The DYOJO Podcast

Are you a contractor in the Pacific Northwest (PNW)? We are hosting our first half-day water damage and insurance claims symposium in Edmonds, Washington on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. This event will feature three Ted-talk style presentations from subject matter experts. Joyce Gabriel - Landall (Tacoma) and Expert (Olympia) Colby Wynn - Affordable Restoration (Everett) John Walker, Jr. - MAS Solution...

We discuss the power of contractors connecting at the local, regional, and national levels. Our guest Brendon Rumsey (South Carolina) discusses his experiences with starting a local contractor's networking group, utilizing resources from the Restoration Industry Association (RIA), and defending his business practices in court. In This Video: 0:00 Defending your construction business 0:57 Local...

Contractors face many challenges. Friend of the show, Michelle Blevins, returns for Episode 102 of The DYOJO Podcast to discuss some creative ways employers and managers can better engage their community as they build a local brand. Michelle discusses authentic leadership, the importance of marketing TO the team as consistently as one markets to clients, and the unique opportunity to join with oth...

Some contractors love program work and set up their businesses to attempt to thrive in this revenue stream. Some contractors hate third-party administrators and do everything in their power to avoid anything resembling a TPA agreement. Many contractors have questions about preferred vendor programs and who they can best utilize this resource. On Episode 101 of The DYOJO Podcast we will discuss som...

Discussion with David Princeton, Advocate Claim Service, and Bill Wilson, author of When Words Collide, on what contractors and policyholders can do to attempt to equalize the insurance claims games that carriers play. Thursdays are for The DYOJO Podcast - Helping Contractors Shorten Their DANG Learning Curve

How often do policyholders with insurance claims have issues where their roof, siding, flooring, kitchen cabinets, or other materials were the same prior to a water or fire damage occurring, but the insurance company is contesting whether they owe for "matching"? How specific are insurance policies on the definition and execution of matching materials for claims? We discuss this issue an...

In the wake of Hurricane Ian, Florida's Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis went on television to warn consumers about unscrupulous contractors and public adjusters. Patronis referred to them as "locusts" and "predators" that complicate the recovery process.    Patronis says, "The predators are going to come in like a bunch of locusts" while "people are vulnerable."    No on...

Have you observed the popular series Last of Us on HBO Max?  Without spoiling too much of the show, this is a zombie-type thriller where the contagion is not a virus or a bacteria, but a parasitic fungus. Cordyceps, an actual mold known to take over the minds and bodies of entire ant colonies, is the culprit.    In anticipation of the property restoration and mold remediation compan...

On Episode 99 of The DYOJO Podcast, we discuss: 0:00 Let us discuss moldy things 0:58 Pending mold legislation supported by the IICRC 5:18 Holding bad actors accountable within the skilled trades 8:39 Filtering through industry BS with Cliff Zlotnik 11:25 Industry regulation at the state level with Gordy Powell 20:07 Mold in pop culture - Zombie fungal outbreak in Last of Us 27:41 Can your company...

Who is at fault if a "client" signs a contract (or work authorization) but they have no authority or ability to pay?    It only takes getting left holding the bag once for a contractor to realize that there are two critical questions for every construction project.    Want to get paid? Ask these two critical questions:   Do you have the authority to sign my contract? &nbsp...

A good construction contract is not a silver bullet for all customer disputes, but setting clear expectations can help all parties work towards an agreed-upon outcome.    "As a contractor, we're going to be held accountable for what we can prove at that time not necessarily what we actually did. The simpler the better, or the more understood the better." - Bebo Crain    As we c...

This week on The DYOJO Podcast we discuss:   Book #5 from The DYOJO - Challenge Accepted   The government’s plan to save us all from gas stoves  Lessons learned from a missing beam in a 1980’s prison    IN THIS EPISODE:  0:00 The Power of the Postcard  1:46 An Unnamed Adjuster Talks Matching Materials   8:08 What Are We Working On - Workshop  11:06 Book...

Early bird discounts expire SOON. Register yourself or your team to participate in this one-of-a-kind one-day workshop "Lesson Learned from Storm Response and Hurricane Recovery" presented by The DYOJO, Pete Consigli (The Global Restoration Watchdog), and Jon Isaacson (The Intentional Restorer).    WHO: Property restoration contractors, insurance claims professionals, environmental asses...

How important is moisture documentation? It is the key to getting paid for disaster response and property restoration projects large or small. As we continue our discussion regarding Robert Jordan Construction (RJC) versus the Arlington Independent School District (AISD), it would appear a lack of documentation cost this contractor upwards of $1.2 million dollars.    For Episode 96 of Th...

On a daily basis, intentional restorers are flooded (pun intended) with tidal waves of information. If a restoration contractor wants to learn and perform their duties in a manner that is in step with the best practices in their industry, they have to filter through a lot of misinformation (dare we say, BS).   Founding Father, Cliff Zlotnik, shares his perspective on how modern restorers...

Tune in this Thursday for The DYOJO Podcast as we discuss THREE ITEMS:   1. What We're Working On - the Lessons Learned from Storm Response and Hurricane Recovery workshop with G. Pete Consigli, CR, WLS   2. In The News - At least 21 independent adjusters are acting as whistleblowers calling out insurance companies for doctoring estimates. Including clips of Attorney Steven Bush intervie...

On Episode 95 of The DYOJO Podcast we discuss A Tale of Two Contractor Litigation Scenarios,   Tale 1: Robert Jordan Construction v. Arlington Independent School District (Texas)   Tale 2: Conway Construction v. City of Puyallup (Washington)   These are two very different litigation experiences. We discuss some of the ways that they are similar and mostly the areas where they diverg...

In our latest video from The DYOJO Podcast we discuss three things:  Overcoming the fear of creating content with an article in Property Casualty 360  Working with the right mentors with Whitney Wiseman  Becoming an industry expert with Bob Blochinger   IN THIS EPISODE:  0:00 Content, Coaches, and Courtrooms  0:48 Half-assed contractors - do you agree with Whitney?&nb...

“An expert is somebody who knows what he's talking about through experience, training, and education. You cannot become an expert without all three.” - Bob Blochinger    As a guest for Episode 94 of The DYOJO Podcast, Bob Blochinger shares his thoughts on the roadmap to expertise. For a professional to seek and achieve expertise, they need to be able to:   Determine whether the info...

What is the opposite of stupid? An expert.  How then does one become a subject matter or construction industry expert?  In this brief video, a promo for Episode 94 of The DYOJO Podcast, "Bavarian" Bob Blochinger shares his thoughts on what it means to be an expert. Bob believes in a triangle of success, "Expert is somebody who knows what he's talking about through experience, training, a...

Tune in to The DYOJO Podcast for some exciting news about THREE EXCLUSIVE EVENTS:   Check out TheDYOJO.com/blog for information and links:    1. Eventbrite Link for the LIVE recording of The DYOJO Podcast on Thursday, November 17, 2022 at 12pm PST - Guests include Pete Consigli, Bob Blochinger, IAQ Josh Winton   2. The DYOJO Watchdogs Neighborhood Cardigan Party on Monday eveni...

The DYOJO Podcast introduced a series of episodes covering the lawsuit between Robert Jordan (RJ) Construction and the Arlington Independent School District (AISD). According to RJC they brought suit for underpayment of a 2021 emergency response at Sam Houston High School in Arlington, Texas following the aftermath of Winter Storm Uri. We are diving into the court documents and internet content to...

Restorers Raise OVER 57,000 Socks for Local Charities If a few local contractors combined forces to ask friends, vendors, and service partners to donate pairs of NEW socks, how many could they raise? In 2020, professionals from various industries in Washington state assembled five teams to test the concept of competitive sock-raising for local charitable organizations. Originally, this group of do...

An unexpected winter vortex rips through Arlington, Texas in February 2021 causing incredible damage throughout the South. Contractor Erick Hernandez who works in the Houston area notes that in the days prior everything seemed normal. Like many Texans, Erick was scrambling to save his home from the effects of freezing conditions and widespread lack of power.  RJ Construction (RJC), a local co...

What happens when an emergency water damage response is provided by a contractor BUT there is a disagreement when it comes time to collect payment for work completed?    The customer says, "Thank you for helping us BUT..."    Recently, one such issue came across the desk here at The DYOJO Podcast between RJ Construction (RJC) and the Arlington Independent School District (AISD)...