Interview Q&A
How long have you been in business?
Since 1995.
What is your primary product or service?
Full Service Environmental Consulting--commercial & residential, asbestos, mold, soil, air, ground water, underground storage tank removal, Phase 1, 2 & 3 assessments & remediation, permitting, wetlands.
How did you first become interested in your line of business? (if owner) - What is your background? (If owner or store manager)
My education and degree is in both geology & environmental. I began my career in oil & gas back in the '70's working for major O&G companies as well as smaller firms. I quickly discovered the complementary relationship of environmental/regulatory issues and geology.
How do you differentiate yourself from other businesses in your category and area?
We are a full service environmental consulting company dedicated to superior customer service. We work for business, property owners, and investors, not the regulators. We operate with our Client's best interests in mind and spend their money as if it were our own. Our ultimate goal is to have our clients fully understand the regulatory requirements, satisfy the regulations, and spend as little money as possible doing it. This is accomplished thru communication with Clients and regulators and applying common sense, logic, and creativity. Each project we undertake is a partnership between the Client and ourselves. Sometimes the right answer is unpleasant, but the wrong answer is worse (and significantly more costly). In a nutshell, our approach is "knowing what we know and if it were our money at risk, what would we ourselves do".
How many locations do you have and do you have plans to expand?
One location in suburban Houston. We have no current plans to expand. We will not sacrifice quality for quantity.
What type of payments do you accept?
Generally, payments are received by check, bank draft, wire transfer, and cash.
Which areas do you service?
The majority of our work is in the greater Houston area (southeast Texas). However, we work wherever our Client's interests lie. Undertaking a project out of town or even out of state must make economic sense for both our Clients and ourselves.
Who owns your company or runs daily operations?
Gary W. Martens
What are your hours of operation?
We operate under typical normal business hours, however we also operate on weekends or nights as necessary to serve our Client's needs and timetables.
What is the best compliment anyone can give you?
We've been told we're deal makers, not deal breakers. As well, we explain the process to our Clients in plain, easy to understand language and we encourage questions which makes the entire process easy and much more comfortable for all parties.
What is your favorite quote or Bible verse?
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
We will do anything our Client wants us to do with 2 exceptions: We will not compromise our ethics and standards and we will not break the law. Everything else is negotiable.