Provider profile
BMS CAT
Provider snapshot
What this listing says
Philadelphia-area property owners dealing with water or mold damage who want a national, non-franchised restoration company with roots going back to 1948 and a local office in Pennsauken, NJ.
Best for
- Property owners in Philadelphia, Yeadon, or Pennsauken who need a single company to handle water extraction through reconstruction under one contract.
- Commercial property managers — multifamily, hospitality, healthcare, education — who need a national restoration company with a local Philadelphia-area office.
- Homeowners facing combined water and mold damage who want packout and document recovery services handled by the same crew.
- Insurance-driven restoration jobs where the carrier already has a relationship with BMS CAT.
About this company
BMS CAT operates in the Philadelphia metro area out of an office in Pennsauken, New Jersey. The Philadelphia-area operation was formerly Mellon Certified Restoration, which BMS CAT acquired. The company claims the same local contacts and pricing carried over after the acquisition.
BMS CAT is a national restoration company — not a franchise. They handle water damage, mold remediation, fire damage, HVAC decontamination, biohazard cleanup, and document recovery. They also do reconstruction after damage, and they offer packout services where they inventory and store belongings during restoration. The website mentions vacuum freeze-drying chambers for document recovery, which is unusual — most local mold companies do not offer that.
The parent company dates to 1948, making it one of the oldest restoration firms in the country. They claim 287,000+ jobs in the last 10 years and an average employee tenure of 10+ years. Corporate headquarters sit in Haltom City, Texas. The company serves multifamily, hospitality, healthcare, education, manufacturing, and government clients in addition to residential homeowners.
Google rates them 3.3 stars across 31 reviews. That is notably low for a restoration company. Most positive reviews date to the Mellon Certified era (2017-2021), and the two recent 1-star reviews arrived after the BMS CAT acquisition. The low volume makes it hard to draw firm conclusions, but the rating warrants caution.
Services
Service area
BMS CAT's Philadelphia-area office operates from Pennsauken, New Jersey, serving the Philadelphia metro area. The Google listing address is in Yeadon, Pennsylvania. As a national company with locations across the country, they claim broad coverage, but confirm dispatch distance for your specific location.
Review consensus
Positive reviews consistently praise fast response times and good communication. Charlie Merkel responded within an hour on Christmas Day and surveyed damage the next morning. Kurt Bartell and his team (Dan, Dennis Sr, Dennis Jr) completed a basement flood restoration on a tight pre-trip deadline. Christina and Jensy drew praise for fast, detailed fire-extinguisher dust cleanup. Tim earned recognition for navigating a two-insurer claim on a rental property. Brian D. and Eric B. helped a military family deal with pipe damage during a harsh winter move. Multiple reviewers noted that Mellon communicated throughout the process and stuck to timelines.
2 found across 31 total reviews at 3.3★. 2 found across 31 total reviews at 3.3★. Liso B (August 2025) claims BMS CAT subcontracts all work, cannot "install a nail," and owes $3,500 for materials and labor the reviewer purchased. John Robinson (June 2025) left a brief hostile review with no specifics — "the worse" and "do not waste your time or your money." Neither review received an owner response. Both arrived in 2025, well after the BMS CAT acquisition of Mellon Certified.
The review history splits cleanly into two eras. Pre-acquisition Mellon Certified reviews (2017-2021) are overwhelmingly positive, name specific staff, and describe detailed work. Post-acquisition BMS CAT reviews (2025) are negative and vague. The sample is small — only 2 recent negatives — but the timing gap is striking. No reviews exist between 2021 and 2025 in the provided data, and neither recent complaint received an owner response despite BMS CAT being a large national company that presumably has reputation management resources.
Charlie Merkel (responded Christmas Day, surveyed damage next morning — positive). Kurt Bartell (led basement flood restoration on tight deadline — positive). Dan (crew member on Kurt's team — positive). Dennis Sr (crew member on Kurt's team — positive). Dennis Jr (crew member on Kurt's team — positive). Tim (handled complex two-insurer rental claim — positive). Christina (fire-extinguisher dust cleanup — positive). Jensy (fire-extinguisher dust cleanup — positive). Brian D. (helped military family with pipe damage — positive). Eric B. (helped military family with pipe damage — positive).
The positive reviews are real and specific, but they all describe Mellon Certified Restoration — the company BMS CAT acquired. The two recent reviews under the BMS CAT name are negative, and neither got a response. Ask whether Charlie Merkel, Kurt Bartell, or other named Mellon-era staff still work at this location. If the people who earned those older reviews are gone, treat this as an unproven operation despite the long company history.
Keep in mind
- BMS CAT does both mold testing and mold remediation. That creates a conflict of interest — the same company deciding you have a mold problem is the one billing you to fix it. Get an independent mold assessment before agreeing to remediation.
- The Google rating is 3.3 stars across just 31 reviews. Almost all positive reviews reference the old Mellon Certified Restoration brand, not BMS CAT. The acquisition may have changed staff, processes, or management at the local level.
- One recent reviewer claims BMS CAT subcontracts all work and left a $3,500 materials-and-labor dispute unresolved. Ask upfront whether your job will be handled by BMS CAT employees or subcontractors.
- The listed address is in Yeadon, PA, but the website says the office is at 7192 North Park Drive in Pennsauken, NJ. Confirm which location will dispatch your crew and how far they are from your property.
- Neither recent 1-star review received an owner response. That silence is worth noting for a company this size.