On this episode of Ask The Expert, we’re joined by Margaret Chebat, Vice President of Franchise Engagement at PuroClean, and Melissa Wittig, Co-Owner and Founding Member of PuroClean Northwest. These ladies share their insights on sustainable growth, franchisee support, women in restoration, and so much more. 

More About Margaret

Maragret started her career in 2013 as a Marketing Coordinator and worked her way up through various roles before becoming Vice President of Franchise Engagement. She holds a bachelor’s in Mass Communications and an MBA in Business.   

More About Melissa

Melissa started in the restoration industry in 2017 and has never looked back. She holds various certifications including IICRC Water Damage Technician (WRT), Commercial Large Loss Project Management and Xactimate, and she earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington.

Key topics of discussion include: 

• The team’s rapid expansion comes from adding operational resources, additional regional director support, and streamlined systems and software that allow the franchise owners to execute more efficiently. 
• The women within the network have grown through culture and collaboration. Both Margaret and Melissa share that their structure encourages their owners to help each other rather than compete which makes the brand appealing to women who are seeking mentorship, connection, and shared resources. 
• A key change involved moving Franchise Engagement into their Operations with a focus on listening to the owners, addressing pain points in a timely manner, and making systematic fixes instead of having one-off responses. 
• The restoration industry involves more than just the “dirty work” in the field. Melissa shared that many people don’t realize that our industry requires leadership, systems, empathy, strategy, customer care, and so much more. It doesn’t start and end in the field.
• Margaret shared that AI and technology will continue to rise, but operational excellence, sales, marketing, customer expectations, and servant leadership will remain the real differentiators. 
• In the restoration industry, work-life balance looks different for everyone, which means it’s not a one size fits all. It isn’t about a perfect 50/50 split every day; it’s about flexibility, systems, and support. Balance can be seasonal and overlapping, and sustainable success comes from routines, delegating, support, and culture.