Women in Restoration: Career Growth and Industry Impact

This special series of Ask The Expert highlights the women shaping the restoration industry

Welcome to a very special series of Ask The Expert, this month, we’re highlighting the lovely women in our industry. Every Wednesday, we will drop a new episode featuring women in various roles in the restoration industry.

Our first guest is Megan Hughes, Branch Manager at Farwest Environmental in Salt Lake City, Utah. She’s been in the industry for nearly a decade, has fallen in love with it, and hit the ground running by obtaining her IICRC Certifications in WRT and AMRT, and became a Certified Asbestos Building Inspector, Lead Inspector, and Asbestos Abatement Supervisor.

In this episode, we dive into Megan’s career, her love for the industry, and she shares her advice for women looking to get into the industry and the women in our industry looking to make their next move.

Here’s what we discuss on this special episode:

Megan’s journey started by “falling into” the industry, literally, on her way to her interview, across the street she slid into a ditch and the rest is history. Despite not having experience in this industry, she landed a job at a restoration company as an Office Manager.
Within the first year, Megan became an IICRC Certified Technician, and that was only the beginning. Since then, she’s evolved and so has her career. She quickly fell in love with the environmental side of the industry. She continued to train, obtain additional certifications, and is now the Branch Manager of Farwest Environmental.
Her passion for the industry stems from the opportunity to have a lasting and positive impact on the people she serves, not just restoring their homes and businesses, but their health and wellbeing. Her approach isn’t about sales or the income, it’s about the outcome, she prioritizes educating and empowering her customers.
Megan’s take on the restoration industry is very relationship-driven, which plays to women’s strengths in communication, empathy, and attention to detail.
Her advice to women considering the restoration industry and those who are currently in the industry is: don’t be intimidated by the male-dominated industry. Use it as an advantage to make a name for yourself and focus on your skills and the meaningful impact you can have.

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Kayla McGowan is the Editor-in-Chief of R&R Magazine, with 10 years of experience in marketing and communications in the restoration and cleaning industry. She leads the editorial strategy for R&R and The Experience Events, creating content that informs and connects industry professionals.

Kayla holds a B.S. in Criminal Science and M.S. in Public Safety and Emergency Management from Grand Canyon University. She serves as Co-Chair on the RIA’s Marketing Committee.

Kayla is a Microbial Warrior®, a Certified Forensic Operator® and a High Risk/ High Level Decontamination Specialist™. Kayla is passionate about elevating the industry, is a food lover, enjoys spending time with her family, and embracing the outdoors.