From Mold To Meth: Inside DCG Environmental With Shelley Hines

Meet the Host: Shelley Hines, CEO of DCG Environmental

Fear spikes when you can’t see the threat. We sit down with DCG Environmental CEO Shelley Hines to pull back the curtain on the invisible risks hiding in homes and workplaces—mold behind drywall, asbestos in aging materials, fire byproducts in ductwork, and even narcotics residue after a crisis. Shelley explains how a testing-first approach replaces panic with facts, prevents costly mistakes, and guides safe, targeted remediation across Dallas, Houston, and Austin.

Shelley shares the firm’s unglamorous superpower: turning frantic calls into clear action plans. You’ll hear how DCG grew for a decade on word of mouth, built on fast response and careful reporting, and why she finally invested in a revamped website and business development to scale without losing trust. We dig into the practical side of environmental testing—when to sample, what labs actually report, and how to interpret results without letting Google stoke fear. From soot and combustible byproducts after a fire to water contamination and indoor air quality screens, Shelley outlines where hidden hazards originate and how to verify what’s really there.

Beyond the lab, we connect with the person behind the mission: four energetic dogs, weekends on a hunting lease with an excavator, and a purpose to educate, give back, and help people make confident choices about their spaces. The conversation is direct, friendly, and packed with real-world tips: test first, decide second; focus on moisture before mold; and treat data as your safety plan. If you want practical guidance on protecting your home or business—and a candid take on what matters most in environmental health—this one delivers.

Subscribe for more expert-led guidance, share this with someone who’s worried about indoor hazards, and leave a quick review to help others find the show.

To learn more about DCG Environmental visit:
https://www.DCGEnvironmental.com
DCG Environmental 
Serving Property Owners in Dallas, Houston, and Austin 
972-876-0008 

Transcript

Welcome And Mission Statement

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Welcome to the Environmental Testing Show. Because what you can't see can affect your health. Hosted by Shelly Hides, CEO of DCG Environmental, each episode explores the hidden environmental hazards that impact homes and commercial spaces, from mold and exbestics to other unseen risks. Serving property owners throughout Dallas, Houston, and Austin, DCG Environmental believes finding the problem is the first step to making everyone safe.

SPEAKER_01 0:42

Welcome everyone.

Meet Shelly Hines And DCG

SPEAKER_01 0:43

I'm Chelsea Earlywine, co-host and producer here in the studio with Shelley Hines, CEO of DCG Environmental. Shelly, how are you today?

SPEAKER_02 0:52

Good morning. I'm doing great. How are you?

SPEAKER_01 0:54

Doing well. Thank you. So, Shelly, over the years, you have grown a remarkable following. However, some of our listeners might not be familiar with your full journey. So let's take it from the top. Could you share a little background about your company and what you do?

What DCG Tests And Why It Matters

SPEAKER_02 1:10

Yeah, uh DCG Environmental is an environmental testing firm. The majority of what we do as asbestos are mold testing. And then we do um some other environmental testing like fire investigations, um contaminated water, uh CBP, which is called combustible byproducts that comes from a fire. And we've actually tested for fentanyl and meth before. So just anything that you want to know whether it's there or not, indoor air quality, just testing the majority is what we do.

SPEAKER_01 1:38

Wow, important stuff.

How The Business Grew Organically

SPEAKER_01 1:40

So Shelly, we know that marketing is key to any business's success. How do you market your business?

SPEAKER_02 1:47

We have grown organically through word of mouth the majority of our journey. Um we're in our tenth year now, and so I finally revamped our website. And uh this year was the first year that I've hired business development people. But um, for the past 10 years, it's been word of mouth. We do a great job. We're fast, and um people just appreciate and pass our name. So networking is a lot, a big key of it. Um being in the being in the community, giving back. That's how most of the marketing we've done in this is podcast is new for me. So I'm kind of excited to try this lane of just educating and you know marketing at the same time.

SPEAKER_01 2:23

Yeah, well, I'm excited to be on that part of your journey as well.

Life Outside Work: Dogs And Land

SPEAKER_01 2:27

So, Shelley, when you are not busy running your business, what do you do for fun in your free time?

SPEAKER_02 2:34

I have four dogs that keep me very busy. I have uh two labs, a pointer mix that showed up one day and won the lottery, and then a chihuahua. So big mix is fun in this, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:45

Do they all get along?

SPEAKER_02 2:47

They do. They actually the chihuahua thinks she's a Labrador, so they're all great. She's the boss, of course. And I like to travel a lot. We have a um Hunting Lease property that we go to a lot and hang out there and I actually have an excavator, so my free spare time is spent knocking down trees, which is a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_01 3:03

Oh, that's awesome. Oh, that sounds very fun. So Shelly. Yeah, it's so it sounds like it. That sounds like a good time. So, Shelly, you uh you're a very busy

Why Education Drives The Podcast

SPEAKER_01 3:15

person. In your own words, before we close out here, why are you doing this?

SPEAKER_02 3:21

Um, I love to educate and help. Um, most of the time, one of my favorite sayings is when people call and they're all in a frantic, I'm like, you've googled yourself into a frenzy, and they're like, Oh, I have, and it just kind of takes the head off a little bit. And then I just really get to give them the facts so that they can make educated, informed decisions about how to, you know, if they have any issues in their home or their building and how to take care of it. But it's really is the education piece. The internet can be a scary place, and so um from my heart, then you know, we really created it to give and to go. We wanted to give back to our communities, our philanthropists, our church, and our employees. And then we really wanted to be able to go on vacation whenever we wanted. That's why we started our own company. Um but it's the give back that's most important to me, and that's uh that's the purpose of the podcast, really. That's what that's what draw me in, drew me in to do something like this, is to just really educate.

SPEAKER_01 4:11

Oh, well, that's great. Well, Shelly, I love it. We will catch you on the next episode where we will dive into some frequently asked questions. Have a fantastic rest of your day.

SPEAKER_02 4:21

Great. Thanks so much. You too.

Peace Of Mind And How To Book

SPEAKER_00 4:27

Thanks for listening to the Environmental Testing Show. If you're concerned about mold, asbestos, or other environmental hazards, peace of mind starts with proper testing. Call 972-876-0008 or visit dcenvironmental.com to schedule a convenient appointment. Because when it comes to your environment, guessing isn't the safety plan.