Drainage Masters began in 1996 with just a pickup truck, a wheelbarrow, two shovels and two hardworking guys. Today, the company has grown to employ more than 20 people, and it has a fleet of truck and trailers with all the necessary equipment to provide residential and commercial drainage and stormwater solutions for clients around Clark County.
The company installs a wide range of drain systems, including basement and crawl space drains, French drains, roof, sewer and parking lot drains, in addition to other forms of yard drainage. They also provide vactoring and hydro-excavation services.
Since its inception, Drainage Masters has built a reputation for quality and reliable workmanship. In the first few years of operations, their average revenue stream was a few hundred thousand, and today, they have grown to be a multimillion-dollar company. Because of this growth, last year they were able to buy their own commercial property in Battle Ground, which will aid in their future growth and expansion plans.
But, just like all businesses, they have faced their ups and downs, especially with the pandemic.
“The most difficult part of doing business the past couple of years through the pandemic has been the constraints imposed on small businesses from the state and county,” said Seth Kenworthy, owner of Drainage Masters. “Initially, we suffered a severe revenue loss for the first two months and had to rely on savings.”
Thankfully, this issue was short lived. Because more people were staying at home and spending time on home improvement projects, the company soon began to see an uptick in work that has continued to stay steady.
The work shortage is also something that has impacted the company, keeping them from doing as many appointments and jobs as they would like. To help attract and retain new talent, Drainage Masters has increased their starting wages for new employees and implemented benefits like bonuses and a 401K plan, in addition to providing medical and dental insurance.
Regardless of any setbacks, Drainage Masters has great things on the horizon. Their recently purchased shop and office space will soon have a retail landscape rockery and supply area available for customers and business owners to shop at. Their goal is to have this up and running by the beginning of 2022.
“As difficult as things have been for business in the past few years, especially with this pandemic, we feel that we are living proof that with hard work and perseverance, the American dream is still alive,” Kenworthy said.
