About EnviroGator
Local people giving clear answers about your home.
Mold and indoor-environment concerns deserve a dedicated team. Based in Wake Village, EnviroGator is Inspection Gator’s specialist sister company, with shared ownership and its own operation.
The people behind EnviroGator
Derek’s path to inspection
Derek Ballard grew up in the Texarkana area. Before home inspection, he spent more than 20 years in the fine paper industry and also worked in construction. After years of shift work, he wanted a career that would let him use that practical experience to help people directly. He completed home-inspector training in Arlington, obtained licenses in Texas and Arkansas, and started Inspection Gator.
Jessica’s experience
Jessica grew up in West Texas and made East Texas her home after meeting Derek. “I think I was always meant to be an East Texas girl,” she told writer Laney Schroeder for a February 2026 feature in East Texas Real Producers. Her background includes accounting, management, and education, including work as an after-school coordinator for Mount Pleasant ISD. She had already built and managed teams before becoming more involved in Inspection Gator. As the company grew, she brought that experience to its operations, support for inspectors, and customer care.
Building the business together
Their different strengths became part of how they ran the business together. As Derek put it, “If I come home with ten ideas, she helps me figure out which two are actually good—and how to make them happen.”
Roots in the community
Inspection Gator grew through customer referrals and relationships with local buyers, sellers, and real estate professionals. It received Affiliate of the Year recognition from the Texarkana Board of Realtors in 2023 and the Longview Area Association of Realtors in 2024. Those honors belong to Inspection Gator and form part of the history behind the wider Gator family.
“I wanted to build something that reflected my work ethic and values.”
Why EnviroGator
Mold inspections and air-quality testing were already part of Inspection Gator’s work. Over time, the owners decided those concerns needed a company and team devoted to them. That decision led to EnviroGator, with its own management and a focus on environmental assessment. Inspection Gator continues its home, commercial, and other property inspections, while EnviroGator concentrates on investigating and documenting mold and indoor-environment concerns.
For Jessica, the journey is closely tied to her faith: “I truly believe God called Derek and me to be exactly where we are, and that He was preparing us long before we ever stepped into this industry.”
Quotations from Derek and Jessica Ballard in Laney Schroeder’s “Inspection Gator,” East Texas Real Producers, February 2026, pp. 15–16.
Meet the team
Keith Green
Lead Mold Inspector
Texas · Arkansas · Oklahoma
MAC 2179
Mike McDaniel
Mold Technician
Arkansas
K.O. Jeanes
Mold Technician
Arkansas
David Cardenas
Mold Apprentice
Texas
Meagan Blankenship
Lead Customer Satisfaction
Let’s get to the bottom of it.
Our assessors investigate the concern, explain what they find, and help you understand what to do next. When mold cleanup is needed, a separate remediation contractor performs the work.
Explore our services →Serving our community
Serving Northeast Texas, Southwest Arkansas, and Southeast Oklahoma from Wake Village.
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