Connecticut SBA's Person of the Year

Larry Janesky, founder and president of Basement Systems, Inc., has been named the 2012 Connecticut Small Business Person of the Year by the U. S. Small Business Administration.

Larry Janesky has grown his business from scratch in 1982 to become the largest employer in Seymour, Connecticut, and continues to grow each year. The company is innovative, has an intense focus on quality and service, and has redefined their industries to provide what their customers really want.

Janesky is recognized as an authority on business start-up and growth, an acclaimed speaker and innovative leader, an inventor with over 30 patents, and the successful author of five books.

Janesky has been selected for this prestigious honor for “his outstanding work toward his customer base” said Bernard Sweeney, Connecticut SBA District Director. Mr. Sweeney went on to say that the company’s basement repair and finishing services offer “an alternative for young families, the option of expanding their home without moving.”

Early in his career, Janesky saw the need for basement waterproofing when one of the houses he built developed a cracked foundation wall that was leaking water into the basement. From this single observation and determination to find a solution, Janesky has grown his basement waterproofing and repair company into an award-winning, successful enterprise with 345 dealers in six countries.

While building a successful organization using his intuition, technology, and hard work, Janesky has designed a fun place to work and to innovate. His business model, a philosophy actually, focuses on outstanding customer service, well-trained employees, and the development of businesses and their owners.

In addition to securing patents for dozens of innovative products, Basement Systems, Inc. has earned numerous awards for customer service and integrity including being a finalist for the Better Business Bureau’s National Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics and a three-time recipient of the same award from Connecticut’s BBB. Janesky represented Connecticut during National Small Business Week in May when all state and territory winners gather in Washington D.C.