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the delight having so many current and former colleagues together. All have remained close and reflect the quality of the people I have had at my side, whether doing homebuilding, property management, or home inspections and environmental testing. For instance, my brother Carl is chief architect for new construction at NASA in Greenbelt. Chuck Gilmore manages the local office one of the country’s most prestigious bridge design engineering firms. Lucy Carmichael is a topnotch Remax Realtor in Frederick…and so on. I am proud to have worked with them over the years and equally proud of their more recent accomplishments. Sandy, Terry, Quintin and Fred, as key current employees, fit this same mold. Returning to the work force twenty-five years ago after having two children, Sandy Watkins has progressed from Secretary to Property Manager to General Manager. Her good judgment and excellent counsel over the years have been significant to our company and important to me. 

And what happened to the juvenile delinquent who came to work twenty years ago. Now married, with two bright teenagers, Terry Toms has the Herculean task of maintaining financial records for three companies, hundreds of tenants and fifteen employees. What a great job she does for all associated with the Alban Companies. I have mentioned Quintin Satterfield above. The fourth honoree was Fred Nugent, our Hagerstown based home inspector. Fred’s fine work these past five years has made Alban the preferred home inspection company throughout Hagerstown and Washington County.

Fred Nugent, Home Inspector

My wish for everyone reading this newsletter is that when you look back over 25 years or more of employment, you feel the same sense of satisfaction regarding wonderful colleagues that I experienced at our Twenty Fifth Anniversary dinner.

 

 Carpenter Ants

Before fretting about carpenter ants, make sure the insects that are spotted in a home are indeed carpenter ants. Carpenter ants are black and approximately one-half inch long. They usually live in dead trees, inside stumps or under logs. Homeowners may be surprised to learn that the ants do not eat wood. Instead, they drill into it to make nests. Unfortunately, this wood may be inside of a home – usually near moisture, such as by a sink or in a laundry room. A small hole surrounded by sawdust may be an indication that there is a carpenter ant problem in the house. The best way to prevent the problem is to make sure the ants cannot get in to begin with. Seal entry points, paying special attention to gaps around pipes or wires. Prune tree branches away from the home. Don’t leave any food – including pet food – sitting uncovered, as it is the search for food that brings the ants into a property in the first place.