When you visit the newly redesigned, renovated, redone, and more than lightly refreshed Anaheim headquarters of American Technologies Inc., ask to use the restroom.
You’ll see pental quartz countertops.
But they look like marble.
In fact, get a tour of the entire place.
It’s really, really nice.
And more than makes up for company clients having to be there; most—needing a variety of environmental remediation work for mold, asbestos and other unplanned issues—would rather not be.
No Names
A recent chat with founder and patriarch Gary Moore, and two of his sons, new co-presidents Jeff and Ryan, about ATI’s work is peppered with requests not to mention the big names behind this or that prominent project.
A local resort hotel that flooded just before New Year’s Eve and the Rose Bowl … a Midwest meatpacking giant losing $1 million a day while it’s idled from smoke damage … asbestos removal at a retirement community.
A global retailer is a client.
One project might require 150 people for weeks of work, or one apartment at a complex owned by a client that owns dozens.
The company rebuilds structures, and to some degree lives after floods, fires, earthquakes, tornados—God is often ATI’s opening act—and occasional human error.
ATI is No. 7 on this week’s list of fastest-growing large private companies, its revenue up 50% in two years, to $285.6 million (see page 38).
Last year, they were No. 13 with a 33% increase.
The growth doesn’t distract the company from the human cost related to its work.
“Life is stressful, then your house floods,” Jeff said. “You’re strained to the max and you have to go live in a motel.”
Family Guys
When the Business Journal visited ATI, a third son, Scott, executive vice president of operations, was in the field.
The trio of Gary’s boys recently expanded their company roles in the common preparation for a firm’s future. ATI also brought on Kelly Kambs as chief operating officer, a new position; she was previously president of Terminix.
“I started in the warehouse,” said Ryan.
“I had one other job before this,” Jeff added.
Ryan handles much of the internal work; Jeff is external, including business development; Scott’s oversight includes environmental health and safety quality and compliance, as well as larger projects.
It’s a B2B model; clients are generally insurers, property owners, and similar firms.
30 Years Strong
The company’s recent growth caps 30 years of service.
Gary cut his teeth as a kid working for a restoration contractor in Texas. There was a move to NorCal, later a long commute to LA and a home in OC, then the founding of ATI locally in 1989.
“I wanted to start going to the parent-teacher conferences and Little League games,” he told the Business Journal.
ATI now has 1,200 employees, including about 300 in OC, knee deep in dirty jobs.
It has 21 locations—eight in California and as far flung as Philly and Boston—handling 35,000 projects a year.
The 144,000-square-foot headquarters was a shell of dilapidation when ATI bought it in 2017 for about $17 million, prior to adding the countertops and other upgrades
It’s ok.
They’re used to fixer-uppers.