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Amy Epstein, President of Airways Systems, Inc.

Airways Systems Helps Everyone Breathe A Little Easier

In 1980, asthma affected just over three out of every 100 Americans. Fourteen years later, that number has increased by 75 percent, to 5.4 out of every 100 Americans. Even more disturbing is the fact that over the same period of time, the rate of asthma in children under the age of four increased an alarming 160 percent!

According to the Center for Disease Control, 5,438 deaths from asthma occurred in 1998 alone. It is also estimated that in 1994, the economic impact associated with asthma reached $10.7 billion per year in the United States.

Asthma is not the only respiratory illness experiencing an increase in the United States. it seems that each day a new or long dormant illness or disease is making news headlines as outbreaks occur in city centers throughout the world. In every case, building engineers feel the impact of these outbreaks as tenants express concerns for their own safety and question the quality of the air they breath within the buildings where they work and live.

The liability of building owners and operators who fail to ensure clean indoor air is being tested in U.S. courts as victims of asthmatic attacks seek compensation for their medical expense as well as the suffering they endure during an attack. And increasingly, U.S. courts and juries are being more than a little sympathetic to those injured, returning verdicts that lead to substantial monetary rewards against building owners and operators.

Indoor air quality remains a prime concern for all building engineers. Ensuring that ventilation filter systems are adequate and that sufficient outdoor air is being supplied to tenants is a major priority of every Chief Engineer. But in too many instances, often overlooked by building owners and operators is the periodic cleaning of the ventilation ductwork within the building. Regardless of how diligent building engineers are at changing air filters, dust and debris will accumulate within a building’s ductwork. And unless a program is in place that provides for the periodic inspection and cleaning of that ductwork, problems will eventually develop with the building’s air quality.

To learn just what building engineers should do to ensure their building ventilation systems are the best they can be, the Chief Engineer paid a visit to Airways Systems, Inc. For over 60 years, Airways Systems has been providing duct-cleaning services to commercial, institutional, industrial and residential buildings throughout the United States.

We were greeted at Airways headquarters in Bensenville, Illinois, by Amy Epstein, its president, and Harris Rothenberg, CEO of the company. Founded in 1942 by two World War II veterans, Airways Systems has grown into one of the largest and most reputable duct cleaning and ventilation service companies in the United States.

We began our interview by asking harris what it was that building engineers should look for when determining the qualifications of a duct cleaning service? “Unfortunately,” he responded, “there are too few rules governing contractors in the business of duct cleaning today. Our company has on more than one occasion been called in to correct mistakes made by others who claim to be duct cleaning services, but who actually know very little about what it takes to perform the work.”

“Certainly you would want to know the company is affiliated with the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA)”, he said. This national association is dedicated to improving the quality of indoor air and ensuring that those engaged in the industry of duct cleaning, meet certain minimum standards that assure the quality of work they perform.

Harris went on to explain that during his own tenure as president of NADCA from 1996 to 1998, he personally worked to have state laws put into place that would certify companies and individuals who engage in duct cleaning service. “Although successful in some states,” he said, “still today few states have responded to the need to regulate companies, which unfortunately has led to instances of substandard work being performed in buildings.”

We also learned that Harris was current president of the International Kitchen Exhaust Cleaners Association (IKECA) and a member of the board of directors of the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA), two other organizations building engineers might want to see that a prospective duct cleaning service is affiliated with.

With illnesses associated with poor indoor air quality increasing in the U.S., we asked Harris why more regulations did not exist that require ventilation inspections and cleaning.

“I believe the U.S. will eventually find they must respond to the issue,” he said. “Israel, South Korea, Japan and Singapore are a few of the nations that already require that building filtration systems and duct work must be inspected every three years,” he said. “At the present, building owners and other interest groups seem to have the ability to block such legislation in the U.S.”

Harris went on to explain that some states are now working to regulate the activities of mold contractors. “Texas, California, Michigan and Florida also register duct cleaning contractors,” he said.

With his obvious dedication to clean air and the efforts he puts into both Airways Systems and the various organizations he contributes to, we asked Harris what his personal goal was for indoor air quality in the U.S.?

“My own personal vision,” he said, “is that everyone who enters a building should be ensured that the building has clean air and that we should achieve that goal by the year 2020”.

We asked how Airways Systems has managed to garner such a great reputation among building owners and operators for the services that they supply. In response to our question, Amy explained to us just how Airways Systems gets down to business.

“Every employee we hire we invest in,” she said. “They begin an intensive training program that teaches them how to find and address indoor air quality problems and how to work safely in addressing those problems,” she concluded.

Amy explained that Airways Systems is fully dedicated to its employees and that dedication has paid off with long-term, loyal employees who are willing to do whatever is necessary to ensure that clients are pleased with the quality of work Airways Systems provides. She also explained how safety is a key element in Airways training. An in-house safety coordinator is certified as a trainer in OSHA’s outreach program and provides safety training to all employees.

What Amy was telling us was reinforced by the “Corporate Commitment” statement we found displayed on the walls of Airways which read in part “Our commitment to our staff is to provide a healthy and enjoyable working environment where employees want to come to work and are acknowledged for producing extraordinary results.”

As we toured the Airways Systems headquarters, that commitment was also evident from the employees we spoke with. As we toured we met Stephen Johnson, a vice president of Airways who has been with the company for more than 26 years. Steve is in charge of the company’s safety program, service department and is one of the more experienced troubleshooters for the company. We also met Diane Helfgot, an account executive for Airways. As we spoke with them, their dedication to the company and to the clients they serve was most apparent to us.

“We will go anywhere at anytime in response to a client’s emergency,” Diane told us. “And we will never leave a job until the customer is completely satisfied,” she said.

As we left Airways Systems, we were pretty sure what to look for in searching for a company that would guarantee a high quality job for any building engineer. And what to look for is a company like Airways Systems, Inc.

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