We all know how vital communication is, especially in the restoration industry where several different parties are often involved in a single job. Often times, said parties are not all together at once, which can lead to phone-tag, confusion, and ultimately, a poor end result. That’s why I was so intrigued when I stumbled across a story recently detailing the means by which a Sacramento-based restoration company communicates with the likes of homeowners, property managers and insurance adjusters. It uses Skype.

By now you’ve seen the ad teases and announcements about Clean Restore Connect (www.cleanrestoreconnect.com), a free online network for cleaning and restoration professionals that ICS Cleaning Specialist and Restoration & Remediation magazines are pleased to be launching. Now it’s time to join.

One of the great things about Hollywood is that we can watch disaster flicks like Armageddon, 2012 and The Day After Tomorrow knowing that the buildings being destroyed and havoc being wreaked won’t require a real cleanup. But what if they did?

One of the most admirable things about restoration workers is how spontaneous they have to be. When the phone rings and there’s work to be had, they have to get themselves ready to go, whether it’s 6 a.m. or 6 p.m.  Now this little bit that I’m about to share certainly isn’t on the same level as the “drop everything and get out to the site” mentality of what restoration professionals have to go through, but...

Last week, I had the opportunity to sit in on a special Restoration Services Technician Training class at SunGlo Services (Novi, MI), part of an eight-week program made possible by the Detroit Workforce Development Department (DWDD) and Independent Mitigation and Cleaning/Conservation (IMACC) to teach about 40 qualifying Detroiters (ages 18-21) about the emergency restoration services industry.

When you think “disasters,” chances are things like twisters, hurricanes and floods come to mind. Not zombies.

The Restoration Industry Association’s (RIA) 67^th-annual Leadership Summit and Industry Expo (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) came to a close March 29, capping three days worth of convention workshops, keynote addresses, breakout sessions and, of course, networking.

MYRTLE BEACH - The Restoration Industry Association’s (RIA) 67th-annual Leadership Summit & Industry Expo kicked off today in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

It’s not often that we cross-promote feature stories with our sister publication, ICS Cleaning Specialist, but a piece in the March issue, recapping the annual Disaster Restoration & Remediation Market Study, is too significant for us to not make mention of it on R&R as well.

From the 2012 Xactware User Conference in Salt Lake City.