The 2022 Experience Conference & Exhibition is taking place April 6-8 at the Duke Energy Convention Center in Cincinnati. In this episode of Ask the Expert, Larry Cooper, executive director of Experience Events, offers a sneak peek of the upcoming cleaning and restoration event. Highlights include a two-pronged keynote on bioterrorism and microbial warfare; four educational tracks on cleaning, restoration, marketing and business management, and other topics; hands-on demonstrations; full-day pre- and post-conference courses; plus tickets to a Cincinnati Reds baseball game.

ATI Restoration, the largest family operated restoration firm in the U.S., acquired ProCare Solutions in November 2021. A month later ATI acquired Lang Restoration & Construction. Both acquisitions are part of ATI’s accelerated growth strategy launched in 2020, which also included acquisitions of Mark 1 Restoration, QFB Property Restoration and J&M Keystone. In this episode of Ask the Expert, ATI Restoration President Jeff Moore, ProCare Solutions Co-Founder Gus Timbers and Lang Restoration & Construction Founder Lawrence Nelson share first-hand accounts of the hot topic that is M&A. They revisit two unique acquisition stories and lessons learned through the lens of the buyer and the seller. 

Scott Harding is provincial manager of S.A.H Disaster Restoration Services, Vancouver Trauma Cleaning, and BC Trauma Cleaning Group, serving British Columbia. In this episode of Ask the Expert, Harding talks about the grind behind his company’s growth, including the long hours and wearing of many hats. He shares his journey from laborer to leader and his approach to keeping up with the times, from expanding service offerings to partnering with one of British Columbia’s largest healthcare providers to embracing innovative technology to investing in safety and training.

Aramsco is hosting its NeXus 2022 conference and trade show March 28-29 at The Mirage in Las Vegas. In this episode of Ask the Expert, Richard Michaelson, marketing project manager at Aramsco, shares what attendees can expect including a first-time keynote address; three educational tracks on restoration, professional cleaning, and business and marketing; and an expo featuring more than 60 vendors, plus hands-on demonstrations. Use code NeXusR&R2022 when registering to receive a discount for the all-access pass! 

Julie and Tony Roberts’ SERVPRO franchise in Henderson, Ky., is directly involved with CAT restoration work following the devastating tornadoes that touched down in December 2021, including one of the largest projects in the town of Mayfield, Ky. In this episode of Ask the Expert, Julie and Tony discuss the devastation witnessed, restoration efforts including a large church, challenges overcome, the benefits of a dedicated storm response unit, lessons learned over numerous CAT projects and the work yet to be done. 

As countless restoration companies struggle to find and keep employees, Caleb Brunz, head coach and president of Paul Davis of Greater Minneapolis & St. Paul, has more people wanting to work for his franchise than he has openings. He has also launched a non-profit, Pathways Trades Academy, to feed a healthier pipeline of talent into restoration and other trades. This Ask the Expert episode dives into how his company invests in its people and embraces them as its competitive advantage, from compensation to company culture to development to DEI. It also explores the work Brunz is doing to attract more people into the industry overall.

What do people, in general, want from employers? How are other industries treating employees and candidates? Answering these questions offers up ideas, lessons and competitive intel from beyond the world of restoration. After all, restoration businesses aren’t just competing against each other for talent. In her latest editor’s note, R&R Editor Valerie King talks about embracing external inputs in a tight labor market.