As countless restoration companies struggle to find and keep employees, Caleb Brunz, head coach and president of Paul Davis of Greater Minneapolis & St. Paul, has more people wanting to work for his franchise than he has openings. He has also launched a non-profit, Pathways Trades Academy, to feed a healthier pipeline of talent into restoration and other trades. This Ask the Expert episode dives into how his company invests in its people and embraces them as its competitive advantage, from compensation to company culture to development to DEI. It also explores the work Brunz is doing to attract more people into the industry overall.

What do people, in general, want from employers? How are other industries treating employees and candidates? Answering these questions offers up ideas, lessons and competitive intel from beyond the world of restoration. After all, restoration businesses aren’t just competing against each other for talent. In her latest editor’s note, R&R Editor Valerie King talks about embracing external inputs in a tight labor market.

Jesse Mount is co-owner of Asbestos Abatement, Inc., located in Lakewood, Colorado. In this episode of Ask the Expert, Mount shares his transition from project manager to co-owner, working hand-in-hand with restoration contractors to remove asbestos, considerations for business looking to add asbestos removal to their services and more.

Claims estimating and the software used to facilitate it are critical elements of property restoration. With Verisk Elevate around the corner, we invited Mike Fulton, president of Verisk Property Estimating Solutions, to talk trends and innovations in estimating, ongoing areas of interest among contractors like Xactimate pricing, the impact of external forces like inflation on property claims, educational highlights for Elevate 2022, and the details of an Xactware rebrand.

Laura Nelson is vice president of marketing at Signpost, a company that helps local businesses attract, connect with and grow their customer base. At The 2021 Experience Convention & Trade Show, Nelson led a session on attracting, selling to and delighting homeowners from start to finish. Here, she discusses the most critical points of homeowner interactions with restoration businesses. Nelson covers how contractors can stand out on Google, optimize online prospects and customers, convert more browsers to buyers, and drive more referrals through an elevated customer experience.

Laura Spaulding, founder and CEO of Spaulding Decon, is a former law enforcement officer who has evolved her business from a solo operation to a nationwide franchise that specializes in biohazard disinfection and decontamination. Spaulding Decon topped the Entrepreneur Franchise 500 crime-scene cleaning category in 2022. In this episode of Real Stories in Restoration, Spaulding shares her journey from humble beginnings as a woman-led startup. Today, Spaulding Decon is scaling rapidly with 20 to 30 new franchises a year, has added real estate acquisitions to its business model, and has millions of followers on social media.

The Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) is hosting its 2022 Annual Meeting & Expo February 22-25 in Tucson, Arizona. In this episode of Ask the Expert, IAQA President Jay Stake discusses the educational program of more than 40 sessions on topics including infectious diseases, mold remediation, regulations and standards, and more. The annual event brings together contractors, consultants and other professionals across the entire spectrum of the indoor air quality industry. Stake also shares what the IAQA has planned for 2022 and highlights key IAQ industry themes. Use code IAQARR when registering for the IAQA Annual Meeting & Expo to receive a $100 discount!

What does the Restoration Industry Association have planned for the new year? We invited CEO Kristy Cohen, President Mark Springer, President-Elect Katie Smith and Restoration Advocate Ed Cross to share the many fresh RIA initiatives in the works. They discuss the launch of regional focus groups, a new Environmental Risk Specialist certification, a second-edition TPA scorecard, a new membership due structure, developing career pathways with the IICRC, expanding the AGA into Canada, new position papers, a preview of the RIA 2022 International Restoration Convention & Industry Expo in April, key industry trends, and much more.

Dr. Gene Cole shares stories that stick with him regarding the health and safety of restoration contractors and their customers. He also offers COVID-19 cleaning and disinfection tips in the face of the Omicron variant. Dr. Cole has more than 35 years of applied research experience, with emphasis on identification and reduction of pollutant reservoirs and sources, bioaerosols, residential and workplace exposure assessment and control, product evaluation, cleaning and restoration, mold and sewage remediation, and biocides.

Gokul Padmanabhan, CEO of Restoration Brokers of America, predicts the tidal wave of restoration mergers and acquisitions will continue for the next four to five years as more Baby Boomers look to retire and sell their businesses. However, he sees a big opportunity gap that not enough restoration business owners are seizing on in an environment of meaningful buyer interest. Here, Padmanabhan offers projections, reflections and practical advice regarding restoration business transactions.