Restoration Today

Did you know the Artificial Intelligence (AI) market is estimated to surpass $400 billion by 2027, according to Forbes? Did you know ChatGPT had more than one million users in the first five days of being available? That Forbes article also reveals 25% of companies are adopting more AI because of the labor shortage, and 60% of business owners believe AI will both increase productivity and customer satisfaction. By harnessing the power of machine learning and advanced algorithms, AI systems are transforming how damages are assessed and repaired. These intelligent systems can quickly analyze vast amounts of data, such as images, sensor readings, and historical records, to accurately identify the extent of damage and recommend the most efficient restoration methods. Verisk's VP of Property Technology Solutions, David Obert, joins Restoration Today to talk about the evolution of tech in restoration, what role AI does play - and likely will not play - in our industry, and more.

Disregard everything you think you know about the vibe at a "work conference". CORE Group is taking their event, The Collective, up another notch this year! In addition to fresh educational content, speakers, and training, CORE is turning the formality of most conferences into a festival - to celebrate, network, and have fun with fellow restorers! CORE's VP of Marketing, Diane Goheen, and VP of Events, Beth Thompson, join Restoration Today to give a sneak peek into the event that continues to push the envelope and change the status quo.

Did you know there is a 24/7 streaming TV station specifically dedicated to indoor air quality? Lance Eisen, Executive VP of Business Development at NORMI, joins Restoration Today to talk about what it's like to produce and run content around-the-clock on NORMI.TV.  Lance is always busy producing content along with the rest of the NORMI team, including CEO Doug Hoffman. Today (June 13, 2023), for example, they are launching a special and timely series on responding to wildfires and related smoke damage. Listen in to our conversation with Lance!

This year, Blackmon Mooring celebrates 75 years of service. Blackmon Mooring started as a two-person upholstery business. In 1948, just one year after launching the company, business partners and college buddies William Blackmon and Scott Mooring saw opportunity when Fort Worth got 11 inches of rain overnight. This week, we welcome Tom Head, President & CEO of Blackmon Mooring & BMS CAT, onto Restoration Today! Tom shares the rich history of the company - including the amazing story behind the company's first large loss job that catapulted the future of BMS CAT. Tom and Michelle also chat about: BMS Global - a truly unique part of the company. Hint: think Miracle on the Hudson. Evolution of the industry in the last 75 years. Top 3 things companies need to be successful at CAT work. Current company goals - including in mergers and acquisitions. .... & more.

Aaron Brunko, Verisk's newly promoted President of Property Estimating Solutions (formerly known as Xactware), joins Restoration Today for a relaxed conversation on what's trending in the insurtech space! The term "insurtech" encompasses anything related to technology in the property damage restoration/property insurance claim space.  Aaron and Michelle cover a wide array of topics including: Biggest trends in 2023. The role of Xactimate in the modern claims ecosystem. Changes and evolution in pricing methodology, feedback, and accuracy. Integration - what's needed, what's not; what's reasonable, what's not reasonable. Verisk's overall stance on innovation. Tools within Xactimate contractors should check out (hint: XactXpert). A look at what's ahead for the Verisk team. ... & more!

In this week's episode, Benjamin Ricciardi of Ironclad Restoration Marketing and The Restoration Rundown Podcast, joins Restoration Today to discuss the latest trends and info you need to know when it comes to your digital marketing strategy!

The first quarter of 2023 saw a fresh wave of acquisition news.  We caught up with Gokul Padmanabhan, founder of Restoration Brokers of America, during the RIA Conference in Orlando in April to get a quick update on what's happening in the restoration mergers and acquisitions space.  You can read Gokul's FULL Q1 update here: 2023 Q1-Restoration Market Update.

Over the last year, Restoration Today has featured several restoration franchise groups experiencing major growth; BELFOR Franchise Group is no exception. Franchises in home services, especially economic-resistant areas like restoration, continue to grow in popularity for new entrepreneurs - and existing business owners looking to expand their services without starting from scratch. In this episode of Restoration Today, Tim Fagan joins the conversation to share what's happening at Blue Kangaroo Packoutz, 1-800 WATER DAMAGE, and 1-800-BOARDUP. One brand alone saw 30 new locations in just three months, which hints toward an increased interest in a certain restoration niche. Why is this emerging franchise brand so popular? And how can adding a franchise like this help increase a company's overall revenue while serving more customers? Tim explains - take a listen!

The Restoration Golf League was created as a platform to build strong business relationships between clients, prospects, vendors, and competitors in all facets of the insurance restoration industry, all surrounding the game of golf.   This week, Peter Lyons, founder of the Restoration Golf League, joins Restoration Today to talk about what the league is all about. The league has growth like wildfire to now include clubs in many regions across the U.S., and events happening all the time!  If you are connected to the insurance restoration industry, serious about the game of golf and looking to build your network then the Restoration Golf League should be a part of your sales and marketing strategy.

Seth Harrison, Executive Director of Actionable Insights, joins the podcast this week to talk about their amazing tool, Actionable Profile! The Actionable Xactimate Profile was built to help contractors make fewer mistakes, catch missed line items, and SO much more. The Actionable team is constantly working on the profile with updates, additional line items, making it faster and more user-friendly. Here are a few highlights: Live estimating guidance (Actionable Alerts) that leverages the Insight Sheet Database XactScope for mitigation invoicing and exterior (siding & roofing) estimating, providing rule scripts to improve estimates for both green and seasoned teams Actionable’s industry-standard default preferences Access to all Actionable Insights Macros 

Online reviews can be a major business-builder for companies excelling not just at getting positive reviews, but getting them often and consistently. Yet the art of getting customers to actually leave reviews isn't always easy. There are right and wrong times to ask, good ways to ask and ... well ... not so good ways. Plus, what happens when a bad review pops in? Or a customer tries to leave a good review, but doesn't know how and gives up? In this episode of Restoration Today, Zach Garrett, founder of Liftify, shares what it actually takes to get customers to leave good reviews, the power those reviews can have in the Google and digital universe, what to do about bad reviews, and more!

In a special episode of Restoration Today, we jump over into the world of cleaning companies to chat with Joe Delatte. He is the driving force behind Home Clean Heroes. As we get closer to May, when Restoring Kindness really ramps up, Joe and Michelle discuss the importance of trust and integrity in cleaning, the power of community service, and how one company can have a big impact at home.

There's a new attorney in town, who also owns the title of Super Lawyer in the State of California! In this episode of Restoration Today, meet Caroline Victoria Tucker. She is the newest edition to the Law Offices of Edward H. Cross & Associates. Tucker brings a strong background to the law firm, and an eagerness to help restorers and their businesses excel.

With every new generation comes changes to the workforce, and that workforce's wants and expectations. Today, Millennials, Gen Z, and each generation to come after them will have different expectations than Gen X, Baby Boomers, Traditionalists, and the generations to come before them. In today's economy and job market, especially with the immense shortage of workers in the skilled trades, the onus is on restoration companies to be forward-thinking with their approach to today's workforce. What will attract and retain the best talent for your company and customers? Sasser Restoration, based in North Carolina, has not been afraid to think outside the box. In addition to more traditional initiatives like hiring veterans and women, Sasser hires interns in various departments - competing directly against some major employers in their region - and has policies like offering paid parental leave for birthing parents and partners. Houston Summers, a partner in Sasser, joins Restoration Today to talk about Sasser's growth, policies, what has worked, what they've learned along the way, and what's next.

This week, Lowe's announced a $50 million commitment to training people for the skilled trades over the next five years. Why? We all know why - because the skilled labor shortage is an ongoing problem, with 85% of contractors saying they struggle to find skilled workers. To compound matters, Mike Rowe recently rattled off the statistic on his podcast that for every five people leaving the skilled trades, there are only two to replace them. So when the candidate pool is small, but the need to hire is immense, it becomes key to lean on the experts - and what we know can help with the hiring and retention woes. In this episode of Restoration Today, Wylander Founder Kristy Sifford joins to discuss: How hiring has changed in the last 2-3 years. The common missteps she sees restoration companies make every day when it comes to recruiting and finding candidates. What a healthy hiring process should look like. Changes in salary expectations in the last few years. What is really attractive to candidates looking for a new job? & more!

Few things in life, and restoration, are a guarantee. But as restorers, you can guarantee care and compassion for your clients, and depending on the loss and scope of work, guarantee your team's ability to restore their property to pre-loss condition. In this episode of Restoration Today, we are joined by second generation restorer and CEO of Guarantee Restoration Services, Shawn Folks. In this podcast, we discuss standing independent in a consolidating industry, what it takes to stay competitive, serving a hurricane-prone region (the Gulf Coast), the importance of partnerships, creating and maintaining a vibrant company culture, and more!

United Water Restoration Group (UWRG) was originally established in 2008, and grew quickly to about a dozen locations across Florida. In 2015, they began franchising - and have big goals to double or triple their number of franchises in the next couple of years. Bob Moore, UWRG's Vice President of Development and Operations, joins the podcast to discuss the current popularity of water damage-related franchises, what it takes to run a successful franchise, and more!

Scott Whitaker, owner of Restoration 1 Spokane, Wash., has partnered with Traction Capital, an investment firm dedicated to helping entrepreneurs in the Western U.S. Private equity firms have recently begun investing as franchisees in the restoration industry, signaling a new era of business growth and opportunity. The influx of funds across the industry will allow local businesses to expand their services as well as provide more resources for those impacted by natural disasters. Whitaker opened his first Restoration 1 franchise in 2017 while serving as Captain of the Spokane Valley Fire Department. His goal when he first purchased the business was to grow it, and sell it. Over the last five years he has experienced strong growth, expanding into additional territories in Central Washington and garnering the attention of Traction Capital. With this investment, Scott remains in the driver's seat of the franchise, and has his eyes set on building a multi-state operation supporting multiple communities.

While the restoration industry is considered to be a relatively small space, it abounds with events all year-round. In recent years, the RIA's International Restoration Convention & Industry Expo has arguably risen above others as the ultimate place to learn and network with fellow restoration contractors. This year, under the theme of Restoration Beautiful, the events committee has put together a convention revolving around uniting our industry. It's set for April 24-26 in Orlando! Committee members Jeff Jones and Kelley Dolan join Restoration Today to share a sneak peek at the agenda, networking events, and more! You will leave this event with industry knowledge and connections that will take your business to the next level. Grab your spot before the event sells out!

Unsurprisingly to most restoration contractors, the latest C&R State of the Industry report found that getting paid is one of the problems that keeps contractors up at night. In this episode of Restoration Today, Josh Ehmke - a One Claim Solution co-founder - shares tips on getting paid, and what he has observed during his time in the restoration industry.