Rod Eustaquio and Rick Eustaquio, two brothers on very different routes, after living apart for almost twenty years, finally decided to come together and begin a new venture standing by each other’s side. Rick had adequate experience in the business of mold and asbestos remediation, and Rod was well-rehearsed in the art of business management and public regulation. After joining forces, they founded in 2016 Union, NJ based IRIS Environmental Laboratories, a business with the potential to grow nationwide. It is a known fact that mold and asbestos are two underlying pitfalls of estate redevelopment. Though most of us are familiar with ‘the mold situation’ which often occurs in enclosed and humid spaces and can easily be detected, asbestos is a hidden killer. It is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, and are generally found in rocks and soil. Due to its strong physical properties including flexibility and resistance, it was widely used in the development and building processes. However, their use is now strictly regulated, especially from the last two decades, as it was later discovered that the fibrils released from these minerals can cause serious irreversible damage to an individual’s health and the environment. Common asbestos-containing materials are cement pipes, plaster, adhesives, tiles, spackling compounds, electrical ducts, etc. High exposure to these substances can lead to mesothelioma and several other cardiorespiratory diseases. Hence, considering the nature of the threat, it’s wise to not take any chances and reach out to the experts. And that’s where the remediation industry comes into play. Environmental remediation and restoration services are usually focused on engineering strategies that can reverse the negative impacts on the environment at a low cost. It is estimated that by 2022, this market would grow above USD 122 billion bringing in new competitive developments in terms of the acquisition, agreements, products, and research. Rod shares, “Franchise wasn’t the first choice, however, after many studies, we concluded that the company was mature enough to franchise. Today we have the Union (HQ), with satellite offices in Red Bank, NJ, Manhattan, NYC, and Orlando Florida. The franchise concept was created at the end of 2018. We structured the company for transition and in 2019 initiated selling franchise opportunities.”
“I am in love with the Environmental remediation business. We are helping people, entire townships, and cities. We are cleaning the world from environmental hazardous products one project at a time,” says Rod Eustaquio, Co-founder and CEO of IRIS Environmental Laboratories.
Although IRIS Environmental Laboratories is just 4 years old, it withholds an experience of 20 years in operation and business. IRIS Environmental Laboratories has a sister company called BioTerra Environmental Solutions run by Rick which was founded 4 years earlier. Before he started his own company, Rick worked for a similar corporation as IRISEnvironmental Laboratories which he later left to create BioTerra. 5 years later he came back, teamed up with his brother, Rodrigo, and together they purchased the company Rick used to work for. This company was then transformed into IRIS Environmental Laboratories we know today. Rod exclaims, “To be very honest this industry chose both of us. We are passionate to consult and educate people. This is the nature of a laboratory and inspection business in the asbestos and mold industry. We serve our customers with such passion and they notice it, our brand and name follow along with them.”
IRIS’s philosophy
At IRIS Environmental Laboratories, they only strive for one purpose, which is to be the best asbestos and mold lab/inspection concept in the country. They focus on implementing strategies that are cost-effective and at the same time through education, a system in place, and various operations management and marketing tools, they ensure steady growth and development. Rod believes that with these easy steps and assured technical advancement, they can elevate themselves to stand out from the competition and grow with the demand in the market.
IRIS Environmental Laboratories also has a very worthy mission: to secure a cleaner and safer environment by offering both inspection and laboratory services under one roof which saves their customers time, money and efforts. As an environmental consultant their job is to manage, design, plan, monitor, assess, survey, inspect and analyze daily problems with asbestos and mold. They work for residential, commercial, and the private sector. Hence IRIS Environmental Laboratories serves a wide array of clientele. Rod shares, “We are infused in the construction and engineering field. Some of our clients are architects, any type of construction contractors, such as heating/cooling, demolition, and more along with attorneys, real estate agents, home inspectors, remediation, environmental consultants, insurance agencies, and many more. Often, certain regulations overlap, especially if these regulations come from different industries such as local environmental regulations and nation-wide regulations or OSHA regulations which tend to overlap along with construction regulations. It is our job to implement a plan and design a project which must comply with the State and Federal Government while keeping the construction company, remediation company, and municipality happy.”
To do so they keep on changing and evolving. Rod says, “IRIS Environmental Laboratories has constantly invested in technology, science, and information. Today we can say that we have a streamline of services in its great magnitude controlled and monitored by digital systems, which potentially escalates our effectiveness. Each data is carefully collected and reported to identify gaps to increase effectiveness. However, what we do invest and are most proud to have is our team.” IRIS Environmental Laboratories sincerely tries to understand every problem as an opportunity to revisit a plan, overcome, and make it better. As leaders, Rick and Rod always listen to their team and the ideas they bring to the table, and believes that this approach is the foundation which is leading their growth.
Growing together
As entrepreneurs, Rick and Rod are simply made of hard work and sheer dedication. Unlike many, they didn’t have the perfect school or a role model to guide them through the tough and hard road. They steered their organization to the success it has achieved today all by themselves. Soon, it became an experience that they wanted to share with the like minded passionate individuals who wanted to be their bosses to be able to spend more time with their families and at the same time serve their community through education and reform. Rick asserts, “I want to help to avoid all those narrow roads that are full of speed bumps. I want the franchisee to follow this successful business plan, break out from the norm, become independent, and make real money while providing for themselves and their family. I want this entire franchise circuit network to function as a family and not just an operation.”
For initial support, IRIS Environmental Laboratories sends a team out in the field with their franchisees and guides them through the beginning stages with the necessary tools to help them gain confidence as a business owner. And stays dedicated to the highest level of franchisee satisfaction and success. Rod declares, “Franchise system is a relationship business. One can have the best tool, the best strategy, and the best service, however, it is not possible to sustain a concept without an outstanding relationship with the franchisees.”
As for their future ventures, Rod exclaims, “We are an emerging franchise with 20 years of experience in the industry as environmental consultants. We want to take our brand nationwide and above all we want every franchisee to be proud and successful to work with the IRIS Environmental Laboratories Family.”
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