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Water Damage RestorationInsurance/Legal Matters in RestorationAsk the Expert

Ask the Expert

Scaling Your Restoration Business and Empowering Veterans

John Tovar shares his insights on disaster response, veteran hiring and building resilient restoration teams.

By Kayla McGowan
September 17, 2025

On this episode of Ask The Expert, we dive into scaling your business and empowering veterans in the restoration industry and a milestone of $500k veteran career support and getting recognized as partner of the year by Hire Heroes USA annual gala. Our special is ServiceMaster Restore’s President, John Tovar. He brings a background of leadership roles with AmeriSpec, Ace Hardware Corporation and GameStop. In addition, John comes from a military family, supportive community member and loves the work our industry does day in and day out. John Tovar is the President of ServiceMaster Restore. 

Topics of discussion for this episode include: 

  • The advantages of having a national footprint when responding to major disasters
  • The importance of empathy, compassion and professionalism when serving our customers during their most difficult times
  • The value of investing in veteran career pathways and the unique skills they bring to the industry
  • Strategies for expanding veteran hiring 
  • How veteran employees can strengthen a company's workforce and help with business scaling efforts

 

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KEYWORDS: disaster response restoration business strategy scaling your business working with carriers

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Kayla mcgowan author

Kayla McGowan is the SPAR Partner Manager for PuroClean, where she manages and strengthens the company’s vendor partnership ecosystem. In her role, she serves as a key liaison between PuroClean, approved vendor partners, internal stakeholders, and Franchise Owners, helping connect the network with trusted tools, services, and products that support operational success.

With more than 10 years of experience in marketing and communications within the restoration and cleaning industry, Kayla has built her career around connecting people, ideas, and resources that move the industry forward. She is the former Editor-in-Chief of Restoration & Remediation (R&R) Magazine and continues to contribute to R&R as a writer, bringing her industry knowledge and perspective to its audience.

Kayla holds a B.S. in Criminal Science and an M.S. in Public Safety and Emergency Management from Grand Canyon University. She also serves as Co-Chair of the Restoration Industry Association’s Marketing Committee.

Her industry credentials include Microbial Warrior®️, Certified Forensic Operator®️, and High Risk/High Level Decontamination Specialist™️. Passionate about elevating the restoration industry and the professionals within it, Kayla enjoys building meaningful relationships, sharing knowledge, and creating opportunities for collaboration. Outside of work, she is a food lover who enjoys spending time with her family and being outdoors.

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