Howard Wolf

Principal and Founding Member,
HW3 Group

Howard Wolf, a certified master restorer, has been in the cleaning, restoration and construction industries since 1984. He is the Principal and founding member of HW3 Group and is Past Chairman of the ANSI Standards Committee for the Institute for Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC). He currently sits on the IICRC Board of Directors of (2001-2009; 2023 to current) and was Chairman of the S500 Water Damage Standard (1999-2013) and Chairman of Standards (2012-2019). He is also the current chair of the new standard ANSI/IICRC S550 Commercial Water Damage and Drying Standard.

He has extensive large project management and building diagnostics experience with particular expertise in public facilities and government agency projects. Howard has worked almost every facet of an insurance claim, and has represented property owners, managers, and tenants, as well as, restorers, contractors, and insurance professionals. Howard's knowledge of a building from the boiler room to the board room is only rivaled by his knowledge of the claims management process. Howard is also one of the most sought after speakers, trainers, consultant and mentor in the industry today.

Howard has participated in over 42 catastrophic events, beginning with Hurricane Andrew in 1992, and has worked in 50 states and 14 countries. Between 1993-2005, Howard successfully started and sold four companies, including a carpet and rug restoration and repair company, a construction firm, a structural drying company and a cleaning and restoration company. In 1999, Howard started HW3 Group, a large project and business consulting firm. In 2007, he started the Commercial Disaster Restoration Institute (CDRI), an education and technical support institution. His latest venture, HW3tv, is a multifaceted and interactive educational platform that seeks to become a beacon and positive influence on the industry.

Howard has always been deeply involved in the industry as a volunteer, giving back to the industry he loves and benefitted from. Beyond his involvement with IICRC, Howard is an avid believer in the unifying power of industry trade associations. He was involved in the Association of Wisconsin Cleaning Contractors (AWCC) for 8 years serving as Treasurer, Vice-President and President. He returned to the same organization, now called Midwest Cleaning and Restoration Professionals (MCRP) and served an additional 3 years as a board member and mentor to the new board through 2017. Howard has also been involved in mentoring other nonprofits.