CELEBRATING 30 YEARS AND COUNTING

I started Building Air Quality 30 years ago. Indoor air quality was still a relatively new field at the time, and I had no idea what this industry would become. Back then, we focused on IAQ consulting and cleaning air conditioning systems. I couldn’t have predicted that over the years it would develop into a full-time business doing environmental readings, looking for airborne matter, sampling water quality, determining the impact of moisture on a building, or using thermal imaging cameras to make sure a building has dried properly.

The kind of work I do isn’t the only thing that’s changed. When I first started the company, I offered my services to all types of clients. I would go to homes, medical buildings, school districts, commercial buildings, and work with virtually anyone who called. Within two years, I started to get a sense of who I really wanted to work with. In fact, I pretty quickly made the decision to focus exclusively on commercial office buildings. Over time, I had the opportunity to work in a few select school districts as well as a number of federal buildings that have been very interesting.

It’s difficult to condense 30 years into a single article. There have been countless jobs and many different experiences. I’ve enjoyed big successes and made some mistakes I had to learn from. But one thing I’m really proud of is the fact that I’ve been able to keep my doors open for so long and continually grow my customer base.

During the “mold rush” between 1998–2004, everyone and their brother was jumping at the chance to start or grow a business to take advantage of the ridiculously high insurance money that was out there. But while everyone else was staffing up, I gave presentations to building owners, property managers, and their staff, teaching them how to address and prevent mold in their buildings. When the insurance money dried up, a lot of companies disappeared, while others had to let people go. Meanwhile, I was still growing my customer base because my clients knew I was there to help them, not make a fortune off of them.

This isn’t to imply I’m running a charity service, but I’m proud of the way I’ve been able to run my business and watch it grow every year. I got into the business to learn something I thought would be extremely challenging. It certainly has been a challenge, but eventually, I realized my role is to help my clients move forward in a positive way. Today, my mission is to prevent problems from occurring in my clients’ buildings and to help them safely resolve the problems that do arise.

Today, most of my clients are the kind who call me right when they hear there’s a problem and ask me how soon we can come out to their building. They’re committed to providing the best customer service to their own clients by ensuring they are operating in a safe environment. This is something I can appreciate because that’s how I’ve been conducting my business for all these years.

Thank you all for 30 years of support. Building Air Quality wouldn’t be what it is today without you. We look forward to continuing to work with you in the future.