After conquering the world’s longest cross-country ski race, a true Swedish hero needed a new challenge. We talk to ex professional skier, Bill Impola to find out how MiTek is helping him forge a new path…
As many people know cross country skiing is a physically demanding sport, where the highest levels of competition demand athletes with near-superhuman conditioning.
That’s Bill Impola. The Kopparberg native competed for years in some of the sport’s most challenging races, culminating in the epic 90km Vasaloppet. But once you’ve overcome the longest ski race on Earth, what’s next?
In 2017, Bill retired from top-level competition. With his baby son on the way, he decided to go into real estate. He bought a small rental property in Torsby, not far from the Norwegian border. This particular region, Värmland, has skiing ties of its own; it’s the site of Sweden’s first ski tunnel.
Turning his new property into two apartments, Bill made his own mark on the area. He is a hands-on worker too; you’re more likely to find him working on the projects, doing jobs himself than giving directions. It didn’t take him long at all to realise that construction was his new adventure.
In his own words, “I guess I’ve always worked with my body. Now, I’m learning every day and it’s the challenge I’m enjoying most. Being able to pitch in where needed, there’s real value in that. Some areas of a site go quiet sometimes and I think, ok great, what can I do to help out here?”
So, if you’re a world-class athlete with a fresh set of skills to explore, there’s only one question… How big a challenge can you really take on?
How did we help Bill achieve his ambition?
After five years developing his craft on smaller projects, Bill set out to do something incredible. A six-level apartment block, 26 homes in total, would be built from scratch almost entirely using wood.
Nothing quite like this had ever been attempted before in the region and he needed to plan carefully. Everything was to be assembled on-site from loose timber. Logistics would be important. Equally vital would be choosing the right materials and components.
A meeting with Stefan Asberg from MiTek’s sales team put Posi-Joist on Bill’s radar. Not only did it fit his technical requirements for acoustics and vibration, but it was also going to be easy to work with.
Built offsite it means two people can quickly install the joists by hand, perfect for small-team projects like this.
Its very quick to install, with a strong span and great technical capabilities allowing for all the buildings pipework to be concealed within the metal web joist. Using additional dampeners on each end of the Posi Joist, MiTek was able to improve the acoustics it allowed the project to move forward quickly.
As he puts it, “I had no experience with these kinds of products before, but Posi-Joist has turned out to be a very smooth building system. We’re looking forward to seeing how it performs when we do sound measurements, but we’ll absolutely be using it again.”
Going the extra mile for our customers
The success of this project hasn’t dampened Bill’s appetite for real estate. Several smaller-scale ideas are already forming in his head. In a future that’s uncertain for everyone, he’s facing tomorrow with his characteristic grit and determination.
But of course, it helps that he has the right support. MiTek can help you realise your own construction vision. Whether you’re planning another world first or building on your previous successes, let our team give you a hand.
