The idea gained momentum after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, explains Eric Tullio, Mid-Atlantic’s national operations director, but took time to hone. “Now we decide together, based on recommendations, which causes to support,” he says. Thus far, the 40-year-old leading basement waterproofing company has contributed tens of thousands to the American Red Cross, Tsunami aid, Hurricane Katrina rebuilding efforts, Habitat for Humanity, the USO—and now to the Packard Center.

Support for the Center originated with a request from a Business Associate This gentleman, who had in recent years lost this brother to ALS, and colleagues wanted to honor his memory. “I went looking for an organization devoted to ALS research,” says Tullio. “Everything pointed to the Packard Center. By far it’s the leader, and we wanted to go to the top.” In all, the $50 taken from each waterproofing job over a two-month period netted about $35,000, but the company chipped in $5,000 more to make it an even $40,000.

A baseball fan, Tullio knew of ALS only through what he’d read about Lou Gehrig. “Now I have a deeper understanding,” he says. Meanwhile, the family who inspired the donation was touched by the decision, says Tullio, and managers alerted customers. Many expressed gratitude that the company was using a portion of their payments to advance ALS research.

Tullio and Fennell made a special trip to Baltimore last August to present the check to Center director Jeffrey Rothstein. Now the experts in sealing hidden leaks are hoping that their company’s donation will help crack ALS mysteries.

Mid-Atlantic Waterproofing is an expert specialty organization that focuses on waterproofing foundations and crawlspaces. The company presently has offices in Columbia, MD; Fredericksburg, VA; York, PA; Boothwyn, PA; South Plainfield, NJ and Yonkers, NY.

On Wednesday, May 14, 2008, following three days of steady rain, more than 400 gallons of water leaked through the walls and into the basement of our home at 360 Dewey Drive, Annapolis, MD. My wife and I spent an entire day and much of a night using wet/dry vacuums to extract the water and restore the basement to a relatively clean and dry state. Since we normally live in Williamsburg, VA and often use the Annapolis home as a rental unit, we were concerned that tenants could be disrupted, should such an event occur while they were occupying the house. Of even greater concern was the possibility of major water intrusion occurring when no one was in the house, a circumstance that could cause extensive and expensive damage. Accordingly we decided to have the basement waterproofed.

A local contractor recommended an Annapolis-based company to do the work. Unfortunately my numerous phone calls to that company went unanswered for more than two weeks. I then contacted Mid-Atlantic and was given an appointment for an estimate to occur two days later – May 27th. I drove from Williamsburg to Annapolis for the appointment and called Mid-Atlantic in the morning on the day of the appointment to confirm that they would be coming. I was told that my appointment had been scheduled for four days later, a time when I would no longer be in Annapolis. When I complained, the manager of Mid-Atlantic, Andrew Altman, called me and said he would personally arrive on the date of the originally-scheduled appointment.

Mr. Altman arrived on time on the 27^th and quickly and efficiently completed the estimate and offered a price which I accepted. I explained to him that time was of the essence for me, since I would have to leave for North Carolina for two weeks beginning June 14^th. The prime concern was the time required for approval of a permit by the city of Annapolis, normally a two-to-four-week process. Mr. Altman ensured that the permit request was delivered to the City of Annapolis within one day. He also contacted the permit-approval persons at Annapolis and explained to them the need for expedited service in this instance. On June 3^rd Mr. Altman called me in Williamsburg to tell me that the permit had been approved on the previous day (much earlier than the norm) and that his people would be able to commence work on June 9^th. I asked if he could possibly begin on June 6^th due to the short time available prior to my trip. Mr. Altman checked with the scheduling of his crews and called me back in short order, agreeing to start work on June 4^th.

The work crew arrived early on the 6^th and promptly began the project. Under the supervision of Bob Harrington, Jr. the crew of two other persons worked diligently – essentially without ceasing – despite temperatures in the mid-nineties. Due to the very small windows in my basement it was necessary manually to carry upstairs all the concrete broken up by the jack hammers and the dirt and other debris incidental to the task. Likewise, all the equipment and supplies had to be carried down the stairs into the basement. Despite this difficulty the workers made every effort to avoid getting my house – especially the upstairs carpets – dirty. When they returned on Monday, June 9^th, they arrived even earlier and the process of efficient, continuous work in the midst of brutal heat conditions continued. Hundreds of trips up and down the stairs laden with heavy loads were required. On June 10^th the city inspector arrived and approved the work done to that point. The inspector and I agreed to June 12^th as the date for final inspection. We also agreed that he would inspect in my absence, as I had another appointment in Washington, DC. I would leave the kitchen door unlocked and he would enter, complete the inspection, and lock the door as he left. The following day, June 11^th, a crew of three workers under the supervision of Bob Harrington, Sr. arrived. The same heat conditions prevailed, along with the same necessity to move materials up and down the stairs. In order to finish by the end of the day Mr. Harrington skillfully organized and scheduled the multitude of events that needed to be completed by the end of the day. His efforts and those of his crew were successful and the job was completed quite late in the day. Again, the basement was left in as good a state of cleanliness as was possible under the circumstances.

On June 12^th a tree fell on the house of the inspector scheduled to do the final inspection. A different inspector arrived at my house but had not been told about the arrangements for inspecting in my absence. Accordingly the inspection did not occur. On June 13th, my final day in Annapolis prior to my scheduled trip to North Carolina, I called Mid Atlantic and explained the situation to Melissa (last name not known to me). She quickly contacted the Neighborhood and Environmental Programs office, and then called me to say that she had been able to get the original inspector to arrive later that morning. (I had made contact with Melissa on several occasions over the course of the events described above, and in every case she was courteous, helpful and very efficient – a most impressive coordinator of events.

The inspector was concerned about the possibility of someone being injured, should he or she step on the transparent covers fastened on top of the sump pump wells. He said he would sign off on the final inspection with the understanding that 3/8 inch plywood covers would be made and placed over the transparent covers. I contacted Mid-Atlantic about this issue. Mr. Altman said that this had never happened on any inspection during all the time Mid-Atlantic had been in business, but the firm would make the covers when next I would be in Annapolis.

In essence, I want to say that my experience with Mid-Atlantic has been uniformly positive. Particularly in light of the very rigid time constraints under which I was proceeding, their efforts to accommodate were remarkable. Their intense labor in extreme heat conditions spoke volumes about the cohesion and good work relationships that evidently are the norm in this company. I would recommend Mid-Atlantic without hesitation for anyone considering having a basement waterproofed.

Paul E. Roush

Often companies and people will readily hear about complaints (unfortunately not the complainants) one has about the quality of work a company might perform. My husband and I wanted to take a moment to thank Mid Atlantic Waterproofing for the wonderful job you performed in our basement. From the very beginning we were met with professional, caring and knowledgeable employees at MidAtlantic.

Mike was out first contact who came to our home and assessed the problems we were experiencing. As most people are experiencing difficult financial time, Mike and you worked with us to try to in a solution that fit within out financial budget. At that point, my husband and I were still not sure about our financial situation. Charles then called us for a follow up to work with. We were happy we met with you again and were about to work out a mutually agreeable situation. We appreciate your ability to wok within our means and your patience. That was out first positive experience with Mid Atlantic Waterproofing.

On the day of the actual job, we were a bit nervous about the “mess” that was inevitable when breaking up concrete. Much to our surprise, the experienced and caring foreman and workers were very neat, clean and as inconspicuous as possible. They did not traipse dust or dirt through our house, they were quiet and professional and answered all of our questions to lay our fears to rest. They made their work harder by hauling the concrete through the basement windows and sending supplies down the basement in that same manner.

The workers wrapped the doorway and our personal items in plastic then cleaned the walls and floor with a broom and hose. They went out of their way to make this a smooth process. It has only been a couple of weeks since the work was completed and we have already noticed the improvement in the moisture and smell that pervaded our home. I looked into, and had other companies come to my home. None of them offered the services Mid Atlantic does, from the air vents in the cinder blocks to covering the whole floor with cement and not leaving the French drain exposed. You truly have this down to a science. Thank you for all you have done.

Sincerely,

Nadia & Glenn Domenick

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Attention: James Deaigo (Mid Atlantic Waterproofing Employee)

Dear James,

We are writing this letter to make you aware of the professionalism your project manager Phil, foreman Brian and the work crew showed during their job at out home.

We never would have believed that carrying buckets of numerous item s you thirteen stairs could be accomplished with respect to our home. These men were courteous, respectful, and extra hard working.

We were certainly impressed with this crew. We would recommend these gentlemen to do work for any of our neighbors and friends. Keep up the great work ethics.

Thank you for our peace of mind. We will never have water in our basement again. They did such a wonderful job.

Sincerely,

Mr. & Mrs. Mark Schabel

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I am very pleased with the work and the service I received. The workmen were very professional and courteous. They arrived on time, came in, did their job. The work was done in the four hours as stated by Mr. Mc Dowell. I found Mr. Mc Dowell to be an excellent representative for you company he is well informed, explained everything clearly and he really know his product. I was very impressed.

I am pleased with the work and your employees. Thanks for a job well done.

Zenoia Dunmore

Mid Atlantic Waterproofing

We wish to express our satisfaction of how Phil Oldham presented us with professional guidance when dealing with the wet crawl space at our house.

Presently the moldy smell does not permeate the house as before. My wife is not affected as before and the air quality on the fist floor of our house is much improved.

We appreciate the responsiveness in the follow up service calls made after the original job was completed.

Thank you,
Joseph & Mary Ruth Knott

I saw your advertisement in The Merchandiser Newspaper (November). I just want to say that my husband and I have used your company almost 6 years ago and still have not see a drop of water in the basement.

We have recommend your company to all our friends and family who complain about their basement. We are so glad we trusted you to help our Most Precious Investment and since then we have another room to use in our home. We are truly so greatful and happy with you work, it was worth every penny of it.

Thank you,

Lita & Walter Hurrell
Little Ferry, NJ

Ps. If you need to use us as a reference please do so.

It has been a pleasure doing business with your company and with someone that actually did as they said they would. We are pleased with the work you did for us and we will recommend you to anyone that needs your services.

Thank you.

Farley Y. Holladay Jr.

Basment Waterproofing by Mid Atlantic Waterproofing