The Restoration & Remediation Ask the Expert Podcast

ATI Restoration, the largest family operated restoration firm in the U.S., acquired ProCare Solutions in November 2021. A month later ATI acquired Lang Restoration & Construction. Both acquisitions are part of ATI’s accelerated growth strategy launched in 2020, which also included acquisitions of Mark 1 Restoration, QFB Property Restoration and J&M Keystone. In this episode of Ask the Expe...

Scott Harding is provincial manager of S.A.H Disaster Restoration Services, Vancouver Trauma Cleaning, and BC Trauma Cleaning Group, serving British Columbia. In this episode of Ask the Expert, Harding talks about the grind behind his company’s growth, including the long hours and wearing of many hats. He shares his journey from laborer to leader and his approach to keeping up with the times, from...

Aramsco is hosting its NeXus 2022 conference and trade show March 28-29 at The Mirage in Las Vegas. In this episode of Ask the Expert, Richard Michaelson, marketing project manager at Aramsco, shares what attendees can expect including a first-time keynote address; three educational tracks on restoration, professional cleaning, and business and marketing; and an expo featuring more than 60 vendors...

Julie and Tony Roberts’ SERVPRO franchise in Henderson, Ky., is directly involved with CAT restoration work following the devastating tornadoes that touched down in December 2021, including one of the largest projects in the town of Mayfield, Ky. In this episode of Ask the Expert, Julie and Tony discuss the devastation witnessed, restoration efforts including a large church, challenges overcome, t...

As countless restoration companies struggle to find and keep employees, Caleb Brunz, head coach and president of Paul Davis of Greater Minneapolis & St. Paul, has more people wanting to work for his franchise than he has openings. He has also launched a non-profit, Pathways Trades Academy, to feed a healthier pipeline of talent into restoration and other trades. This Ask the Expert episode div...

What do people, in general, want from employers? How are other industries treating employees and candidates? Answering these questions offers up ideas, lessons and competitive intel from beyond the world of restoration. After all, restoration businesses aren’t just competing against each other for talent. In her latest editor’s note, R&R Editor Valerie King talks about embracing external input...

Jesse Mount is co-owner of Asbestos Abatement, Inc., located in Lakewood, Colorado. In this episode of Ask the Expert, Mount shares his transition from project manager to co-owner, working hand-in-hand with restoration contractors to remove asbestos, considerations for business looking to add asbestos removal to their services and more.

Claims estimating and the software used to facilitate it are critical elements of property restoration. With Verisk Elevate around the corner, we invited Mike Fulton, president of Verisk Property Estimating Solutions, to talk trends and innovations in estimating, ongoing areas of interest among contractors like Xactimate pricing, the impact of external forces like inflation on property claims, edu...

Laura Nelson is vice president of marketing at Signpost, a company that helps local businesses attract, connect with and grow their customer base. At The 2021 Experience Convention & Trade Show, Nelson led a session on attracting, selling to and delighting homeowners from start to finish. Here, she discusses the most critical points of homeowner interactions with restoration businesses. Nelson...

Laura Spaulding, founder and CEO of Spaulding Decon, is a former law enforcement officer who has evolved her business from a solo operation to a nationwide franchise that specializes in biohazard disinfection and decontamination. Spaulding Decon topped the Entrepreneur Franchise 500 crime-scene cleaning category in 2022. In this episode of Real Stories in Restoration, Spaulding shares her journey...

The Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) is hosting its 2022 Annual Meeting & Expo February 22-25 in Tucson, Arizona. In this episode of Ask the Expert, IAQA President Jay Stake discusses the educational program of more than 40 sessions on topics including infectious diseases, mold remediation, regulations and standards, and more. The annual event brings together contractors, consultants and...

What does the Restoration Industry Association have planned for the new year? We invited CEO Kristy Cohen, President Mark Springer, President-Elect Katie Smith and Restoration Advocate Ed Cross to share the many fresh RIA initiatives in the works. They discuss the launch of regional focus groups, a new Environmental Risk Specialist certification, a second-edition TPA scorecard, a new membership du...

Dr. Gene Cole shares stories that stick with him regarding the health and safety of restoration contractors and their customers. He also offers COVID-19 cleaning and disinfection tips in the face of the Omicron variant. Dr. Cole has more than 35 years of applied research experience, with emphasis on identification and reduction of pollutant reservoirs and sources, bioaerosols, residential and work...

Gokul Padmanabhan, CEO of Restoration Brokers of America, predicts the tidal wave of restoration mergers and acquisitions will continue for the next four to five years as more Baby Boomers look to retire and sell their businesses. However, he sees a big opportunity gap that not enough restoration business owners are seizing on in an environment of meaningful buyer interest. Here, Padmanabhan offer...

“How Can You Tell if Your Mold Remediation Is Good Enough for Sensitized Occupants?” That is the title of an article Michael Pinto, CEO of Wonder Makers Environmental, recently authored for R&R. Here, Pinto dives deeper into the topic, discussing mold sensitivity, mycotoxins, demand for mold remediation contractors who can properly serve mold-sensitive customers and what makes these projects u...

What’s new and notable with the IICRC as we embark on a new year? We invited Michael Dakduk, CEO of the organization, to share key IICRC accomplishments, goals, challenges and more in this Ask the Expert episode. He explains the IICRC’s four key areas of focus in serving restoration and cleaning professionals. Two of them – advocacy and research – are new. He also highlights RIA collaboration, and...

We asked restoration industry professionals to answer one question as we embark on a new year: What is your top goal for 2022? Listen to this episode to hear nine industry peers share their focus areas for the next 12 months, from educating the industry, to philanthropy, to attracting top talent, to elevating the customer experience, to embracing technology for increased efficiency. 

We asked restoration industry professionals to answer one question as we close out the year: What is your biggest takeaway from 2021? Listen to hear 10 industry peers reflect on what will stick with them most from the past 12 months, from pandemic-induced pivoting, to professional development, to business growth, to family, to personal health and wellness.  

R&R Editor Valerie King shares four first impressions of the restoration industry that stand out six months into her role. She points out that joining a new industry is humbling, and discusses the potential of fresh perspective to breathe new life into established entities when harnessed properly. She challenges restoration professionals to embrace an outside-in lens, even if they are seasoned...

The “M” in NORMI no longer stands for mold. It now represents a broader view of the indoor environment, which is the theme of this Ask the Expert interview with NORMI CEO Doug Hoffman. He discusses contaminants, beyond mold, that restorers and remediators should be knowledgeable about. He also outlines the regulatory landscape for mold remediation licensure in the U.S., separating remediation from...

Staffing is a struggle for many restoration companies. In fact, finding skilled workers, increasing wages and retaining labor are the top three challenges they face, according to R&R’s 2021 State of the Industry report. In this Ask the Expert episode, Leighton Healey, CEO of KnowHow, details the recently launched Restoration Workforce Survey, open through early 2022. Its aim is to shed light h...

In this Ask the Expert episode, Gerry Edtl and Jordan Donald, the father-daughter team behind Gerry Edtl Consulting, join us for an interview on sales and marketing. Together, they help restorers grow their businesses and generate referrals without lead fees, third-party administrators (TPAs) or programs. Here they discuss building reciprocal relationships with insurance agents and taking business...

In this Real Stories in Restoration episode, Nasutsa Mabwa, owner and president of ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons, shares her unique voyage from social work to restoration, being selective with service offerings, and keeping her business small and agile to stay closely connected to customers. Mabwa also discusses avoiding burnout, working with fellow franchisees and providing COVID-19 disinfe...

Bart Meador is vice president of operations, residential storm, with restoration franchise PuroClean. His division specializes in mobilizing teams following CAT events. Here, Meador shares the experience of approximately 50 PuroClean franchises responding to Hurricane Ida devastation in the southern and northeast U.S. He highlights the importance of preparation, communication, collaboration, compa...

R&R Editor Valerie King announces a new Q&A series sharing the stories of the industry’s most driven, engaged and innovative technicians. We are eager to consistently shed light on their ideas, pain points, motivators, paths to restoration and more. In doing so, we hope to help shrink the gap between C-suite and frontline. We hope to help give these unsung heroes a real seat at the proverb...