Storm Check doesn’t just clean tornado shelters

People start businesses for many reasons, providing benefits and values in a variety of ways. The idea for Storm Check began when one of the founders listened to his parents talk about their immigration story.

Hoang Lam shared that his parents owe a lot to the American soldiers who helped them escape Vietnam and begin a new life in the United States. Now Hoang and his parents see many veterans struggling, and they wanted to help veterans somehow.

Hoang took that desire and began to develop it into a business that will employ veterans, partnering them with a mentee to do a job that is vital to homeowners living in the Midwest.

Early on, Hoang brought in his friend, Edmond resident Bryan Jackson, to help him start and grow the business. Hoang shared, “Bryan does a lot in the community and is a hard worker. I felt like we could partner up together and create a company where we can give back, help the community, and keep people safe.”

Hoang and Bryan are leveraging their abilities and resources to launch and grow Storm Check, a service business that cleans and prepares storm shelters. Storm Check will provide peace of mind at affordable rates. Currently, their lowest-end option averages out to less than $10 a month, while their highest-end option averages out to under $15 a month.

Many people dislike going into their storm shelters because they are dark, dirty, and often have bugs and spiders living in them. With Storm Check, preparing your tornado shelter for storm season is simple. Simply sign up on their website, then Storm Check will professionally clean, sanitize, deodorize, stock bottled water, install LED lights, and ensure your shelter is registered with the local Emergency Management office. Their premium service even includes a first-aid kit and semi-annual servicing.

Their goal was to create a business that served veterans, and they wanted to keep things simple. “And no one else is really doing this,” Bryan said. “They get busy with life, stuff comes up, and it falls down the priority list. But it is important when you need it.”

Bryan and Hoang want to do even more to help. One future plan is to hire underserved community youth to pair up with the veterans to go out and service customers together. “Instead of working at a fast food restaurant, [youth] could come to work for us and get to learn some leadership skills from the mentorship,” Bryan explained.

Storm Check currently serves customers within a 30-mile radius from downtown Oklahoma City, including Edmond and surrounding areas. According to Emergency Management at the City of Edmond, there are 9,641 shelters listed in their registry. Bryan and Hoang hope to service 500 shelters in the next few months.

“It’s new for us,” Hoang explained. “I’ve never started a business like this before, so it’s more of a personal challenge than a growth business.” Their goal is to provide peace of mind to their customers and deliver on what they promise.