Moldlab, Ltd., is a licensed Mold and Asbestos environmental laboratory located in Carrollton Texas. We are a small, woman-owned business, with a staff of eight super awesome people. We are accredited by both the AIHA and NVLAP, one for mold and the other for bulk asbestos analysis. And in 2022, we proudly celebrated our 22nd year of business!
Contact info:
Moldlab, Ltd.
2501 Mayes Road, Suite #110, Carrollton, Texas 75006
972-820-9373 lab line
Toll free 1-866-416 6653 (MOLD) info@moldlab.com
1.
Who influenced you to want to start your own business?
My knee jerk response was to say a fellow student from a course I had taken early in my career, but after thinking about a few days and diving a bit deeper, I’d have to say my Grandpa. The revelation surprised me because I hadn’t really thought about it like that until now. My Grandfather owned and operated a small remodeling company that refurbished old homes, basically what we all call a ‘flipper’ today. The work was labor intensive, and he was essentially a one man show, so witnessing his strong work ethic as a kid stuck with me and positively influenced my career in many ways.
Fun fact: I recall him ‘hiring’ me (if you can call it that) at a very early age, maybe 10 or 11, to answer the home phone and say, “Wichita Decorating, how can I help you?”, before handing the phone off to my Grandma J
2. Were you raised in Texas or just got here as fast as you could like the rest of us? The latter, I was born and raised in Wichita Kansas but have lived, worked, and made Texas my home for nearly 30 years now.
3. Tell us a little bit about your educational background and certifications. I have an Associate’s in Environmental Technology, a bachelor’s degree from UTD, three or four courses in mold and asbestos microscopy from McCrone in Chicago, an Advanced Spore ID course and an individual spore certification from the Pan American Aerobiology Certification Board (PAACB) that I have maintained for nearly 20 years.
4.
Tell us how you got started, how long you have been processing samples and providing information for your customers and clients.
My entry into the field came as a result of the Environmental Technology Program at Brookhaven Community College. As a part of their Associate’s degree program they offered internship assistance, and I applied and was hired for my first lab job. My internship was with a cosmetic company, working as a technician in their QA/QC microbiology lab. Next up was a job was at an environmental lab analyzing both mold and asbestos and doing some SEM QC work. Then after a few years there, I decided to take a stab at being my own boss and opened a one person lab in Addison…Moldlab!
5. What are some of the other services you provide besides mold and asbestos? Let’s see, well, we offer logo branded reports, which is important when a consultant is working to build their own company brand recognition. Another, would be “The Flashback” report. The “Flashback” is unique to Moldlab, Ltd. and is a powerful reporting tool for mold Consultants. The report uses the outdoor data of local, licensed DFW consultants to generate a historical report with both a previous ‘2-week average’ and a ‘this time last year average’. Customers have said that having the additional outdoor data is handy when interpreting mold results for their own customers. Additionally, we sell testing supplies and equipment. Local customers really like the convenience of being able to stop by the lab and grab a box of cassettes or rent an extra pump for a large job when needed.
6. What makes Moldlab stand out from other companies doing the same type of work? What I hope makes us stand out is that we are helpful. Consultants should rest assured that if they send their work to an accredited laboratory that the lab has thoroughly demonstrated technical proficiency, has a solid quality control program and a stellar record keeping system in place. But being genuinely helpful to our customers makes all the difference.
Most likely though, what probably makes Moldlab stand out from the rest is our outstanding coffee and candy bar! Ha ha, just kidding of course, but it is pretty darn popular.
7. Everyone talks about “customer service”, tell us about how your customers will experience that difference you want to make with them? No secret sauce here. We just always do our best to be helpful, and we treat our customers the way we like to be treated when we patron a business.
8. You expanded your business significantly after the Pandemic at a time when most businesses were struggling. How did you do that? When our clients grow, we grow. We were fortunate to have a couple of clients who secured large projects during the pandemic, which then trickles down to us in the form of samples. Aside from that, during the pandemic we re-evaluated our internal processes and our line of services and discontinued a couple of test codes that were both costly to the lab and that had low customers usage. Discontinuing services is always a difficult decision because it takes a lot of research and training to offer something new, only to then discontinue it a few years later, but necessary all the same.
9. What words would you have for other entrepreneurs out there who would like to follow in your footsteps and become a business owner? Don’t be afraid to ask other business owners for guidance. Keep in mind that the person you ask for help doesn’t necessarily need to be in the same industry as you. Luckily for new entrepreneurs fining guidance may be easier than you think because the struggles with running any small business, regardless of industry, are remarkably similar: funding, staffing, human resources, networking, accounting, growing, etc.
10. Any last comments? Yes, thank you for the opportunity to talk about Moldlab. As I had mentioned to Mr. Culley before agreeing to be interviewed, I tend to shy away from things like this, but as a small business owner, and entrepreneur, perhaps the interview will serve as encouragement to others to go ahead and take that leap of faith, believe in yourself and start your own business.
