Flood Risk America (FRA), a national leader in flood protection products, announced the opening of a new in-house test facility dedicated to putting its flood barriers, panels, and gates through the same punishing conditions they face during an actual flood event. The facility marks a significant investment in a discipline that remains rare in the flood protection industry: proving that a product works before it is ever installed on a building.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260903819653/en/
The FRA Flood Panel holding strong to protect a parking garage from flooding
Why an in-house test facility matters
Much of the flood protection sold in North America is manufactured overseas and shipped here to be distributed with little or no independent testing behind it, leaving property owners, engineers, and architects to discover a product’s real limits during the worst possible moment.
Flood Risk America built its test facility to eliminate that gamble. Every FRA product is engineered, tested, and refined in-house, so that the performance claims made on paper are backed by measurable results in controlled conditions.
“Anyone can print a spec sheet,” said Stephen Gill, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Flood Risk America. “We wanted to be able to look an engineer or a building owner in the eye and say we have already flooded this product, on purpose, and it held.”
What FRA tests for
The facility subjects FRA’s flood protection systems to a battery of conditions designed to mirror and exceed real-world flooding:
- Zero-seepage testing – FRA’s standard is not “minimal leakage.” It is zero seepage. Products are held against sustained water exposure and inspected for any sign of intrusion.
- Stress and load testing – Barriers are pushed to evaluate structural durability and strength under the mechanical stress that floodwater, debris, and hydrostatic force apply during an event.
- Real-world pressure simulation – Testing replicates the pressure of genuine flood conditions, not just a shallow static pool, so results reflect how a product behaves when water depth and force climb.
Testing drives continuous innovation
The purpose of the facility is not simply to pass or fail a product – it is to make every product better. When testing reveals any seepage or weakness, FRA’s design and engineering team goes back to work: refining the seal, improving material quality, and adding water-tight features until the system meets the company’s zero-seepage standard.
This closed loop between testing and engineering is what allows Flood Risk America to innovate its own solutions rather than simply reselling generic, imported products. Few flood companies design and test their own systems this way, and even fewer make continuous improvement a core part of how their products evolve.
Recognized for innovation
Flood Risk America’s commitment to engineering and testing its own flood protection has drawn industry attention. The company was recently named Most Innovative Flood Protection Solutions Company, Florida 2026 in the Business Circle Awards Directory – recognition of the in-house design, testing, and continuous-improvement approach that now has a dedicated home in FRA’s new test facility.
About Flood Risk America
Flood Risk America is a national leader in flood protection, helping businesses and homeowners safeguard the buildings and assets they have worked hard to build. Rather than offering one-size-fits-all products, FRA tailors every solution to the individual property, accounting for its unique risks, design, and use. A close-knit team of designers, flood specialists, and engineers works together from assessment through installation, giving clients a single, accountable partner.
Learn more at floodriskamerica.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260903819653/en/
Media gallery
