The Survivors

Auston and Cassandra married in 2007, and started their Bedford, Texas–based company, which serves both commercial and residential clients, in 2010. It’s No. 841 on 2015’s Inc. 5000, with three-year revenue growth of 473 percent. In 2012, Auston had a serious accident.

CASSANDRA We’ve been together 15 years. Early on, I taught seventh-grade algebra and he worked at a fire and water restoration company. When I had my son, I didn’t go back to teaching.

AUSTON I had done some real estate investing after college. We kept putting roofs on houses. I saw how easy it was.

CASSANDRA Auston has always been an entrepreneur. Or at least wanted to be. What was the craziest idea you brought home to me?

AUSTON Coin-op laundromats. Airport shuttle service. So many stupid ideas.

CASSANDRA Auston has ridden motocross since he was really young. In 2012, when the business was starting to get some momentum, he had his accident. We spent about three months in Colorado at a rehab facility. He’s paralyzed from the chest down, but it’s never slowed him. He was trying to do business while he was still in intensive care, and I was like, “Babe! We have other things to worry about right now.”

AUSTON My former business partner ran our company free of charge. Friends and family helped in every possible way. We prayed every day. You don’t realize how hard something like that is until you get through it. I wonder if I could do it again.

CASSANDRA You could.