By Will Buss

COLLINSVILLE —  "It's a great day at Woods Basement Systems" is what you'll  hear whenever you call  the basement waterproofing business.

They have reason to be happy.

Business is good — it has doubled since 2001. Plus, last year, the business was recognized as 10th best among the 105 independent Basement Systems dealers throughout the United States , Canada and Great Britain .

Rick Woods founded the business 17 years ago in three upstairs rooms of a house located across the street from his current location at 524 Vandalia St. , where he relocated in 1991. Marketing manager Dave Thompson joined the business three years ago and said their success is due in part to a superior product line.

"The nice thing about Basement Systems is that they're exclusive patented products," Thompson said. "We first like

to analyze where and why and what the problem initially is, then customize that solution."

Thompson said they have more than 10 patented products that are designed to work independently or together to fix any leak or foundation.

They provide waterproofing in existing homes and new construction, repair foundation cracks, straighten walls and re-stabilize foundations. They also minimize moisture and replace rotten wood and I-beams in crawl spaces.

Thompson said the business spans both sides of the river, reaching as far west as Jefferson City , MO , throughout Southern Illinois, and into Kentucky .

He also credits his boss for their success.

"Rick Woods is a real person," he said. "He treats everybody here like family. But with that comes a lot of responsibility because with the people he hires, he expects a lot out of them."

Woods, 56 attributes his achievements to his perseverance, honesty and strong faith in God.

As Thompson said, Woods' employees are like family. Some are family. Among Wood's 52 employees are his son, daughter and son-in-law, who work in management positions.

"People who work for us are like family," Woods said.

Woods also provides lunch for he employees everyday. On Thursday, it was turkey and stuffing.

Great days have gotten even better. After earning the 10th best ranking in 2002, Thompson said he recently has learned Woods Basement Systems has moved to sixth place.

"But that's not official until the end of the year," Thompson said. "But we've been steadily growing."