Woods Basement Systems

Takin' It to the Upper Limits!

2009-10-28T14:44:00.000-07:00

Woods Supports Annie's Hope at Upper Limits with Team 1380's High School HuddleWhat a great day of fun for all! Last Saturday, Woods Basement Systems was present at the Annie's Hope day at Upper Limits in St. Louis, MO. Also present was Team 1380 AM's High School Huddle crew. This was a good way for Woods Basement Systems (supporters of Annie's Hope & Sponsors of the High School Huddle) to show their support for Annie's Hope.If you don't know much about Annie's Hope, it is an organization that is community based and nonprofit. Their mission at Annie's Hope is to provide comprehensive support services for children, teens and their families who are grieving the death of someone significant. You can read more about Annie's Hope here.

Woods Basement Systems has been a supporter of Annie's Hope for many years and participates in many events that Annie's Hope hosts, including Trivia Night fundraisers, golfing events and just general fun events! Also, Woods has been a sponsor of the High School Huddle for many years. Listen to the High School Huddle on Saturday mornings at 9 AM, located on your AM dial, 1380 AM. Click here to learn more about the High School Huddle on Team 1380 AM!

Signing Out,
Otto

On With The Show

2009-10-19T10:39:00.000-07:00

Woods Exhibits at the 2009 Fall Home Show
Did you get a chance to stop by and see us at the HBA of St. Louis & Eastern Missouri's Fall Home Show?

On display were brand new items such as ThermalDry Flooring and Total Basement Finishing products. Also on display were our solutions for crawl spaces, basements, foundations and cracks. At this show Woods ran their contest sign-up for a FREE BASEMENT giveaway, finished with Total Basement Finishing products (value of $20,000!!). If you missed us at this show, don't feel bad! You have the opportunity to stop by and see us at the Small Business Expo at the St. Charles Convention Center coming up this Wednesday, October 21st! We will be at booth #617 from 11am - 6pm, so definitely stop by and sign-up for the FREE BASEMENT giveaway contest, ask us any questions you might have, or just stop by and say hey!

In other news, remember our last blog entry about making sure our employee's are fed? Well, last Friday employee's were treated to Chinese food for lunch, courtesy of Woods! How neat! Employee's at Woods are also getting really excited for our Production Manager, Chris's Bonfire and Chili Cook-off on Oct. 30th! Chris is generously hosting this event at his home for all employee's to come enjoy fellowship, food and fun! Also, employee's are encouraged at our office to dress up in their Halloween costumes that day, so definitely check back for our spoooooooky photos!

Signing off,
Otto

Breakfast of Champions!

2009-10-09T10:55:00.001-07:00

Woods cooks breakfast for employee's before a day of work
Crews at Woods Basement Systems arrive in the morning to start a day of work almost everyday around 4:00 am! On Friday's our crews are treated to breakfast cooked by members of our management staff as a way of saying "thank you" for all the hard work that our crews do. Not only is it a way of saying thank you to the hard-working employee's on our crew, but it's also important to Woods that our employee's are getting a good breakfast in the morning! On the menu this morning was our Production Department Manager Chris's signature biscuits and gravy.

Dave, our Marketing Department Manager, was also there to be a sous chef to Chris, to ensure that every mouth was fed and every belly was full! On a rainy, cold day like today, it was especially nice to have a warm, hot breakfast!

A few hours later, when our office opened, our Office Manager Susan brought in breakfast for all of our office staff! Among the items to eat were doughnuts (filled, unfilled, iced, etc!), apples and bananas for employee's that wanted a more healthy approach to breakfast, milk, orange juice and coffee! Not only was this good for breakfast, but some employee's in the office (myself included) have been nibbling on the leftovers as a delicious snack. Yum!

Hey! Don't forget to catch us this weekend at the St. Charles Convention Center for the 2009 Builders Home and Remodeling Show in St. Charles, MO! We'll be at booth #2500 and would love to talk to you, so stop on by!

Signing Out,
Otto

A Walk To Remember

2009-10-05T11:31:00.000-07:00

Woods participates in the 2009 Alzheimer's Memory WalkLast Saturday, Team Woods Basement Systems participated in the 2009 Memory Walk benefiting the Alzheimer's Association. This year the walk was held at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in Illinois. Walkers arrived around 8 am to sign-in their teams to stomp out Alzheimer's. Even though the weather was a little bit overcast, that did not stop the dedicated walkers participating in this event!

When the event commenced, there was a warm up session to get walkers limber for the 1-3 mile walk. After a few words from our local Alzheimer's Association chapter members, we then commenced the walk!The brisk walk started from the Alumni Hall building all the way out to Cougar Village and then back! After the walk, participants got to partake in a small lunch and were showered with congratulations and thanks for coming out and raising money for this year's Memory Walk. Woods is looking forward to next year's walk and had an awesome time participating in this event! What a great time!

Signing Out,
Otto

FOUR!

2009-10-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

Woods Shows Appreciation on the Green
Last Thursday, Woods Basement Systems held their 3rd Annual Employee Appreciation Golf Scramble! Employee's were treated to a day off work to golf for free, an event t-shirt to commemorate the event, a chance to win awards and a yummy dinner directly following the golf scramble. This year, the event was held at Stonebridge Golf Course in Maryville, IL, which is the same venue that Woods used for the 1st Annual Woods Relay For Life Golf Scramble - raising money to benefit the American Cancer Society.

Ironically on the day of the golf scramble, it was our Office Manager's 40th birthday, which we celebrated by decorating her golf cart and her cubicle. She was shocked and surprised when the golf course rolled out her golf cart decked in black balloon's reading, "Happy 40th!".

In the Spring, Woods is planning on hosting a crazy bowl as another "Thank You!" to their employee's. I know most of the employee's are already penciling that into their schedules! In addition to the crazy bowl, fundraising for the 2nd Annual Collinsville Relay for Life will begin soon, which means lots of charity events for you to have the opportunity to participate in! Make sure to frequently check our blog for upcoming events and reminders about how you can participate!

Signing Out,
Otto

Wet Basements? No Problem!

2009-09-18T09:27:00.000-07:00

No Basement is TOO Wet for Woods!

At Woods Basement Systems, wet basements are our thing! As you'll see in this video, from sump pumps to dehumidification, we want to make sure that your basement is bone dry, before you start finishing it!

In other news, the BNI Group that Woods belongs to had a very successful visitors networking event this Thursday. Over 30 visitors attended to help promote their own businesses and our members' businesses too! (photo courtesy of Cindy Tiefenbrunn)

Pictured in the dark blue shirt is Woods own Dave, Director of Marketing, working hard to get the word out about how spectacular Woods is! Not only is Dave a part of the St. Louis Hills Chapter of BNI, he is also a member of The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) and a board member for the Collinsville Chamber of Commerce. If you're in the Collinsville area this weekend, stop by Collinsville's largest event, The Italian Fest!

Stay tuned for more exciting info from Woods! As always, if you have any questions about anything associated with Woods Basement Systems, do not hesitate to call us at (866) 288-7189.

Signing Out,
Otto

Taking Care of Bowing Walls

2009-09-14T06:36:00.000-07:00

Taking Care of Bowing Walls

Bowing walls can be a pain. Check out this video to see how Woods Basement Systems can solve your bowing wall problems! Also, check out our YouTube channel for the most up to date video postings!

Signing Out,
Otto

Party Over Here!

2009-09-10T12:56:00.000-07:00

Woods Visits Connecticut for 2009 Convention
Just a few weeks prior, members of our management staff here at Woods Basement Systems attended the 2009 Basement Systems Convention held in Seymour and Hartford, Connecticut. The annual convention is a place for all Basement Systems, CleanSpace, Foundation Supportworks and Total Basement Finishing dealers to get together and socialize, be recognized for excellence and all in all, have a great time!

Also at this convention, dealers of Basement Systems, CleanSpace, Foundation Supportworks and Total Basement Finishing are recognized for outstanding achievement.

Being a first year Foundation Supportworks dealer, Woods was pleasantly surprised to be awarded with the #3 Foundation Supportworks dealer in the world. Foundation Supportworks is a company that brings structural integrity to building and residential foundations, repairing settling, bowing, cracked and damaged commercial municipal and residential foundations. Woods Basement Systems feels honored to be a dealer of the excellent product that Foundation Supportworks has available for consumers.

In addition to winning #3 Foundation Supportworks dealer, Woods also won #2 Basement Systems dealer for total sales in 2008/2009.

Basement Systems is a world innovator that develops cutting edge products specifically designed to keep basements dry. Currently, Basement Systems owns over 20 patents!

So as for the 2009 Basement Systems Convention, Woods had a rockin' good time. We're looking forward to next year's convention and striving to be the best that we can be in 2009!

We're also looking forward to having an excellent 2010. With so many new ventures that we will be embarking upon, it's exciting to watch and see our company grow by the day.

Woods is continually delivering excellent service in the Illinois/Missouri area, and look forward to solving homeowners' basement woes. Have problems with your home? Give us a call anytime at #866-288-7189!

Signing Out,
Otto

One Happy Customer

2009-08-31T10:25:00.001-07:00

A Satisfied Customer From Woods Basement Systems

Want "peace of mind" for your home from Woods Basement Systems? Click Here to visit our website or give us a call at #866-288-7189. We're always happy to talk to you!

Signing Out,
Otto

A Charity Close To Our Hearts

2009-08-26T14:01:00.000-07:00

Woods Is On The MOVE To End Alzheimer's
A charity that is very close to our hearts here at Woods Basement Systems is the Alzheimer's Association. A few employee's of ours have family members that have either passed away or are currently living with this terrible disease.

Currently, an estimated 5.3 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease. It is a progressive and fatal brain disorder, which is the 7th leading cause of death in America.

There is no current cure for Alzheimer's, but here at Woods, we're MOVING to change that! Every year, Woods participates in the 1 to 3 mile walk at Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville and throughout the year, we work to raise money to benefit this organization.

If you would like to make a donation to our team, you can do that by simply clicking here!

With your help and the support of our community, we look forward to the day when we can live in a world without Alzheimer's disease.

Signing out,
Otto

How To Take Care of Your Crawl Space

2009-08-17T11:50:00.001-07:00

Need to know information from Woods Basement Systems

Woods Basement Systems recently visited a homeowner with a crawl space that needed some work. Having a wide variety of patented products available to our customers, we knew exactly what solutions to recommend to this homeowner.

You can always learn more about our products by visiting our website at www.WoodsBasementSystems.com. For even more helpful tips, or to ask a question at anytime, follow us on twitter, just click here!

Signing out,
Otto

And The Winner Is...

2009-08-11T10:42:00.001-07:00

Woods Picks the Winner of the "First Day: Celebrating Family" Coloring Contest!

The results are in! Woods Basement Systems' own, Sophie chose the lucky winner of the "First Day: Celebrating Family" coloring contest! This show was hosted by the City of Collinsville at the Gateway Center on July 31st. At this event, children had the opportunity to color, climb on a rock wall, and many other activities provided by local business owners.

Sophie explained that she chose this picture as the winner because the colors were "very, very pretty" and that she liked that they finished the entire picture. Winner, Christian Smith, will be awarded four tickets to see the Gateway Grizzlies play ball on August 29th. Congratulations Christian! Enjoy the game!

Also, don't forget to keep checking out our blog for upcoming contests just like this one, with many more fabulous prizes!

Signing Out,
Otto

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!

2009-08-06T08:21:00.000-07:00

Woods celebrates good times!
On July 31st, Woods Basement Systems celebrated in the Fox Sports Midwest Suite with the
winners of the Cracked Bat Sweepstakes; advertised on St. Louis's ESPN 101.1 radio station.

Winners enjoyed an exciting game between St. Louis's own Cardinals and the Houston Astros. Fox Sports Midwest's suite is located right behind third base, so it provided a breathtaking view for all who attended. While enjoying the view and an exciting game, the winners feasted on cannelloni bites, wings, brats and other tasty treats. What a night!

Make sure to keep your ears open for more great giveaways from Woods Basement Systems to various upcoming events in the St. Louis area. Remember, always sign-up because there always has to be a winner - it could be you!

signing out,
Otto

Woods Helping Families in the Metro Area

2009-07-29T08:16:00.000-07:00

This Friday at the Gateway Center, Woods Basement Systems will be participating in the 2nd Annual First Day: Celebrating Family show. This event is put on by the City of Collinsville; focused on raising morale in the Collinsville community, with local businesses offering their support. Last year, many businesses gave out school supplies to an estimated 2,500 attendees!

Woods will be holding their annual coloring contest - with the winner being awarded four tickets to see the Gateway Grizzlies play ball! At Woods' booth, there will be a table where kids can sit and color, along with comfy seats for their parents to relax. Also, product and company information will be available for parents to check out while their kiddos enjoy coloring our basement safety coloring page!

So if you are going to be in the Collinsville area this Friday around 4pm - 8pm, stop by our booth (booth #69) at the Gateway Center! And don't worry if you can't stay long, you can grab a coloring sheet for your little ones and just mail it back to us!

Hope to see you there!

Signing out,
Otto

Woods Gets Schooled

2009-07-17T06:11:00.000-07:00

Everyday you learn something new!

Last Wednesday through Friday, Employee's from Woods Basement Systems attended the Foundation Supportworks Marketing Training in Omaha, Nebraska. Attending training is one thing that Wood's is very passionate about. We want to make sure we are always on top of our game, because you as a customer, deserve nothing but the best!

Along with Woods, 40+ Basement Systems dealers attended this training; with one dealer coming all the way from Canada! Pictured to the right, is Woods' own Bruce Sprenger, licensed AE on staff, standing next to a load test apparatus. Bruce heads up most of our commercial foundation repair and waterproofing jobs in the St. Louis Metro Area.

At this training, dealers learned about the latest ICC specifications on our foundation repair products, along with many other pertinent topics. Woods looks forward to visiting homeowners' in the area and sharing their knowledge about foundation repair with them. There's never a problem too large or too small for us to tackle!

Signing out,
Otto

Woods Employee's Love The Turtl

2009-07-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

One of our newer products, The Turl™, has all the of our employee's falling in love!

The Turtl™ is designed to provide a clean, convenient way for our customers to access their below-grade crawl spaces. Usually, crawl space access wells are ugly and deteriorated. They let rain, leaves and debris into the crawl spaces of our customers, making for a nasty area. Also, old, leaky crawl space access systems can damage homes and provide safety hazards!

We recently brought a Turtl™ Crawl Space Access System into our office and all of our employee's were drawn to the clean, attractive look and functionality of the Turtl™. They were so drawn to it, we couldn't keep them out of it!

The Turtl™ is made from rigid plastic, so it will not corrode or rot. It is durable, built to last and looks great outside!

The Turtl™ is:
- Clean and Dry
- Strong and Durable
- Secure and Lockable
- Air and Water Tight
...and most of all, Looks Great!

At Woods Basement Systems, we love The Turtl™ and think that you will too! If you're interested in finding out more about The Turtl™ Crawl Space Access System, we would love for you to visit our website to learn more! Just click here!

Signing out,
Otto

Woods is Everywhere!

2009-07-07T09:25:00.000-07:00

Good Afternoon Everyone!
As of late, Woods Basement Systems has been all over the St. Louis Metro-Area meeting with friends, customers

and the general community. We were really excited when HGTV came to town to film Rebuilding Together - St. Louis's remodel. Woods was glad to be asked to offer some of their time and services to help remodel The Windsor Transitional House, which is shelter for homeless veterans. Pictured left to right is Dave Thompson from Woods Basement Systems, Doug McCullauley from Mosby Building Arts, Kevin Howard from Rebuilding Together - St. Louis, and Alex Mosby from Mosby Building Arts.

Woods, along with NARI (the National Association of the Remodeling Industry) helped take this home from barely livable to a comfortable, safe home for the local veterans.

On the subject of NARI, Woods employees also participated in the Annual NARI Golf Outing at Greenbriar Golf Course in Kirkwood. The golf outing is NARI's largest yearly fund raiser, so we were glad to spend time with friends and help the NARI organization at the same time! (Our team actually won first place!)

Also in the busy month of June, Woods participated in the First Annual Collinsville Relay For Life! If you haven't heard of Relay For Life, it is an event that helps raise money for the American Cancer Society with funds going towards cancer research, education and the needs of current cancer patients (such as rides to doctors appointments, wigs, etc.).

This cause is something very near and dear to us at Woods because many of us have either been effected directly or have a family member that has been effected by Cancer.

Woods held many events to help raise money for this cause, such as a trivia night, a paintball tournament, a golf tournament and even an 80s movie night!

At the relay, the weather was a scorching 101 degrees at 7pm when it began! Around 9pm, it started pouring raining and we had to move all of the campsites into the gym at Son Life Church in Collinsville. It was such a fun, unpredictable experience, that we cannot wait to do it again next year!

Coming up on the calendar, we are all looking forward to raising money and participating at the upcoming 2009 Alzheimer's Memory Walk in September at SIU-Edwardsville's Campus. Hopefully we'll have some nice weather!

Signing out,
Otto

A Pain in the Drain

2008-06-03T07:44:00.000-07:00

A pain in the drain
rainy spring, waterlogged basements

May 31, 2008
by Stephen Deere
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Jessir Carson of Woods Basement Systems work son securing PVC pipes that are part of a sump pump system in the home of Jerry Gibson in Chesterfield. Gibson decided to get the system after a couple inches of water flooded parts of his basement. Carson said basement water calls have his crew fixing those problems instead of their normal foundation work.

Jerry Gibson wandered down into his Chesterfield basement one day in March and noticed a wet spot on his carpet. He looked around and found water slowly seeping through the walls.

"It was coming n on three sides," he said. "You couldn't stop it."

He started calling basement waterproofing companies but quickly found out he wasn't the only one whose basement had grown soggy.

"Each one of them quoted me 10 to 12 weeks of lead time," Gibson said.

So far, the beginning of the year has been the wettest of any on record for the St. Louis area. More than 27 inches of precipitation has fallen at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, according to the Nation Weather Service. That's 12 inches above normal.

All that extra water had to find someplace to go.

From Illinois to St. Charles County, companies that specialize in waterproofing basements and repairing moisture damage are reporting a flood of business.

And last weekend's constant showers didn't help - especially in Wentzville, where rain caused sewer backups and flooded basements of 40 to 50 homes, said Mayor Paul Lambi.

"With the saturation of the soils, the basements reach a breaking point," said Dave Thompson, the marketing director for Woods Basement Systems.

The flooding is affecting houses all over, Thompson said, and the age of a home doesn't seem to matter. "It's happening to three-, 30- and 60-year-old houses," Thompson said.

With more people making media rooms out of their basements, it has become increasingly important to keep the space dry, Thompson said, noting that some to sink tens of thousands of dollars into home entertainment systems.

This past Tuesday, the phones at Woodard Cleaning and Restoration Services, a company that restores waterlogged carpets, would not stop ringing. In all, the company received 410 calls for help with water damage, said Scott Dieckgraefe, Woodard's marketing director.

"That is the second-highest in our history," he said. "The highest was this past March, when we recieved 430 calls in one day."

Scott Vandover, Woodard's vice president of restoration, said people should contact a restoration specialist within 48 hours of when they first notice water in their basement. Otherwise mold can set in, causing irrevocable damage. The company, located in Brentwood, uses high-tech probes to detect damage not visible to the eye and high-velocity commercial fans and dehumidifiers to combat moisture.

Woodard - unlike Woods Basement Systems - doesn't fix cracks in basements or install sump pumps to prevent future leakage. So once the company is finished drying out rugs or dry-wall out, home and business owners must decide how they want to prevent future water problems.

Many, Vandover said, do nothing and hope for the best.

"You would be surprised at how many residences we make multiple stops at every time it rains," he said.

Larry Case, executive vice president of the Missouri Association of Insurance Agents, said he hasn't noticed an increase in claims from homeowners with flooded basements, but that didn't surprise him. Insurance policies don't generally cover flood damage, he noted, unless people request it.

Until now, many haven't had much of reason to do so.

"There's been places that have flooded recently that have never flooded before,"Case said.

Jerry Gibson, a retiree, built his home 30 years ago. Because it's in a hilly area, he never expected the home would flood.

But he's having to rip up carpet and drywall and has hired Woods Basement Systems to install a sump pump to ward off water in the furture.

The tab? Nearly $10,000 and rising, he said. "It's an expensive lesson."

Woods Basement Wins Award

2008-05-23T07:21:00.000-07:00

(As published in the Collinsville Business Journal on May 21st, 2008)
By. Dave Thompson
Woods Basement Systems

Wood Basement Systems of Collinsville was recently named the number one pier and anchor dealer within the Grip-Tite dealer network at the Grip-Tite convention in Orlando, Florida.

It is the first time a business has ever been named first as both pier and anchor dealer.

Grip-Tite's anchors secure and stabilize basement walls from damage they could incur with seasonal climate expansion and contraction of soils.

Grip-Tite's piers give homes a secure foundation to rest on; preventing further settling issues that effect many homes.

Rick Woods, the owner of Woods Basement Systems, in a press release attributed t he success of the company to having a great team. Woods Basement Systems is a family owned and operated business, who this year is celebrating their 23rd year in business.

"We follow the 'golden rule' and coach our team to do the same." Woods said in the release.

"Treat the customer as you would treat yourself and do not use high-pressure sales tactics."

For more information about Woods Basement Systems or to get free answers regarding home or business foundation, call 1-866-269-0332.

Recent Rains Leave Basements Flooded

2008-05-05T09:53:00.000-07:00

April 2, 2008
By Will Buss
and Rickeena J. Richards
News-Democrat

Weeks of precipitation across the metro-east left many residents with flooded basements - and local hardware stores with a boost in business.

"We've sold out of sump pumps several times within the past couple weeks," said Dave Dyar, a clerk at Don's Hardware Parts Center in Swansea.

Dyar said the store had to resort to a secondary vendor to order more pumps.

"We just couldn't keep up with them all," he said. "And anything to go with the sump pump was a really hot item here recently."

That was also the case at Home Brite Ace Hardware in Belleville, assistant manager Frank Wesling said.

"During that big rain is when we started having problems with people coming in and getting sump pumps and shop vacs," Wesling said. "Anything that would pick up water out of the basement, they were buying."

Dyar said sump pumps can be the most effective method for homeowners addressing flooding, whereas shop vacuums can be handy for final cleanup.

"You'd be better off with a sump pump than a shop vac," he said. "Shop vacs are good for puddles, but for flooding it's just not going to do the continuous work. You'd be better off with buckets than a shop vac until the final cleanup."

Recent heavy rains increased the number of calls for Woods Basement Systems. The Collinsville waterproofing service usually fields between 100 to 200 calls a week, but marketing specialist Dave Thompson said recent weeks have produced as many as 600 per week.

He also attributes the recent spate of business to the fact that before the record setting precipitation for February and March, the greater St. Louis area had experienced a precipitation deficit over the previous two years. Thompson said that over time, the clay and footings within house basement had cracked.

"The footing does what our foot does for our body: it keeps it erect," he said. "that may have relaxed enough between the vertical footing and letting water in from the exterior. We've had calls from people who have lived in a house for 10 years and never had a leak and suddenly have leaks now."

Woods provides free booklets with advice about how homeowners can prevent water leaks. Thompson said that one of the most improtant tips he suggests to property owners is that they should make sure their downspouts send water as far as 7 feet from house, if not further.

"The further away, the better and less likelihood of it being there ponding in the yard," he said.

Ken Haas, a manager at Basic Hardware Center in Belleville, suggested making sure the land that surrounds a home slopes downward and away from its foundation so water runs away from the home.

This Family Business Cares for The Customer

2008-04-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

Prospect Receives Picture of Salesman
By Phil Moses
Customer Connection Director - St. Louis Better Business Bureau

Coddling customers is the credo of the Woods family, owners of Woods Basement Systems in Collinsville.

The extent to which the company goes to educate its customers sets a high standard for managing expectations.

Twenty-plus years ago, founder Rick Woods and his wife Anna Lee enlisted their children in a new venture...keeping basement dry and repairing foundations.

Telemarketers

Wayne and Susan, still in high school at the time, scanned local phone books in a fledgling telemarketing campaign. (They and their spouses are now active in the company.)

Rick surveyed the problem, closed the sale, and installed the product.

Over the years, the care of the customer has become a finely tuned process.

When a lead generates interest, the potential client receives a customized orientation kit preceding the sales call.

Several Items

Depending on the need, the kit may include an 80-page book on waterproofing or crawl space improvement that defines trade terms and discusses the pros and cons of the problem; the applicable product brochures; and the company background.

The "kicker" is a sheet featuring a photograph of the salesman, supported by text covering his qualifications. (When its a service call, the homeowner receives a postcard with a photo of the technician.)

"No surprises" is part of the company doctrine.

Once installation has begun, the foreman takes photos that become part of the permanent client file.

To preclude "silent dissatisfaction" the foreman urges homeowners to call the service department.

Checklists Used

Operators then run through checklists with the caller that reinforce the thoroughness of the job.

Foreman are rewarded for efficiency and completeness.

These dollar "carrots" are balanced by "sticks:" penalties for faulty installations requiring call-backs.

Today, the Woods franchise is one of the largest of the 263 Basement Systems in the U.S. and five other countries.

Its spectacular growth, doubling every year since 2002, has required rigorous recruiting, evaluation, hiring and training.

With a hundred jobs on the books at any normal time, Woods must maintain continuous training schedules.

The job is not complete when the workers depart.

Woods conducts a regimen of follow-up activities including a phone call or postcard one month later, and another phone call a month later.

If there are any doubts about the Woods family's commitment, a visit to the home office will dispel them.

Just off the main, there's a nursery for the five youngest of the families' eight children including an on-site nanny.

And Rick Woods' wife, Anna Lee, is "grandmother in residence."

For more news about Woods Basement Systems, be sure to check our website at: http://www.woodsbasementsystems.com/!