Since 1997, Joe Aprile has been at the forefront of prefabricated, modular wall panel development and manufacture. A leading authority in revolutionizing the way we build, Joe started his career as an integral member of one of the first teams to successfully develop and implement prefabricated, cold-formed steel structural wall panels, floor, and roof truss systems. Since then, he has worked to advance the technology for use in single-family homes to mid-rise buildings, and now, at UnitiWall, to unitized building envelope panels for complex retrofits and for large new structures and skyscrapers.
His tenure leading projects, design, licensee support, engineering, and construction at Genesis Worldwide divisions KML Engineered Homes and KML Building Solutions, saw him develop many of the prefabricated modular products and systems that are industry standards today. At Genesis, he was also instrumental in the development of manufacturing equipment, efficient assembly line systems and processes, and ground-breaking proprietary software programs that shortened production cycles for construction drawings from one year to a few days. These developments enabled Genesis to expand globally as a leading licensor of programs to manage business operations, manufacturing processes, and home design and construction using cold-formed steel prefabrications.
In 2015, Joe joined forces with John Sopta, to launch Skyrise Prefab (Canada), focusing on structural wall systems for low-rise and mid-rise multi-family buildings. At Skyrise, Joe and John leveraged their extensive experience in cold-formed steel construction enabling the company to quickly become an industry leader. As well, they introduced finished exterior wall panels using the Sto Panel system, a development that ultimately resulted in the sale of the company to the German parent company STO AG.
The launch of UnitiWall in 2021, is once again placing Joe where he shines best: innovating. Although cold-formed steel and prefabrication technology hasn’t changed significantly since he first developed it, he is once more pushing the boundaries of traditional construction methods and reimagining the possibilities of prefabrication by applying the technology to more diverse projects, in complex retrofits and in taller and larger structures.
