Before you read this column any further, please stop and put the date (January 27 – 29, 2026) of our next Gathering of Eagles on both your personal and professional calendars! 

We just completed our second Gathering of Eagles at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) and it was a smash success!! We had a doubling of attendance over last year even though the state was shut down due to a weather projection of snow that they were ill-prepared to deal with. Nevertheless, attendees persevered and showed up right on time.  

The First Day started on campus at the School of Concrete and Construction Management. There we heard from vendors from across the industry discussing the latest updates we needed to guide our businesses and provide the services required in the industry.  

We had two different premises that shaped the conference in very subtle ways. The first one was the premise that where you start out in business is not where you're going to end up. Indeed, the realization by the attendees was that unless they retired at the conference, they would continue to change as they continued their career in the industry. The second premise was that the speakers committed to staying for the entire conference so that they and the attendees could continue to talk and learn more from and about each other. It was great to see people reaching "aha" moments that people came to with their interactions with each other. Attendees were engaged, curious and wanting to know more from each other. The attendees were contractors, students attending the School of Construction Management, and vendors from across the industry. At the end of the day, we enjoyed a social hour with some snacks and soft drinks before breaking into small groups and heading out to dinner to continue talking and getting to know each other better. It was a great place to talk with students regarding internships and full-time employment. The students were excited about joining our vibrant industry and all that it offers. Attendees were excited to meet very qualified candidates for positions they needed to grow their companies.  

The Second Day, we resumed our meeting with speakers from the repair side of the industry. We heard about how to improve your chances of getting paid before you started a job, how to get help in estimating when you had too much work, understanding why and how you get paid for what you document and what’s going to happen in the TPA World this year. The biggest "aha" for attendees was the disclosure by most speakers that growing their company was not easy and they experienced some failures, even to the point of bankruptcy along the way and how tough it was to balance their personal lives with their business lives. They also shared their stories about the "cost" of the business regarding their families. No one said it was easy, but they did talk about how hard it was. They were very clear about how important it was to have a committed team going the same direction at the same time. We headed out for dinner in different small groups to continue our discussions and employee recruiting. 

The Third Day, we resumed our meeting with industry data, followed by the steps needed to get the Restoration Degree to the next step to meet the needs of the Industry. Dr Jake Avila, Associate Professor, prior coming to MTSU, worked in his family's restoration business in Riverside, California for 15 years, earned a doctorate in urban development, then taught at two universities before arriving at MTSU seven years ago. He is committed to developing a restoration degree concentration in the School of Concrete and Construction Management. The Concrete Industry, smaller than the Restoration Industry, had raised millions to contribute to building a new state-of-the-art school. Their industry association members also continue to raise $2,000,000 per year to advance training and educating young professionals for careers in the concrete industry. MTSU is a university that trains students to learn with hands-on experience and at the same time they earn a four-year degree in construction management. Dr. Jake negotiated with the university that all the money he raised would be used to fund a $3,000,000 Chair of Restoration. 

We have the right person, at the right time and in the right place to make this degree happen! The opportunity is here. Now we need to raise the first million dollars to get it started down the path to success! Dr. Jake will be attending and speaking at The Experience Show and the RIA Show in April. He will be there to answer any and all of your questions. We need to be there to commit to raising the first portion of money to get us started!! One of the benefits of attending MTSU is that they offer in-state tuition to many states that participate in the academic common market. Needless to say, this program was designed for the industry and we need to support it!!! See you at the Show. Don't forget to bring your credit card, check book or cash.