Mold Authority President, Tom Re
Mainland: How did Mold Authority come to be? What was the inspiration to start the company?
Tom Re: I spent many years on Wall Street as a financial analyst looking for trends within various sectors. That’s when I learned about the environmental industry. What I saw was tremendous growth prospects in all areas of the industry, and that’s what motivated me to start a mold remediation company. Later, in 2018, my six-year-old son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. When I started looking into how children get this terrible disease, I learned that environmental exposure was one of the primary possibilities. At that point, I made it my mission to build a company that would help people identify and eliminate indoor air contaminants and their effects.
We are the first national indoor air testing company that services both commercial and residential consumers. Most of our competitors primarily provide commercial services, which makes them unaffordable for families who want to test the air quality in their homes. I felt there was a real need for a company that would allow homeowners to address air quality issues.
Mainland: Aside from residential services, what sets Mold Authority apart from its competitors?
Re: We provide affordable air testing services, but most importantly, we also provide answers and solutions to the problems that we find. Many companies test air quality, but they don’t correct whatever issues they identify. Through our experience, knowledge, partners and products, Mold Authority is able to provide a full spectrum of solutions that optimize air quality for healthy living.
We also offer virtual inspections, which allow clients to access our professionals at any time through video conferencing, which provides instant identification of and answers to indoor air quality concerns. I don’t know of any other company that offers something like that.
Mainland: What are Mold Authority’s growth goals?
Re: We envision a national presence from coast to coast, providing a uniform service offering so customers will know what to expect when scheduling a Mold Authority inspection service.
Mainland: What were some learning opportunities that the brand leveraged to get where it is now?
Re: We’ve learned a lot about what our industry partners need in order to provide the best possible services for our customers. We’ve learned that most remediation and restoration companies need specific guidance, guidelines and protocols to properly service clients. So we provide work plans and clearance criteria for all post-restoration jobs that our partners do. This has helped our clients get the best possible services and allowed us to build stronger relationships with our industry partners. We see remediation and restoration companies are our primary partners in servicing clients.
Mainland: As the brand grows, what is guiding its expansion strategy?
Re: We are focused on growing in a manner that allows for maximum client value, and that will continue to be our guiding principle as we expand into new markets around the country.
Mainland: What does your ideal franchisee look like?
Re: The ideal Mold Authority franchisee is someone who cares deeply about healthy, indoor air quality and providing the best possible service to clients. It takes someone with passion and self-motivation. We don’t require any prior expertise or technical knowledge; that is something we can train on. Any passionate entrepreneur with a customer-centric background and a desire to build something great can do well with Mold Authority.
Mainland: How does Mold Authority support its franchisees?
Re: A strong training environment is the cornerstone of our business. The more informed our franchisees are, the better they will be able to assist their clients. To that end, Mold Authority has created an environment that promotes constant learning and information-sharing to support both personal and professional growth. Our instructors and sales support team are deeply passionate about helping franchisees succeed, and they are never more than a phone call away.
Mainland: How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect the business?
Re: We launched virtual inspections during the pandemic, and that was a huge breakthrough for us. Virtual inspections allowed us to assist our clients in any environment where in-person services were not possible, and that continues to be incredibly valuable even post-pandemic. We are extremely proud of that achievement because it demonstrates how committed we are to servicing our clients in any scenario.
Mainland: What do the next five years look like for Mold Authority?
Re: We expect massive growth over the next five years as people become increasingly aware of indoor air quality and how it affects their health. Mold Authority will become a household name and virtually synonymous with indoor air management. We will continue to be the dominant player in this underserved segment, and we will continue to innovate to provide more and better solutions for our clients.
Total investments for a Mold Authority franchise range from $42,750 to $91,950. For more information about franchising with Mold Authority, visit https://moldauthority.com/franchise/.