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Step into the dynamic world of restoration with Restoration Pros Unplugged—now hosted by industry experts Clinton James and Bobby Thomas!
Clinton James, CMO at Water Restoration Marketing, brings his deep expertise in marketing and business growth, while Bobby Thomas, CEO of Extreme Services and a visionary leader in the restoration industry, adds his firsthand experience in building and scaling a successful restoration business. Together, they dive into the ins and outs of the restoration world, delivering exclusive interviews, expert discussions, and actionable strategies to help restoration professionals thrive.
Join us as we uncover the secrets behind successful restoration businesses, explore cutting-edge techniques, and share invaluable wisdom from top industry leaders. Whether you're looking to scale your company, improve operations, or stay ahead of the competition, this podcast equips you with the knowledge, tools, and inspiration to elevate your restoration game.
So, grab your headphones, settle in, and get ready to learn from the best. Welcome to Restoration Pros Unplugged—where expertise meets innovation!
52 Episodes
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This isn’t just a recap, it’s a celebration of the moments that made Restoration Pros Unplugged the go-to podcast for growth-minded restoration entrepreneurs. In this special Rewind episode, we look back at the top interviews, biggest takeaways, and most replayed clips from our most impactful conversations. From leadership breakthroughs to sales strategies, hiring systems to franchise growth these are the insights that moved the industry forward in a big way. You’ll hear from: - Our most l...
In this episode of Restoration Pros Unplugged, Clinton sits down with Phil DePaul, the powerhouse owner behind United Water Restoration Group Long Island and 1-Tom-Plumber Long Island. Known for his bold “BoomZeal” leadership style, Phil breaks down how he built two thriving service brands by bringing a white-collar approach to a blue-collar industry and why professionalism, extreme ownership, and clean presentation are non-negotiable in today’s restoration and plumbing world. Phil shares hi...
Struggling to find and keep good people in your restoration business? You’re not alone. In this episode of Restoration Pros Unplugged, host Clinton James (CMO, Water Restoration Marketing) sits down with Paul Sanneman, founder of Contractor Staffing Source, to talk about why the “labor shortage” in restoration is often a self-created problem and what you can do about it. Paul breaks down the biggest hiring myths holding contractors back, like: - Only recruiting when you “need someone” - T...
AI is changing the way restoration companies operate, and WonderBuilt Restoration is already putting it to work. In this episode of Restoration Pros Unplugged, Clinton James talks with Raul Gonzalez, owner of WonderBuilt in Tucson, AZ, about how AI tools and remote oversight are helping him streamline operations as the company grows. Raul explains how he listened to our interview with James Hatfield from LiveSwitch, signed up right away, and quickly found real use cases like faster mold eval...
In this episode of Restoration Pros Unplugged, Clinton James sits down with Claire Carreras an entrepreneur known for taking broken home-service teams and turning them into high-performing operations. Claire shares her unusual path into restoration, her experiences at Paul Davis and Servpro, and the leadership lessons she learned while rebuilding departments, launching new service divisions, and now running 1-Tom-Plumber Austin. Claire breaks down her simple 3-part method for fixing struggli...
In this episode of Restoration Pros Unplugged, Clinton sits down with Ben Justesen, one of the restoration industry’s top minds in estimating and pricing strategy. Ben’s journey, from growing his family’s company, Just Right Cleaning & Construction (JRCC), into an award-winning restoration firm to leading national training programs and now shaping technology at DocuSketch offers lessons every contractor can use. Ben breaks down the biggest mistakes he sees in estimating and pricing, expl...
When every minute counts in restoration, getting eyes on the loss fast can make or break a job. In this episode of Restoration Pros Unplugged, Clinton James sits down with James Hatfield, CRO of LiveSwitch, to explore how simple, app-free video links are transforming how restoration companies handle intake, documentation, and customer communication. James shares how LiveSwitch—originally built for 911 dispatch and live sports—now helps restoration teams see the job before they roll a truck, ...
In this episode of Restoration Pros Unplugged, host Clinton James sits down with Scott Miller, founder of The Growth League, to unpack his incredible journey from rookie franchisee to independent restoration owner and now successful business coach. Scott shares how he built a top-performing restoration business, scaled it, and sold it, all while learning the hard lessons that most owners don’t figure out until it’s too late. You’ll learn: - The financial blind spots that keep owners f...
In this episode of Restoration Pros Unplugged, Clinton James sits down with Jeff Carrier, Co-Founder and CEO of Restoration ERP, to talk about how restoration companies can use technology to win more commercial work and how the new ERP Copilot AI is changing the game. Jeff breaks down how most restorers have handled commercial disaster planning in the past, why ERPs are key to landing “first call” commercial clients, and how his team built a platform that makes it simple and profitable. You...
In this episode of Restoration Pros Unplugged, host Clinton James (CMO, Water Restoration Marketing) sits down with Chris Nordyke, President & Co-Owner of Floodlight Consulting Group, to unpack the sales and marketing KPIs that separate thriving restoration companies from those just getting by. Pulled from a powerful live session hosted by WRM and Floodlight, this episode breaks down how to truly “know your numbers” and how tracking the right ones can help you scale smarter, convert more...
Finding and keeping the right people can make or break a restoration business. In this episode of Restoration Pros Unplugged, host Clinton James sits down with Mitchell Riley, Recruiter and Partner at OPS Staffing, to unpack what works and what doesn’t when it comes to hiring in the restoration industry. Mitchell shares practical recruiting strategies that restoration company owners can use right away, including: - Low-cost, high-impact tactics like referral programs, local networking, and ...
Cash flow is one of the biggest challenges restoration companies face. Insurance claims can take weeks or even months to pay out, leaving contractors scrambling to cover payroll, materials, and overhead. For many, this delay means turning down jobs, slowing growth, or dipping into personal funds just to stay afloat. In this episode of Restoration Pros Unplugged, Clinton James sits down with Ilana Ben-Ezra, PhD, President of National Claims Funding, to reveal how restoration business owners c...
In this episode of Restoration Pros Unplugged, Clinton James (CMO, Water Restoration Marketing) sits down with Leah Hanlon (Franchise Sales & Business Development, 1-Tom-Plumber & Icon Property Rescue) to unpack exactly how restoration companies can land more commercial contracts in 2025. If you’ve struggled to break into the commercial market or you’re ready to scale past residential feast-or-famine work, this conversation gives you the blueprint. Clinton and Leah walk through the t...
In this episode of Restoration Pros Unplugged, Clinton James sits down with Holly Baldwin, Senior Customer Success Manager at DocuSketch, to uncover how restoration companies can transform an advanced documentation tool into a powerful sales and marketing engine. Holly shares her journey from her early days at Servpro to becoming a key leader at DocuSketch, where she now helps restoration professionals streamline operations, win more business, and deliver a true “white glove” customer experie...
What does it take to move from working insurance claims to running one of Texas’ most trusted restoration companies while also launching a platform to educate the entire industry? In this episode of Restoration Pros Unplugged, host Clinton James sits down with Ben Jernigan, owner of WTR Restoration and founder of DrMoisture.com, a new educational hub for homeowners, agents, and adjusters. With over 18 years of experience in public adjusting, restoration, and disaster response, Ben shares his ...
In this episode of Restoration Pros Unplugged, host Clinton James sits down with Leah Hanlon, one of the nation’s top restoration sales leaders at Icon Property Rescue and now VP of Franchise Sales for 1-Tom-Plumber. Leah reveals how she’s helping entrepreneurs merge restoration and plumbing into unstoppable growth machines. In this episode, you’ll discover: Leah’s journey from dominating restoration sales to building a national franchise empire How to use emergency plumbing as the ultimate ...
In this episode of Restoration Pros Unplugged, host Clinton James interviews Chris Nordyke, President and Co-founder of Floodlight Consulting Group, to unpack what it really takes to build and scale high-performing sales teams in the restoration industry. With deep industry experience and a passion for business growth, Chris shares the foundational strategies behind Floodlight’s success and how their Fractional Sales Leadership model is transforming how restoration companies pursue and close ...
In this power-packed episode, Clinton James sits down with Amy Levine, owner of Bright Side Restoration, who built one of Long Island’s most respected restoration businesses from scratch. Amy pulls back the curtain on her early challenges, how she scaled with purpose, and the systems that helped her stay sane in the chaos. Whether you're running a solo crew or managing a multi-location team, her journey delivers real-world lessons you can apply right now. As a female leader in a traditionally...
In this episode of Restoration Pros Unplugged, Clinton James sits down with Rocky Hensley, founder of ICON Property Rescue and the visionary behind 1-Tom-Plumber, to unpack a bold strategy that’s helping restoration companies secure more commercial restoration work—fast. After building and selling a successful restoration company, Rocky saw the writing on the wall: shrinking margins, too much reliance on TPAs, and fewer large-loss opportunities. So, he created a game-changing solution—a plumb...
In this episode of Restoration Pros Unplugged, host Clinton James sits down with Ryan Schrader, Director of Local SEO at Water Restoration Marketing, to break down how restoration companies are winning more jobs in 2025 with Google Local Service Ads. Ryan shares the biggest updates to LSAs this year, why some campaigns deliver consistent, high-quality calls while others bleed budget, and the exact framework their team uses to help restoration companies turn LSAs into $10K+ months. This isn’...
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