About WDI Science

WDI Science is a Texas structural pest control company, and what we do is hold and maintain wood destroying insect inspection licenses for independent inspectors. We don’t sell termite treatments and we don’t compete with our own inspectors for work. Inspectors come to us either to get licensed from scratch or to move a license they already hold, and from there we handle the TDA paperwork, the insurance, the training, the continuing education, and the reporting software. A good analogy to us is the Brokerage model that real estate agencies use for their agents, except we don’t collect or distribute commissions. Right now more than 100 inspection companies across Texas hold their WDI license with us.

Why this company exists

If you inspect homes in Texas and you want to do your own termite reports, you run into a wall pretty fast. WDI inspections are regulated by the Texas Department of Agriculture, not TREC, and the license can’t be held on its own. It has to sit underneath a licensed structural pest control business, so you need somebody to sponsor you.

For years that left inspectors with two choices and neither one was good. You could ask a local pest control company to license you, which usually meant you were expected to hand them treatment leads. Or you could sign on with a license farm that took your money, gave you very little training, and went quiet when TDA came knocking. Neither one really helped the inspector, and neither one helped the client waiting on a report. That is the whole reason this company is here.

Our history

WDI Science was started in 2020 to fill a real need in Texas, which was a better place for inspectors to get and maintain their wood destroying insect inspection license. Collin Nowak bought the company in May of 2023, kept the original idea intact, and built on it from there.

We’ve grown steadily since then, and we’ve done it without loosening up on compliance or on training. That is usually the first place a growing license holder starts cutting, and it’s the reason inspectors end up looking for a new one.

Who runs WDI Science

Collin has been inspecting homes in the Austin area since 2013, when he founded Panther Inspections. Before that he worked in remodeling and RV repair, which is the kind of hands on work that teaches you how a building actually goes together and how it comes apart. He still does WDI inspections himself, so the reporting problems our inspectors run into are the same ones he runs into.

He is licensed and approved by the state in three ways that matter here:

  • TREC Professional Inspector, TREC 20772-PI, which is the highest of the three Texas home inspector license levels
  • Certified Applicator in the termite control category, #0920769, licensed through the Texas Department of Agriculture
  • TREC approved education provider, TREC #10269-CEP, which is how he teaches continuing education to other inspectors

He also teaches, and he has trained more than 500 licensed inspectors through continuing education and termite licensing training. That matters here for a practical reason, because teaching a subject to a room full of professionals is harder than knowing it well enough to pass a test. So when we tell an inspector how to handle a section of the T-5, it is coming from somebody who has had to defend the answer in front of people who do this for a living.

How we stay current

Texas rules change, and TDA doesn’t always publish the change somewhere you’ll find it. So we go to the meetings. We attend TDA meetings regularly and pass down what we learn, and that is usually the difference between a report that holds up and a report that turns into a phone call six months later.

Basically, our inspectors shouldn’t have to track the regulations themselves on top of running an inspection business. That part is our job.

What our inspectors get

  • Their TDA license held and maintained, with the paperwork and the TDA communications handled for them
  • Coverage under our business insurance, so there’s no need to add termite coverage to a home inspection policy
  • Swarm Form, our reporting software, at no extra charge
  • 8 hours of continuing education every year at no cost, for inspectors completing at least 25 inspections
  • Training for new apprentices, from the video coursework through the on the job hours and test prep
  • A network of experienced Texas inspectors to ask when something odd turns up on a job

The bottom line

We’re inspectors helping inspectors. If you’re already licensed and your current sponsor isn’t doing much for you, moving over usually takes about 3 business days and you don’t repeat any training. If you’ve never held a WDI license and you want to add termite reports to what you already offer, we’ll walk you through the whole thing.

Questions first is fine too. Have a look at Get Licensed or Currently Licensed, read through the FAQ, and get in touch if something isn’t covered.