LIVE from The Violand Executive Summit! The Young Guns of Restoration

Air Date: 6-10-2016| Episode: 417

This week IAQ Radio returns to the Violand Executive Summit to do a live show for the third year in a row. The folks at Violand have lined up a great group of young business owners that are doing big things in the restoration world…



This week IAQ Radio returns to the Violand Executive Summit to do a live show for the third year in a row. The folks at Violand have lined up a great group of young business owners that are doing big things in the restoration world. We will interview these “Young Guns” and see what is helping them be successful in a tough industry during a difficult time. Join us to LEARN MORE this week on IAQ Radio! Joining us will be:

Josh and Justin Tubero’s company is Alliance Disaster Kleenup, Wheeling IL. We understand that they couldn’t be any more different and work together exceptionally well as owners to run an extremely efficient and profitable company. Their company was recently rated as one of the top 100 companies to work for in their state.

Dean Stamper – Regency DKI, Michigan. is the son of a well-known and accomplished person in restoration. We all learn from our mistakes. One of the hardest things for a parent or boss to do, is to stand-by and watch as someone less experienced makes the same mistakes the older or more experienced person made.

Zach Reets – Is a member of a well-known family in the industry, Zach runs Champion Cleaning Services.

Katie Smith – Is a 2nd Generation owner of PHC Restoration in North Carolina. She and Josh Smith are the only husband/wife Certified Restorers in the world. She serves on the board of RIA, chairs the RIA Membership Committee, and is current President of MSPCA.

Mitch Caron – General Manager of his family’s large WINMAR franchise. Mitch is a rising star in the industry and a leader in both RIA’s Young Restorers Council and Canadian Council.

Shawn Folks – Shawn is a 2nd generation owner of Guaranteed Restoration in Baton Rouge. Formerly the largest STOP Franchise in the country, Shawn has taken the company independent and continues to grow the business at an impressive rate.

Jocelyn Dornfield – Is the Manager at A&J Restoration, Kent Rawhouser the owner, contributes much of his company’s current success to her efforts. She is also serving on the RIA’s Young Restorers Council, is the brains and brawn behind the Restoring Kindness movement, and recently launched her own social media marketing company called Three65 Marketing to help restoration companies with their marketing efforts.

Jarrett Dixon and his wife Whitney founded and have run Master Restoration in Clearwater, Florida since 2008 and have built an extremely impressive company focused on highly trained employees and a dedication to customer service.

Dayron Rodriquez – Cuban immigrant who escaped to this country with nothing (and I mean nothing) and is in the process of building an impressive cleaning and restoration company. He started with no capital and limited English. He is now killing it in the Louisville, KY market. This is an American success story. He owns Rodriquez Cleaning Services.

Matt Hensley – Manager at Total Restoration Services in Indianapolis. Total Restoration is a very fast growing and extremely well-run company that has several 30 and under sharp individuals at high levels within the organization. Matt serves on the Young Restorers group of RIA and will be a leader in this industry for a long time. Indianapolis is a competitive market for restoration services.

Alissa Nitzsche – Her and her husband Grant own one of the fastest growing ServPro franchises in the country. They were completely new to restoration when they started and figured out the game really quick.

Joe Donley – Was about to take over the family business when his father passed and the company fell apart. He and his wife had to start over completely new with a brand new company. They have spent the last several years building from the ground up and made Claria Clean into a restoration leader in the St. Louis market.

Clifford Stratton II – Owner of Regent Restoration DKI in Dallas TX. His father is in the construction business in San Antonio but Clifford has built this company on his own. He is young and aggressive and his company continues to double in size every year. He is a firm believer in Executive Development and training. Construction is in your blood.

Blake Moak and his wife Jillian of Century Construction are crushing it in Houston. They are DKI and Contractor Connections members and recently purchased a ServiceMaster franchise in San Antonio. Their entire team is under 40. These guys are taking restoration by storm.

Z-Man’s Blog:

Future leaders of the industry

Episode 417 of IAQradio was broadcast live from the 11thVioland Executive Summit held on Kent State’s Stark campus in northern Canton, Ohio. The Violand Team puts on superb events and are great hosts. Chuck Violand is the maestro leading the event with a great team handling the orchestration. The theme of the show was the next generation.  Up–and-coming is defined as showing signs of advancement and ambitious development, making good progress and likely to become successful.

Nuggets mined from this week’s episode:

Z-Man: What is executive training?

Chuck Violand: The executive training program was created to develop leadership and management skills. It differs from technical training in the sense that you can’t sit in a leadership/management training course for a couple of days and leave with mastery of the subject. It’s something that starts in one or two days and continues to develop as you implement and practice it in the field. Once you exceed the technical requirements of the industry, scaling the business is dependent on the owner’s ability to lead.

Chuck Violand: RIA is doing succession planning through initiatives with young professional restorers. These young professionals are the future leadership of the industry and the association.

The Young Guns:

Zach Reets – Member of a well-known family in the industry, Zach runs Champion Cleaning Services in Sharpsburg, GA

RadioJoe: Your parents and your older brother are well known in the cleaning and restoration business so your surname comes along with some big expectations, how are you making an impact in the business and your own name in the industry?

Zach R: Bringing youth to the table, a different way of doing things, new & different ideas. Relating better to younger employees.While not enjoying social media, he understands the value and importance of the internet and social media. He’s an advocate of videos and interactive media. He advocates the importance of developing relationship and having youth on your side.

My predecessors didn’t have events like the Violand Summit available.

Josh Tubero – Alliance Disaster Kleenup, Wheeling IL. We understand that you and your brother Justin couldn’t be any more different and work together exceptionally well as owners to run an extremely efficient and well-respected company. Recently rated as one of the top 100 companies to work for in their state.

Z-Man: What are the primary differences in your personalities and management styles?

Josh T: Respect each other is the foundational component. We have different skill sets. My brother is a high level big thinker who is enthusiasticabout sales and marketing, I’m inside orientated and prefer the operations.We started the restoration business as partners with a small credit card with low balance and have built it from there.

Z-Man: What advice can you give listeners for siblings working together as partners in a family business?

Josh T: Listen to each other respect. Patience respectful communication. Commit to not allowing business challenges to interfere with family relations.

Mitch Caron – Acting General Manager of his family’s large WINMAR franchise in Durham, Ontario, Canada. Mitch is a rising star in the industry and a leader in both RIA’s Young Restorers Council and Canadian Council.

RadioJoe: What piqued your interest in involvement with industry trade association?

Mitch C: Grew up working in the family restoration business as unpaid child labor. Went to college and after graduation went into large general construction. Joined a large young construction executive construction committee which hosted frequent social functions that provided connecting, networking and bonding. Inspired, opened his eyes.

Z-Man: You interact with many American industry counterparts how is the restoration business different in Canada?

Mitch C: Primary difference, more maple syrup claims. All jokes aside, the insurance model in Canada is top down model. It’s a very different insurance market in Canada with a small number of large insurers and a small number of large contractor groups who control the markets. In Canada we do mostly program work, so there’s not much selling. With spikes and drops in the market, we have learnedthe importance of marketing from the American market. We are reaching out to other opportunities such as facilities to create, build relationships and maintain relationship by doing quality work.

RadioJoe: Sometimes going to an evening event can be a chore, how do get motivated to attend?

Mitch C: What opportunity did you miss by not participating?

Shawn Folks – 2nd generation owner of Guaranteed Restoration in Baton Rouge. Formerly the largest STOP Franchise in the country, Shawn has taken the company independent and continues to grow the business at an impressive rate.

Z-Man: Franchise systems are known to provide important support mechanisms. Were you concerned about giving that up by going independent?

Shawn F: We enjoyed the support from the franchise system and were concerned about giving it up. There are other support systems available. We have found replacement sources.

Z-Man: What has been the biggest change since going independent?

Shawn F: Biggest challenge was handling the growth. The franchise got us to a great place and it mushroomed at the end of the franchise agreement.

RadioJoe: Mold and antimicrobial training/licensing is required in LA, from your perspective how is that going?

Shawn F: It keeps companies on their toes and keeps people who shouldn’t be doing it out.

Jocelyn Dornfield – Manager at A&J Restoration, with offices in De Forest and Madison, Wisconsin. Owners Kent and Lynn Rawhouser contribute much of their company’s current success to her efforts. She is also serving on the RIA’s Young Restorers Council, and is the brains and brawn behind the Restoring Kindness movement.

Z-Man: What is the Restoring Kindness movement?

Jocelyn D: Doing positive or kind things for others and expecting nothing in return. It started last year in our community and now we’ve expanded it by asking other businesses to participate. Month of July we’ll be launching a campaign to restore kindness in Madison. The website is restoringkindness.com

Z-Man: It’s a brilliant idea with global potential. It puts a smile on everyone’s face.

Jocelyn D: It’s addicting in a good way. Little things like opening doors for people or giving up a set get positive reactions. It doesn’t need to cost anything. In July we’ll be delivering handmade thank you cards and signs from a Salvation Army youthprogram along with popsicles to police and fire departments. We don’t wait for a reaction, we do something nice, leave a card and leave. The card encourages the recipient to do their own kind acts, like tag now it’s your turn.

Jarrett Dixon and his wife Whitney founded and have run Master Restoration in Clearwater FL since 2008 and have built an extremely impressive company focused on highly trained employees and a dedication to customer service.

RadioJoe: What does Never Stop Improving mean to you?

Jarrett: Implementing new technology working toward a better tomorrow. Unless I’m dead or retired we’ll keep improving.

Z-Man: Provide some examples of how you’ve implemented continuous improvement into your company?

Jarrett: We use Reets TV to train our technicians and Violand Summit courses on team building and increasing efficiency.

RadioJoe: It’s hurricane season in Florida.

Jarrett: Hurricane season is game on for us.

Dayron Rodriquez – A Cuban immigrant who escaped to this country with nothing (and I mean nothing) and is in the process of building an impressive cleaning and restoration company. He started with no capital and limited English. He is now killing it in the Louisville, KY market. This is an American success story. He owns Rodriquez Cleaning Services.

Z-Man: Since 2007, the US has had little economic growth and growing unemployment. Is America truly the land of opportunity?

Dayron: Compared to Cuba it is. In America I can start a business with only the desire to work and support my family. In Cuba I wouldn’t be permitted to do it. In Cuba the government runs everything.

RadioJoe: In Cuba what happens when there is a national disaster such as a hurricane?

Dayron: The government runs everything in case of disaster. The government will force citizens to help clean and repair. Low tech, they don’t have airmovers, dehumidifiers or antimicrobials.  If you can’t fix it yourself, neighbors pitch in to help.

RadioJoe: How did you learn about the business?

Dayron: I worked for a carpet cleaner and then decided to start own company. Being around good people who are willing to help helped me succeed.

Z-Man: What advice do you have for other immigrants?

Dayron: If you’re planning to come to the USA speed up and get here as there are many opportunities. It will be hard but you can make it. In Cuba we are taught to do what they want us to do, in US I do what I want to do.

Matt Hensley – Manager at Total Restoration Services in Indianapolis. Total Restoration is a very fast growing and extremely well-run company that has several 30 and under sharp individuals at high levels within the organization. Matt serves on the Young Restorers group of RIA and will be a leader in this industry for a long time.

Z-Man: Indianapolis is a competitive market for restoration services, what is your company doing to separate itself from the pack?

Matt H: Establishing good relationship. Many of the competitors are doing program work and moved away from relationship aspects. We provide an overall customer experience. As we’ve grown we’ve continue to provide the high level of service of a small company. We communicate like a small company. Don’t try to do everything, what we do we do very well.

Z-Man: What did you do before restoration?

Matt H: I was an insurance adjuster for 6 years, came over to restoration and I love it.

Alissa Nitzsche – She and her husband Grant own one of the fastest growing ServPro franchises in the country located in Wheaton, Illinois. They were completely new to restoration when they started and have figured out the game really quickly.

Z-Man: Your vision is bigger, faster &stronger; do you feel your vision is anyway constrained by working within a franchised system?

Alissa:In life there’s always a give and take. All in all we feel being a Servpro franchise has opened up opportunities we wouldn’t have had otherwise.

I don’t think the Servpro franchise system is restrictive, it’s opened many opportunities. We started with one license and purchased an additional.

RadioJoe: What did you do previously?

Alissa: I was in marketing. Servpro has great marketing and brand recognition

Joe Donley – owned a successful commercial janitorial company and decided several years ago to expand into restoration and specifically the commercial market.  He and his wife have spent the last several years building Claria clean into a restoration leader in the St. Louis market.

Z-Man: What made you to decide to add restoration into your business?

Joe D: We came from building service and commercial floor care. There are many water points in buildings. After becoming a Violand client we realized we had the relationships so why not provide the services? We decided to bring water restoration in house, clients knew they could call one person who had open access to the property who could prevent business interruption.

Z-Man: from the website I noticed that you concentrate on commercial work?

Joe D: 98% of our business is commercial obtained through organic marketing. We do no program work. We have pre-loss program called Plus Plan.

RadioJoe: What is the origin of the company name? The Claria clean name comes from combining our two oldest daughter’s names, Olivia and Clair

Century Construction – Blake Moak, and his wife Jillian, are crushing it in Houston. They are Diamond Affiliate and Contractor Connections members and recently purchased a ServiceMaster franchise in San Antonio. Their entire team is under 40. These guys are taking restoration by storm.

RadioJoe: Howe did you get into restoration?

Blake: I worked for a friend’s dad in restoration.

Z-Man: You seem to value group association, does your firm obtain similar or different benefits from your participation in ServiceMaster, Diamond Affiliate, and Contractor Connection?

Blake: We get both similar and different benefits. I want to concentrate on the similarities: lead management sources, networking, gaining new peers and vendor resources. Sharing information is important. We’ve obtained the most knowledge from peers. We work well with peers and local competitors.

RadioJoe: How does ServiceMaster fit in?

Blake: We started 8 years ago in cleaning and after 4 years decided “If we can’t beat em join em” so we bought into ServiceMaster. ServiceMaster does the restoration and Century construction does the rebuild.

IAQradio wants to publically acknowledge Jeff Jones, Sales Manager at Violand Management for conceiving this week’s show theme, helping recruit the guests and assisting in creating the show interview questions.

This week’s Music

Young Turks by Rod Stewart, YouTube

Z-Man signing off

Trivia question:

Name the political reform movement in the early 20th century, which favored replacement of the Ottoman Empire‘s absolute monarchy with a constitutional government?

Answer:

Young Turks