Alex Herrick, right, and his father David Herrick run Preis Inspection Services. David's father Robert Herrick, who passed away two years ago, founded the company in 1981.Owner: The Herrick family
Services offered: Preis specializes in residential and commercial inspection, offering roof analysis, ensuring that new construction projects meet the highest workmanship standards, consulting with first-time homebuyers to not only inspect the property they're considering purchasing but also bringing them up to speed on a homeowner's routine maintenance needs, and helping buyers identify environmentally friendly homes.
Year opened: Patriarch Robert Herrick started the business in Chicago in 1981, but Preis formally relocated to Chattanooga in 2012.
Generations involved: David Herrick, Robert's son, joined the business in the early 1990s. Alex Herrick, David's son, is the third generation of the family to become a part of the business.
Years of experience: Alex, David and David's wife, Donna, have 25 years of inspection work and 35 years of construction experience between them.
Strangest inspection: Alex recalled a house near Ringgold, Ga., that at first looked to have been built in the 1980s. As he inspected the crawl space, though, he found a hole that led to a separate portion of the space that showed signs of it having been built in the 1920s. Even further, still, he found a third section, only accessible by a small hole, that was walled with traditional logs and had a 30-foot well in the center. Herrick estimates it must have been built in the late 1800s.
Service approach: Advice, answers and tips come at no cost. "If something goes wrong, whether it's an inspection from us or another company, and people have questions, we'll answer them free of charge," Alex Herrick said. "That's how my grandpa built this business."
Community involvement: Despite not being natives to Hixson or Chattanooga, Alex Herrick said the family have made it a point to shop at local family businesses like theirs whenever they can. In addition, they volunteer with local breast cancer awareness fundraisers, and Alex donates his time to Team River Runner, a rehabilitative service for veterans that teaches them whitewater kayaking and rafting.
Contact: 423-991-8035 or info@go-preis.com
Location: 1913 Bay Pointe Drive in Hixson