911 Restoration, the “Fresh Start Company,” announced the appointment of Ken Sussex as its new executive director of franchise development. Sussex, a 30-year veteran of the industry, began his career as a successful franchisor and continued to add to his experience within the restoration and franchising industries serving in executive roles at several major brands driving impressive company growth and revenue.
In his new role, Sussex will lead the operations team at 911 Restoration, including franchise training, teams working in the field, the customer service call center, vendors and vendor relations, as well as franchise sales. He will work closely with the franchisees to help them grow their operations, identify their goals and implement better ways to market their businesses on a local level.
“911 Restoration has doubled in size since 2020, so to help fuel our growth, we’re focusing on supporting our franchisees and providing extra guidance,” Sussex said. “When it comes to franchisees, it’s important we provide value.”
Prior to joining 911 Restoration, Sussex served as regional vice president of the mid-Atlantic region for BluSky, a national restoration contractor. During his tenure, he oversaw five offices and generated $30 million in sales, making them profitable in less than a year by revamping the team and bringing in new operational processes and improved sales strategies.
Sussex formerly served as senior vice president of national business development for Cotton Global Disaster Solutions, overseeing a team responsible for the development of national and local accounts in all verticals including hospitality, healthcare, property management, multi-family and insurance influencers. Additionally, he helped manage catastrophe (CAT) operations for Hurricane Ida in 2021 and several other regional events resulting in millions of dollars in revenue.
Sussex’s experience includes serving as the general manager and president at Spangler Restoration where he managed five offices and helped grow the company as the largest privately owned restoration company in the Carolinas, quintupling total revenue in under five years.
Sussex has experience as a franchisee, beginning his restoration career at Paul Davis as the owner of a two-time top 20 franchise and receiving the company’s driver reward for highest percentage of growth. His time at Paul Davis included working alongside the corporate team in several roles including director of marketing and director of business development and operations.
“My experience as a franchise owner and C-suite executive allows me to understand both sides to support our franchisees,” Sussex said. “My goal is to help our team really raise the bar in terms of professionalism and the quality of work we do, helping our franchisees improve their overall product and customer service.”
911 Restoration is known for its one-of-a-kind ‘Fresh Start’ culture, providing unparalleled customer experience with a true focus on clear, real-time communication, and tackling restoration challenges with an unprecedented human-first approach.
