AHS Vermiculite Partnership Tracking

Overview

Advanced Health & Safety (AHS) has seen a surge in vermiculite removal jobs — described as "bonkers" demand heading into year-end 2025. The business already maintains informal referral relationships with a handful of insulation contractors (e.g., Koala Insulation), but those relationships are unstructured: no formal tracking, no incentive program, and no systematic outreach to expand the partner network.

This article captures the strategy discussed for formalizing and scaling those partnerships, with particular attention to the referral-tracking problem.

The Opportunity

When insulation contractors go into an attic to replace or add insulation, they frequently encounter vermiculite — a material that, in older homes, often contains asbestos. Many insulators may not fully understand the regulatory and safety implications, or may not know who to call. AHS is well-positioned to be the go-to referral for those jobs.

Vermiculite removal is relatively straightforward work for AHS, making it a high-margin, high-volume opportunity worth investing in partner development.

Proposed Strategy

1. Expand the Insulator Partner Network

Identify insulation contractors in the Madison area beyond current partners.
Offer training sessions at the AHS office so insulators understand what vermiculite is, why it requires licensed abatement, and how to recognize it on the job.
Frame the relationship as mutual: AHS gets referrals; insulators get a trusted, reliable partner they can hand off to without liability exposure.

2. Referral Tracking via Unique QR Codes

The core operational challenge is attribution: when a homeowner contacts AHS, it's difficult to know which insulator referred them — especially if the homeowner got multiple insulation estimates.

Proposed solution: Issue each referral partner a card (business card or small leave-behind) with a unique QR code that links to a dedicated landing page or tracked phone number. When a homeowner scans that code and contacts AHS, the referral source is automatically logged.

This approach:
- Enables accurate attribution without relying on homeowners to self-report
- Creates a clean paper trail for any kickback or incentive arrangement
- Scales across multiple partners without manual tracking overhead

3. Incentive / Kickback Structure

AHS leadership (Bob) is open to offering financial incentives to referral partners. The main blocker has been tracking — without reliable attribution, it's hard to pay out fairly. The QR code system directly addresses this.

Specific incentive amounts and structures were not defined in this meeting; that is a decision for AHS leadership once the tracking mechanism is in place.

Implementation Notes

Who owns this: Primarily Bob Stigsell (AHS) for the in-person relationship-building; Asymmetric (Sebastian Gant) to support with card design, QR code setup, and potentially a landing page.
Existing relationship to build on: Koala Insulation is a current informal partner — a good candidate for piloting the formal program.
Training angle: A January contractor training at the AHS office (already being planned for other contractor types) could be extended or adapted for insulation partners.

^[1] — AHS client overview
^[2] — Parallel strategy for SEO pages targeting plumbers, remodelers, flooring contractors, etc.
^[3] — General pattern for using unique QR codes to attribute referral leads
^[4] — Job-site leave-behind kit (postcard + seed packet) being developed in parallel

Source

Discussed in the December 2025 AHS marketing strategy review. Attendees: Gina Richardson, Bob Stigsell (AHS); Paul Buniel, Sebastian Gant (Asymmetric).