April 2022 Vol.16 No. 4

2022 R&R Women in Restoration Award Winner: Diana Rodriguez-Zaba

R&R is honored to formally celebrate women making strides within their organizations and restoration overall for the seventh consecutive year. This year, 46 impressive women were nominated and one remarkable individual rose to the top.

By Valerie King

On the Cover

Featured

Past Women in Restoration Award Winners Share Secrets to Success

In conjunction with our seventh annual campaign celebrating leading women in restoration through our 2022 Women in Restoration Award, we asked all six of the past winners, from 2016 through 2021, to answer one question: To what do you attribute your success?

by Valerie King

Celebrating Women in Restoration: Investing in a More Inclusive Workplace

Why the restoration industry is good for women, why women are good for the industry, and three intentional steps employers can take to make space for more women and other underrepresented groups to thrive both in the workforce and at the leadership level.

by Sawyer Schweitzer, Harley Jeanise, Kelly Dolan, Jenny Vandehey

The Entrepreneurial Spirit

As an employee, trusted advisor or vendor, it is your responsibility to think about how you can complement the owner of your small business to help them grow and succeed in the endeavor they started. Here are six traits commonly observed in small business owners, along with how you can specifically support them with each one.

by Chris McQueen

Awareness and Effort: Respirator Use in the Restoration Industry, Part 1 of 2

In this first article of a two-part series on respiratory hazards and protections, Barry Rice, CSP, shares steps to correctly set up a respiratory protection program. In the second article, next month, he will cover how to implement and follow the program.

by Barry Rice

Service Dogs for a Service-Dominant Industry

One of the most challenging hurdles in the crime, trauma and death scene cleaning industry is helping a client navigate a life-changing, traumatic event. The other challenge is marketing such a sensitive service without being offensive, appearing non-sensitive or overbearing. For almost four decades, Gordy Powell has tried to reinvent how to market this industry in a tasteful, yet practical and successful way. Here, he shares a new approach.

by Gordy Powell

Who Ya Gonna Call

“How can we prospect on LinkedIn and make more sincere connections with LinkedIn members whom we would like to become our customers? One approach not to use are automated systems that send out connection messages every day.”

by Robert Kravitz

The Basics of Heat and How It Is Utilized in Drying

“As many restorers are aware, heat is an element used to warm up cooler objects. The more important question is: What is heat and how can it be utilized in drying? There are three ways that heat can be transferred: Conduction, infrared radiation and convection.”

by Kyle Herndon

The Role of PR in a Restoration Business Marketing Plan

While advertising, marketing and public relations are all methods businesses use to communicate with their stakeholders, the benefits of each are not usually discussed individually. Small business owners know they need marketing to target the right customers and advertising to make the phones ring, but they do not realize public relations can help them become the trusted experts in their markets, which leads to greater opportunities. So, what is PR?

by Heather Ripley

The Key to Your Restoration Business Being Found Online? Be a Real Company

“Being a real company sounds like a simple task in theory, but in reality, it is not a consistently followed practice. So what does ‘be a real company’ mean? It requires doing the small and sometimes neglected items that you would normally complete while trying to build your company in your local market.”

by Jeff Carrier

6 Best Practices for Water Damage Restoration Professionals

“In a crowded marketplace, it can be hard to cut through the noise and reach customers,” Josh Miller writes. “With a micro approach that focuses on how we can do our jobs more effectively, and a macro approach that communicates our expertise to the marketplace, we can all help promote the credibility and competence of the professionals in our industry.”

by Josh Miller

Building a Sustainable Restoration Workforce

“Creating a clearly planned education and career path for your technicians will help with employee retention and improve the dedication and quality of your restoration efforts,” Lorne McIntyre writes. This article focuses on the role of a technician from day one to an RIA Certified Restorer and can be used as a guide to not only develop employees but attract more talented candidates.

by Lorne McIntyre

How to Drive Business Using Digital Marketing in 2022

“Whether you are a new restoration business owner or have 20-plus years of experience, a sound marketing foundation is needed to ensure success. This foundation should include a well-defined marketing plan, with customer personas, all target audiences, an ADA-complaint website and promotional plans, with a total of 7 to 8% of sales revenue allocated to marketing.”

by Nia Sherrema Pearson

Departments

RandRmagonline.com | April 2022

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