‘58 FOUNDATIONS & WATERPROOFING DIGS DEEP TO INSTALL CONFIDENCE FROM THE GROUND UP

New leadership committed to bringing new levels of service to homeowners, new life to classic brand

When Kevin Coppersmith and his partners acquired ‘58 Foundations & Waterproofing in 2019, they knew they’d purchased one of the industry's most established and experienced brands.

And they had every reason to see a bright future for their new company. All signs showed that American consumers wanted to protect their homes, their investments and their families just as much as ever.

Yet the company’s new owners also understood that the consumer landscape had changed since the company sealed its first foundation in 1958. In order to grow and succeed for another 60-plus years, their newly purchased company would have to do some changing, too.

They started with a new company name. BDry of Knoxville, BDry of the Mid Atlantic and BDry of North Carolina became ‘58 Foundations & Waterproofing, as did company locations up and down the eastern seaboard from Georgia to Pennsylvania. The “58” in the name is a nod to 1958 – the year of the original company’s founding – and highlights the decades of experience that are so important to homeowners when choosing a foundation repair and waterproofing contractor.

Next, the new owners instilled a fresh, modern new vibe into the company’s marketing and operations, and opened new channels of communication to make it easier for its representatives to connect with modern-day homeowners.

Give the customer what they want

Despite all the newness at ‘58 Foundations & Waterproofing, the owners held tight to one trusted old adage: Give the customer what they want.

“Communication used to be a phone call,” Coppersmith said. “Now, we ask homeowners for their preferred mode of communication and meet them there. Whether it's phone, email, text, or even Facebook or Google messaging, we’ve built in the software that connects us on the channels that our customers prefer."

COVID-19 hit just after the partners took over the company in 2019. That impacted consumer demand and the company’s response even more. Suddenly, whether homeowners were calling about basement waterproofing, foundation repair, wood framing repair, floor system repair, crawl space encapsulation, mold removal or radon mitigation, they all wanted the work done faster, Coppersmith said.

So that’s just what the company did.             

"Since the pandemic, homeowners have come to expect faster services,” Coppersmith said. “Much of our logistical planning has been around getting out to homeowners faster than ever before to repair their homes. This has its challenges but also offers great opportunities for us, as we have the internal structure to address changing consumer demands.”

An entrepreneurial spirit

Responding to new consumer demands is part of the joy for Coppersmith. An entrepreneur at heart, he started his career as an investment banker, taking his first a job out of college at Merrill Lynch and Deutsche Bank in New York City. Later, he co-founded SyncThink, Inc., helping to bring its revolutionary eye-tracking technology to today’s VR headsets. From there, he went on to become CEO and Partner at Aptima Ventures, LLC, Co-Founder and CEO at RESCON, and the owner of Atomic29 Capital.

At each stop, he said he learned more and more about hiring and motivating the right people, helping them reach their true potential, and how to course-correct when a business gets off track. All of which made the purchase of ‘58 Foundations & Waterproofing a perfect fit.

Yet what moved Coppersmith and his partners most on Day 1 wasn’t just the talent and experience they found throughout the company’s staff, but their genuine care and commitment to the company and its customers.

“My partners and I are so proud to work in this business every day,“ Coppersmith said. “Our daily motivation comes from knowing that we’re here helping people protect their homes, health and safety, and continuing the legacy of this classic American brand. We’re also energized by the opportunity to grow this business and help our employees grow their careers, whether they’ve been working here for decades, or just joined us yesterday.”

Built-in peace of mind

Every employee at ‘58 Foundations & Waterproofing is fully certified and must go through rigorous background checks and regular safety training. Like the company itself, they understand that it is a privilege and honor to work in someone’s home, Coppersmith said.

It’s a tenet built right into the company’s business procedures, which regularly go well beyond the industry norm to better serve the company’s clients – everything from installing special dust protection barriers when breaking concrete, to keeping mold spores from spreading in the air during the removal process.

And rather than work with a single financing company like many of its competitors, ‘58 Foundations & Waterproofing works with three financing companies to ensure that its customers can find the best available rates, and then passes on the savings from its immense product buying power directly to its customers.

To top it off, ‘58 Foundations & Waterproofing offers some of the longest warranty periods in the industry, including a transferable Life-of-the-Structure warranty and the industry's only Money-Back Guarantee.                 

“Warranties are only as good as the company behind them,” Coppersmith said. “If you would have purchased a system from us with a life-of-the-structure warranty back in the 1950s, that warranty would still be honored today. That adds long-lasting value to your home, and that value increases over time, where most other home improvement projects wear out or become outdated. Looking at the current inflation we are experiencing, a foundation or waterproofing system installed 20, 30 or 65 years ago by us is worth much more than it was when initially purchased.”

It all adds up to a company poised for future growth and success, with a new name, faster service and more open channels of communication with its customers than ever, Coppersmith said.

Whatever it takes for a classic American brand to serve its modern-day customers better.

Providing immaculate home repair services to customers and extending their home’s lifespan

Kevin Coppersmith is the CEO of ‘58 Foundations & Waterproofing. An entrepreneur at heart, after graduating from Washington and Lee University with a B.S. in Business Administration, Kevin moved to New York City, where he worked for Merrill Lynch and Deutsche Bank in Investment Banking. In 2010, Kevin co-founded SyncThink, Inc., where he helped develop revolutionary eye-tracking technology products that are now in VR headsets. Kevin became CEO and Partner at Aptima Ventures, LLC; the Co-Founder and CEO at RESCON; and the owner of Atomic29 Capital.

Get in Touch : www.58foundations.com

“Our sizable team of specialists proudly to put on ‘58 Foundations shirts before they go to work has maintained a reputation of honesty and uncompromised customer care for more than 60 years.”