Provider profile
Rainbow International of Asheville
Provider snapshot
What this listing says
Asheville-area homeowners and commercial property managers who want a single franchise team to handle water damage, fire restoration, and mold work under one roof with 24/7 availability.
Best for
- Homeowners in Asheville, Hendersonville, or Brevard dealing with water damage that has led to mold growth and want one company to handle both.
- Commercial property managers in western North Carolina who need 24/7 emergency response and insurance coordination for restoration work.
- Buyers who value working directly with the business owners rather than rotating technicians from a dispatch center.
- Real estate agents or physicians who need a mold testing partner for property transactions or patient health assessments.
- Homeowners recovering from fire or smoke damage who want a single contractor to manage remediation through reconstruction.
About this company
Rainbow International of Asheville is a locally owned franchise in the Neighborly family, run by Ed and Mary Palermo out of 36 Rosscraggon Rd in Asheville. Mold is one piece of a broader restoration operation that covers water damage, fire and smoke damage, odor removal, content processing, carpet cleaning, and full-service reconstruction. They handle both residential and commercial work.
The Asheville location offers mold testing and mold remediation under the same roof. Ed handles air sampling and on-site assessments, while Mary manages scheduling, insurance coordination, and client communication. The website references IICRC-credentialed staff and the Neighborly Done Right Promise, which is a franchise-level satisfaction guarantee. Nothing on the site points to equipment or methods that distinguish this location from other Rainbow Restoration franchises.
Ed and Mary show up repeatedly in reviews going back to 2017, suggesting they have been running this franchise for at least eight years. Multiple reviewers describe them as hands-on owners who respond personally to calls, including holidays and weekends. An integrative medicine physician reviewed them favorably, noting collaboration with Mary on environmental mold testing for patients.
A perfect 5.0-star rating across 120 Google reviews is rare for any restoration company. No reviewer has left fewer than 4 stars. That said, most reviews date from 2017-2021, with limited recent activity, so the volume reflects cumulative history rather than current throughput.
Services
Service area
Headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina. The website lists 39 cities across western North Carolina, including Asheville, Hendersonville, Brevard, Black Mountain, Canton, Weaverville, Fletcher, Flat Rock, Lake Lure, Swannanoa, and Lake Toxaway. The claimed area stretches across several counties and includes mountain communities up to an hour or more from headquarters.
Review consensus
Mary Palermo is the most frequently named person across all 120 reviews. Reviewers describe her as responsive, caring, and personally involved in scheduling and follow-up. Ed Palermo is praised for calm emergency assessments and hands-on mold testing work. Greg is noted for knowledgeable on-site work during water damage jobs. Tom drew praise for same-day response to a burst pipe. Jason Basham was called out for on-the-spot professionalism during a water damage event. Several reviewers highlight holiday and weekend availability, with at least two mentioning Christmas Eve and New Year's Day responses.
0 found across 120 total reviews at 5.0★. No 1-star, 2-star, or 3-star reviews appear in the last 18 months. There are no recent negative complaints to analyze.
The review timeline is notable. Nearly all 120 reviews landed between 2017 and 2021, with very few after that. This could reflect a change in how actively the business solicits reviews, a shift in volume, or simply a mature profile that stopped accumulating. The perfect 5.0 rating with zero negatives ever is unusual for a restoration company and worth noting, though no evidence suggests review manipulation.
Mary Palermo (owner/operations manager — praised in 25+ reviews for responsiveness, scheduling, personal follow-up, and insurance coordination), Ed Palermo (owner/technician — praised in 15+ reviews for emergency response, mold air sampling, calm demeanor), Greg (technician — praised for knowledgeable water damage work and carpet cleaning), Tom (technician — praised for same-day water damage response), Jason Basham (technician — praised for prompt and courteous water damage work), Reilly (technician — mentioned working alongside Greg on carpet cleaning), Jamey (crew member — mentioned by name as part of the team), Eddie (technician — praised for weekend bathroom flood response)
With a perfect 5.0 rating and no negative reviews ever, there is nothing in the review record to warn buyers about. Ask for Mary when you call. She runs the client-facing side of the operation and shows up in more reviews than anyone else. If your project involves mold testing, ask whether Ed will handle the sampling personally, and get an independent second opinion on the test results since they also do remediation.
Keep in mind
- Rainbow does both mold testing and mold remediation. That creates a conflict of interest: the same company that tells you whether you have a mold problem also profits from fixing it. Consider getting an independent test before committing to their remediation work.
- This is a franchise operation. While Ed and Mary run the Asheville location, the website, branding, and service descriptions are corporate templates. The actual equipment and methods at this location may differ from what the national site describes.
- Most of the 120 Google reviews date from 2017-2021. Recent review activity is thin, which makes it harder to judge the current team's performance.
- The service area lists 39 cities across western North Carolina, stretching from Lake Lure to Lake Toxaway. Confirm response times for locations far from the Asheville headquarters.
- Mold removal is one of many services they offer. If you need a company whose primary focus is mold, this is a general restoration outfit where mold work is a secondary line.