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Managing Your Restoration BusinessAsk the Expert

Ask the Expert

Women in Restoration: Marketing, Communication, and Building Trust

Here’s how strategic marketing and communication humanize the restoration industry

By Kayla McGowan
April 15, 2026

We’re back with another Ask The Expert, highlighting the lovely women in our industry in various roles. This week we’re joined by Abby Vallelonga, Marketing Manager at EHS Restoration. This episode focuses on humanizing our industry through strategic marketing, collaboration and so much more. 

Abby has served the restoration industry for five years and she focuses and is known for bridging the gap between technical services and human connection. She has a passion for educating her clients and elevating the perception of the restoration industry. Abby also focuses on making high-stress and high-stakes situations that are often misunderstood, more approachable, transparent, and focused around the people she is serving.

Key topics of discussion on this episode are:

  • How Abby built credibility by staying close to the technical work, using equipment, and focusing on clear, reliable communication to establish trust over time.
  • Her hands-on approach during high-stress projects and her empathetic communication style help restore not just buildings, but the trust and confidence of clients, especially as a woman in a leadership role.
  • How she uses social media and marketing to humanize the restoration industry and elevate our industry professionals.
  • Abby's role in fostering connections within the property management community through NARPM has helped her grow as a woman in the industry, as women often excel at this relational aspect of restoration.
  • Abby advises women interested in restoration to not wait for representation, but to step into opportunities, learn the processes, ask questions, and bring their own unique perspectives to the role. 

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KEYWORDS: communication in business restoration business leadership restoration business marketing restoration professionals women in restoration

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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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