Chris Langdon, the owner and president of Complete Restoration Services, has been in restoration work for over a decade with various companies. When he decided to start his own company in 2008, he knew that choosing the right tools could make or break his business.
“Tools are everything,” said Langdon at his office in Boise, ID. “If you don’t have the right tools, the work will suffer. You have to have effective tools and processes in place before you start the job.”
He purchased three ProTeam Super CoachVac HEPA backpack vacuums for the opening of his business. Today he has a staff of 14, and his business consists of about 80 percent water damage, 10 percent mold, and 10 percent fire restoration jobs. His staff uses their ProTeam backpacks on every job.
People come to restoration contractors in times of need and stress. There has been a fire, a flood, or someone is feeling sick from toxic mold. Langdon’s job is to assure his clients that their lives will go back to normal as quickly as possible.
“Our customers are never happy to have to call us for restoration services, but we try to keep them happy after they do,” said Langdon. “That includes finding the communication style that works for each customer and keeping their homes in the best possible condition during the job. If customers see their homes in chaos, they worry that our work is not being done right. I emphasize cleanliness with all my employees.”
That cleanliness is especially important, because, due to the nature of disaster restoration, most clients only use Langdon’s services once. He relies heavily on referrals to build his business.
“The most common reasons for referral are punctuality, communication, and cleanliness,” said Langdon. “Our goal is to be the cleanest restoration services company in town. We use our ProTeam vacuums to clean up thoroughly at the end of every day. We get a lot of positive feedback on how good the job looks from beginning to end.”
Langdon says the average job involves about three hours of vacuuming, and all areas are vacuumed three to five times during each job. When Langdon’s workers cut out damaged drywall, they hook up the drywall saw to a backpack vacuum to control dust. For fire restoration jobs, they vacuum the walls, ceiling, floor, subfloor, and studs to capture soot. They even vacuum clothing and furniture. Whatever structures are too badly damaged they remove and vacuum the surfaces beneath that.
It is crucial that restoration contractors remove as many contaminants as possible from the environment. Even particles that are invisible to the eye can be aspirated into the lungs and harm human health. Their Super CoachVac HEPA vacuums feature Four Level® Filtration to help remove allergens and improve Indoor Air Quality.
“HEPA filtration is important, especially on the mold jobs,” said Langdon. “The ProTeam backpacks do a remarkable job capturing all the spores. When we are tested by an independent third party, they say we run the cleanest job sites they’ve every seen.”
Langdon’s passion for his work is obvious.
“It is very rewarding to help people in a time of need,” said Langdon.
In 2012, ProTeam released the successor to the Super CoachVac, the Super Coach Pro. It features an improved harness and a more compact profile. Learn more here.
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