Jim Kowalski is owner and vice president of Kowalski Construction Inc. He is also president of the Restoration Affiliates board. In this interview, Kowalski shares secrets to success and lessons learned in purposefully growing his third-generation, family-run property restoration and repair company in Arizona, which was founded in 1967. He also explains what exactly Restoration Affiliates – a national network of cleaning and restoration firms – is.

This special-edition episode features a prestigious panel of Ladder Award finalists from 2021 and 2020. They share innovative ways they are helping advance the property restoration industry, as well as their vision for its future. Hot topics covered include attracting and retaining talent, employee training, growing a business, marketing, adopting new technology, imposter syndrome, and leading from any chair.

Speaker: Kris Rzesnoski, CR, WLS, FLS, CLS, RTPE
Vice President, Encircle

In this podcast, Valerie King delves into restorative drying with Encircle Vice President Kris Rzesnoski. Encircle recently unveiled a major feature update to their app, called Hydro, developed to support restorers on even the toughest of water jobs. Listen in as Kris outlines the biggest challenges happening in the field and how Hydro changes the game.

Sponsored by: Encircle

Media blasting expert Wayne Lawrence, managing partner at ESCA Great Lakes, shares key things restoration contractors should know as they invest in media blasting equipment. He covers what media blasting is, common applications in property restoration, the range of tools available, notable case studies, product advancements, the importance of equipment training, buying versus renting, equipment cost, and much more. 

After years of putting out fires and pointing the finger at employees, Eric Sprague and Larry Wilberton learned to point the finger at themselves. In this episode, Sprague shares how he and Wilberton transformed their property restoration and cleaning company into one with a culture of high engagement, performance and profit by rethinking their roles as leaders. Today they help other blue-collar companies do the same through Morning Tech Meeting and Blue Collar Consulting. 

Why is strategic planning important? Who should be involved? When should it happen? How do you ensure it fuels action? Where do you begin? Is it worthwhile in a world of heightened uncertainty? Jeff Jones, director of sales and marketing with Violand Management Associates, offers a crash course in annual business planning, as well as longer- and shorter-term strategic planning. 

Jennifer Todd, president of remediation company LMS General Contractors and acclaimed leader in construction, was the youngest Black woman to acquire a Class A California general engineering license. She joins us to discuss her experience as a Black, woman contractor-owner in a white-, male-dominated field. Todd highlights the importance of looking at the labor shortage and diversity as one conversation instead of two separate topics. She also shares ways she is attracting talent from minority groups and helping them thrive.