Ricardo was born and raised in Venezuela in a family with deep Jewish roots and values. His parents, Holocaust survivors originally from Romania, instilled the values of education, English proficiency, and a commitment to community service during his upbringing. “Community service has been with me all my life,” he said. As an adult, Ricardo became a systems engineer and a partner in a company that provided IT services to a variety of industries. He married and raised three children, and he and his family actively participated in the local Jewish community until 2017. Unfortunately, due to the political uncertainty and insecurity they experienced living in Venezuela, along with the arrest of one of his business partners based on political affiliations, Ricardo and his family decided to leave Venezuela abruptly. In a bid for safety, he made an unplanned trip to the U.S., hoping for a respite from the turmoil back home.

Finding a fresh start

During his stay in Florida, Ricardo began exploring business opportunities and, for the first time, considered a life beyond Venezuela. His eldest son was on the cusp of attending college in the United States, and Ricardo discovered that investing in a U.S.-based business could secure him an investor’s visa, allowing him to reunite his family in the U.S. Among the potential investments he researched, PuroClean stood out due to its family-like culture. “They foster a collaborative atmosphere among all franchises, emphasizing cooperation over competition. They maintain consistent service levels and branding, ensuring that everyone benefits from the franchise system’s good reputation,” he explained. Ricardo was also drawn to restoration as an industry because it’s a service-focused business that is recession-proof and insurance-based, offering more payment guarantees.

Though new to the U.S., Ricardo did have some connections in the Jewish community in South Florida, one of which was David Shiffman. David was born in Miami but lived in Venezuela for many years, a member of the same Jewish community there as Ricardo. David was living back in Florida when Ricardo approached him with the opportunity to open a PuroClean franchise together as partners. “I had a background in customer service and technology and running a company,” Ricardo explained, “But David’s background is in civil engineering, so he understands the building codes and construction side of the business.” David agreed to the partnership and the two went through PuroClean’s training academy and opened their doors at the end of 2018. “We chose Aventura for the location because we had many connections with the Latin American community and Jewish community to begin the business.”

Navigating challenges

Ricardo noted that the most challenging aspect of starting the business was navigating the cultural differences between the U.S. and Venezuela. “Understanding how the country works is still a challenge,” he said. “The speed of things is different, and the way people see things. I still think in Spanish then translate to English which adds an extra step to every interaction. Everything is new, a new way of doing things.” Ricardo explained that in business, the U.S. is much more competitive and high-pressure than Venezuela. “The competition moves very fast, and you must react very fast to changing scenarios.” He also said that growing up in a smaller country like Venezuela and being an active community member meant that he was well-known and trusted. Moving to a new country, he had to start building his reputation all over again, and he noted that in America, “trust is harder to earn and easier to lose.” Despite having some community connections, it was six months before Ricardo and David booked their first job. “It was really challenging to wait and wait for business, to overcome that frustration and continue going on,” he said.

Ricardo said they were lucky to be invited to join some networking groups that helped them learn how business works in the U.S., including strategies for fitting into the new culture as a highly qualified company despite being from out of the country. Ricardo reflected that they learned to be patient, to talk with people and tell their story, to give great service and build trust slowly. “I tell people where I come from, what my values are, my background in community service. I’m honest and transparent and that has slowly built success.”

Ricardo also noted that PuroClean franchisees benefit from a good network of support, regional conferences, conventions, and impact groups where franchise owners from around the country meet to evaluate their businesses and share best practices. “There’s a strong relationship with corporate,” he said. “Nobody wants you to fail­—success begets success within the franchise.”

Finding success with service at the center

With three locations today and 12 fully trained employees, Ricardo and David’s PuroClean locations offer water damage mitigation, mold remediation, fire remediation, and biohazard cleaning services with most revenue coming from water and mold jobs. The company also frequently partners with other PuroClean franchises on large jobs and responds to CAT events all over the state. What Ricardo enjoys most about the work he does is being able to assist people when they are distressed and have a problem he can help to solve. “I can put them at ease and do whatever we have to do to repair their property and get them back to their normal lives.” Ricardo explained that the service culture of their company is of primary importance. “We believe that 99% is equal to zero; we go for 100% and if we have to go the extra mile, we do. It’s not about the money; it’s about customer satisfaction,” Ricardo said. “Every time we get a good comment or review, we immediately share it with our employees so they know the job they are doing is being recognized. That’s what differentiates us from everybody else. The equipment is the same—we want to be an exceptional vendor.”

Looking to the future, Ricardo and David have plans to continue growing the business by adding locations outside of Florida. Florida presents unique challenges due to its high risk for storms and flooding, causing many insurance carriers to exit the state or impose stringent policy limitations. Diversifying to other states provides a safety net for the business, as well as another strategic location to respond to CAT events that occur outside of Florida. Regarding his children’s involvement in the business, Ricardo shared that, so far, they have pursued their own career paths, and he fully supports their choices. “They are building their own careers in their own names and I’m proud of them. This is what I hoped for them when we came to the U.S.”

When asked what advice Ricardo has for those just entering the industry, he said: “This is a billion-dollar industry, and we are just scratching the surface. There are jobs for everyone. As long as you are a service person and have empathy, it’s simply a matter of training and certification.” Ricardo continued, “If you do the right things and provide good service, that will be returned to you with success. You’ll get rewarded for that. Be patient. Be a team player. Call on other franchises for help when needed and they will call on you.” It all comes back to Ricardo’s core principles of community and service.

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Karen decided she was ready to move on from nursing after her husband’s job took them to South Florida in 2019. They researched franchises together and determined PuroClean was the right fit for her. “I had no idea what I was getting into though; I’ll be very honest with you. This is real construction work. This is a hard job.”

During her first year in business, she got a call from a client who needed help cleaning a garage where someone had died. At this point, Karen had training in water, fire, and mold remediation, but she did not feel prepared to handle a biohazard cleanup job that involved blood and other bodily fluids. She passed on the job, but that call stuck with her, sparking an interest in trauma scene cleaning as a new avenue for her business and another way to help people facing a crisis. “I didn’t want to turn down another unattended death if I didn’t have to,” she said. Karen contacted Darren Hudema, director of training for PuroClean, to find out what training might be available. She learned that Darren had partnered with Jeff Jones to bring the ® training course to PuroClean’s academy. “I was the first person to sign up.”

Biohazard training

The Microbial Warrior® course taught the skills and protocols needed to handle different biohazards, as well as proper use and care of personal protective equipment, some of which was originally developed for the medical field. Karen notes that with her background in medicine, “I just felt like this was my niche. It felt comfortable to me.” One week after completing her training, she got another call to clean an apartment that had been the site of an unattended death.

This turned out to be a huge job full of learning experiences. One challenge they faced was getting odors out of grout and concrete. Fearing they would have to rip out and replace these materials, Karen turned to an expert for help. “What’s really nice is that Jeff Jones, the instructor for Microbial Warrior®, he stays on board with you. He’s part of your team, so when you need something, you have a question, you have a problem, you can call him and he will talk you through it and figure it out with you,” Karen explains. With Jeff’s help, they decided to try a product called ProKure, which can be applied as a liquid or gas to destroy odor-causing molecules in the materials, avoiding extensive demo.

Revenue and regulations

In 2022, about 40% of PuroClean of Stuart’s revenue came from just four biohazard jobs. The majority of the company’s calls are for mold-related jobs, which make up 50% of overall revenue. While the biohazard work clearly generates more revenue per job for Karen’s company, she notes that the jobs are often long, complicated, and dangerous, requiring specialized equipment and higher overhead expenses to do the work correctly and safely.

Although Karen and her team received training before tackling any biohazard jobs, regulations for this type of work vary widely by state. In Florida, biohazard cleanup is an unregulated industry. “Anyone can call themselves a crime scene cleaner,” Karen notes. This is both dangerous, and a challenge for companies like hers because the market can be flooded with untrained contractors willing to work for less. “They have no idea how to protect themselves from bloodborne pathogens. They don’t know what anti-microbials to use to kill or neutralize different pathogens, and so you have a scenario where people are asking for help and getting subpar help, and they don’t know it because they don’t know the industry is unregulated,” Karen explains.

Growing the biohazard niche

Karen notes that Jeff Jones and others are working to create greater standardization for biohazard cleanup, but in the meantime, she must market her company’s certifications and expertise to stand out from the crowd of untrained cleaners. One way she has done this is by making connections with the local Sherrif’s Department and a private body transport company. Karen educates these partners about the type of work they do, the certifications they have, and the protocols they follow when dealing with a trauma or crime scene. Her company created a brochure that highlights their Microbial Warrior® training, as well as the fact that they are a registered transporter of biomedical waste with the Florida Department of Health.

In addition to highlighting her training, Karen also finds that her nursing background and communication skills help her to land all types of restoration jobs. Whether it’s a flood call, a mold issue, or a trauma scene, the client on the other end of the phone is in the midst of a crisis on what might be one of the worst days of their lives. They are concerned about the health and safety of their families and themselves. Karen says that when people find out she was a nurse, they are typically more willing to trust her. She uses her decades of experience communicating with people in difficult situations to respond to her clients with empathy and offer steady reassurance.

Looking ahead, Karen hopes to continue to grow the biohazard side of her business, and she serves as a kind of ambassador for other PuroClean franchisees interested in the Microbial Warrior® course. She’s always willing to talk with other business owners about her positive experience and how valuable the training is, and she says this kind of community spirit is what drew her to PuroClean in the first place: “The nice thing about PuroClean is that we can all work together. We like to help each other out.”

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���������ٴDz�’s of the carpet cleaning industry predicts the global market will reach $935 million by 2027. Rising home improvement activities and urbanization will continue to drive demand for carpet cleaning services in the U.S., which accounts for more than 30% of the global market. As more people use commercial spaces, the need for regular professional cleaning will only grow. Although COVID-19 lockdowns temporarily disrupted the carpet cleaning market, ultimately the pandemic fueled increased home improvement activities and a heightened focus on cleanliness. Arizton also predicts that the demand for technologically advanced cleaning methods and products will experience significant growth. All in all, the future looks bright for the carpet cleaning industry.

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The state has begun the long process of recovery as damage assessments are ongoing, but early estimates from AccuWeather suggest this extreme weather event will cost California more than . These damages are exacerbated by the fact that most California homeowners do not have flood insurance. MarketWatch notes that the most prominent climate phenomena Californians typically face are drought and wildfires. Less than 2% of California’s 14.5 million homes are covered by flood insurance. Experts caution that as climate change increases the frequency of unusual and severe weather events, homeowners can’t rely on old assumptions about the type of insurance needed to protect their property.

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Tourism is the lifeblood of the Florida coast, so restoration efforts continue as hotels and restaurants work to rebuild from Hurricane Ian—and there have been positive steps forward. The Sanibel Island curfew was lifted last week, and the island’s schools reopened. Beachfront recovery continues, but some beaches are now open to the public and the first hotel rooms on Sanibel and Captiva began welcoming guests within the past month. A few restaurants have reopened while others are operating out of food trucks while their permanent locations are restored. In short, residents and business owners have hope, but there’s still a long way to go.

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As restoration companies gear up for water damage jobs, it’s important to consider what training or operating procedures in your company may need to be refreshed or reinforced to ensure your staff, along with your equipment, is in tip-top shape. We asked five industry experts to share the most common on-the-job mistakes they see water damage restoration technicians making.

What water damage restoration mistakes do you see most often from technicians and/or companies?

The common mistakes our experts pointed to tended to highlight a need for some back-to-basics refreshers on water damage restoration procedures and priorities. Richard Driscoll, IICRC master restorer and approved instructor, says the mistakes often begin with the inspection. He points out that without a “thorough investigation of the site, including where the water has gone, what materials have been affected, and proper moisture/atmosphere readings,” technicians don’t have the information they need to address the loss. This leads to other mistakes early in the job.

David Oakes, IICRC master restorer and approved instructor, commonly sees technicians who fail to install enough air movement on day one of the project. “The ANSI/IICRC S500 Standard for Professional Water Damage Restoration, 5th Addition 2021 includes a formula that clearly defines the minimum amount of air movers to achieve a fast rate of evaporation,” he notes, so technicians should be sure to review and follow the standard guidelines. Barry Costa, managing partner/educator for Costa Group Education LLC, also points to the importance of following the S500 and ensuring technicians understand the definitions of all terms used in the standard. He explains that as manufacturers have begun developing smaller and lighter equipment for ease of use, the newer equipment may not offer the same drying power as the heavier duty models. Restorers must take all this into account when calculating the equipment needs of a project. Jessika James, IICRC-approved instructor with LearnToRestore.com, agrees, noting that improper equipment calculations in the initial stages can lead to longer drying times and secondary damages.

Bruce DeLoatch, IICRC master restorer and approved instructor, says his chief concern is a “lack of safety training and attention to health and safety.” He points out that OSHA guidelines are there for our protection on the job. However, restoration professionals sometimes have a habit of “viewing OSHA as the enemy or thinking, ‘It won’t happen to me.’” Restoration work can be hazardous, which is why DeLoatch recommends the IICRC HST course, which teaches health and safety to cleaning and restoration professionals. “I strongly urge company owners to enroll all workers in the course and to make safety the number one priority on all projects,” DeLoatch says.

What is one thing you most wish technicians would stop doing?

Oakes and Driscoll agree that a big problem in the industry is demolition and removal of salvageable materials. Technicians often assume that materials like tile, grout, and subfloor are contaminated without conducting a thorough inspection or considering whether the material can be cleaned, dried, and disinfected. Oakes asserts that “the floor will tell you if the floor needs to be removed: loose tiles, hollow sounding tile, buckled floors, damaged grout, etc.”

Driscoll agrees, noting that “We still have too many restoration companies and technicians whose first course of action is to grab the crowbar and start demolition—rather than investigating the loss first, then evaluating the drying options, and then doing demo if needed.” Oakes adds, “Anyone can remove wet materials; it takes a true professional to dry material in place.”

And speaking of being a true professional, Costa sees too many technicians performing services without proper training and professional certification. “We have so many companies that go into water damage and they might get their education on forums. Well, the problem with getting it only on a forum is the person giving information has not necessarily been vetted for their expertise,” Costa explains. This is not to say that all information on forums is bad, but an untrained technician will not be able to discern accurate from inaccurate information. “You need formal training to be in this industry,” Costa asserts, “and it doesn’t stop at WRT [Certification]. You need to continue your training.”

What do you wish more restoration technicians knew?

Several of our experts pointed again to safety concerns among the things they want more techs to know. Driscoll highlighted proper use of PPE, noting that he still sees technicians in the field using a respirator over a full beard, which can’t achieve a proper seal to keep the wearer safe from contaminants.

James suggests that more techs should know how to perform a proper hazard assessment and use the Hierarchy of Hazard Controls to reduce or eliminate hazards. “Jobsite safety is so important for workers, occupants, insurance related staff, and subcontractors, yet it is often overlooked or ignored by some restoration contractors and technicians,” James explains. DeLoatch adds that technicians need to be aware of the long-term health effects of the work they do and take proper precautions now. “You are going to age,” he explains. “You will need your lungs, back, knees, and hearing when you get older. What you do now will dramatically affect the length and quality of your life.”

Oakes and Driscoll also note that a true understanding of psychrometry and the science of drying is often lacking in the industry. To dry structures effectively and efficiently, technicians must understand how to balance humidity, airflow, and temperature, and how to manage the changing balance throughout the drying cycle. Thoroughly assessing a water loss, calculating the equipment needs, addressing hazards, and properly disinfecting a jobsite all require an in-depth knowledge of the science behind cleaning and drying materials.

Costa wishes more technicians recognized the larger significance of their jobs in not just physically drying a building, but in bringing their clients’ lives back in order. He explains that especially for homeowners, “This is one of the worst things that’s happened to them in the most expensive thing they’ve ever purchased—their home. And they’re worried about their kids, the soccer game coming up, they have family coming this weekend—and they now have a swimming pool that they didn’t pay for within their home. So, when we go in, we have to heal two losses: the physical loss and the emotional loss.”

Costa also highlights the importance of the Restoration Industry Association and the advocacy work they do on behalf of the industry. Dealing with the insurance side of restoration and getting the work paid for can be difficult, and the RIA is serving as a voice for the industry to represent the best interests of restoration professionals in creating new policy and improving communications. Costa encourages all restoration contractors to join the organization and stay educated on the advocacy work of the RIA.

Final thoughts

As our industry experts point out, restoration is simultaneously a highly technical and highly emotional field. It can be physically demanding and hazardous, and technicians must care for the physical health and safety of themselves and their clients.

At the same time, the job can be emotionally demanding with technicians servicing clients on some of their worst days, when they may be dealing with unthinkable losses. In these moments, what your staff has to offer is a supportive, professional demeanor paralleled by the technical expertise that will allow them to restore clients’ homes and businesses as quickly and efficiently as possible. Before you send your techs out into the field this season, take the advice of our industry experts and address these common mistakes. Spend some time reviewing and reinforcing the training, procedures, safety precautions, and core values you expect to be reflected on every job and in every interaction with a client.

Amy Hughes is an editorial assistant with Cleanfax. She has worked as a freelance writer and editor for more than ten years, including four years with Cleanfax. Reach out to her at amylynn.alh@gmail.com.

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From a small family business to a family of businesses

Advanced DRI’s story begins four years ago when Boatwright began working with his partner, Angelo Ferrante, at the Ferrante’s small, family-owned restoration company
called Hudson Valley DKI, which was born out of the family’s 30-year construction and remodeling business. Ferrante and his brother had built the disaster recovery division, but they needed help implementing better business systems and processes to scale the company and continue growing. That’s where Boatwright came in.

With a background in process standardization and business systems, Boatwright joined the company, implemented some changes, and it began to grow. It was at this point that Boatwright reached out to Manhattan-based Brookstone Partners, a private equity firm, with a plan to acquire other smaller restoration companies in the area. Brookstone Partners agreed to offer the financial assistance they needed, and Advanced Disaster Recovery, Inc. was formed about two years ago with those first acquisitions.

Today, Advanced DRI is a leading restoration contractor in the Hudson Valley region of New York. With eight locations and 150 employees, the company offers fire and smoke restoration, water damage restoration, mold remediation, contents restoration, infection control, biohazard cleanup, construction services, and catastrophic loss response.”

As a small family company acquiring other family companies, Boatwright feels it’s important to allow each location to maintain its identity and autonomy while uniting under a single, trusted brand with standardized operating procedures. This approach shows the utmost respect for what these families have built—but it’s not without challenges. Boatwright explains, “We’re specializing in these small family companies, and when you do that, you know, most of them don’t have tremendous structure or any business systems—or sometimes no systems at all—so I’d say that’s a big challenge.”

To meet this challenge, Boatwright says they first had to establish a platform of standardized systems, and then figure out how to implement those systems in each of these small family businesses while allowing them the flexibility to continue to be what made them successful in the first place. “We’re trying to be the biggest little company around,” Boatwright says. Boatwright asserts that good communication with each location is key to successfully implementing new systems. He tries to help each branch location see the purpose and benefit to the new systems while still giving them some freedom to do what works for them.

Community values

What excites Boatwright about the restoration industry is how involved they are in the community. This is built into the nature of restoration work—responding to disasters that impact the community—but Advanced DRI is intentional about it as well. “We are really active in our communities, and when we look for companies to acquire or partner with, we look for that culture of family community businesses,” he explains. “The reason we look for that is we get excited working in the community and helping out in the community.”

These family and community values are what sets Advanced DRI apart in the industry. The company’s mission statement is: “We build people, and they build the company.” Boatwright explains that this mission statement is about giving both the employees and the customers a positive experience. He wants his employees to be excited about work and his customers to be eager to refer the company to others.

Growing the family

As for future growth, Boatwright says the company’s goals are clear: to be a top regional brand and continue to grow in their quad-state region. Boatwright enjoys the fact that the Hudson Valley experiences all four seasons and all the different weather elements that lead to different types of restoration work and drive business. In a region that sees everything from hurricanes to blizzards, a diversified menu of services like the one Advanced DRI offers is key—and those services will continue to grow as well.

“We’ll continue acquiring these small companies and adding to our family of companies with two to three acquisitions per year,” Boatwright says. “Beyond that, we’ll make sure we continue growing our environmental services group. We already do a lot of mold work, asbestos, and lead, but we will really grow the asbestos segment in all those regions.” Boatwright goes on, “Our desire is to be that full service. We lead with environmental, water, and mitigation losses with reconstruction supported, so that customers can deal with one vendor.”

In addition to diverse services, Boatwright explains that the company also seeks diversity in market segments—including TPA work, which isn’t always popular among restoration firms.

“We like TPA work,” he says. “We know how to play within that segment, and we like that work, and we work hard to be one of their good providers within that network. We don’t have any one segment. We’re going to play in them all—and do it well and continue growing in that region. “

Watch the full interview below:

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Ronnie and Anita Brown, co-owners of in Gainesville, Fla., began their carpet cleaning company with a clear mission: focus on cleaning for health and safety. While planning to start the company, their son, Austin, was born with a life-threatening case of infectious pneumonia. After 10 days in the NICU, Austin was able to come home, but this experience shaped the future of Clean Zone. “We had begun to study the industry and were aware of Kawasaki Syndrome and other issues related to the overuse of chemicals in the home,” explains Ronnie. “We wanted to create a cleaning company that focused on cleaning for health, and the situation with our son hardened our resolve.” Clean Zone opened six months later with a guarantee to use only the safest cleaning agents.

A business is born

Clean Zone began with Ronnie’s desire to be an entrepreneur—something that runs in his family. “Growing up, my father was a professional rodeo cowboy, and to supplement his income, he operated a flooring installation business.” Ronnie worked with his father from the time he was young, putting in hours during the summer and on school breaks. He continued this work during college, but after he graduated with a degree in information technology, Ronnie moved on to work for a large corporation for 10 years. “I was never content with my job,” Ronnie explains. “I had a strong desire to own my own business.”

After talking about starting his own company for a couple of years, Anita told him, “Ronnie, if you want to start your own business, I’m behind you 100%. But, please, let’s do it or stop talking about it!” So, Clean Zone was born. Ronnie had held various sales positions—selling everything from prearranged funerals to vacuums—which helped prepare him for the sales and customer relations aspects of running a business. And his experience with flooring installation, coupled with a stint at a large carpet cleaning company, made the industry a natural fit.

In business since 1997, Clean Zone operates two trucks with three full-time employees and two part-time ones. It offers a full range of carpet and floor cleaning services, including in-shop rug cleaning; tile and grout cleaning; LVP and laminate cleaning; wood cleaning and polishing; stone cleaning, polishing, and restoration; upholstery cleaning; and, of course, green carpet cleaning.

Start-up challenges

One early challenge Ronnie and Anita faced was earning enough to support their family. When Clean Zone launched, they had two young daughters and a six-month-old son. “To help pay the bills, I worked both full-time with my existing job, and worked with our new business,” Ronnie says. After 14 months, the Browns had enough money saved and enough business coming in for Ronnie to finally leave his old job and focus solely on their company.

Another early challenge was finding balance and focus and not spreading themselves too thin. Ronnie and Anita were both IICRC-certified technicians with one additional full-time employee. Ronnie went on to get certified in textile cleaning, water damage restoration, and applied structural drying, and they started doing water damage restoration in addition to carpet cleaning.

“We became frustrated with going to restoration jobs in the middle of the night and then having a full day of cleaning,” Ronnie explains. “Couple that with employee issues, and we made a big decision. We felt that if we continued to focus on high-quality cleaning and provide great customer service, we could have all the work that we needed.” The Browns stopped offering restoration services, putting all their energy instead into carpet cleaning. As their business grew, they eventually added various hard surface care services, keeping their focus on floors and cleaning.

Ups, downs, and learning curves

Clean Zone started strong with steady growth of about 10-15% per year, but the housing market collapse and recession of 2008 hit the business hard. “This was about the same time that we decided to really focus on cleaning exclusively,” notes Ronnie. In 2014, they merged with a larger cleaning and restoration company with Ronnie overseeing the cleaning side of the business. After a year and a half, Ronnie and Anita decided to strike out on their own again, unmerging and rebranding Clean Zone. “It was like a fresh start and breathed new life into our business. Since then, we have had steady growth of 10-20% per year,” Ronnie says.

Clean Zone saw another downturn when the pandemic hit. “The early months of the lockdown caused about a 50% drop in our business,” Ronnie states. However, true to their mission of cleaning for health and safety, the Browns began learning as much as possible about COVID-19 and took all available precautions. “We started implementing stringent use of virucides to clean our equipment between clients,” he explains. “We let our clients know about the changes we implemented through social media and email campaigns.” As a result of their quick adaptation and marketing, clients began reaching out asking for cleaning services with virucides added as a post-cleaning application, and business picked back up.

Throughout the company’s ups and downs, one thing Ronnie has learned is just how crucial marketing is. In the early days of the business, his focus was on the technical aspects and certifications. “I wanted to know EVERTHING about our industry and studied very hard to accomplish this,” he reflects. But in hindsight, Ronnie says he should have made marketing a higher priority from the start. “No matter how fantastic you are at cleaning, people must find you,” Ronnie says. “Word of mouth has been great, but marketing makes you grow much faster.”

The Browns started out marketing Clean Zone almost exclusively through the Yellow Pages. “We would pack our ad with so much text it used to drive our YP rep crazy,” he recalls. “We wanted to give potential clients lots of information instead of big logos.” More recently, the Browns have shifted to online marketing, doing a little work with AdWords and hiring various companies to help improve the SEO of their website. “I am a member of ‘Results on Fire’ a local chapter of BNI (Business Networks International) and this has been great for us,” Ronnie adds.

Family business, full circle

Despite the challenges they’ve faced, the Browns know starting their business was the right choice. For one, the freedom of being their own bosses and the ability to prioritize family time when needed has been important to them. And when it comes to the business itself, the Browns enjoy serving their clients. “We find great satisfaction when we are helping people salvage an heirloom rug or saving their carpet from a pet disaster,” Ronnie reflects. “We have been blessed with so many great clients and have literally watched their kids grow up.” In addition to cleaning and running the business, Ronnie enjoys educational aspects of the industry, such as helping his clients learn how to care for their furnishings between professional cleanings. “I have always enjoyed attending IICRC classes and am planning on becoming an IICRC instructor,” he notes.

As the company that began with baby Austin’s illness at the heart of its mission moves into its next stage, the Browns’ family business is coming full circle. Austin has been working full time for some time for Clean Zone, and in 2022, he will be brought into ownership of the company. “We have enjoyed being a small company but realize we need to become scalable and more turnkey,” Ronnie explains. “We are working to complete our systemization with a goal of Austin assuming a greater role in ownership and management in the next few years.” Learning from past experience, the Browns are already making plans for additional marketing to achieve these goals.

When it comes to advice for those just starting out, Ronnie says to educate yourself on the industry, including obtaining IICRC certifications for any service you plan to offer—but don’t forget about marketing. “Having great equipment and technical proficiency is necessary, but it will not bring clients to your door.”

Read other Industry Leader Review profiles here.

Amy Hughes is a freelance writer who has worked with Cleanfax for three years and has worked as a writer and editor for nine years. Reach out to her at amylynn.alh@gmail.com.

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Courtney Lee, owner of in Lawrenceville, Georgia, entered the carpet cleaning industry just a couple years out of high school, and if there’s one thing he’s learned in the decades since, it’s the value of a role model. As a new owner, Lee started following Mark Saiger of Saiger’s Steam Clean on YouTube, and then began making his own YouTube videos as a marketing strategy. But in following an industry role model, Lee saw himself become a role model for other cleaners from all over the country.

Questions on Lee’s process flooded in, and he soon found himself offering others industry advice. Recognizing an industry need for more mentorship, more discussion, and more connection, Lee created Cleaners Connect, a space where cleaners from around the world could ask questions and share ideas. “It was mainly to help cleaners come together in a group where it wouldn’t just be on me,” Lee explains.

How it all started

As active and impressive as Cleaner’s Connect is, Lee’s main job is still running his own company. Lee started Truman Steemers 15 years ago after spending nine years in the industry working for other companies. “I realized I wanted to be able to offer my clients a better experience than some of the other companies that I had worked for, especially being upfront and honest about the price because a lot of companies were doing bait-and-switch,” Lee explains.

Truman Steemers began with a Ford F150, a portable unit, and a few bandit road signs for advertising. Today, the company is a three-truck, three-man operation offering carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, tile and grout cleaning, pet odor treatment, and hardwood floor cleaning and restoring.

Lee says one of his first big challenges was realizing, if he wanted to offer something different from the companies he’d worked for, he would need to use different marketing strategies to find different clients. “I immediately started marketing to the lower-end clients because that’s what a lot of the companies I worked for were doing. But at the time, I didn’t realize that was a volume-based business and not something for a smaller company like myself,” he explains, noting that in the beginning, he was charging just $20 per room.

After five years of mental and financial struggle, Lee realized he needed to change his approach. He stopped using the road signs and raised his prices by 25%. “I immediately started utilizing Google AdWords, and I was also doing yellowpages.com at the time to attract better clients,” he says. “And those two sources of marketing are what helped me build a good, solid clientele.” Lee also says adding higher-end services, like hardwood floor cleaning and restoration, have helped to grow his business. This year, he added a full-time truck dedicated to hardwood floors, and it doubled his gross earnings in under a year.

From YouTuber to industry role model

When it comes to marketing, Lee says the key to his success has been his YouTube videos. He started making videos about ten years ago, before YouTube marketing was as popular as it is today, with the initial goal of attracting potential customers to his channel and then his website by showing his cleaning process and the results. His inspiration came from watching Saiger. “He was a big influencer to me when it came to videos because he was actually the first person I started watching on YouTube in the carpet cleaning industry,” Lee explains. “He has just been a great, positive role model for myself and others in the industry.”

Even though he credits Saiger as a role model, Lee quickly became an influencer in his own right. “I think what made me stand out is that, being African American in this industry, I didn’t see any African American cleaners doing videos at the time, so I knew that would definitely be a big point for me just to be seen differently,” he says. “I’ve had so many other African American cleaners who reached out to me because of YouTube, and my videos gave them the confidence to actually do better in their business.” As the channel grew in popularity, more and more cleaners began reaching out with specific questions about his processes. It became more of an educational channel for fellow cleaners, with Lee adding “tips of the day” and discussing his business model to help others in the industry.

The questions pouring in became overwhelming after a while. “It got to the point where I just couldn’t handle all the questions from cleaners reaching out to me,” Lee says. This led to the creation of the Cleaner’s Connect Facebook group he and his friend Chandler Thompson started four years ago. It’s an open forum where cleaners can network to ask questions and share their experiences. The group has more than 10,000 members and averages 40 posts per day.

Cleaners Connect is one of the things Lee is proudest of, but he gives a lot of credit to the other admins and members whose participation keeps the group going strong, especially group admin Chad Mayes, who does most of the group management now. “Cleaners Connect would not be where it is now without the administration and management of Chad,” he says, adding, “Without the members, there would be no Cleaners Connect, and that group has helped so many.” Lee notes he even met one of his employees, Kenneth Scoby, who is helping to grow the hardwood floor services for Truman Steemers, in the group.

Staying the course with no regrets

As for his company, it should be no surprise that what Lee enjoys most is getting out into different neighborhoods to connect with lots of different people. And even though he has made some mistakes along the way, Lee says he wouldn’t change anything about the path he took to get here because it taught him what he needed to know to be successful and help others. “Teaching other cleaners and coaching other cleaners, I tell them what to do differently, so they don’t have to go through the same mistakes or trial and error as I did,” he says, “but to be honest, I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Looking ahead, Lee plans to continue expanding the hardwood floor cleaning side of the business and is also considering franchising that aspect since it has been so successful. “Instead of trying to get a multi-truck operation like most companies want to do, I’m focusing on selling a certain service to other cleaners who are looking for better opportunity and who also can make more profits in a lesser period of time while doing fewer jobs,” Lee explains. As for his plans to meet these goals, Lee intends to “continue to stay on the path that I am, stay focused,” and once again credits his industry role models—people like Robert Atlas and Robert Allen. “I’m just seeing how their companies grew and took them into a totally different direction than just focusing on a multi-truck business operation, just kind of thinking outside the box,” Lee says.

Additionally, Lee wants to continue being a leader in the industry, helping and coaching newer cleaners. His advice for anyone just starting out? “Focus on quality, not quantity.” Lee also says it’s important to figure out where you’re headed and what you want out of the business, otherwise, “you find yourself like me, five years in, looking up and realizing you just wasted five years basically wandering in this industry without any guidance or leadership.” Once you understand the industry and you know your goals, Lee says, “follow that path, no matter what.”

Read other Industry Leader Review profiles here.

Amy Hughes is a freelance writer who has worked with Cleanfax for three years and has worked as a writer and editor for nine years. Reach out to her at amylynn.alh@gmail.com.

The post 2022 Carpet Cleaning Industry Leaders Review: Truman Steemers appeared first on Cleanfax.

When restoration workers encounter hazardous materials on the job, a respirator is a necessary element of personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep workers safe. In this article, industry experts talk through the dos and don’ts of proper respirator use so you can protect yourself and your employees from on-the-job hazards.

David Oakes, member of the IICRC Field Guide for Safety and Health for Disaster Restoration Professionals, notes that use of a respirator begins with a written respiratory protection program that identifies the potential hazards and the type of respirator to be used. The program should include:

• A medical evaluation stating whether each employ can use a respirator based on their physical health
• A fit test for the respirator to be used
• Training:
  • How to don and doff a respirator
  • When to use a respirator
  • What cartridges should be used and how to change them
  • Proper use and care for a respirator.

Respirators in restoration

Knowing when to use respirators is an important first step for restoration professionals. Honeywell Respiratory Protection Product Sales Manager Robin Regan reminds us respirators are needed any time workers are exposed to materials deemed hazardous by the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). As Oakes pointed out, hazard assessment should be completed at the start of any job, and the appropriate PPE protocols followed based on the assessment.

Common hazards in the restoration industry that indicate respirator use include hazardous particle matter (most specifically particles under 10 microns), mists, solvents, cleaning/disinfectant chemicals, lead, asbestos, fungal parts and spores, and other microbial pathogens, according to Oakes. Additionally, he points out that fire restoration comes with its own set of hazards, including particles of incomplete combustion, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, and dioxins, many of which are known or suspected carcinogens.

Image courtesy of NIOSH.

All site hazards, including airborne hazards, are addressed using OSHA’s hierarchy of controls (elimination, substitution, engineering, administrative, and PPE), our experts noted. Because PPE is the least effective measure, other engineering controls should be the primary focus. “Respirators are sometimes used for a short period of time while implementing other controls in the hierarchy,” explains Lee Senter, chairman of the IICRC Field Guide for Safety and Health for Disaster Restoration Professionals.

Our experts also stress that different jobs require different types of respirators, and OSHA requires proper training to ensure workers understand the different types, their uses, capabilities, and limitations. Senter says, “The use of N95s is not common due to their fit being lost over longer durations of use. The use of half-face respirators with a p100 organic vapor cartridge is common for fire and smoke remediations. For mold, trauma, and sewage remediation, the use of a powered or non-powered, full-face respirator is the norm.”

Regan adds that disposable N95 respirators may be used for smaller jobs, such as mold that contaminates 10 square feet or less. The larger the job, the higher the level of filtration needed, he says, adding “For significant jobs with high levels of contamination, we recommend restoration workers use [a PAPR respirator].”

Fit testing and integrity

For a respirator to do its job properly, a correct fit is essential. “Fit tests need to be performed prior to wearing a respirator for the first time and then on an annual basis,” Regan explains. “An additional fit test would be required if a worker switches their model of respirator or experiences changes to their face size.”

A fit test ensures the respirator creates a proper seal against the face and tests the integrity of the seal when the wearer is moving, talking, and breathing heavily. “If an individual wears a respirator with a loose fit, it cannot provide proper protection from breathing in harmful contaminants. A tight seal across the face is key,” Regan says. The test is performed using either a special instrument designed for fit testing or the wearer’s senses (taste, smell) to detect if a test agent is able to pass the respirator’s seal.

Fit test administrators do not need special certification, but they must be trained in how to perform the test properly. Senter notes that it’s the employer’s responsibility to ensure all employees have been fit tested for respirators prior to using them on the job.

Regan points out that respirator manufacturers like his company generally offer fit test training for customers via videos, webinars, or even face to face, so businesses should first look to manufacturers for help with fit testing. Regular fit tests are necessary because several factors can jeopardize the integrity of the fit, including substantial weight loss or weight gain, significant dental work, or severe scarring that may alter the face shape.

Senter adds, “There can be no facial hair between the skin of the face and the seal of the respirator,” so workers who rely on respirators must be clean-shaven where the seal is formed. See the facial hair guide from NIOSH above to help employees ensure their facial hair does not conflict with the respirator’s seal.

Image courtesy of NIOSH.

In addition to regular fit tests, restoration workers in the field should pay attention to any indication that their respirator is not working properly. “The first warning sign is usually odors,” Senter says. “If the odors are detectable, your respirator may not fit you correctly.” However, the absence of odors does not necessarily mean the respirator is working properly, as some contaminants are odorless.

Other signs of respirator malfunction include fogging and air whistling. If a wearer’s glasses or goggles fog, this is likely a sign of respirator fit problems due to air escaping around the nosepiece. “Last but not least,” Senter says, “when performing your positive/negative seal checks prior to performing work, any ‘sound of wind’ would indicate that the respirator is missing a gasket or another component.”

Donning and doffing

As with all PPE, donning and doffing is a crucial part of proper respirator use. “When donning respirators, workers should conduct a seal check. A seal check is an easy way to make sure the respirator is working properly and should be done every time a worker puts on their respirator, not just at the beginning of their shift,” Regan explains. All other PPE should be donned prior to the seal check, which is performed by covering the filters and inhaling. “The respirator should not have gaps that allow air through while inhaling.”

Donning and doffing requires training. Look to the respirator manufacturer for recommendations and training. “This would include proper warming of the respirator facepiece prior to donning it and paying specific attention to the proper molding of any nose clip of an N95,” says Senter. He adds that a respirator’s straps should not leave marks or indentations on the face if properly fit.

Proper doffing is equally important to ensure no cross contamination occurs. “Workers should be careful not to get the contaminants from the outside of the respirator on their hands that could then be transferred to their mouth or eyes,” Regan explains. “For added safety measures, workers should always wash their hands after taking off a respirator and make sure the respirator is cleaned and sanitized properly.”

Donning and doffing should be done with a partner whenever possible, Senter suggests, “especially when wearing coveralls and other PPE. While doffing, your co-worker may have to assist in decontamination, especially in potential
biohazardous situations.”

Conclusion

Proper respiratory use begins with a written respiratory protection program, which all restoration companies should have on file. As you develop your program, Oakes advises studying the safety data sheets (SDS) of any chemicals used. Keep in mind the SDS info is for the concentrate, not the dilution, so consider both the application method and concentrations you will use.

“You may be surprised to find out that some of the products (chemicals) we use on a regular basis require little or no respiratory protection, while others we think are safe do [require protection],” Oakes says. “Sometimes substituting a different product can eliminate the need for PPE.”

Oakes reminds us that employees are a company’s most valuable asset, so ensuring their health and safety has to be a prime objective. A comprehensive respiratory protection program—along with employees who are trained to use their PPE, including respirators correctly—is crucial to every restoration company to protect that asset.

Amy Hughes is a freelance writer who has worked with Cleanfax for three years and has worked as a writer and editor for nine years. Reach out to her at amylynn.alh@gmail.com.

The post Respiratory Protection Dos and Don’ts appeared first on Cleanfax.