If you have school-age children,
you may find yourself thinking about their days at school, wondering
what new experiences they will be having, confident they will be
learning in a nurturing and safe environment.
While the teachers have the job of helping the kids learn, it's
Walker Specialty Construction who has the job of helping keep them
safe.
As an expert in asbestos abatement,
Bill Walker has been safely removing asbestos from local schools,
buildings and residences for thirty years. "I started in college
working for another company with lightweight concrete, polyurethane
foam insulation, coatings and that sort of thing. Then I started
a project for them that they'd never done before — it was a
big asbestos removal project for the Everett School District. It
was just becoming known at that time what the dangers were."
Bill and his crew have worked on
a wide range of asbestos and lead abatement projects including many
local schools and government buildings from Seattle to Hawaii and
Las Vegas. In 1994, he started his own company with his wife Linda, since then, Walker Specialty Construction
has doubled in size nearly every year, necessitating the opening of a second office in Las Vegas. This year promises to be
no different.
Cascade Bank has played an important
role in helping Walker Specialty grow. "Our previous bank didn't
even know our credit line had expired. It was a service problem.
So we went with (business banker) Larry Jacobson to Cascade Bank
and it's been a good relationship for us. We try to keep Cascade
apprised of our requirements early enough so they can help us out
— and they certainly did this year," Bill told us. "After
the earthquake we knew we were going up dramatically in volume and
Cascade increased our credit line, allowing us to go out there and
do the increased work."
Cascade was also able to help Walker
Specialty with an unexpected banking hazard. Bill explained, "Last
year there were some individuals forging company checks. They were
pros who had obtained a check from one of those check cashing places.
The branch manager actually held the guys who were forging the checks
on the phone long enough so that the Mukilteo Police department
got there and nailed them. That was a big deal, I'll tell you. Three
or four people went to prison. Cascade Bank was able to jump in
there. I don't know if another bank would be able to hold it together
and help us out like that."
Personal relationships are what the
folks at Walker Specialty value most. "We value that personal
relationship — not only with Larry, but with the people at the branches.
Larry has given us some excellent business advice and has been involved
in some of our board meetings." said Bill. "We use Cascade
services for everything from personal to corporate." So if
you're concerned about your children's schools, then rest assured
that Walker Specialty Construction is hard at work making them safer
places. If you're looking for a safe bet for your banking solutions,
then Cascade Bank can help you today.
Walker Specialty's work is not limited
to hazardous waste removal. Some of the services they provide include
spraying foam insulation, selective demolition, applying fireproofing
and industrial coatings. "We have several specialties and more
we would like to branch out into. We will be making a heavy push
into coatings and will also be targeting pre-installed pipe. We
do a lot of different things which is good in the construction industry.
We know we've got an up market but we're also positioning ourselves
for the down side of the market so we know we've got enough diversity
that we can survive and be profitable."
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