The BrickKicker
Naperville, IL 60563
Locations
The BrickKicker
Managing Director - Commercial Division
Business Hours | |
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Monday | 8:30 AM - 9:00 PM CST |
Tuesday | 8:30 AM - 9:00 PM CST |
Wednesday | 8:30 AM - 9:00 PM CST |
Thursday | 8:30 AM - 9:00 PM CST |
Friday | 8:30 AM - 9:00 PM CST |
Saturday | 8:30 AM - 9:00 PM CST |
Sunday | 8:30 AM - 9:00 PM CST |
Key Contacts
Owners, Principals & Senior Executives
Rob Claus's Bio
I earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Industrial Technology Construction Sequence from Illinois State University. Upon graduation I spent two years working for a Civil Engineering consulting firm. It was during this time I felt the need to activate my education and began embarking on my home inspection career. In April of 1991, I performed my first home inspection for The BrickKicker. Being not only new to the emerging industry but young in age, I had to master the art of client interaction. This interaction eventually became the standard for which every The BrickKicker would model moving forward.
In 2014, I assumed the role of Director of Technical Resources with the responsibility to maintain and drive the high standards for the company and the software used to create the reports. In addition, I am also the primary technical resource for all The BrickKicker’s from coast-to-coast in the role of Director of Franchise Services. All of this all while performing inspections for the local The BrickKicker Chicagoland operation which afforded me the achievement of performing my 10,000th inspection in 2017.
I have a passion for all types of homes, especially special projects like rehabs or historical homes. My wife and I have been married for over 25 years and have two wonderful college children. Our oldest is studying to become a pilot while the youngest is focused on music education. We spend much of our free time traveling to visit both of them to attend as many of their events as possible.
Ron Ewald's Bio
Growing up in the Illinois Valley (LaSalle-Peru), I was a product of small town values and a blue-collar work ethic. My Eastern Illinois University degrees (BA- Psychology, MBA-Marketing) provided the basis for understanding the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of business dynamics; especially valuable within the personal services sector, where customers, clients and employees are close at hand … I’ve joked in past, noting that I’ve applied more Psychology than Business in my daily activities, a product of the personal services business, I guess.
In 1989 I had the privilege to meet Len Franckowiak, who fortunately had the passion to perform the field work, allowing me to follow my interest in the Sales/Marketing function. We started out like any small business, a few hundred dollars each, a kitchen table office and a huge vision. As a team, we built a strong reputation of service quality throughout Chicagoland, and later a nationwide network of franchises. Today, we support nearly 50 franchise locations across 23 states, and our original Chicagoland operation consistently ranks in the upper 1% in volume of all home inspections companies in the U.S.
My Definition of Success: Forming the habit of doing the things the competition doesn’t like doing.
Operations
Andrew Fox's Bio
The old saying "Do what you love and never work a day in your life" holds very true to me. Every aspect of what I do on a daily basis for The BrickKicker truly is amazing and I can relate it all back to my upbringing. At an early age, I can remember moving around often from state to state as my parents were getting settled but most of my time was spent living in the Madison, Wisconsin area. Both of my parents served in the U.S. Air Force so I had a pretty structured upbringing but I was always allowed to explore and try new things. Building with Legos stemmed my interest in building things, often without instructions.
All throughout my schooling, I wrestled (nearly 18 years), which helped to prepare me for my time served in the U.S. Air Force as a Weapons Specialist. While serving 6 years in the military, I attended my undergraduate studies in Hotel Management in Madison while finishing in Orlando through the University of Central Florida and the Walt Disney Company. From there I had the opportunity to learn more about corporate structure and management while working for the Target Corp. and Marriott International.
I had a deep desire to want to get back to my passion as a kid in building things so I started my Graduate Program at the University of Florida School of Architecture of which led me into exploring ways to work on my own, helping people better understand the built world. This is where I decided to become licensed in the inspection industry. I am extremely passionate about everything I do, to include spending quality time with my wife and two Jack Russell Terriers. As my wife says, I always go, go, go...
Kathy Cook's Bio
When I first heard of radon I had no idea what it was and why I should be concerned about it. But once I made the effort to learn, research, and wrap my thoughts around it, I found myself thankful. Thankful to understand that radon is a radioactive gas, a Class A Human Carcinogen, which has the potential to cause lung cancer.
Being licensed to test for this gas opens the doors to share this information with many others. It is my belief that once a person has a clear vision of why we test for this gas, it becomes clear to the importance for them to have their environments’ tested. At first, all of this is a bit scary for all of us. But the great news with the radon story is it is very fixable. For a reasonable cost, there are systems that can reduce the levels and by lowering the levels, it lowers the risk.
Radon has taken me down quite the road of learning.
Learning that radon comes from the breakdown of uranium and is found all over the world has been completely fascinating and interesting. After 14 years of testing homes, there has NOT been a home yet that did not have some level of radon gas. So the thought I leave you with is this: The only way to know what levels your home or environments’ test at is to have them tested. All homes/buildings can test high; new, old, big, small, on slabs, with or without basements, and any combination of these. Once you know the risk of radon it is simply hard to ignore it.
Krista Fox's Bio
For over 17 years, I have worked in corporate settings directly responsible for client experiences with companies such as Walt Disney World Resorts, Target Corporation, and Marriott Hotels & Resorts. I gained a wealth of experience while working for the Air Force in the Air National Guard as an Information Manager. Along with that background emanates my attention to detail and determination. I pride myself on customer service and quality control. I strive to build clientele trust and develop lasting relationships with our clients and realtors. The part of the home inspection process I am most fond of is getting to know clients and realtors and having the pleasure to be a resource during this process and well after. When there is downtime, I enjoy spending time with my husband and my dogs, and antique shopping.