R&R Editor Valerie King announces the call for 2022 Ladder Award nominations in this special message. She shares the importance of the award, now in its third year, as well as eligibility requirements and judging criteria. Click here to submit nominations or learn more about the 2022 Ladder Award and to submit a nomination by Monday, May 30, 2022.

PSA by Canam Systems provides integrated restoration management software designed to help restoration companies increase efficiency, accountability and, ultimately, profits. In this Ask the Expert episode, Sales Manager Ryan Pritchard shares practical steps restoration contractors can take to ensure the software they invest in delivers value, including integration and scaling solutions with the growth of their business. He also discusses a PSA rebrand introduced at the start of 2022.

The American Policyholder Association is a nonprofit watchdog organization that promotes integrity, honesty and best practices in the property loss adjustment sector of the insurance industry. In this episode of Ask the Expert, Executive Director Doug Quinn talks about the APA’s work advocating for policyholder benefits and promoting solutions in insurance coverage, the insurance claim process, and the repair and rebuilding process for policyholders across the U.S.

Barry Rice, a Certified Safety Professional, discusses the importance of safety in the high-risk field of restoration. He emphasizes the need to protect employees from injury, deals with EPA and OSHA regulations, and provides tips on hand injury prevention and trends within the industry. Integration of safety into everyday business operations is also highlighted.

In this special episode, Diana Rodriguez-Zaba, president of ServiceMaster Restoration by Zaba serving Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, shares her story and insights. She is the winner of R&R’s seventh annual Women in Restoration Award and rose to the top of an impressive list of 46 nominees. All nominations were reviewed by a panel of judges based on journey and experience in the industry, job growth and future reach, industry and community involvement, and awards and certifications.

Brett Lawton is CEO of Lawton Construction & Restoration, located in Newcastle, Calif. The family-owned, second generation business has grown substantially since Lawton became CEO in 2006. In this interview, Lawton talks about scaling, growing as a leader and finding the company’s niche as a mid-sized service provider in a competitive, increasingly consolidated market. He also discusses offering general construction and restoration services, and the value of an executive team.

Mili Washington, standards director with the IICRC, joins us to provide a 101 on industry standards. She discusses their importance, the value of ANSI accreditation, the rigorous and lengthy process of developing a new standard, the business case for embracing IICRC standards, and advice on implementing standards within your restoration or cleaning business. She shares a highlight reel of IICRC standards in the works.

Brandon Donatelli, chief revenue officer with HOMEE, has amassed a great deal of useful knowledge as a fellow restoration contractor, a technology vendor, an insurance side vendor and a firefighter. Before joining HOMEE this January, he worked with CoreLogic, Next Gear Solutions and Matterport. Adopting new technology happens to be a top challenge among restorers, so we invited Donatelli to provide insights on the state of technology in the restoration industry. He covers common tech pain points, how to address them, and key themes within the digital solutions realm, now and on the horizon.

What exactly is bioterrorism, and what does it have to do with cleaning and restoration? Bioterrorism expert Dr. George Buck, Jeff Jones of the Microbial Warrior Experience, Jim Thompson of Jim Thompson & Co., and Larry Cooper of Experience events join us for a panel discussion on the role of cleaning and restoration pros in bioterrorism response. They highlight the threats we face, potential approaches for responding and effective products for treatment. More than anything, they highlight the importance of training more forensic operators. This will be the focus of two keynote presentations at the 2022 Experience Conference & Exhibition, taking place April 6-8 in Cincinnati.

With CAT season coming soon, we invited Avelina Lamb, owner of PuroClean of Chandler, to discuss her franchise’s approach to growing CAT restoration services since its opening in 2018. She shares advice based on work in Louisiana following Hurricane Ida, as well as fire and smoke damage projects in Colorado following recent wildfires. Lamb covers proper preparation, adapting to the cultures of local customers, working with insurance adjusters, collaborating with fellow franchises and more. She also offers advice to women looking to advance in the restoration industry and talks about how running a restoration business compares to her experience running a surgery practice and real estate business.