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5 Questions with Greg Boatwright

January 26, 2026 11:55 am

1.What is the biggest opportunity for restorers today?  The biggest opportunity right now is separating the professionals from the contractors. This industry is getting tougher. There are fewer jobs in some markets, more oversight from carriers and TPAs, and customers who expect faster response and better communication than ever. The opportunity is for restorers who are willing to invest in people, process, technology and discipline and actually run their business like a business. The companies that win will be the ones that can handle complexity — large losses, multiple trades, demanding stakeholders — while

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Weathering the Storm: Packout and Contents Restoration in Miami

January 22, 2026 11:33 am

Share a little bit about your company – its background, location, etc  As a veteran-owned and operated contents restoration company, 1-800-Packouts of South Miami proudly serve Miami-Dade County and the surrounding metro. Our team specializes in emergency content packouts, detailed inventory, secure climate-controlled storage, and professional cleaning/restoration services before returning personal belongings to the homeowner after their home has been repaired. When did you first get the call about the loss? How did you land this job? Did you have a prior relationship, referral, online search, etc? After a week of typical Miami heavy

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Before You Dry: Why Stabilization Sets the Stage for Success

January 21, 2026 8:19 am

Pre-restoration stabilization is one of the most important, yet most misunderstood phases, in the water-damage mitigation process. Technicians are often expected to enter a wet structure, set up equipment, and immediately begin drying. But in reality, most projects require significant preparation before any true restorative drying can begin. Stabilization is the stage where the goal is not to dry materials, but to control the atmosphere inside the building, so that no additional damage occurs while demolition, cleaning, decontamination, debris removal, and handling contents are taking place. This phase protects unaffected materials, prevents moisture migration,

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Letter to My Colleagues

January 16, 2026 10:39 am

To my colleagues in the restoration industry, I’m truly humbled by the warm reception to the announcement of my new role, leading Government Affairs & Advocacy for the Restoration Industry Association. It’s an honor to step into this work at a time when our industry’s voice matters more than ever, and I’m deeply grateful to the members, leaders, and volunteers of RIA for their trust and confidence. During my first few weeks at Clear: Restoration and PreDisaster Consulting, a tornado tore through our town. At the time, I was brand new to the industry.

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Modernizing Contract Validation: Digital Documentation and Signatures Are Rewriting the Rules

January 14, 2026 9:10 am

In an industry where agility, documentation integrity, and operational uptime drive both profitability and client trust, clinging to outdated paper-centric workflows is not just inefficiency, it’s a strategic liability. Did you know that a prominent restoration company with multiple locations in Canada has been using digital documentation and signatures in the Time and Material world for over fifteen years? Yet across the restoration industry in the US, many professionals are still navigating legacy mindsets, often reinforced by adjusters or consultants who insist that wet signatures are required simply because “that’s how the playbook has

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Review of 2025 Restoration Trends

January 14, 2026 8:55 am

I have had the pleasure of being active in the disaster restoration industry since the late 1980’s.   Among other things, this means that I am getting old.  In 2006 I was asked to speak on my thoughts regarding future developments in the restoration industry.  Since that time, I have become a student of change for restorers. I started to write an annual newsletter and then subsequent articles on the subject about ten years ago.  I have had the great opportunity to be involved in the industry from an outsider perspective. I got to

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When the Client Has Claws: Restoring a Zoo Facility Under Extreme Constraints

January 13, 2026 8:36 am

1. Share a little bit about your company – its background, location, etc. We opened up our location in BloomingtonPeoria IL in February of 2019 we started out as a one man and a van type of office and have grown to 6 full time employees. We are a full-service restoration IICRC certified in Fire/Smoke, Water/ ASD, Mold, Trauma Crime scene. We also provide top notch reconstruction services. 2. When did you first get the call about the loss? How did you land this job? Did you have a prior relationship, referral, online search,

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2026 Restoration Trends

January 9, 2026 12:39 pm

After a tumultuous 2025, I expect to see a return to more normal restoration business conditions in 2026.  Last year, the biggest issue for many restoration companies was the lower volume of claims, both from a catastrophe basis and in everyday claims volume. I would expect to see similar issues impacting the industry this year, although in a more normal way.  Insurance companies had a strong year from a financial perspective with a very favorable loss-ratio, yet they are struggling with pricing models due to unpredictable catastrophic losses and uncertain inflation.  These items will

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Becoming the Go-To Pro: How 360 Documentation Drives Trust, Scale and Service

January 6, 2026 7:40 am

Extreme weather events and longer CAT seasons are driving higher claim volumes for contractors. As a result, the pressure is on for restoration businesses to not only handle increased claim volume, but also differentiate themselves from competitors. For restoration professionals, becoming the “go-to” pro in their community requires an investment into emerging technology that scales alongside demand.  One way for restoration professionals to become the “go-to” pro is to lean into 360° documentation. These tools leverage 360° cameras and specialized software to create an immersive, visual record of property damage. Providing all parties with

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2026: The Year AI Becomes the Invisible Operating System of Restoration

January 6, 2026 7:00 am

In 2025, the restoration industry found itself in a strange paradox. Demand is volatile. Claims are slower. Documentation expectations are higher. At the same time, there has never been more software on a restorer’s screen: project management platforms, estimating tools, CRM systems, moisture mapping apps, messaging channels, time-tracking systems, and photo/video documentation tools. The industry is more digital than ever, yet the work still feels fragmented and manual. 2026 will not be about adding another app. It will be about something different: AI quietly turning into the operating system that sits behind all those

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