’58 Foundations’ Todd Prosan on ABC’s Daytime Tri-Cities
Todd Prosan of ’58 Foundations on ABC’s Daytime Tri-Cities Interview
Chris McIntiosh: Today I want to welcome Todd Prosan president and co-owner of ‘‘58 Foundations to Daytime. Good morning. How are you doing today?
Todd Prosan: Good morning. Thanks for having me.
CM: Let’s talk about ‘58 Foundations. I think that the name’s almost self-explanatory, but you’re doing a lot of work with foundations today.
TP: Absolutely. The name came about because we started in 1958. We do a lot of structural repair for homes. We waterproof basements, crawlspaces, and encapsulation. And today it’s raining and our business can help people whose basements or crawlspace flood.
CM: These rainy days are good for your business.
TP: The nice thing is that we do some things that are pretty unique. We offer our life-of-the-structure warranty. And most of our products even get a money-back guarantee. So our customers benefit by never having to risk their money.
CM: And we got some pictures that we’re going to be showing. One of the things y’all do is waterproof basements. And also crawlspace encapsulation, basement crack repairs, putting in sump pumps. So many things that you all do to keep people’s homes dry.
TP: Absolutely. And in today’s economy, one of the most important assets that a person has is their home. And so we want to make sure that they invest their money wisely. And with 63 years of experience, we’re a great choice.
CM: And y’all offer so many. You got great warranties. You got a really highly trained staff as well.
TP: We do. We have a couple of hundred people, which is amazing. We’ve been in this market for quite a few years and growing every year. Some of the things that are unique to us is that we also do radon removal, mold removal, third-party testing. We try to do everything so that it’s easy for homeowners. We also make it so people don’t feel obligated to purchase from us.
CM: I know you’re based in Knoxville, but you have the business here in the Tri-Cities.
TP: We see the same kind of topography in both places.
CM: What’s the overall biggest problem you see when folks make that call to you all. I’ve got a problem. What’s the big problem.
TP: The majority of the calls are about the basement. About water leaking in, which typically happens where the floor meets the wall, at the cove joint. There’s nothing really stopping water from getting in at that spot. As soon as the water table rises, water forces its way in.
In a crawlspace, calls are about encapsulation. 50% of the air that you breathe in your home comes from the basement or the crawlspace. We stop that by putting a liner system in place.
Thirdly, calls come from a structural standpoint. People see cracks in their foundation and don’t know whether or not it’s something they need to worry about. So we offer a free solution to come out and do an estimate and let them know if it’s something they need to worry about.
CM: That stood out to me when I was doing my homework on ‘58 Foundations. I was looking at your website and those free estimates, you can just pick up the phone and say, Hey, listen, I’ve got this going on. Can you come out here and tell me what we need to do?
TP: Absolutely. For any of our services, there’s a free estimate. As I mentioned before, most of our services also carry a money back guarantee, which says that if the system that we install doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do, the customer’s money is never at risk and we’ll refund all their money.
CM: How do you like being in business here in the Tri-Cities?
TP: I love the Tri-Cities. I’m originally a Florida native. I came up here, went to UTSU, fell in love with the area.
CM: Fellow alum.
TP: Fellow alum. Absolutely love it here. People are the best. I’ve always wanted to be in East Tennessee. So I moved here.
CM: I was looking on your website and one thing you all made sure to let people know is that you all got some great values when it comes to business integrity, doing things the right way and doing them the right way.
TP: We are very unique. We’re a family first business. What that means is that I’ve got two daughters, nine and 10 years old. And I want to see them grow up. I want everybody on our team to see their kids grow up. And I want to protect our customers and their families. We treat every customer like they’re part of the family. When they decide to do business with us, they become part of the ‘58 family.
CM: And the ‘58 family you’re also hiring right now as is a lot of businesses.
TP: We are hiring, we’re hiring anything from production crew members up through management in the company. We’re in a growth mode. I’ve been very, very fortunate. God has blessed us with the ability to continue to grow. And so, yes, if you’re looking for an opportunity for a career and not just a job, reach out to us.
CM: The last thing we’ll touch on here is safety. You mentioned radon and have it keeping your home safe. That that’s the key factor in all.
TP: It is. A lot of times I think people believe that waterproofing or structural repair is the actual issue. A little water on their basement floor isn’t the problem. The problem is the health of the home. And so we really focus on that, whether it’s the radon or the mold removal. Really, waterproofing in itself, that moisture being brought up into the home, through the stack effect, long-term creates a tremendous amount of issues. And so we’re able to eliminate that for our customers.
CM: Todd Prosan, thank you so much for telling us the story of ‘58 Foundations. If you want to reach out to ‘58 Foundations, you’ve got a problem. Maybe you’re looking for a job.