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Tools Every Restoration Professional Needs

June 20, 2022 8:00 am

Launching a fire, mold and water restoration company can be challenging. What equipment do you require? Should you offer additional services now or later? Numerous factors come into play, but first, you need the right restoration tools. Below are some of the most essential tools to help you start a successful restoration business. Extraction & Air Flow Equipment Fire incidents, mold, and water restoration require airflow tools for your cleanup workflow. Based on your focus and preferences, you will need a combination of air movers (centrifugal, low profile), low-grain refrigerant dehumidifiers and additional extension

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Assume the Risk or Push it Down

June 17, 2022 8:00 am

The environmental insurance landscape for restoration contractors is constantly evolving. Whether carriers are updating policy forms, increasing rates, becoming more restrictive, or in­creasing underwriting standards, the one thing that is always constant is change. Over the past two years, I have seen more carriers underwrite a restoration contractor’s risk transfer more than they had in the past. We all know that TPA’s, franchisors, and property managers all push risk down to you. That is why they all have stringent insurance requirements and expect you to name them as an Additional Insured, and sign indemnity

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The (Un)Importance of Grain Depression in Getting Paid

June 16, 2022 8:00 am

Rarely does a week go by without a restoration contractor asking me about grain depression. The question usually goes like this: “I am being asked to remove a dehumidifier from my drying invoice as it did not have at least a 5-grain depression in a 24-hour period. I needed that dehumidifier on the job as we were not done drying, and I know it was working based on my other psychrometric readings, so how do I get paid for that dehumidifier?” Sound familiar to anyone else? There is considerable discussion these days about grain

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The Evolution of the Customer Experience

June 15, 2022 8:00 am

I remember a time when collecting customer feedback meant handing out a paper survey and asking the customer to fill out. Only to get a handful back letting us know how we needed to improve. When checking in with customers meant trying to track them down during work hours over the phone and hoping to catch them at a good time to discuss “how we did”. All that effort to merely get a glimpse at our ability to service a client’s needs and meet expectations. The customer experience has always been the cornerstone of

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Dear David: Help! The Adjuster Misunderstands the Engineering Report

June 13, 2022 8:54 pm

Dear David, The insurance company retained an engineer and our customer asked us for our thoughts about the report. We read it, and it seems the adjuster could be mistaken about what the engineer is saying. How could we help our customer without changing lanes? Dear Changing Lanes, Mistakes are going to happen, addressing them in a professional and thoughtful manner has provided us with good results and a positive reputation. The same could work for you. A technique can involve 1) recognizing the connection between the report and your work; 2) asking questions;

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Radio to Restoration: A Calling to Serve

June 13, 2022 7:41 pm

Katie Smith, CR, CEO of PHC Restoration and President of RIA‘s Board of Directors, proudly calls herself an “everyday restorer” – and embodies servant leadership. Through thick and thin in business and in life, Katie remains true to herself, her beliefs, and her ethics, while giving her all to everything in which she is involved. Her clear calling to serve others has made Katie a highly-sought-after servant leader in her company, community, and industry. As a CEO, she is authentic and transparent. As a member of her local community, she is selfless and involved.

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Advocating for the Restoration Industry

June 13, 2022 9:54 am

How Restoration Contractors are Successfully Using the RIA’s Advocacy and Government Affairs (AGA) Position Statements and TPA Surveys To Get Paid Fairly For Their Work. The restoration industry is incredibly varied, running the gamut from water damage to fire damage and everything in between. Res­toration companies range in size and composition, from independent single locations to large multi-location and franchise entities. Restorers are located around the world, with the types of challenges they face dictated at least in part by their local geog­raphy. But what each restoration company has in common is the need

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A Journey of Innovations In Restoration Technology

June 10, 2022 8:00 am

You know the old saying, “an education is what you get when you don’t get what you want.” And extrapolating that to “wisdom is what you end up with when you have learned your lesson more times than you care to admit.” Therefore, I am not sure if I bring you this from the high and mighty position of having been in this industry for 30 years, or from the lowly position of having learned the hard way more times than I care to admit. But I do feel that the best way to

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Part of You Is Not Going To Like This

June 9, 2022 8:00 am

For a long time I thought the concept of a life coach was a bunch of woo woo nonsense, but a few years ago I downed the Kool-Aid and hired a guy out of Seattle. He had a psychology and religion degree, and primarily worked with business executives and pro soccer players.  On paper we had little in common, but I’d been following him on Facebook for a few months, and just had this undeniable sense that I could learn from him.  We had 12 sessions together, and what he taught me during our

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C&R Roundtable: Best Practices for Getting Paid

June 8, 2022 12:00 am

Publisher’s Note: Getting paid is a common pain point for restoration contractors. There are a number of reasons for this – communication, working with adjusters, coverage issues, two-party checks involving lenders, etc. This C&R Roundtable brings together leaders from three restoration companies serving different parts of the U.S. to discuss how they go about getting paid. Meet the Panelists Kurt Fairless Kurt is a second-generation restorer and has dedicated his career to the restoration industry, developing his detailed knowledge from the ground up and specializing in large and complex jobs. He draws from extensive hands-on

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