Current trending topics in the restoration and cleaning industry:

In this episode of the Restoration Today podcast, Xactware CEO Mike Fulton discusses each of those topics, where Xactimate stands on them, what is going on internally to even try to keep up with pricing, what contractors should do when they get pushback on pricing, Xactware's interest and use for contractor data, and more.

C&R has plans for ongoing conversations with Mr. Fulton every few months, so if you have a question you'd like answered, email it to [email protected]!

Watch the episode above, or listen below.

Eric Sprague and Larry Wilberton have owned a restoration company, sold a restoration company, built a company (Morning Tech Meeting) based on quick training for restoration teams, taught companies how to create healthy company cultures where people want to work for them, and are hosts of the popular Blue Collar Nation Podcast.

Eric and Larry sat down for a casual conversation on the Restoration Today Podcast during the Violand Business Planning Retreat in mid-November. The hilarious and authentic duo shared stories from their days of business ownership, travel adventures (including missed flights and rogue luggage), and enough laughs for 50 podcasts.

They also shared what they learned were the keys to successfully engaging with and retaining their technicians and other employees.

Watch or listen, learn, and laugh.

There are a lot of changes, innovations, and questions about technology in today's restoration industry. Scott Severe has seen technology and data change over the years since he joined the restoration industry - from one of the first 50 employees at Xactware, to starting his own software company, to Chief Customer Officer at Next Gear Solutions, and soon a new role within CoreLogic.

In this special Restoration Today episode from Captiva Island, recorded during Violand's Business Planning Retreat, Scott shares his journey in the restoration industry, what he sees happening today, and what he anticipates is on the horizon.

Each franchise system brings unique value to its operators. All boast excellent marketing and branding teams, lead generation, training, and more for their franchisees. And each delivers those in different ways, at different levels.

Restoration 1 has been named among the fastest growing franchises by Entrepreneur multiple years in a row. What is something that sets them apart? No program work. Each franchise is built on independent business.

Curious how they do it? Listen to our conversation with Restoration 1 President Tom Gissler on this episode of the Restoration Today podcast.

If you are involved in estimating or reviewing insurance estimates, you just want to get it right.  You are the estimating professional in the process and establishing a fair price for good work is all that you’re looking for. You’re not caught up in the politics or larger strategies that lead to accusations that somebody is taking advantage of someone else.  

Estimators and reviewers face massive pricing databases, from Xactimate™, Symbility or another platform (up to 27,000 options!) and the expectation that you’re an expert in all trades from foundation to roofing and everything in between.  Plus, there are specific carrier/TPA protocols, some of which are so like the next that, the nuances are difficult to commit to memory, but essential to meeting the SLAs.  

In this episode of the Restoration Today Podcast, Chris Tilkov from Ask Aime, shares ways for restorers to write more accurate estimates that get approved faster, which in turn means getting paid faster.

Alex Duta took needs he saw within his own family's restoration company, and got to work designing and creating a software built for restorers, by a restorer, to address those needs.  

In this bonus episode of the Restoration Today Podcast, recorded in lovely Captiva, Fla., during Violand's Business Planning Retreat, Alex shares his story, his insights on today's restoration industry, and what he is seeing evolve in the software space.

On this Veterans Day, C&R is honored to recognize, salute, and celebrate veterans who are part of the restoration industry.   

Jim Scalf is a retired Colonel in the U.S. Army, and now the owner of PuroClean of Murfreesboro, Tenn. 

His first tour of duty was as an infantry officer. Jim also was in the Reserves and National Guard, has worked at the Pentagon, NORAD, and was part of the team that did created the pandemic and infectious disease plan. Experience also spreads into teaching and involvement with leadership.   

As he was preparing to retire, Jim explored franchise options and came across PuroClean.  

PuroClean's PuroVet program operates year-round with dedicated support programs for veterans operating in it’s franchise system. The PuroVet program offers veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces with a DD214 a discounted rate, and that is just part of what PuroClean does to celebrate and honor veterans in its system.  

Jim opened his franchise in early 2020, and hasn't looked back since - finding the restoration industry a very natural step after retiring from the U.S. Army.   

Listen to his story and call to fellow veterans in this special episode of the Restoration Today podcast!

Patti Harman spent years at the helm of C&R Magazine and working within the Restoration Industry Association. Her impact on the restoration industry and leadership of C&R led to the creation of an award in her honor, the Patricia L. Harman Golden Quill Award. It is awarded to one person each year for an outstanding editorial contribution to C&R.

After leaving C&R, she moved into the editor-in-chief position at Claims Magazine in 2014, but remains an icon and frequently comes up in conversations with restoration contractors.

As C&R enters yet another new era under the leadership of Michelle Blevins, it seemed only fitting to have a conversation with Patti about media in the restoration industry and her legacy with C&R. But this podcast goes much deeper than that - into the ethics behind running a well-respected and sought after B2B publication.

You can also listen on:

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3BzR4YV

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3lyOqwL

Chrissy VanderWyde has been part of the PuroClean team since 1988, working in nearly every department until reaching her current role as Vice President of Franchise Relations.

This year, Chrissy's hard work and dedication to the business, industry, and community, were recognized on a major scale when she received a prestigious Gold “Stevie” Lifetime Achievement Award.

In this Restoration Today podcast, Chrissy shares her journey in the industry - the disasters she's witnessed, the challenges she's seen restorers face, what she would tell others considering a career in restoration, and so much more.

In the finale of our Seller Stories Series on the Restoration Today podcast, broker Gokul Padmanabhan breaks down why the restoration industry is so appealing to buyer's today, what makes a restoration company sellable, and shares a number of other valuable tidbits and statistics on the past, current, and future outlook of M&A in the restoration industry.

Catch up on past episodes of the series:

The ATI Story: Growing the Nation’s Largest Family-Owned Restoration Company | Seller Stories Ep. 2