Masonry Magazine May 2006 Page. 14
Contractor
MCAA MEMBER CONTRACTORS RESPOND TO THE INDUSTRY ISSUES OF THE DAY.
Thomas Schmitt
Superior Waterproofing and Restoration Co. Inc., St. Louis, Mo.
Thomas Schmitt founded Superior Waterproofing and Restoration Co. Inc. on two vital philosophies: always do the right thing and never take a project that his company could not handle. Over the past 27 years, after much patience and persistence, Superior has grown into a first-rate waterproofing and restoration company with clients such as Anheuser-Busch, Pfizer, St. Louis University, Nestlé USA and a host of others. Schmitt took time to sit down with Masonry and share the keys to his company's growth and success, where he thinks the masonry industry is heading, and the vast array of services his company provides.
Masonry: Tell us a little more about Superior Waterproofing's history.
Schmitt: I started the company myself in 1979. I was a laborer for a larger company at that time. It started in a way that I am sure you've heard before-I got mad at my boss and quit; however, I always kind of dreamed of having a small company with a truck and a couple of helpers. I was rather young and naive, I was only 20 years old.
I started out basically in the residential market. My [company's] name says waterproofing and restoration, and I primarily started out just waterproofing homes and basements, with some small commercial. Some years later, I added the "Restoration part to the company name. It was an evolutionary process. In about 1986 and 1987, I got more into the masonry aspect of things and went strictly commercial. We went union; that provided more opportunity in the commercial markets here in the Midwest, which changed everything on that front.
It may sound slow, but it was really one or two jobs at a time that helped us grow. We did not take what we could not do well. You don't make a lot of money overnight. We're in our 28th season, so I guess something's worked so far.
Masonry: What do you think has been the key to your company's success?
Schmitt: Literally, doing the right thing. So many people I've seen through the years have come and gone; they're trying to make a fast buck. Some people are not necessarily dishonest, but a few are putting out a bad product.
Everybody has problems in their business. You're going to have problems, it's just how well you take care of them and stand behind what you do, and we always did that. Like I said, don't take what you can't facilitate. We did it right, took care of it, and had a lot of pride in what we did.
And being small and starting small, it was easy to create a good nucleus of people. It's an ongoing process that every company goes through - trying to find the best people for the project.
Finally, don't burn any bridges; you might have to come back across them.
Masonry: You mentioned that you started off just doing waterproofing and then branched out to restoration. Please explain this addition of services to your portfolio.
Schmitt: The word "waterproofing" is a huge part of the restoration process. People don't think of tuckpointing, restoration and things like that in terms of waterproofing until they have leaks, interior damage and building façade failures.
Often on the older masonry structures and the newer ones the first signs that they have leaks are the plaster is peeling and flaking, there's water dripping at the window heads, and so forth. It comes into the building skin and, at that point, it's a masonry issue. It then becomes apparent that there are issues