Radon Reporter Dec 2024

ASSOCIATION NEWS 32 | December 2024 THE RADON REPORTER | 33 MEMBER SPOTLIGHT IEA: How long have you been working in radon? Answer: I have been working in radon for five years. IEA: Describe your professional experience and what attracted you to radon (Your Ah Ha moment): Answer: My family (mom and dad) owned a foundation repair/construction company for thirty plus years. I grew up around the construction/trades industries. Because we live in South Carolina, we did not know much about radon. To our knowledge radon “didn’t exist here” and if it did…what the heck is radon? My mom is a nurse by trade. On a whim, one of her friends asked her if she knew what radon was and if she had tested her home. She replied that she had heard the word before but didn’t know much about it. Shortly after, my mom tested her home and the average concentration was 28.0 pCi/L. At the time we didn’t know if this was good or bad. But the more we read about radon, the more we began to realize the dangers of living in a home with elevated levels. My dad and I fixed their home and shortly after we opened True Air Technologies. Some of our goals are to help educate our customers and to install premium radon mitigation systems that lower radon and keep people safe. IEA: What does your typical workday look like? Answer: A typical day for me ranges so vastly. I am either meeting with a customer and evaluating their home, building, multi-family, etc., or I am on site installing a radon mitigation system. IEA: What do you like about working in the radon profession? Answer: The thing that I love the most about working in the radon industry is solving problems and helping keep people safe. I enjoy the challenge of diagnosing a home and designing the radon mitigation system. There is also a high sense of satisfaction seeing that the radon levels dropped after we installed the system. We typically set out radon detectors during our installations so we can track and observe how the radon levels are being affected. Also, a lot of our customers have in-home monitoring devices so we can see a before and after in their radon levels. I love hearing from customers that their radon levels are low, and that we exceeded their expectations. For me, that is very gratifying. IEA: What benefits does membership to Indoor Environments bring you? Answer: The biggest benefit to membership has been the comradery that I have gained by being involved with Indoor Environments Association. Because I am a member, I attend events like the annual symposium. I am also involved with several committees that help to shape our industry. Through this involvement, I have been able to meet other industry experts. Through these relationships I have learned so much and have grown in so many ways. This has not only been a benefit to me professionally, but it has also been a joy to meet and get to know so many others in my industry. Every year when I go to the symposium, I feel like I am going to a giant family reunion. I get to catch up with friends and colleagues, swap stories, and sharpen each other as it pertains to our trade. If I was not a member, I don’t think that I would be as involved as I am. There would be no buy-in for me and I would miss out on so much. IEA: Do you have any advice for people who are considering becoming a member? Answer: I think that there are many other benefits to IEA membership as well. The first is credibility. Being a member of a credible organization carries weight. In addition to my certifications, membership signals to my customers that I am the radon professional for the job. Second, it connects me to other like-minded professionals. If there is anything that I have learned about this business, it is just that, learning. I am always learning new things every day. There is always the strange home or building or radon entry point that makes you scratch your head and say, “Wow, I’ve never seen this before!” Being a member of IEA has allowed me to meet and connected me to other industry experts. Whenever I encounter difficult situations, I know there are several great minds that I can call and brainstorm with. This has been invaluable. Lastly, IEA is deeply involved in advancing our industry, which helps to shape my business and my future. Being a member helps support and fund those advancements. If you are considering joining, I would encourage you to jump in with both feet. Then, I would encourage you to get involved and to meet other industry experts. Merritt Gantt State/Chapter: South Carolina Business Name: True Air Technologies