Christopher McQueen has joined Violand Management Associates (VMA) as a Business Development Advisor, allowing VMA to continue to aid their expanding list of restoration and cleaning clients in developing their professional abilities and sustaining profitable growth in their businesses.

Global Restoration Holdings, LLC, the parent company to Interstate Restoration and FirstOnSite Restoration, announced today the signing of a definitive agreement to be acquired by the property services firm FirstService Corporation.

BCMS, a specialist middle market sell-side advisory firm, has announced the recent sale of its client, Farris Enterprises Inc. (d.b.a. “Mammoth Restoration”) to FirstService Corporation.  

The foundation of a great business is more than bricks and mortar — it’s built on customer goodwill and stellar service. Much of that foundation is laid in a single instant: the customer’s first impression of your company.

I was recently chatting with a restorer and trying to explain why his insurance needed to be customized to cover the risks he faced in doing work assigned under master services agreements. 

Fidencio Garcia has joined 4M Building Solutions, assuming the role of Field Supervisor. Tim Fortner has joined 4M assuming the role of Director of Operations.

We all know how hard it is to find good employees. We’ve all heard it: “People don’t want to work.”; “Don’t hire anyone younger than 30.”; “Everyone has an entitlement mentality.” Blah, blah, blah. 

When I first heard the term BATNA (Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement), I thought to myself, “No way! That’s a polite way of being okay with failure.” But I soon found that, regardless of where I turned to research negotiation strategies and tactics, the concept came up. The more I read about it and the more I let the theory marinate, the more practical applications I found for it.

As a disclaimer, I am not formally trained or an expert in Social Media; but rather a restorer and educator who recognizes the power of the digital world in which we operate.  There is great opportunity to build relationships, show your expertise, establish credibility and more if we harness the power. 

Whether we like it or not, change is constantly happening all around us. You have to decide whether or not the change works for you or if you just want to keep on doing what you’ve been doing. We can whine about how it used to be, but the reality is we can only control how or if we respond to the change in the future.