Larry Janesky
| Larry Janesky | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 25, 1964 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Founder & CEO of Basement Systems Inc. |
| Website | larryjanesky.com |
Lawrence "Larry" Janesky is an American businessman and entrepreneur. Janesky is the founder and CEO of Basement Systems Inc. He is the co-founder of Total Basement Finishing, Inc., Foundation Supportworks, Inc., and Dr. Energy Saver, Inc.
Career
Larry Janesky graduated highschool at age 17 in 1982 from Bullard-Havens Technical High School located in Bridgeport, CT. He did not go to college but immediately began his career as a self-employed carpenter remodeling and building homes. He was contracted to build a 3,000 square foot house at age 18 and was spec building by age 20.[1]
The last home he worked on had a leaking crack in one of the basement walls. He researched how to correct the issue and became aware of the basement waterproofing industry. Following the stock market crash of 1987 the demand for new home construction declined and Janesky decided to focus on basement waterproofing.[2]
In 1987 he started his own company in Stratford, CT calling it Connecticut Basement Systems. Janesky invented and developed a line of waterproofing products of which he was the exclusive installer. He acquired patents on his waterproofing products and currently owns 31 patents.[3]
A few years later in 1990 Janesky created a network of basement waterproofing contractors naming it Basement Systems, Inc. The contractors were made the exclusive dealers and installers in their area of the patented waterproofing products. The network grew and in 1998 Basement Systems Inc. purchased a 92,000 square foot building in Seymour, CT. Over the next decade additional space was needed and three more buildings in the area were purchased creating an industrial campus of 50 acres and a workspace of 210,000 square feet.[4]
Between 1987–2011 Janesky created a number of sister and partner companies, several under the Basement Systems umbrella.
These companies included:
- CleanSpace founded 1999
- Treehouse Internet Group founded 2004
- Total Basement Finishing, Inc. founded 2006
- Foundation Supportworks, Inc. founded 2008
- Dr. Energy Saver, Inc. founded 2009
- Morehouse Finance founded 2011
- Contractor Nation founded 2012
By 2013 Basement Systems had become the largest employer in the town of Seymour, CT. The company also grew to an annual revenue of over 100 million dollars.[3] It is currently the largest network of basement waterproofing and crawl space contractors in the world with over 375 dealers in the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland.[4] In 2015 Janesky broke ground on a project to add another 150,000 square feet of work space to Basement Systems. Upon completion of the project there will be a total of nine buildings in the industrial campus.[5]
Basement Systems, Inc. Work Place
In an effort to improve the work environment Janesky had the Basement Systems headquarters built as a nontraditional work place. Different departments were elaborately designed and constructed in different themes. The Treehouse, a department built in 2009 to appear as a traditional treehouse, was the first of these unique work spaces.[6] Other work spaces that were built include: the Eyestar Station (a futuristic space station), Boomtown (an 1800s mining town) and the Forge and Anvil (a 1920s factory). The inspiration for these different work spaces came from Janesky.[7] Basement Systems has been named one of Connecticut's Top Workplaces several times, most recently in 2015.[8]
Recognition & Awards
Larry Janesky has received recognition and several awards. In 2008 he was the winner of the CT Business Junior Achievement Hall of Fame award.[4] In the same year he was named the Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce Innovator of the Year.
In 2009 he was awarded the Greater New Haven Business Person of the year. He was also named one most influential entrepreneurs of the past 30 years in an article of Inc. Magazine.[9]
In 2012 he was awarded the Connecticut Small Business Person of the Year[10] and by 2015 he received the National Outstanding Eagle Scout Award[11] and was named the EY Entrepreneur of the Year, New York Region.[12]
Janesky has been interviewed a number of times including on the CEO show,[13] iaq Radio,[14] HVACR Business[1] and Fox Connecticut.[3] He has also appeared on Bob Vila[15] and the Ron Hazelton Show.[16]
Bibliography
Larry Janesky has been a contributing author on My Home Science[17] as well as Small Business Trends.[18]
Janesky also writes two daily internet based motivational messages called Think Daily and Think Daily for Businesspeople.[1] Recently, he has developed a genre of audio called Muze. It is a combination of motivational music and voice.
Janesky is the author or co-author of eight books which include:
- 2005: Dry Basement Science ISBN 0-9776457-1-1
- 2008: Basement Finishing Science ISBN 978-0-9776457-3-2
- 2009: Home Comfort Science ISBN 9780-9776457-6-3
- 2009: Saving Energy at Home ISBN 978-0-9776457-6-3
- Co-authors: Tim Snyder, Tom Casey
- 2010:The Highest Calling ISBN 9781497653368
- 2010: Foundation Repair Science ISBN 978-0-9776457-7-0
- Co-authors: David Thrasher, Amanda Harrington
- 2012: Crawl Space Science ISBN 978-0977645725
- 2013 Mold Prevention Science ISBN 978-0-9776457-9-4
- Co-author: Clint S. Cooper
References
- ^ a b c Terry Tanker (August 1, 2011) Larry Janesky, owner and founder of Basement Systems Inc. HVACRBusiness.
- ^ Simpson, Stan (May 6, 2013) Up from the (wet) basement. Hartford Business Journal.
- ^ a b c (February 8, 2014) February 8: Larry Janesky, Connecticut Entrepreneur (Part 1). FoxCT.
- ^ a b c Amato, Anne M. (November 15, 2011) Larry Janesky rises to the top. ctpost.
- ^ Turmelle, Luther (April 21, 2015) Seymour's Basement Systems expanding, with an eye on design. New Haven Business Register.
- ^ Silva, Makayla, Silva (September 12, 2015) Basement Systems' offices an homage to workers. CT Post.
- ^ Bailey, Hugh (May 5, 2015) Basement Systems of Seymour continues expansion. CT Post
- ^ (2015) Basement Systems Inc. CT Post
- ^ McCarthy, Ryan (April 1, 2009) That Certain Something: The World’s Most Influential Entrepreneurs. Inc.
- ^ (March 22, 2012) SBA Connecticut Announces Small Business Person of the Year – Janesky. U.S. Small Business Administration
- ^ (2015) Outstanding Eagle Award 2014. Boy Scouts of America
- ^ (2015) 2015 finalists announced!. EY
- ^ (May 31, 2009) Basement Systems: Larry Janesky, Founder and CEO. The CEO Show.
- ^ (October 13, 2006) Larry Janesky, Basement Systems & Dave Matela, K-C Filtration. iaqradio.
- ^ Keep Water Out of the Basement. bob vila.
- ^ How to Waterproof a Basement. Ron Hazelton Home Improvement Online.
- ^ About Larry Janesky. My Home Science
- ^ Larry Janesky. Small Business Trends
- ^ Campbell, Anita (Dec 21, 2010) The Winners: Reader’s Choice 2010 Small Business Book Awards. Small Business Trends.
- ^ (December 28, 2010) New England Book Festival Announces Winners. New England Book Festival.
- ^ (2011) Winners & Finalists of the 2011 Awards. National Indie Excellence Awards.