Amador County – Servpro of Amador & Calaveras hosted about 60 people for a mold eradication seminar Tuesday at Mel & Faye’s in Jackson, learning to spot the toxic spores and what to do when they find it.

Local executives of Servpro Fire & Water Cleanup & Restoration of Jackson hosted dozens of restoration industry experts in a free, three-hour seminar called “Understanding Mold in the Restoration Industry,” which the company has offered twice annually for continuing education for certain industry professionals.

Servpro Marketing Manager Wilma S. Fortich said the seminar invited contractors, county and city public works members, plumbers, maintenance facility people, property managers, Realtors, insurance agents and anybody in the trades. They offer the Mold mitigation class twice a year, once in Sonora and once in Jackson. She said it gives an overall review of the history of mold, shows the types of mold there are, and “what we do as a mitigation company.”

The company also offers fire and water cleanup and restoration seminars, and they all count toward education for license renewal of the various professions.

Owner of Jackson Servpro, Dan Steele, said the classes are offered for free as a community service, and are open to the restoration industry professionals, to help them keep their licenses current. He said it teaches what molds look like, and what to do when you find it.

He said they had 68 people signed up for the seminar Tuesday but with a few cancellations they expected 60-65. Steele said they provide free lunch and the banquet room, and give away a bunch of prizes, such as moisture meters.

Steele has been in the business and owned his company since 1985. He said his Servpro, based in Jackson, has 12 technicians and serves Amador, Calaveras, Alpine and Tuolumne counties. Steele said: “We are actually the largest restoration company in the Foothills.” They specialize in water and fire damage, and mold abatement: “Anything to do with your house, we fix it.”

The seminar was led by David Wiggins, a continuing education instructor from Servpro corporate office in Gallatin, Tennessee. Wiggins said he has been doing traveling seminars for five years, and travels between North Carolina and California. He said Servpro has 1,590 franchises right now.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.