About Boldens Drying Systems

Our History

Every family has a maverick. After three generations of dry cleaners, the Bolden family got theirs. By the time he was in high school, Kurt Bolden had learned all about the dry cleaning business. Most importantly, however, he thought it was boring. (Lucky for us!) While still in high school he purchased a truck mounted carpet cleaning machine, stuck it in an old Chevy Blazer, and started knocking on doors in the small town of Noblesville, Indiana, just north of Indianapolis. The money he made helped out while he attended nearby Anderson University on a football scholarship which he ultimately lost after a coaching change. Unable to continue his education financially, Kurt left school and became a Noblesville fireman. Now he could pay some bills, get some insurance, and get married – to Jackie, his wife of now 20+ years. (Lucky for him!)

Then after five years of fighting fires he went into the carpet cleaning and restoration business full time. He had never stopped working at it on his days off while he was a fireman.

After shifting full throttle into the industry they discovered that there was no real business model and no protocol to follow. Much of the industry’s equipment did not perform well, and there was a complete lack of an advanced scientific approach to drying a structure. In fact, the entire water damage restoration industry seemed to be going nowhere, and no one seemed to be overly concerned.

After a short time Bolden’s Cleaning and Restoration was one of the largest, most efficient, and most successful water damage restoration contractors in the country. Job action protocol and monitoring, custom vehicle design, paperwork and documentation procedures, and the now famous Bolden’s “war board” system of tracking equipment were all perfected and in daily use.

Always a tinkerer and consummate “gear head,” Kurt set out to find a solution to the problem of getting water that is trapped in carpet and pad out of the structure. The XTREME XTRACTION SYSTEM was his answer and after being awarded a US patent on the design, he went into production of a machine that removed 98 percent of the water from carpet and pad.

The XTREME XTRACTION SYSTEM changed the way an entire industry deals with water damage when carpet and pad are involved. Amazingly, it was a tough sell at first.

People thought Kurt was only trying to save carpet and pad when his real intention was simply to remove as much water as possible as fast as possible. From this experience Kurt realized the desperate need for an industry training school and an equipment testing ground. As a result he invested nearly one half million dollars in the most advanced training school and research laboratory of its kind in the world and named it the HYDRO-LAB. Two 800 sq. ft. furnished apartments are flooded and then dried by students. Industry certifications are awarded (i.e. WRT and ASD). Industry equipment is extensively tested and compared by students for unbiased results. Over 1000 students have attended the lab after 6 years of operation.

The HYDRO-LAB is unique and state-of-the-art. It has contributed greatly to the scientific advancement of water damage restoration techniques and equipment.

The more Kurt perfected his restoration business and the more he learned from research in the HYDRO-LAB, the more potential for growth he saw. In particular large loss commercial drying and specialty drying were not being addressed to the fullest. Not only was there a lack of education and training to handle these jobs, but the market potential was also being ignored.

The industry was at a crossroads. Most of the water damage contractors in the US are small businesses with only 5 – 25 employees. How can a contractor this small take on a large commercial job that might require hundreds of pieces of drying equipment and more knowledgeable and trained manpower than he/she can afford on a regular basis?

Advanced education and training and 24/7 response is also required for these jobs. The prospects for a small contractor to grow into this market appeared bleak. This also presented a great opportunity. After 20+ years, Kurt sold his very profitable cleaning and restoration company to two of his employees. This let him focus on his new idea and get the ball rolling financially. By summer of 2004 he was able to announce that the formation of the XTREME TEAM was the answer to future growth.