Paul Davis Grows To Meet Increasing Restoration Demand

The world’s costliest disaster last year, the apocalyptic California wildfires, devastated homes, businesses, towns and lives across the state. Paul Davis employees like Kyle Waters arrived as soon as areas were declared safe, summoned by many, many phone calls for help. “All day long,” he says. “The phone literally didn’t stop ringing.” He and his team got to work restoring houses that survived, some with scorched walls and others filled with ash. “Every single home here smelled like smoke,” he remarks.

Floods and storms, too, destroyed sizeable swaths of the nation last year and 2019 is already breaking weather records. The Insurance Information Institute notes that the number of disasters – fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods – occurring annually in the United States has increased from 60 in 1980 to over 100 in 2017, boosting damage costs from $25 billion a year to $170 billion.

Nature, it seems, has taken it to another level but Paul Davis is determined to restore order everywhere it finds damage and anytime distressed survivors call for help. To meet rapidly rising demand, the company’s leadership is structuring Paul Davis for growth, aiming to serve more victims, communities and partners with an expanding range of services across more geographies. The multi-faceted expansion is based on a firm foundation of networking, commitment and compassion.

Paul Davis responds rapidly to developing disasters as it simultaneously leverages local advantages – a combination that independent contractors simply can’t equal. Networking is key to that approach. “We’ve built a robust network of partner organizations, experienced experts, seasoned employees, equipment and supplies that enable us to rapidly gather resources and handle damage across large areas and regions,” says Rich Wilson, President of Paul Davis. “Yet we still benefit from local knowledge and community recognition because we have 325 offices across North America. When disaster happens, customers see and work with people they know and trust.”

Paul Davis also bolsters its services and reach with strong backing: it is a subsidiary of FirstService Brands, one of North America’s largest providers of essential property services. FirstService has developed and refined a business model that leverages decentralized platform management while centralizing business planning and sharing of best practices and processes. The parent company also excels at recruiting, training and operating franchises with skilled management and support staff. This broad foundation confirms that Paul Davis is committed for the long-term – a significant asset in an industry infamous for charlatans who descend after disasters to defraud vulnerable home and business owners.

The growth of Paul Davis also feeds off another critical element: compassion for people who are experiencing the worst times of their lives. For employees and leadership, the work is more than a job. It’s a mission that they are passionate about and dedicate long hours to, including nights, weekends and holidays. It’s a privilege to take extraordinary care of people in need.

In California, Waters and his team toiled around the clock with high efficiency particulate air filters, cleaning solutions and air purifiers, all the while fielding new phone calls from those needing help.

“Before you know it,” Waters says, “there’s another disaster coming.” He, his team, his fellow employees and all of Paul Davis are readier than ever.