Phoenix Award Goes to Begal Enterprises, Inc.
Columbia, MD – The Restoration Industry Association (RIA – formerly the Association of Specialists in Cleaning & Restoration) has awarded the Phoenix Award for Innovation in Restoration to Begal Enterprises, Inc. of Rockville, Maryland.
Nothing short of “Herculean” describes the challenges the company faced following the events of June 24, 2006, when they were asked to mitigate damage to nearly 100,000 square feet of flooded space in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) building in downtown Washington, D.C.
A month of hard rains had created flash floods, hitting the D.C. region particularly hard. On site, Begal Enterprises found two feet of standing water and still more entering the structure.
The company spent hours extracting water and shoveling out the mud and muck left in the wake of the flood. The water impacted important documents, vital records and an irreplaceable microfiche library containing EPA archives. Special containment units were built to house undamaged records and protect them from the rapidly rising humidity.
Full scale restoration efforts began four days after the flood and continued for two-and-a-half more weeks, resulting in the removal of 450,000 square feet of drywall, carpeting, insulation and VCT flooring - a total of 72 tons of debris.
The EPA’s own team of hygienists conducted the clearance testing and 98 percent of the samples “passed,” and 90 percent came back with zero organisms present.
RIA President, Gary Dooner, CR, said, “Results of this caliber are unheard of on a project of this scope. This project allowed the very agency that monitors the restoration industry to see professional restorers in action. We are very proud to honor Begal Enterprises, Inc. with the esteemed Phoenix Award for Innovation in Restoration.”
The Phoenix Award for Innovation in Restoration is presented each year to recognize one project from a host of outstanding candidates. It exemplifies the complement of skills required to restore a project to pre-loss condition.
Nothing short of “Herculean” describes the challenges the company faced following the events of June 24, 2006, when they were asked to mitigate damage to nearly 100,000 square feet of flooded space in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) building in downtown Washington, D.C.
A month of hard rains had created flash floods, hitting the D.C. region particularly hard. On site, Begal Enterprises found two feet of standing water and still more entering the structure.
The company spent hours extracting water and shoveling out the mud and muck left in the wake of the flood. The water impacted important documents, vital records and an irreplaceable microfiche library containing EPA archives. Special containment units were built to house undamaged records and protect them from the rapidly rising humidity.
Full scale restoration efforts began four days after the flood and continued for two-and-a-half more weeks, resulting in the removal of 450,000 square feet of drywall, carpeting, insulation and VCT flooring - a total of 72 tons of debris.
The EPA’s own team of hygienists conducted the clearance testing and 98 percent of the samples “passed,” and 90 percent came back with zero organisms present.
RIA President, Gary Dooner, CR, said, “Results of this caliber are unheard of on a project of this scope. This project allowed the very agency that monitors the restoration industry to see professional restorers in action. We are very proud to honor Begal Enterprises, Inc. with the esteemed Phoenix Award for Innovation in Restoration.”
The Phoenix Award for Innovation in Restoration is presented each year to recognize one project from a host of outstanding candidates. It exemplifies the complement of skills required to restore a project to pre-loss condition.
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