By Will Buss

Woods Basement Systems marketing specialist Dave Thompson, right, talks to Sallie Jo Burton of the Collinsville Chamber of Commerce during a ribbon cutting Tuesday.

COLLINSVILLE —  Rapid growth at Woods Basement Systems has forced the metro-east basement waterproofing specialist to expand beyond its home office.

Business jumped by more than 100 percent during the past two years, and staff has grown to 140. So last year, Woods doubled its office space by opening new offices off Interstate 255 and a satellite office in Bloomington to better accommodate clients north of the metro-east.

This month, Woods has opened another office at an existing 1,300-square-foot building at 524 St. Louis Road in Collinsville, not far from its headquarters at 524 Vandalia Road , which will serve as the business' center of marketing and public relations.

Always Collinsville-based, the business has gained customers throughout Illinois and Missouri . Its service area reaches the southernmost reaches of Illinois and extends as far north as Interstate 80 to LaSalle-Peru. In Missouri , Woods' clients extend westward beyond St. Louis to Jefferson City and throughout the Lake of the Ozarks region.

Marketing specialist Dave Thompson will lead the staff at the new office. He credits the business' success to its reputation and employees' work ethic.

"It's been great seeing the activity and the right people  coming at the right time,"  Thompson said. "I think part of the consumer base has been educated about solutions for foundation and water-proofing problems."

Founder Rick Woods has seen the second generation take over key management positions. He still conducts hands-on training demonstrations.

Thompson also points out that the Better Business Bureau has not filed a single complaint against Woods throughout its 19-year history. He said more than a quarter of its business come from referrals.

Woods' track record kept the operation thriving in metro-east. "We like Collinsville ," he said. " Collinsville has been good to us."