grow their organizations or businesses.

In 2014, Jeff founded Targeted Persuasion, an award-winning public affairs + communications firm. He has worked with renowned brands like Airbnb, The National Restaurant Association, The League of Women Voters, The League of Conservation Voters, plus others. Other industry experts have validated Jeff’s work with numerous awards including the Metro Style prestigious The American Advertising Award.

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Jeff is the host of Victory by Association with Jeff Tippett, a podcast that shares the victories of association executives with the world, highlighting the great work done across thisStyle country every day.

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The Perlite Institute is seeking members to feature in its quarterly newsletter, Perlite Today.

To have your company featured, please email PerliteInstituteNewsletter@gmail.com.

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P ER LITE TO D AY – FA L L 2 0 2 3

Snake Breeding With a Little Help From Perlite We recently came across a viral TikTok by Keary Molinaro, who runs the Molinaro Snake Lab, where he breeds and sells five species of snakes. What really struck us was his use of perlite in the breeding process. We recently sat down to discuss his work.

Q: Tell us about yourself and your business.

A: The Molinaro Snake Lab is a brand I created that is based around snake breeding. Not only do I sell some of the snakes I breed as pets, but I also use the breeding process as a way to educate about snakes.

I make daily videos on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook, where I teach followers about snakes, breeding them, and hatching the babies.

I also try to get out into the community as often as possible to let people get up close and personal with snakes to help reduce the stigma associated with these amazing animals. I find that people fear things they don't understand. So, teaching people about the animals and their behavior makes them a lot less scary.

The success I found on social media and taking my snakes out in public gave me the opportunity to launch www.molinarosnakelab.com, where people can go to see the snakes I have available, the children's book I wrote, and more!

Q: How long have you been doing this?

A: I have been interested in keeping reptiles since I

was a kid. I've kept lizards and turtles, but my mother would never let me have a snake. She didn't like them at all! When I got a little older, I decided to go against her wishes and sneak one into my room and hope she wouldn't discover it. It was a ball python. I had him for about two weeks and then ended up getting another snake, a red tail boa. I successfully hid them for about two or three weeks until she discovered them.

As you can imagine, she wasn't happy. She vowed to never enter my room again. Not to clean, not to put away clothes, or anything, and she stayed true to that.

I had them for a few years until after I finished college and decided to join the Marine Corps. I ended up giving them to a reptile rescue before I left to go to boot camp.

I got out of the Marine Corps in 2016, and my family and I settled down and moved into a bigger home.

I wanted to get back into snake keeping again and decided to get another ball python. That turned into many more snakes and ultimately led to breeding and education.

Continued on next page...

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THE P E R LITE I N S T I T U T E ’ S C O R E VAL U E S :

Integrity is Our Guiding Principle

Volunteering is the Best Form of Leadership

Collaboration Generates Better Ideas

P ERL IT E T O D AY – FA LL 2023

Q: How did you know that perlite and vermiculite would meet your needs?

A: When I first started breeding, I did a lot of research

on incubating the eggs. Snake eggs need a high level of humidity to prevent them from drying out and ultimately going bad. Breeders use a variety of different ways to maintain humidity inside their egg box.

After reading about a seasoned breeder using vermiculite or perlite, I decided to experiment. I found that a 2-to-1 mixture of vermiculite to perlite worked well at maintaining the humidity I needed. Once I mix them together, I add water to the point where the mixture will clump together when I squeeze it, but it won't drip. It hasn't let me down yet! I recently successfully hatched a leopard gecko in just perlite and water. So, I'm going to experiment with that on the snake eggs just to see if there is a difference.

Another fun thing is that I just emptied an egg box out in my garden! That’s another nice thing about using vermiculite and perlite to hatch the eggs. I can just dump the remnants in the garden!

Q: Tell us a little bit about how you use social media to promote your work. What are your favorite social media platforms?

A: When I started breeding, I used Instagram as

a way to share what I was working on, connect with other breeders, and find folks who may be interested in my snakes. However, over the years, I've found that my passion is really the educational aspect of the process of breeding. I love to teach about it and show the process.

Snakes are often demonized in the media and overall have a negative stigma associated with them. I am on a mission to show the positive side of these amazing animals and teach that once we understand them, they are not so scary and quite fascinating. All the snakes that I breed are not dangerous to humans and make fun and fascinating pets! My primary social media platforms are TikTok and YouTube. Most of the videos I create are short, information-filled, and fast-paced, so I find that those two platforms work best for my type of content.

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THE P E R LITE I N S T I T U T E ’ S C O R E VAL U E S :

Integrity is Our Guiding Principle

Volunteering is the Best Form of Leadership

Collaboration Generates Better Ideas

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P ER LITE TO D AY – FA L L 2 0 2 3

Q: What was it like to go viral for the first time?

A: Going viral for the first time was kind of

overwhelming. It happened by accident. Up until 2020, I was posting photos on Facebook and Instagram. I had a small following of mostly other breeders.

A friend told me I need to put these on TikTok. I wasn't familiar with the platform and really didn't want to learn a new platform, so I resisted for a few months. Finally, I gave in and started posting them. They did okay but did not really take off. One day, I decided to film a snake of mine laying eggs. I then filmed myself candling the eggs.

(Candling eggs is when you hold a flashlight up to the egg to see if it has veins inside or not. If it has veins, it's a fertile egg; if not, it is infertile.) I posted that, and within a day, it had over a million views. It was overwhelming trying to answer all of the questions and comments coming in, and I really just didn't know what to do, but I felt I was onto something.

Q: Tell us about the snakes themselves! What are some

common misconceptions about snakes? What environmental challenges are snakes currently facing?

• There are a lot of folktales about snakes. For example, the one about a lady that had a big snake that would lay next to her and was actually sizing her up to eat her. This is totally fake. Snakes are ambush predators, so they don't plan out eating ahead of time like that.

Their brains are not complex enough to think that way.

• Snakes don't chase people! Snakes are defensive creatures. They only strike when they feel they are in danger. They would much rather run away than bite. However, if cornered or stepped on, they will defend themselves.

• People, many times young children, are surprised when I tell them snakes have bones.

The fact is that some large pythons have more bones than any other animal on the planet!

• There are approximately 3,000 different species of snakes on the planet. About 600 of them are venomous. Of those, only about 200 can kill or significantly harm a human.

A: Currently, I keep six different species of snakes. (I

also keep one black widow spider, who I absolutely love!

They are incredibly fascinating creatures.) The newest snakes in my collection are a pair of Mexican Black King Snakes, which are are absolutely stunning-looking snakes.

I got a pair of hatchlings in September 2023. I plan to grow them up over the next two or three years and breed them.

You have to be careful breeding King Snakes, though. King Snakes will eat other snakes. So, if the conditions are not proper or the snakes are not fed properly, they can—and will—eat one another!

I find that learning the ins and outs of different species and successfully breeding them is the pinnacle of keeping.

For the snakes to breed, your keeping abilities need to be on point. You need to properly cycle the temperatures throughout the year, ensure they are healthy, fed a proper diet, etc. In addition, you need to be able to properly take care of the eggs. But to me, that's what keeping is all about: knowing exactly what the snake needs and providing them with it.

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THE P E R LITE I N S T I T U T E ’ S C O R E VAL U E S :

Integrity is Our Guiding Principle

Volunteering is the Best Form of Leadership

Collaboration Generates Better Ideas