What's in a Name: Why Ayers is the Right Choice

With so many companies - everything from seemingly major companies that do a ton of advertising to one-man operations (which we don’t knock, because Ayers started out as a one-man operation) - in the waterproofing business, it can be difficult and overwhelming to figure out who to go with. Your home, and your time, are too important to make an incorrect decision and the consequences could be widespread.

We do what we can to make the decision as easy as possible. We send pre-appointment information so you know what our System Design Specialists are talking about, we publish stories and photos about recent jobs, and we keep our reviews accessible across third party sites so you can get a realistic look at who we are as a company.

Ayers’ commitment to keeping our customers educated and informed is only the beginning of what sets us apart. We only hire full-time employees; this not only means they’re subject to background checks, but also that they’re truly a part of our company. Everyone we hire buys into our “Just Do the Right Thing” mission statement and carries that with them out into the field.

I’ve been with the company for just shy of 18 months and am still learning how far this dedication reaches, as well as the effects of it. Before I started with Ayers I didn’t know much about waterproofing - to be honest, I’m scared of basements - and I didn’t live in the Lansing area. When people would ask what I do, I’d fumble a little and usually end up saying something awkward like “I write about basements.” Now, this is true, but still. Awkward.

It was only after I led with the company that I realized how much of an institution - and a trusted one - Virgil and the company are in the community.

While ordering a sandwich last year, wearing my Ayers sweatshirt, the cashier told me how Roger had recently been to his mom’s house. He said it like Roger was an old mutual friend and not someone designing a waterproofing system. Earlier this year, my fiance was making small talk while getting his hair cut and, when asked about me, he mentioned where I work and was met with “Oh, I used to cut Virgil’s hair for years before I changed locations.”

And just this past weekend, I was getting a manicure when the question inevitably came up. The salon owner was doing the manicure and, of course, responded, “Oh, I know Ayers. I had a house on College Road and the basement was wet. Virgil came out and fixed it and it’s been dry ever since.”

“Oh, when was that?” I asked.

“1983, maybe 84.”

He proceeded to tell me half a dozen stories about acquaintances who also had basement issues but had someone else fix it, only to go through months of headaches and unsolved problems and even people and companies vanishing into thin air in the middle of jobs, and I wondered if we should just hire him for our marketing department, but I couldn’t get over how nonchalantly he said “1983.” The basement has been waterproofed since before I was born, and it’s not surprising to him, because it’s Ayers. They do good work.

Ayers was founded in 1981 and it was Virgil and a truck. It’s been Ayers Construction and finally Ayers Basement Systems and it’s now made up of a lot more people and a lot more trucks, but the one thing that hasn’t changed is that we “do good work” and we do the right thing. We’ve seen a lot of companies come and go, and in those 35 years only one thing has been consistent: us.