Meet the TEAM

12 Things to know about Charles Stafford, the owner of 1-800 WATER DAMAGE of South Charlotte/Union County

1. Where did you grow up?
   I grew up in a small town called Edinboro, PA, tucked away in northwestern Pennsylvania. It was a great place to grow up, but it also averages almost 100 inches of snow a year.
   
2. Name one thing that most people would never know about you growing up.
   I was the oldest of 4 siblings, and my parents had nicknames for each of us. My nickname growing up was Bear.
   
3. What were some of your hobbies or interests growing up?
   I played lots of sports growing up, and played football, basketball, and baseball in high school. I ended up going on to play college baseball at the University of Dayton and PITT.
   
4. What were a few memorable moments of your college experience?
   Getting an education and the degree was one, but my experience playing baseball did provide several. My first collegiate hit was a homerun against Indiana University, and that same year we played LSU who went on to win the national title.
   
5. Tell us about your family
   I am happily married to my wife Kelly, and we have 3 kids, Charlie 10, Elliott 9, and Benjamin 5. We also have two dogs, Max and Lilo, as well as 12 chickens.
   
6. How did you and your wife meet?
   I love this story and will never stop telling people. We met playing kickball back in Pittsburgh, PA, and it was love at first site for me. I will never forget that moment.
   
7. How long have you been in Charlotte?
   Our family moved here in 2010 after I was relocated by Wells Fargo Bank from Houston, TX.
   
8. How long were you in Houston, TX?
   I took a job with Wells Fargo in 2007, shortly after my wife and I got married and I graduated from Carnegie Mellon’s MBA program.
   
9. You mentioned you were with a bank, what were you doing prior to purchasing the franchise?
   I spent most of my career in the financial services industry, trying to help customers with different products and services. Most recently, I was working with clients to help mitigate their risk to the foreign exchange markets.
   
10. Of all the franchise concepts, why restoration and water damage?
    I like to get my hands dirty, but more importantly, I like helping customers. Many of our customers are going through traumatic events like a flood, a pipe burst, sewage back-up, or a fire, and we have the chance to take care of them during that moment.
    
11. What do you do for fun outside of work?
    My kids are my focus, and I try to stay as involved with them as much as possible. I coach their sports teams when I can and am now getting more involved as a member of the Matthews Athletic Recreation Association board. One of my hobbies and creative outlets is woodworking, and I have built each of my kids a bed, as well as built a couple beds for a local charity called Beds For Kids.
    
12. As potential clients look at your business, what would you want them to remember you by?
    Customer service. We are going to go over and above to make our clients happy. We want to always be on the top of people’s minds no matter what the situation is. Disasters don’t always occur, but if we can make a lasting impressing with the service we provide during a water damage clean-up, mold remediation, or sewage clean-up, our customers will tell their friends, family, and neighbors about us. And that is all we can ask.