Meet resident Michael Pinto. Michael and his wife Susan are originally from Kalamazoo, Michigan, spent a few years in Chicago, then back to their home state. Susan and Michael have two sons, and now they and son Paul live happily in Verandah.
Mr. Pinto is a soft-spoken, humble gentleman with more initials after his name than most people! He is an expert in recognizing and treatment of that insidious, silent invader of homes, schools, and buildings of all sorts—MOLD!
Michael didn’t start out his career with that subject at all. In college he was a math and physics major and very content studying those subjects. But a professor took Michael aside and suggested that he select a liberal arts class to round out his education from his mostly scientific schedule. So he chose a philosophy course and was surprised at how much he enjoyed it. He explored it further, and graduated with a degree in Philosophy with a Math Minor!
When asked if he ever thought his career would be in identifying and treatment of mold, fungus, toxic mold, even lead, asbestos, fire and flood damage, he said he never would have guessed it.
His first job out of college was with the Michigan state government as a statistician where he compiled stats on safety of workers in toxic environments. His bosses were impressed by his findings, and he was given the onerous, yet fascinating, task of working towards finding and identifying remediation methods in harmful environments of all types. After college, grad school, and a Phd in environmental engineering, Michael earned many licenses from entities involved in toxic environments. He has worked with FEMA and OSHA and written several books, over 230 published articles, was the speaker at hundreds of presentations for industry events, and has received many prestigious awards in his field.
Michael also has volunteered to many environmental causes. For 35 years he was the CEO of his company Wonder Makers Environmental, Inc., a manufacturing and environmental consulting firm that specializes in identification of asbestos, lead, mold, industrial hygiene, and chemical problems.
Mr. Pinto explains that many historical events had connections to people adversely affected by mold, i.e., King Tut, (1323 BCE), environmental mold, Roman Emperor Claudius (54 BCE) and Pope Clement VII (1424 BCE) both from poison mushrooms, women convicted of being witches in the Salem Witch Trials (1642) from fungus infected rye grain, Ireland & the Great Famine (1845) from blighted potatoes, and Seattle Children’s Hospital from mold in the ventilation system resulting in the death of six patients over a multi-year period. Celebrities such as Freddie Mercury, John Travolta, Ed McMahon have been infected and friends and folks we know personally have become ill from toxic substances in their homes. Mold has an impact on everyone, regardless of how big or small your house, how much income you make, or your social status.
Michael highly suggests to any folks who are suffering more than usual or having unexplained respiratory problems or fatigue should check their homes for leaks, moldy smell in carpets, furniture, clothing, and behind the refrigerator. They should contact a mold remediation expert and their physicians for advice. Or, contact Michael to discuss your issues. He would be happy to help. By the way, he said not to be concerned about any poison mushrooms in the grocery store-they are all safe, or gorgonzola or blue cheese, or that old piece of cheddar having mold in the fridge. No worries there!
When asked what he has learned from his life experiences, Michael said his family has (and most everyone will) faced different events and challenges, some more difficult than others to deal with, but he has tried to choose to be positive and not negative, and appreciate what we have. He was very impressed by words he heard some time ago: don’t worry so much about your resume, instead work on creating a life that leads to a better eulogy.
Michael’s next goal is to be less busy in order to pursue his favorite hobby of writing. If reading a textbook on mold isn’t your preferred reading, try his first novel, Sight Beyond Eyes, involving an angel and a plane crash. The book will leave you thinking!
Sight Beyond Eyes is available through all the major booksellers or just contact Michael.
