Using the ThermaPure Process to Turn Up the Heat, Differentiate, and Compete

When insurance companies began severely capping payments for mold removal or excluding coverage altogether, Alliance Environmental, a Calif.-based environmental contractor, knew it had to respond. “Customers were facing a $20,000 job and were being told by their insurance companies that coverage — if it existed — was capped around $5,000," said Joe McLean, CEO of Alliance. "We had to find a new way to save customers money and differentiate our business." Alliance turned to E-Therm, creators of the ThermaPure process, an entirely new, non-chemical alternative heat treatment that streamlines remediation.

“Not everyone has deep pockets so we need to offer customers an alternative and let them decided how to manage risk,” explains McLean. “Do they want to borrow money or re-finance their home or look at alternatives like ThermaPureHeat, which lets us kill the mold and manage it in place?" The ThermaPure process uses heat with little or no demolition.

Technical training is a key to success with the ThermaPure process, a more complex approach than traditional remediation. Originally Alliance sent only their managers to a five-day course. After each session, however, the company realized a definitive increase in sales, so technical training became mandatory for all sales staff. The training has proven especially important in preparing sales staff to address clients’ questions.

While common wall homes, commercial installations, strip malls, condominium complexes, and inaccessible areas in both residential and commercial structures are all ideal candidates for the ThermaPure process, Alliance finds the biggest demand is for water-damaged kitchens or bathrooms. “ThermaPureHeat is much more cost effective than pulling all the base cabinets, removing the granite countertops, destroying the kitchen and losing its use for three or four months,” says McLean. “We go in, cut out little drywall, heat the area, clean the area and within a couple days customers have full use of their room.”

The company has seen a significant jump in sales and profits directly attributed to the ThermaPure process in the year and a half since starting to sell it. In the San Diego area, Alliance markets the process as an exclusive differentiator, as no other company offers it.

“Once we explain the process to our San Diego customers we have a 90% success rate,” says Tim Tilley, vice president for Alliance in San Diego. “In addition, 90% of our customers who experienced our ThermaPureHeat service say they'd use it again. In 2005 alone, we saw a 21% increase in profits solely from ThermaPureHeat clients.”

The company has helped nearly 500 customers with the ThermaPure process and seen a 10% to 15% jump in profits companywide since offering the service. As the company is considering expanding its use of the process to pest control, odor removal, crime scene clean-up, and other applications, McLean estimates it could grow to represent 20% to 25% of their business in the next five years. “Anything we can do to offer additional services to our clients is a benefit,” he said. “Our clients look to us to solve indoor quality issues of all types. ThermaPureHeat completes the circle for us and establishes us as a full-fledged environmental contractor.”
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For More Information:
Patrick Medina
E-Therm, Inc.
180 Canada Larga Road
Ventura, Ca. 93001
Phone: 1-866-665-3432
Fax: 805-648-6999
Email: pmedina@thermapure.com
www.thermapure.com