Collegeville-based Basement Waterproofing Specialists is a “family” business, in every sense of the word. They are fourth-generation American contractors. Every employee feels like a member of the family. The office employees work together in an environment intentionally reminiscent of a large family home. And the company’s philosophy, its formula for success from the very beginning, has been to treat each customer as they would a family member.  

“When I started out, the simple management tool that I learned from my father and grandfather was, ‘If this was your mother’s house, how would you take care of it?’” says Ken Klinger, CEO. “We have instilled that same philosophy in every one of our foremen on every job, and everyone who answers the phone.” Klinger and his wife Debbie recently handed the ownership reins over to daughter Anne and son-in-law Scott Graham. Ken and Debbie Klinger remain highly active in the company.  

Serving the entire region, Basement Waterproofing Specialists is headquartered in a refurbished 150-year-old stone farmhouse in Collegeville. Its main office consists of Second Avenue and they have a new addition of a 150year-old building on River Road. Their Second Avenue location has a spacious fencedin  backyard where the Klingers’ beloved Turkish boz shepherds, Clarabelle and Calvin, can frolic while they work during the day.  

 “We bought this building for our business because it is our other home,” Klinger explains. “We have created a family environment. We are really lucky because we have the most amazing people who work with us. Everybody here, we really assume is our extended family and we take care of them that way. That’s why we are so successful. That’s why we’ve increased our business tremendously.”

The building’s converted rooms bustle with activity. Smiling, cordial office staff—Steve Johnson, Donna Wardle, Dominic Corrado, Jennifer Armstrong, Sharon Love, Vicki Cipollini, Paul Sumler, Paul Mathewson, Jessie Kanagie, Nichole D’Arconte, Shane Harris, Linda Mullin, Rob Mullin, John Cappelli, Shirelle Watkins, Alyssa Florentino, Justin Weatherill, and Jim Welsh—stay busy with phone calls and managing projects. All of the office staff and all of the production crews out in the field contribute to the company’s success, Klinger says, emphasizing that he and his employees truly identify with their customers and the issues they face, and they are serious about treating each job as if it is for a member of their family.

“What’s interesting is, people call a lot of the times and they are not sure what their problems are,” Klinger says. “They think they know. Any one of our guys will go in and honestly pretend it’s their house. They do a full inspection, inside and outside, and they determine what they feel the customer needs. We don’t try to sell them anything. It’s about determining what they actually need. When you communicate that to a customer, they realize you are not talking at them, you are working with them, and that is really important.”

Through the years, Basement Waterproofing Specialists has accumulated a long list of satisfied customers throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. “We are so grateful to our customers for referring as many  customers as they do,” Klinger says.  

Basement Waterproofing Specialists distinguishes itself from others in the industry not only in terms of excellent customer service, but also in terms of the superior quality of their work and track record of success, based on their ability to correctly diagnose and correct the specific issue unique to each situation.

Klinger points out that most basement waterproofing companies specialize in just one form of waterproofing, the installation of a basic inside French drain. That will work in many applications, he says. “But if you go 75 miles away and you’re in New Jersey with high sand content, or inversely if you go into the Pocono Mountains or Lancaster County, you’re going to find different environments and conditions.” You may also want to redirect the water away from your home so it never enters your foundation, he explains. 

 “We have 13 different levels of waterproofing systems, which are customized per a particular job,” Klinger says. “These water management systems can be installed both inside and outside of your home. We also do inside and outside foundation repair whereas most of our residential competition does one type of waterproofing system and foundation repair and it’s always inside.”  

Basement Waterproofing Specialists provides an extensive array of services to address virtually any issue related to waterproofing; foundation structural repairs and/or replacement; drainage systems; mold and mildew inspection and remediation; and much more.  

 “Customers can sense when you really care about their problem,” Klinger adds. “Yes we are there to do a job to make money, but it’s not always about that. In this day of complications, it still comes down to one thing: It’s what’s inside of you. It’s what’s inside your heart. It’s about relationships. What you see is what you get with us. Even down to something small. Our contracts have an American flag on the back and no small print. It’s the way we do business.”

Basement Waterproofing Specialists
Collegeville, Pa. | (800) 700-9171 | (610) 409-2600
BasementWaterproofingSpecialists.com

Published (and copyrighted) in House & Home, Volume 19, Issue 9 (March 2019). 
For more info on House & Home magazine, click here. 
To subscribe to House & Home magazine, click here. 
To advertise in House & Home magazine, call 610-272-3120.