talking business

by Emily Landes

Working in the environmental remediation industry is a bit like working in the chocolate factory from I Love Lucy. Calls are always coming in from panicked owners who need help immediately after a flood or fire has disturbed asbestos or lead in their homes. At the same time, crews are almost certainly already at work on other projects that need to be finished within days to comply with insurance company standards. Work must constantly move faster and faster to keep up with demand and the ever-growing competition in the industry.

As one of the biggest and most established names in the field, P.W. Stephens Inc. must be able to handle the daily pressure that comes from working with owners who have just undergone a major loss to their buildings. “It happens to the owner once in a lifetime, whereas we see it every day,” explains P.W. Stephens Project Manager Art Ortiz. “They’re just devastated.”

But there are many things that property owners can do to lessen the damage after a disaster. First, says Ortiz, understand that time is of the essence after an event. Mold can begin growing within 72 hours after a flood, and just because you think you mopped up all the water, it doesn’t mean you are out of the woods. “Even if you don’t see it, that doesn’t mean it isn’t there,” he adds.

Water often ends up under cabinets and floors, and mold especially likes paper products like drywall. If you’ve had a major flood, don’t assume that you can handle the clean up on your own. Bringing in a professional remediator at the beginning can save you a lot of trouble down the line.

The “Don’t Do It Yourself” motto goes double for asbestos. While there are no laws saying that owners can’t remove the asbestos themselves (though they are required to have a certified professional dispose of it), Ortiz wouldn’t recommend it. When P.W. Stephens comes in to do asbestos remediation, the company can monitor the air to make sure there’s no exposure. Self-remediators take no such precautions.

Even though most owners know how dangerous asbestos exposure can be, Ortiz says some doubt his advice that they take it seriously. “It’s been around forever,” “It’s in the soil,” “It’s in the school system,” “It’s just an added expense” and “My dad worked with it for years,” are just a few of the rationales he’s heard during his 12 years in the business. “We have to explain to them that it’s not a bad thing if you have it, it’s just a bad thing if you disturb it,” he says.

Still other owners, particularly landlords, don’t care what a remediation job costs, as long as it’s done properly and quickly, with as little liability as possible. Ortiz has seen landlords not only put tenants up in hotels while work is being done, but also give them a per diem while they are out of their apartments.

Creating these positive relationships with tenants will pay dividends if there are ever any other problems in their units. Many times, Ortiz has seen easily solvable small leaks turn into major floods just because tenants didn’t feel comfortable telling their landlords that there was a problem.

In those cases, not only is it too late to stop mold from growing, but also insurance probably won’t pay for the damage because claims agents will classify it as a long-term leak or negligence, rather than a sudden loss. Ironically, the best thing that can happen for an owner in that instance is to discover asbestos. Insurance companies will generally cover the asbestos remediation, which will also include removal of the mold.

While these tips for landlords are applicable throughout the Bay Area region that P.W. Stephens covers from its Fremont office (it also has offices in Huntington Beach, San Diego and South Florida), Ortiz says there are some regional differences when disasters strike. Older lath and plaster buildings in San Francisco were built to withstand moisture and generally holds up well after a flood. “They’re built well and they’re going to last forever,” he says. On the downside, these older homes are more likely to have what Ortiz calls “the trifecta”: lead paint, asbestos and mold. Newer homes in areas like San Jose most likely don’t have lead paint or asbestos, but when they get wet, Ortiz says, “you’ve got to pull them apart to dry them out.”

Covering such a large and diverse area adds to the strain of abatement work. In a typical day, Ortiz will leave his Fremont office and head to a project in San Francisco, then drive down to Palo Alto to give an estimate and then head up to another project site in San Raphael before driving back to his home in the East Bay. In all, he drives up to 600 miles a day.

Rising gas prices have seriously impacted the bottom line, since the ever-increasing number of companies getting into abatement work means P.W. Stephens must keep its prices competitive with smaller companies that have less overhead.

But because there will always be disasters, Ortiz feels pretty confident that the company will continue growing. “We’re like the grocery store and the gas station,” he posits. “We’ll always be around.” In fact, the company recently added HAZMAT cleaning to its repertoire in a bid to stay one step ahead of others in the industry.

What else separates P.W. Stephens from the rest? Service, declares Ortiz. Staff will work seven days a week, 10 to 12 hours a day to make sure that people are able to get back in their homes as quickly as possible. Plus, new technology allows the company to have wall materials tested, get the results and remove the offending materials within a day. Workers can also isolate rooms so that people can remain in place while work is going on. “Nobody wants to be without a home,” he says.

Asked if any particular project stands out during his four years working at P.W. Stephens, Ortiz is stumped. Finally, he concludes, “Almost every one of them is an emergency when we come in and save the day. Everyday we do something special.”

 

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The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of SFAA or SF Apartment Magazine. Emily Landes is the managing editor of SF Apartment Magazine. Copyright © 2008 SF Apartment Magazine. All rights reserved.