Today we’d like to introduce you to Deon Brooks.
Deon, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
In 1997, I found out I was about to become a dad for the first time. I figured it was time to leave the streets and find a job. I began as a sample tech for Superior Water Management in January 1998, and quickly moved up in the company. The company split after about 5 years. I continued working as sampling manager for G&S Environmental for the next 4 1/2 years. In 2007, I was approached by a company with the opportunity to be a contractor on the State Drinking Contract. At that time, I chose to start my own company.
We started the company in Houston, in a 400 sq. ft. office with myself and Earl Miller as samplers, and Cassandra Lewis as our Admin. After about three months in business, we doubled our office size, hired another sampler, and went from covering 13 counties covering to 22 counties. The next year or company kept growing as it has till present. We then added a San Antonio location in 2011. We now have a total of 12 team members and cover over 70 counties. We built a 2400 sq. ft. office on 5042 Gessner Rd in 2014 and is now in the process of adding on another 2000 sq. ft.
All of our sample techs are licensed water operators. We offer insurance and retirement packages to all of our team as well. I along with my team will be celebrating 20 years in the business for me personally, and 10 years of service for the company!
Has it been a smooth road?
Everything overall has been great. In the past, it has been hard to find trustworthy and reliable people, but we have a great team now.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Our company collects drinking water samples for the state of Texas. Our job is to ensure that every public place has safe drinking water. We go out to different facilities such as, Communities, Stores, Day Care Centers, Churches, Hospitals, you name it. Basically, any place that has their own water well and is serving that water to the public.
We specialize in collecting samples for chemical analysis. Some of the common constituents we sample for are, Minerals such as Fluoride, Calcium, and Nitrates. Metals such as Lead, Iron, and Arsenic. We also sample for Volatile Organics such as Benzene which is used in gasoline products. These along with other harmful chemicals are sampled for daily in our drinking water.
We are known as the water samplers for TCEQ. Although we are not employed by the State, we are contracted to collect the drinking water samples on their behalf.
We are most proud of being able to do something that helps protects our families, our schools, our neighborhoods, as well as our great state.
What sets us apart is I have the most experience of anyone in the state doing this. We are also the biggest of only 5 companies certified to collect samples. I personally have training about 30 samplers on this contract. Also, we have implemented several policies and procedures that are now mandatory as part of the contract. Third Coast
Environmental is diffidently number one in the state when it comes to collecting chemical drinking water samples.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Our city is great for our business. There are a lot of individual businesses with their own water wells. They all have to be monitored and sampled for safety. With all the public water systems in our surrounding area, this is a great place to start out. The good news is our area is continuing to grow, which means more water systems and more business for us. We feel like we are in one of the best industries in world, EVERYONE NEEDS WATER!!!
Contact Info:
- Address: 5042 Gessner Rd., Houston 77041
- Website: www.thirdcoastenviro.com
- Phone: 713-780-3730
- Email: info@thirdcoastenviro.com
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