Today we’d like to introduce you to Ken Duvall.
Ken, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am not actually IN Atlanta but I investigate a lot of projects there. I started in this industry by taking a Home Inspection course. Everyone was afraid of the dreaded “M” word (mold). I decided to look into this as a business. I searched for training programs but found they were somewhat of a joke. I then enrolled in the University of California at Berkeley and finished their curriculum in Indoor Environmental Investigations.
I then sought out trade organizations and became a member of IAQA (Indoor Air Quality Association) and then passed some exams and got a board certification
In the meantime, I was doing indoor environmental inspections and soon found myself in court as an expert witness. I have been involved in numerous depositions and court room trials from Los Angeles to Atlanta.
This is an excellent field where one can actually be a benefit to the community. I emphasize my expertise on the health and safety of my clients AND the health and safety of their home or business. I also offer training programs in laboratory data interpretation, why remediation projects fail, report writing and drying concrete.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The most difficult part of my job is “Dispelling the myths.” People get on the internet and look for reasons why they don’t feel well. There is a plethora of misinformation available. People scan the pages finding strange symptoms and immediately think “that’s me!” Another myth is using bleach to clean up mold. This was dispelled in November 1999 and I am sorry to say, there are people in my industry who still advocate “spraying it with bleach.”
Other than the above, probably the single most difficult thing (at the beginning) was learning how to pronounce and spell correctly the many strange words.
Please tell us about North Georgia Mold Testing.
What sets me apart from other companies? I know what I am talking about! I just finished a sewage contamination project in N/W Atlanta that failed my clearance inspection. There was still debris on the concrete surface along with E-coli and Total Coliform (other bacteria) present. The homeowner confronted the remediation company and their representative told her the property could NEVER be thoroughly cleaned! I referred a different company for her and the property passed clearance inspection.
As far as a specialization, obviously I do mold as the bulk of my business. I also, as stated above, do sewage investigations, Legionella, PCB’s, fire/smoke contamination, asbestos and other indoor allergens.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Building wooden race cars with my neighborhood buddies. They often crashed after a few “runs”, usually into trees. No one ever got hurt and we just moved on to the next adventure, like digging subterranean forts. They too, usually ended in disaster, though no one ever got hurt.
Ocean fishing with my dad and uncle were also major hi-lights although I got sea sick most of the time.
Contact Info:
- Website: North Georgia Mold Testing
- Phone: 678-450-3998 office 714-240-2993 mobile
- Email: kduvall1960@att.net
