When most people think about hurricane preparedness, they picture stocking up on supplies or boarding up windows as a storm approaches. But according to Certified Broadcast Meteorologist, FEMA Certified Instructor, Cheryl Nelson, the most important work happens long before a hurricane ever appears on the forecast.

"Hurricanes don't just test buildings, they test your plans," Cheryl explains. That means organizations should use the weeks and months before hurricane season to inspect their properties, identify vulnerabilities, and ensure emergency response plans are current.

Simple preventative measures can make a significant difference. Cheryl recommends walking your property to look for missing shingles, roof leaks, loose signage, overhanging tree limbs, or anything that could become dangerous debris during high winds. Addressing these issues before a storm develops is far easier than trying to manage them once watches and warnings have been issued.

Preparedness also extends beyond the physical property. Every organization should have a clear communication plan so employees know their roles before, during, and after an emergency. Maintaining current contact lists, documenting facilities with photos, and creating an inventory of important assets can also help streamline insurance claims and recovery efforts.

One of Cheryl's most overlooked recommendations is to build relationships with those around you. Neighbors, nearby businesses, and local community members often become some of the first people available to help following a disaster.

As hurricane season continues, Cheryl's message is straightforward: don't wait for the next storm to start preparing. The time to strengthen your facility, review your emergency plan, and build your support network is before severe weather threatens your community.

For Jeremy James, a career in restoration has never been just about repairing buildings. It's about helping people through some of the most challenging moments they'll ever face and doing it alongside a team that shares the same commitment.

After joining BMS CAT in 2011 as a Sales Manager, Jeremy has grown with the company, serving as a General Manager before becoming a Regional Vice President supporting multiple branches. Looking back on the past 15 years, he says one thing has remained constant: the culture.

"The reason why I've been here fifteen years is because of the team concept and the team environment," Jeremy explains. "It's very rewarding to be able to help our customers out in the field."

That commitment is especially meaningful in environments where there is no room for error. Jeremy recalls a recent project inside a hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), where a newborn requiring around-the-clock care remained in the facility while restoration work was underway. Through careful planning and close coordination with hospital staff, the team completed the work with zero disruption to patient care.

Experiences like these reinforce what makes restoration more than just a job. Every project requires trust, communication, and a team that understands what's at stake for the customer.

Jeremy believes success comes from strong relationships, both with customers and within the organization. "This is a team sport," he says. "We care about our customers, and we care about each other."

That culture of collaboration and purpose continues to drive Jeremy and his team as they help customers recover every day.

Large commercial construction projects require careful coordination, specialized expertise, and reliable partners who can keep work moving without slowing down the overall schedule. While many companies focus on general construction, there are often specialized scopes that require additional resources and experience.

During a recent conversation, Curtis Marcum, Branch Manager, and Rob McBurney, Commercial Account Manager, at BMS CAT discussed how their team supports contractors on large commercial projects by taking on specialized work that others may not have the resources or desire to handle.

As Curtis explains, "A lot of these large commercial jobs, they're already bid out from a year ago. A lot of the larger contractors don't want to handle that stuff. That's where we step in, and we're able to take it and run with it."

Whether it's environmental services, specialty cleaning, HVAC-related work, or other technical project needs, BMS CAT works alongside contractors to manage complex scopes that may fall outside a general contractor's day-to-day operations. By taking ownership of these specialized tasks, the team helps keep projects on schedule while allowing construction partners to stay focused on the broader build.

This collaborative approach is especially valuable on large commercial developments where delays in one trade can impact multiple phases of construction. Having an experienced partner that understands commercial job sites, safety requirements, and scheduling expectations helps reduce risk and improve project efficiency.

Although BMS CAT is best known for disaster restoration and emergency response, the company's expertise extends well beyond emergencies. Supporting planned commercial construction projects is another way the team helps customers solve challenges and successfully deliver projects from start to finish.

To hear more insights from BMS CAT experts, visit the Inside Restoration & Recovery channel for practical advice, project stories, and lessons from the field: https://www.bmscat.com/inside-restoration-recovery/

Strong customer partnerships are built long before an emergency occurs. While restoration companies are often called during a crisis, the most successful relationships begin with communication, planning, and a shared understanding of each organization's goals and operational needs.

In this installment of the Industry Soundbite Series, Jaime Wagoner explains that great partnerships start with listening. Understanding a customer's facility, priorities, and potential risks allows restoration professionals to develop solutions that extend beyond emergency response. From loss planning and preventative maintenance to disaster recovery, every service should be aligned with the customer's unique objectives.

Open communication also creates trust. When customers understand the capabilities of their restoration partner and know who to call before an issue arises, response efforts become faster, more coordinated, and less disruptive. Rather than reacting to problems as they occur, organizations can work together to prepare for a wide range of scenarios, improving resilience and reducing downtime.

The strongest partnerships evolve over time. Regular conversations, facility reviews, emergency planning, and ongoing maintenance discussions help ensure both sides are prepared when the unexpected happens. This proactive approach allows facility managers to focus on their operations while knowing they have a trusted partner ready to support them whenever needed.

This soundbite is part of Inside Restoration & Recovery, BMS CAT's ongoing thought leadership channel featuring practical insights, expert perspectives, and real-world guidance for commercial property owners and facility managers. Explore more videos, articles, and industry expertise at https://www.bmscat.com/inside-restoration-recovery/.

For facility directors, summer is one of the most important times of the year to prepare for unexpected events. Whether it's hurricane season, severe thunderstorms, extreme heat, or an unforeseen water or fire loss, taking a proactive approach today can significantly reduce disruption when an emergency occurs.

In this installment of the Industry Soundbite Series, Jamie Wagoner shares one simple but impactful recommendation: review your emergency response plan and confirm you have a trusted restoration partner in place before you need one.

Emergency response planning is more than maintaining a document on a shelf. It should be reviewed regularly to ensure key contacts are current, internal procedures are up to date, and vendor relationships are established before an emergency unfolds. Waiting until disaster strikes often leads to delays in mobilizing resources, increased downtime, and added stress for facility teams.

Having a restoration and reconstruction partner identified ahead of time also allows organizations to discuss response expectations, understand available services, and coordinate logistics before an event ever occurs. Those conversations can help streamline the recovery process and allow facility managers to focus on protecting occupants and maintaining business operations when every minute counts.

Preparation doesn't have to be complicated. A simple review of your emergency response program each month or season can uncover gaps, strengthen communication, and ensure your organization is ready for whatever comes next

Through the Industry Soundbite Series, BMS CAT shares practical advice from restoration professionals to help commercial property owners and facility managers improve preparedness, minimize downtime, and recover more quickly when emergencies happen.

The first hour after a fire can have a lasting impact on a property's recovery. While the immediate emergency may be over once the fire is extinguished, the decisions made in the hours that follow can influence how quickly a building returns to operation, how much additional damage occurs, and how effectively tenants and occupants are supported.

In this installment of the Industry Soundbite Series, Lonnie Meade explains why preparation is the most important factor in a successful recovery. Rather than scrambling to find help after a disaster, organizations that have already identified a trusted restoration partner are able to move quickly, reducing downtime and protecting the long-term value of their property.

A fire often leaves behind more than visible damage. Smoke, soot, water from firefighting efforts, and disrupted building operations all require a coordinated response. Having restoration professionals ready to mobilize immediately allows property managers to focus on communicating with tenants, securing the site, and beginning the recovery process without unnecessary delays.

Preparation also creates confidence during an otherwise stressful event. Knowing who to call, understanding the response process, and having a plan in place before an emergency occurs can make the difference between a controlled recovery and a chaotic one.

Throughout the Industry Soundbite Series, BMS CAT shares practical insights that help commercial property owners and facility managers strengthen their emergency preparedness. As Lonnie Meade explains, being ready before disaster strikes isn't simply a best practice. It's one of the most effective ways to protect people, minimize business interruption, and recover faster when every minute counts.

On this episode of Inside Restoration & Recovery, host Martha Lewis welcomes Shadira Jones, General Manager of BMS CAT's Tampa office, for a conversation about hurricane preparedness, crisis leadership, and what it takes to help businesses recover when disaster strikes.

Drawing from her experience leading response efforts during back-to-back hurricanes that impacted Florida, Shadira shares how preparation begins long before a storm appears in the forecast. From conducting facility walkthroughs and identifying vulnerable areas to developing emergency action plans and staging equipment ahead of landfall, she explains why proactive planning is one of the most valuable services BMS CAT provides its customers.

The discussion also explores what happens behind the scenes when multiple storms threaten the same region. Shadira describes how her team balances customer needs with employee safety, coordinates equipment and personnel across affected areas, and maintains constant communication to keep both customers and field teams informed throughout the response.

Beyond the operational side of disaster recovery, Shadira reflects on how leading through major hurricanes has shaped her as a leader. She shares the importance of empathy, supporting employees who may be dealing with their own storm damage, and creating a culture where communication, teamwork, and trust remain priorities even during the most demanding situations.

Whether you're a commercial property owner, facilities leader, or simply interested in how restoration teams prepare for large-scale disasters, this episode offers practical advice on emergency planning, business continuity, and the value of building relationships before an emergency occurs.

Listen now to hear why Shadira believes preparation, communication, and putting people first are the keys to navigating hurricane season—and why at BMS CAT, "we stay ready so we don't have to get ready."

In healthcare environments, downtime is not just a business interruption. It can directly impact patient care. Hospitals and healthcare facilities operate around the clock, serving patients with urgent and often life-critical needs. When an area of a facility becomes unavailable due to water damage, fire, construction, or another disruption, every minute matters.

In this soundbite, Jeremy James explains why minimizing downtime is one of the highest priorities when responding to healthcare facilities. Unlike many commercial properties that can temporarily relocate operations or pause certain activities, hospitals must remain ready to care for patients at all times. Doctors, nurses, and support staff depend on access to critical spaces and systems to deliver care safely and efficiently.

Jeremy discusses how BMS CAT approaches healthcare projects with a sense of urgency, recognizing that every delay can create additional challenges for facility teams and the patients they serve. The goal is not only to complete the work, but to restore affected areas as quickly as possible while maintaining a safe environment and minimizing disruption to ongoing operations.

This healthcare-focused approach requires careful planning, coordination, and execution. By working closely with facility leaders and understanding the unique demands of the healthcare environment, BMS CAT helps organizations maintain continuity during restoration projects and emergency situations.

Jeremy's perspective serves as a reminder that in healthcare, restoration is about more than repairing buildings. It is about supporting the people who provide care and helping ensure patients continue to receive the services they need without interruption. When downtime is reduced, healthcare teams can stay focused on their most important responsibility: caring for patients.

Healthcare facilities face a unique challenge when restoration or construction work needs to be completed. Unlike many commercial environments, hospitals and healthcare campuses cannot simply shut down operations while work is being performed. Patient care must continue, staff must remain productive, and critical services must stay accessible throughout the project.

In this soundbite, Jeremy James explains how BMS CAT works collaboratively with healthcare leaders and facility teams to develop customized project plans that minimize disruption while allowing necessary work to move forward. Rather than approaching a project with a one-size-fits-all solution, the team begins by understanding how the facility operates and identifying which areas must remain functional throughout the process.

Jeremy describes how BMS CAT uses floor plans, containment strategies, and phased work schedules to carefully sequence projects. By dividing work into manageable phases, teams can complete restoration activities in specific areas while allowing other offices, departments, or patient care spaces to remain open and operational. This approach helps healthcare organizations continue serving patients while important restoration, mitigation, or improvement work is underway.

A key part of the process is collaboration. Healthcare leaders understand their operational needs better than anyone, and successful project execution depends on working hand in hand to create a strategy that supports those requirements. Through communication, planning, and flexibility, BMS CAT helps healthcare facilities navigate complex projects with minimal interruption to daily operations.

Jeremy's perspective highlights an important principle in healthcare restoration: success is not just about completing the work. It's about completing the work while allowing the facility to continue fulfilling its mission of caring for patients.

Jeremy James discusses why emergency planning is one of the most important investments a healthcare facility can make before a disaster occurs. Hospitals operate in an environment where downtime is not simply an inconvenience. Critical departments, patient care areas, and life-safety systems must remain operational even during emergencies. That is why proactive planning and coordination are essential.

In this soundbite, Jeremy explains how BMS CAT works closely with hospital leadership and facility teams long before an event takes place. Through planning meetings and preparedness discussions, teams identify critical operational areas, establish response priorities, and develop clear procedures for how a restoration response will be executed if an emergency occurs. These conversations cover everything from facility access and security requirements to equipment staging locations and communication protocols.

Rather than waiting for a disaster to happen and reacting under pressure, healthcare organizations that invest in pre-planning are better positioned to respond quickly and effectively when an event occurs. By identifying expectations, responsibilities, and operational needs ahead of time, hospitals can minimize disruptions and focus on maintaining patient care during challenging situations.

Jeremy emphasizes that successful disaster response begins well before a storm, water loss, or other emergency impacts a facility. When restoration partners, facility managers, and hospital leadership have already established a plan, everyone understands their role and can execute with confidence. The result is a more coordinated response, faster decision-making, and greater resilience for the healthcare institution when it matters most.