PANAMA CITY, Fla. – When Keith Rockman is asked to describe the investment he made in purchasing concrete for the Mainstay Suites Hotel he owns and operates in Panama City, a smile quickly emerges from across his face.

"When I was first introduced to Aercon AAC, I had a hard time believing a masonry product that was 25 percent the weight of cinder blocks could be as strong…it just didn’t seem possible," says Rockman. "I have to say I’m a believer now. In addition to being lighter and stronger, Aercon AAC has superior energy and sound insulation, is virtually impervious to pests and offers an excellent fire rating."

Formally introduced earlier this year at the Hotel World Expo, Aercon AAC offers hoteliers an innovative building product for new construction or expanding/renovating existing hotels. The product’s attributes makes it ideal for the hospitality industry, including:

Easy to drill, nail, saw or mill, AERCON AAC panels offer unlimited workability, according to Mike Quaka, vice president – general manager, AERCON Florida LLC.

"No wall insulation is needed and because the blocks are lighter, a hotel owner’s delivery costs are dramatically lower. It offers fast, easy installation, which gives the customer a faster payback on their investment," adds Quaka.

On the job, Rockman says the construction process with AERCON was easy.

"The AERCON building crews worked amazingly fast," says Rockman. "This was the quickest build time I’ve ever been a part of. I took pictures of the progress every day and it’s like the hotel just sprang out of the ground in no time."

Maintenance-wise, Rockman says his heating and cooling costs with Aercon AAC are lower, too.

"It outperforms wood and concrete masonry’s thermal insulation and it’s approved for use in hurricane-prone areas. It also has the highest UL fire rating in the industry," explains Rockman, noting that Aercon AAC emits no toxins or gases when heated.

He continued, "Using the product really helped me with my long-term costs. The natural insulation AAC provides allows me to see a cost savings in my energy bills monthly, over other properties built with traditional CMUs. The superior fire rating enabled me to get a discount on my insurance premium as well."

Acoustically, the product offer a sound insulation value of 7 decibels (db) per square feet of surface area, easily outpacing other materials of the same weight.

For Rockman, there has been no looking back with his decision to use Aercon AAC, saying that "as a building material, these concrete blocks are worth their weight in gold."

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