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Infectious

Disease 101: YOU Create the Protocol

P. 17

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November 2017

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8 Contents Corner: Employee Retention & Staffing By Annissa Coy

10 A First Time for Everything | Case Study By Michelle Blevins

14 Ready, Set, Plan By Tom Cline

17 Infectious Disease 101: YOU Create the Protocol | The Forensic Files

By Jeff Jones

22 Known Contaminants Versus a Present Danger By Michael Pinto

26 We Dried a Hardwood Floor and Now It’s Noisy By Roy Reichow

30 Lack of Money Can Cost You Your Business By Les Cunningham

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Have you ever had someone take a chance by hiring you? How did it turn out? How did it feel when you succeeded and excelled in that role?

Now … answer me this … have you ever hired someone who was a terrible fi t for your company culture because you needed their skillset? How did that work out?

Hiring is a bit of a problem for many in the restoration industry, right? In R&R’s State of the Industry report that we released in August, hiring and em-ployee retention were among the top concerns of contractors, big and small, who participated in the study. In fact … check out the graph on the left. You probably saw that chart in the August issue. Three out of four contractors say fi nding skilled workers is one of the biggest challenges! Half of the contractors said fi nding labor is a major struggle.

With those facts out there, I want to talk about starting a new trend. It’s the idea of hiring for culture and character, training for skill.

What if you fi nd someone who has a great personality, work ethic, is a fast learner, and is driven to succeed but is lacking some of the skills or job “require-ments”, such as an IICRC certifi cation? Would you give them a chance? You could help them get their certifi cation ... and they could end up growing into a great project manager or beyond.

There are success stories of people being brought into high level positions at res-toration companies as well from outside of the industry. You’ve likely read similar advice in R&R from a number of experts on hiring and employee retention! So, imagine going out on a limb and hiring because someone from another industry who has the right leadership skills and mesh well with the company’s culture, they become a rock star and help their new company reach a whole new level.

Editorial CommentRestoration

RemediationRemediation

By Michelle Blevins

MICHELLE BLEVINS EDITOR

[email protected]

An Emphasis on Culture“Give me a stock clerk with a goal, and

I’ll give you a man who will make history. Give me a man with no goals, and

I’ll give you a stock clerk.”– JC Penney

74% Finding Skilled Workers

52% Retaining Labor

40% Competition from Nationwide Franchises

36% Increased Wages for Certifi ed Employees

33% Working with TPAs

30% Insurance Companies Creating Own Restoration Companies

19% Adopting New Technology

8% Rising Consumer Demand for Sustainability/Environmentally-Friendly Products

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One of the toughest areas for any business can be employee reten-tion and staffing. In the best of

circumstances, employees can feel un-appreciated or underpaid for their skill level. For some, the challenge of feeling unqualified to complete tasks given them because of lack of education or training can be enough to send them to the un-employment lines. And when it comes to the restoration industry, throw in some unique challenges like long days, after hours call out, hurricanes, and sewer backups, and let’s just say the struggle can be real!

In our industry, you have upper man-agement, supervisors, administrators, and what I like to call the front line. The front line employees are the ones who handle sometimes not-so-pretty stuff. Things like fire cleaning, demo, water extraction and mitigation, pack-outs, after-hours emergency board-ups, removing sewage from a bathroom floor, and decontaminating a crawl space. This is also the area where staffing and retention seem to be the most difficult, and it’s no wonder. The above work con-ditions that I just mentioned are not ex-actly ideal.

However, with the right training, compensation, and clear expectations in place, you can minimize the stress and angst that can haunt your business and make you wonder why you thought a restoration business was a good idea in the first place.

So let’s talk about those front line em-ployees for a minute and focus on com-pensation.

Compensation: How Much & WhenThere is such a wide range of opinions on this topic and I am sure some of you will disagree with me on this, but let’s talk dollars and cents for just a minute and how they motivate or demotivate people.

I know money isn’t everything, but let’s face it: no matter how much you

like your job, would you do it for free? Would you run your business for free tomorrow if you didn’t need the mon-ey? I’m not a gambler, but I would put my money on your answer being the exact opposite of: “Absolutely Annissa! I would go into to my office tomorrow and every other day after that and mak-ing no money for my effort is just fine by me.”

People work because they need to make money. If you under-compensate your front line employees, you will lose them and lose them fast. You can also compensate them for efficiency and suf-fer in quality of work. Restoration work is not a minimum wage job. It can be emotionally and physically exhausting and presents a unique set of challenges for employees to face on a daily basis when working in the field.

Not only should you be very clear when hiring someone new about these conditions, make sure you are clear on the compensation they will receive and how they can move up, if you will, in the company and be compensated even better.

There are several ways you can struc-ture your compensation. I want to talk to you about a couple of them for you to consider.

Graduated Hourly + Call Out FeeWhen figuring hourly wage base, you need to take into consideration a few factors like experience and job descrip-tion, responsibilities, time of day they will be working (evenings, weekends, etc), the type of work, and your area’s minimum wage.

Your state likely has a minimum wage somewhere between $7.50 to $11 an hour. Now I did say that this type of work isn’t minimum wage work in my opinion, however this does affect where we start our base wages from.

When figuring out what your base wage is, you should consider having a graduated wage base for an employee who does emergency call out work. A good way to motivate an employee to get out of bed at 1 a.m. and put on rubber boots to walk in sewage is to pay them more than if it was 1 o’clock in the after-noon for the same work.

Let’s say you pay employee “X” $12 an hour during their normal shift and $24 during an emergency after-hours call out, instead of the normal time and a half that most overtime pays. This also means if they do not work 40 hours in a week, they still get a higher hourly pay for that work. Then on top of this

Employee Retention & Staffing

Contents CornerBy Annissa Coy

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NOVEMBER 2017 | www.randrmagonl ine.com 9

graduated wage base, you may choose to give a flat amount “call out fee” to each employee who goes on an after-hour call out.

Graduated Hourly + Bonus Per Job or Based On Company OverallPaying your front line employees a bo-nus is an excellent way to increase your productivity, thus increasing your prof-its. A per job-based bonus can do great things for your profit margins. Howev-er, you need to be really careful that this type of bonus structure does not affect your quality of work. And this is espe-cially true when dealing with structure and contents cleaning.

For instance, if you were to pay a bo-nus for “X” amount of boxes or square footage cleaned per hour, you could find yourself dealing with call backs from clients due to poor quality of work. A better way to bonus per job would be on the overall profits and client job tes-timonial performance. This not only encourages efficiency, which means we make more money per job, but it also

promotes client satisfaction and pride in workmanship. This can also create a real team spirit and unity amongst your em-ployees. This is the one I prefer.

A bonus based on overall company performance is also an option when it comes to figuring a bonus structure. Individuals, no matter what job they worked on or what area of the busi-ness they worked in, would all receive a bonus based upon a shared responsi-bility with all departments. You would probably want to structure this type of bonus so that employees, based upon their position in the company, get dif-ferent percentages.

This type of bonus structure is my least favorite. It has the potential to have a negative affect and actually discourage the front line worker. For instance, if a front office secretary received the exact same bonus as a front line worker that was out in the field extracting and clean-ing up a sewage job, you could wind up making the front line worker feel like others are unfairly benefiting off of their hard and sometimes not-so-pleasant to perform work.

Bottom line here is this: restoration on the front lines isn’t for everyone and that’s ok. But if you are experiencing problems with hiring, high turnover, and employee retention, it is your responsi-bility to know how they are feeling about the company overall and about their compensation. And chances are if you are having problems with high turnover from your front line, you may want to take a second look at how you are com-pensating them.

Annissa Coy is a

well-trained and highly

skilled professional in

the cleaning and

restoration industry and

the co-creator of Firehouse Education

and Mobile Cleaning Systems. She was

also the winner of R&R’s inaugural

Recognizing Women in Restoration

award in 2017. Be sure to check out

Annissa’s weekly videos on

www.randrmagonline.com! Have a

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[email protected].

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A First Time for Everything

By Michelle Blevins

If you had a large loss come in, when would you prefer to get the call? How about 11 o’clock on a Monday morn-

ing? That’s how this case study begins – with a broken fi re suppression line at a major event center in Metro Detroit. In just 20 minutes, the broken line spewed an estimated 48,000 gallons of water through the facility. SunGlo Disaster Restoration was on site by 11:10 a.m., assessing the damage as water fl owed out the front and back doors of the massive building.

In all, 150,000 square feet of space was affected.

Phase 1

With 40 full-time SunGlo employees

working nearly around the clock, plus as many as 20 subcontractors, there was no time to spare to get the facility back up and operational for the Junior Olympics. The crew had 15 days.

Just hours after the initial call for help, 206 pieces of drying equipment were strategically placed for maximum drying effi ciency throughout the building. Tem-porary power was also brought in while moisture mapping was completed, read-ings collected, and a full drying plan put in place abiding by the S500. Scissor lifts and some other larger equipment were rented from Sunbelt and Chet’s Rent-als. Containment was set up to section off the affected portion of the building from a connected hotel, and portable

restrooms were brought in until heavily-damaged restrooms could be repaired.

By day two of the project, dumpsters were on site and the entire front ceiling and a whole lot of drywall removed.

By Thursday and Friday, depending on the area, the structure was com-

A large loss case study on quick work, communication, and saving the Junior Olympics.

Photos courtesy of SunGlo Services

NOVEMBER 2017 | www.randrmagonline.com 11

pletely dry. On Thursday, crews were already putting insulation back into the walls, with drywall crews following right behind.

While SunGlo was the main company handling the loss, Jarvis Property Resto-ration, a fellow Metro Detroit restora-tion company, was called in by the pub-lic adjuster to help with this loss. Jarvis stayed on the project through phase one helping with logistics, moisture map-ping, monitoring the dry-out process, and so on.

Through constant communication, the two companies were able to work


A First Time for Everything Continued

together to get the facility back up and running in the narrow 15-day window before the Junior Olympics.

Phase 1 Challenges

No large loss is without its challenges! While the main goal was to have most of the work done in time for the Junior Olympics, there were still smaller events going on which meant some days, crews had to keep the noise at a minimum, or

work odd hours. Due to the large number of workers

and subcontractors on site, SunGlo es-sentially set up an office on site to keep track of workers, time sheets, equipment, project progress, and other logistics.

Another unique challenge: due to fire ratings and building construction, there was not one … not two … but three levels of ceilings throughout the building. That meant three layers that

needed attention. Despite the challenges, through hard

work, communication, and planning, phase one was completed on time.

Phase 2

With most of the public spaces in the building back up and running, phase two focused on one set of bathrooms, the facility’s server room, and a lounge area. By this point, it was mostly subcontrac-tors handling the day-to-day work, again with some things having to be done at odd hours to avoid affecting events.

Phase 2 Challenges

This phase brought a particularly unique challenge when the design team decided to have a 15-foot-long quartz continu-ous trough countertop installed in the bathrooms. This required building cus-tom steel supports to handle the weight of the nearly 1,000-pound custom counter. To make this happen, welders worked on site to get the supports into place, which also had to be bolted into concrete inside the wall. Just one week before SunGlo had to have phase two of the project complete, they had to prove to the plumbing inspector that every-thing had been done according to code. The day before everything was set to be installed, they got their approval.


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Phase 3

As you are reading this, SunGlo is in the final phase of this project – and hopes to have it complete by next month. Many of the initial repairs were more tempo-rary in nature to avoid forcing the facil-ity to shut down and lose major revenue. Now, items that were initially salvaged to avoid event cancellations are being re-moved, other areas are being touched up, some carpet and tile that had been dried and disinfected for the time being is now being replaced, and temporary lighting switched out for permanent fixtures.

In the beginning of the project, the adjuster had been concerned about the amount of money being spent to put in temporary structures to keep the facil-ity operational. However, that method saved the facility and insurance company millions of dollars had a loss-of-business claim been necessary.

A First Time for EverythingAs for the next job, SunGlo would do a few things differently, like setting up a trailer on site to run the job from there, add time lapse cameras inside and out-side the building to document the prog-ress, and take even more photos than the hundreds already populated in DASH.

For SunGlo, this job was a big step in the right direction for their business. It was the largest commercial job ever tak-en on by the company that’s now been in business as a Metro Detroit staple for several decades. They’re hopeful this job will open up other large loss opportuni-ties, especially thanks to the strong rela-tionship now built with the owner of this massive event facility who has many con-nections in the community. That owner was amazed at everything the team was able to accomplish in such a short win-dow of time.


Three quarters of 2017 are in the books. The final quarter is when you should be focusing on your

plan for the coming year. If you didn’t already start in October, now is the time. Get together with your management team and key employees to assess the performance of your business through the first 10 months of the year, reinforce your focus for the final quarter, and pre-pare for the work you’ll do before the end of 2017 to create your 2018 busi-ness plan. This article will provide the roadmap for analyzing how your perfor-mance compares to your plan’s objec-tives and key financial metrics, and help evaluate at the department level where opportunities exist for improvement.

Your first thoughts should concern people. Who do you want to involve in this process? Clearly your department or function managers should be included. Next, consider the opportunity for em-ployee development or gaining valuable insight and input into setting your di-rection and priorities. This should help you decide which employees are ready and should be given the opportunity to actively participate. The business plan-ning process will involve frank discus-sions regarding what has gone well and where improvements are needed. It’s not about placing blame but identify-

ing what is keeping the business from achieving its goals. All players involved need to understand the ground rules ahead of time.

Begin by assessing your company’s performance and progress against your 2017 business objectives. Perform your quarterly business plan review as you have been doing throughout the year. Or pull out your 2017 plan and as-sess where you are and what you have achieved compared with your plan ob-jectives. It’s possible that some of your goals will not be achieved or complet-ed within the calendar year, and work will therefore carry over into your 2018 plan. In lieu of having a business plan to compare to, or perhaps in addition to tracking your progress vs. objectives, I recommend working through your year-to-date income statement and balance sheet and evaluating your performance using the following metrics.

Revenue and Mix• Did you achieve your overall revenue

targets for the first three quarters?• Has revenue increased in areas or ser-

vices you targeted for growth?• Is your revenue growth a result of ef-

fective sales and marketing work, or have you benefitted from weather events or other large losses?

• Is your mix of sales—the percentage of contribution by type of service (miti-gation, remediation, reconstruction, remodeling, etc.)—in line with your business plan?

Summary: Have you met your rev-enue objectives, and if you have, is it due to solid sales and marketing work, or did you receive help in the form of weather events or unplanned large losses?

Efficiency• Did you meet or exceed your objec-

tive for gross profit dollars generated through the end of September?

• Given your level of revenue, is your gross profit margin (gross profit ex-pressed as a percentage of revenue) at or above the plan?

• If you are able to track gross profit by type of service (which you should) and assuming you have established target gross profit percentages for each (which you should), how does your actual per-formance compare to the targets?

Summary: Is your profitability where you planned/need it to be, and are your results due to improved efficiency in ex-ecuting jobs and projects, or do your re-sults reflect a more or less favorable mix of business than planned?

Ready, Set,

PlanBy Tom Cline


Budgeting and Cost Control• Are your year-to-date total overhead

costs in line with your business plan?• Have you regularly tracked spend-

ing vs. established budgets for criti-cal expense line items (salaries, health care & benefits, sales & marketing, employee development, travel & en-tertainment, and insurance), and is spending in these areas within budget?

• If revenue and/or gross profits are be-low planned levels, have you been suc-cessful in reducing overhead spending to maintain the planned percentage of total revenue?

Summary: Are you effectively manag-ing the fixed cost portion of your busi-ness, and are you able to make effective adjustments to your planned spending to protect profitability in the face of re-duced revenue?

Cash Management• Has your end-of-month cash balance

been at acceptable levels?

• Have you had your line of credit bal-ance to zero multiple times during the year?

• Is your level of accounts receivable in line with your objectives?

• Have you limited the number of past due accounts over 90 days to the per-cent of total receivables you set?

• Have you been able to reduce the number of receivables that are written off as uncollectible?

Summary: Are you effectively generating and managing the cash in your business?

Debt & Equity• Are you effectively servicing your ex-

isting debt by making payments, in-cluding interest?

• Have you been successful in retiring your highest interest debt?

• Is your equity higher than at the be-ginning of 2017?

Summary: Are you managing your debt to the point where it is not limiting the options for growing your business,

and are you leaving enough profit in the business to increase its value and fund its growth?

You may well have specific business objectives in your 2017 plan that ad-dress some of the above areas. In that case, congratulations for having placed a priority on improving performance in some critical financial measures. The above review will confirm your progress on the targeted metrics and provide in-put into areas where you need to focus your 2018 business plan.

Another approach to defining areas in need of improvement within your busi-ness is to assess the functioning, staffing, and performance of each department or functional area. Ask the managers who are accountable for each department to think through the following questions.

1. What is working well, and what is not happening as effectively or consistent-ly as it should?

2. What improvements will increase the likelihood that you are providing a

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Ready, Set, Plan Continued

Want to hear more on this topic

from Tom? He dives deeper

in the Violand Vault.

www.randrmagonline.com

distinctive customer experience for your internal and external customers?

3. What productivity initiatives could be implemented to make your company more competitive by helping to lower your costs?

4. Do you have the right people, in the right positions, to implement and sus-tain the improvements that are needed?

5. What obstacles stand in the way of your department reaching its goals, and how do you plan to address them?

These three approaches: measuring performance and results compared to 2017 business plan objectives, assessing revenue and fi nancial results for key met-rics, and analyzing departmental perfor-

mance and opportunities will prepare your team for productive business plan-ning that will effectively focus your orga-nization as you move into 2018. Ready, set, plan!

Tom Cline is a Business De-velopment Advisor for Vi-oland Management Asso-ciates (VMA), a highly

respected consulting compa-ny in the restoration and cleaning indus-tries. Tom is a leading expert in sales, sales management, and business profi tability for the restoration and cleaning industries with over 35 years of experience in those areas. Through Violand, Tom works with companies to develop their people and their profi ts. To reach him, visit Violand.com or call 1-800-360-3513.

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2017201720172017


Infectious Disease 101:

YOU Create the Protocol

The Forensic Files

By Jeff Jones

Did that get your attention? Good!

Say the words Forensic Res-toration® and immediately

someone will say, “Oh, like crime scene cleaning?” While crime and trauma scene cleaning and restoration are important parts of forensic restoration, as my grand-mother used to say, “It takes a lot more than apples to make a good apple pie.”

Hoarding/unsanitary dwelling clean up, drug lab, animal fecal matter, acts of terrorism, bio-terrorism, and yes, infectious disease control and manage-ment, are part of the forensic restora-tion pie.

This article will in no way be able to begin to answer all the questions you might have regarding proper infectious disease control and management proto-cols. It is meant to raise your awareness,

Fact: Infectious diseases have killed more people than all the

wars in history combined. Infectious diseases have been the

scourge of humanity since the advent of civilization.

Fact: C. diff (Clostridium Diffi cile Colitis) has killed more

people than Ebola and can live outside the body for 70 to 90

days.

Fact: Ebola virus has been found in bodily fl uids 500 days

after the patient was considered safe.

Fact: Tuberculosis is one of the fastest growing communi-

cable diseases in the world.

Fact: At any given time, 20% of the population has staph. It

is usually transmitted after contact with the eyes, nose, and

throat triangle.

Photos courtesy of Bio-Sheen


The Forensic Files Continued

and instill a healthy respect and fear of your enemy. A boxing trainer told me many years ago that no one trains harder than a scared fighter.

Rocky Balboa asked a young fighter, “Hey, back home, who was your best

friend?” The young boxer just shrugged and said,

“I don’t know.” “I’ll tell you who it was. His name was

Franky Fear,” said Balboa. “Franky Fear made you get up early to do roadwork, he made you go to the gym and train hard,

he pushed you.”

As a forensic operator, you would be well advised to make friends with Franky Fear. Franky Fear will push you to learn more, train harder, check your equip-ment, and check yours and your team-mates’ PPE before entering an infectious disease operational zone for cleaning and disinfecting. The last word you ever want to hear or utter on any forensic restora-tion project, but especially an infectious disease site, is “Oops!”

If you were to Google “infectious dis-ease” right now, you would find a list of 217 infectious diseases including the common cold and strep throat. Life is full of possibilities and probabilities, so while there is a possibility as a Forensic Operator that you could get a call for the common cold, the probability of such a call is pretty low.

Rather than even try to run down the list of all 217 infectious diseases, I am going to specifically choose one to show how it is related to forensic restoration: C. diff. Clostridium Difficile Colitis is highly contagious and can live a long pe-riod of time on surfaces. It forms heat re-sistant spores that are hardy and tougher to kill than enveloped or non-enveloped viruses. So, make sure that your disin-fecting agent of choice is EPA-approved and is rated on the label to be effective against C. diff.

According to the CDC, 20% of all C. diff infections are community-associated, meaning you can become infected through touch, from contact with contaminated objects or surfaces like cell phones, shopping cart handles, gym equipment, etc. If you touch a con-taminated surface and then eat without

washing your hands, you can ingest the bacteria and become sick.

Note: Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are not effective against C. diff spores.

People who become infected with C. diff can develop severe diarrhea and discharge large amounts of fecal matter which can contain blood and OPIM. The fecal matter associated with C. diff should be considered highly contagious and dangerous if left untreated. The Centers for Disease Control & Preven-tion (CDC) in its 2011 study showed 453,000 cases of C. diff per year, with 29,300 associated deaths. Every war-rior wants a good death. This isn’t one. So, what are you going to do as a fo-rensic operator when you get that call?

Almost every forensic restoration proj-ect begins the same, with a phone call. Here is where the acquisition of “critical incident data” begins. Who, what, where, when, and how are all very important pieces of information and if you’ll no-tice, those are the same questions that

detectives such as Sherlock Holmes ask on every case: who, what, when, where, how, and why.

In our world, we leave off and don’t ask the “why” question. The why’s of the

forensic world are better left to law en-forcement and the judicial system.

After critical incident data is ac-quired, the next step is an actual foren-sic site assessment. After donning the proper PPE, it is here that the team can start to come up with a battle plan, take pictures, and make notes of all vari-ables. It is at this time that an initial risk level gets assigned to the project. Note: All incident sites containing a known infectious agent should be performed at a risk level 4 per the RIA Forensic Guidelines.

The forensic restoration project for C. diff remediation can be broken down into three major categories:

1. The acquisition of critical incident data

2. Forensic site assessment

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The Forensic Files Continued

3. Operations (to include: post ops and debriefing)

TrainingStudents learn, warriors train, and have no doubt in your mind, this is microbial warfare! Amateurs train until they get it right, professionals train until they get it wrong, so they can fix any holes in their systems while training rather than out in the field. I am going to lay down a training scenario for you. Run through this in your mind, which is your primary weapon. Ready?

Critical Incident Data1. Call came in early this morning from

a woman who was taking care of her father.

2. Father had hip replacement surgery and had returned home after nearly a week in the hospital.

3. Loose stools turned into bloody, ex-plosive diarrhea.

4. She’s a nurse and has seen incidents of Clostridium difficile before. She’s afraid it’s C. diff and needs your help getting it cleaned up.

Site Assessment1. Bloody stools are in the master bath-

room, primarily on the floor with some splatter in and around the toilet and on the walls.

2. Bathroom floor is vinyl sheet. Walls are painted with semi-gloss paint with wood molding.

3. The father was staying in the master bedroom and started having diarrhea while in bed.

4. The daughter (nurse) washed the sheets and used sanitizing wipes to clean up the bed frame.


5. Drops of bloody stool on the carpet were cleaned with sanitizing wipes.

6. No one else has gotten diarrhea.7. She has an infant and a toddler who

has asthma.8. The father’s dog is staying in the

garage, but is periodically brought into his room to cheer him up.

OperationBased on the risk level you assign, de-scribe the engineering controls you would use:

1. What zones will you set up? (Opera-tion, Transition, Clear)

2. What areas of the house will be in each zone?

3. What will you use to separate the zones?

4. How many operators will work this project?

5. What PPE will your people wear?6. Where and how will they doff their

PPE?7. How will they handle the waste that’s

generated?8. What other engineering controls

would you put in place?

How did you do? Did you use the tem-plate for forensic restoration during op-erations? Did you have questions along the way? Great! That’s why we train!

If you found your last training pro-gram failed to address infectious dis-eases enough to give you the tools you need, I would suggest that you seek out a training program that specifically ad-dresses not only C. diff (and other in-fectious diseases), but also risk levels 1

thru 4. If you are going to pursue a career in

forensic restoration, I would strongly recommend that you contact RIA (Res-toration Industry Association) and get a copy of the “Guidelines for Professional Forensic Restoration”, today, now. If you want to take it further, consider taking the Certified Forensic Opera-tor™ program; call Michael Pinto at Wonder Makers Environmental for more information.

Train hard, work safe, Walk in Beauty (Navajo Blessing)

Jeff Jones is a Certified Forensic Operator™ as well as a Certified

Bio-Forensic Restoration Specialist® with 45 years of field experience in

Forensic Restoration®. He is a former U.S. Army solider, SWAT team

leader, and the youngest person to attend the FBI Academy in

Quantico, VA. He is a past president of the RIA, currently chairs the

Forensic Council, sits on the Board of Directors for the BIO PTO, and is co-editor of the

RIA Forensic Guidelines. Jeff Jones is one of the founding members of Bio-Sheen in

Oklahoma and Texas, and considered one of the most experienced Forensic

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Known ContaminantsVersus A Present Danger

By Michael A. Pinto,

CSP, SMS, CMP, CFO

Wonder Makers Environmental

The issue comes up during instruc-tion quite frequently. In mold classes, water restoration seminars,

fire cleanup presentations, and forensic restoration training; it is variations of the same thought. What takes precedence in our business when we run into materi-als that may be regulated under various health and safety standards?

1. Can we continue to pull up water sat-urated carpet when we see floor tiles underneath?

2. Is it proper to use a smoke sponge on a wall that has been reported to have asbestos in the drywall compound? What if it is not asbestos, but coated with lead-based paint?

3. Is it really a hazard if we remove old fluorescent fixtures and bulbs from a smoke choked warehouse?

4. Can we set fans and dehumidifiers in a room that has lead paint on the walls and trim?

5. Is it legal to pump out water in a base-ment that has suspect asbestos paper duct wrap on the HVAC runs?*

Of course, the standard answer from many instructors is that all restoration work must cease when there is a ques-tion about the presence of regulated ma-terials. But, is that really the case? What if such a response puts workers or occu-pants at even greater risk than that posed by the regulated hazards? What truly takes precedence?

As an individual that is certified in four asbestos abatement disciplines, approved by the EPA as a lead RRP in-structor, and has earned the internation-ally recognized title of Certified Safety Professional, I would never tell a clean-ing or restoration professional to ignore suspect or known regulated materials. However, there is a significant difference between respecting the potential health or safety risk posed by various regulated materials and being scared by the poten-tial of regulatory action that important work is disrupted unnecessarily. In fact, the fear of regulated materials may ac-tually make the situation worse for the owners and occupants if the proper bal-ance is not maintained.

Balancing All The Risk Factors The key to dealing with regulated ma-terials is to avoid disturbance or control the disturbance so that any potential exposure is below the “permissible expo-sure limit” (PEL). At the same time, the other safety and health risks need to be worked into the decision-making pro-cess. Leaving wet carpet in a building for a week while samples of floor tile are an-alyzed will generally lead to the growth of bacterial and fungal contaminants. Treating the carpets with antimicrobials and starting the extraction/drying pro-cess will minimize the additional risk to the building.

Infection control and forensic restora-tion cases tend to be a bit more compli-cated. In those cases you are often trying to balance the risk of regulated contami-nants versus a present danger. Respond-ing to a home that is soiled with feces from a C. diff patient**on both the asbes-tos tile floor and the asbestos-containing sheet rock means that the contractor has to take certain precautions, but the C.


diff is really the controlling factor. Pro-tection from the asbestos fibers can be obtained by making sure that any clean-ing methods for the feces do not damage the asbestos materials. But leaving the C. diff in situ while asbestos testing is done leaves anyone entering the facility at risk of exposure to a potentially fatal organ-ism. As such, treating the C. diff with antimicrobials and properly cleaning the materials without disturbing the asbestos becomes the priority.

In summary, while it is extremely important to be aware of potentially regulated materials and give them due respect, dealing with such issues should never stop the cleaning and restoration professionals from properly addressing a bigger hazard that may be present on the same site.

Now ... back to those questions at the beginning of the article. Here is how I typically address these types of questions:

1. If the carpet is set in place with tack strips, there typically is little risk of

exposure even if the floor tiles under-neath contain asbestos. In contrast, glued down carpet that has not fully separated from the tiles below such that whole tiles or pieces are stuck on the back the carpet as it is being removed

should be left in place until confirma-tion that the tiles are asbestos free. In such instances, extraction and drying may have to be done on a temporary basis in order to prevent mold growth on the other surfaces even though that carpet will be pulled out later.

2. Smoke sponges generally do not dis-turb the surface and are safe to use on the painted drywall, even if the paint contains lead. The exception to this general approach is if the paint or drywall joint compound is badly de-teriorated and will actually come off when it is being wiped.

3. The mercury in the fluorescent bulbs and PCBs in the ballast can both be regulated materials depending on the quantity. Even so, the lights can be re-moved and stored until a final deter-mination is made since taking down the fixtures in a reasonable fashion does not create an exposure to either of the materials.

4. Generally, the use of floor fans and dehumidifiers does not create a dis-

What if such a

response puts workers

or occupants at even

greater risk than that

posed by the

regulated hazards?

What truly takes

precedence?


Known Contaminants Versus A Present Danger Continued

turbance of painted surfaces and are safe to use. From a common sense perspective, do not point floor fans at painted surfaces where the paint is flaking or deteriorated.

5. If the suspect asbestos material is above the water line and generally in-tact the pump out can continue. If it appears that there may be a substan-tial amount of duct wrap that may be in the standing water, the pump out should proceed with a two-stage water filter designed for collecting asbestos fibers similar to those used on asbestos abatement projects. Even with such

equipment, the pump out typically is not going to be covered as an asbestos abatement activity. However, once the

standing water is removed, the muck out would be considered abatement if asbestos debris is present.

** C.diff is the shorthand for Clostridium difficile, a species of Gram-positive spore-forming bacteria that is the

scourge of many medical facilities because of the aggressive gastrointestinal infections that it causes; many of

which are life-threatening.

Michael A. Pinto is chief executive officer of Wonder Makers

Environmental, Inc., a manufacturing and environmental consulting

firm that specializes in identification and control of asbestos, lead, IAQ,

mold, industrial hygiene, and chemical problems. Mr. Pinto is the

author of over 200 published articles and several books. He has also

received numerous industry awards and is a frequent speaker and educator at industry

events. Michael can be reached at 269-382-4154 or [email protected].

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We Dried a Hardwood Floor and

Now it’s Noisy By Roy Reichow

How many times have we gone into a water loss involving a hardwood fl oor and several

months after you’ve completed the work there is now a noisy wood fl oor concern in the area of the water loss? As a certi-fi ed wood fl oor inspector, I see this time after time and in many cases the water restoration professional is unaware of the characteristics of certain wood products.

The fi rst thing we must take in consid-eration is whether the fl oor is a solid or engineered wood fl oor. Moisture read-ings are required on a solid wood fl oor to determine how much of the wood fl oor has taken on moisture. For example, if the wood fl oor has increased by more than 10% moisture content, the wood fl oor has most likely swelled and is push-ing the shouldering boards by 3/8” or more. This will create large gaps when the fl oor is totally dried and back to orig-inal moisture content. The simplest way to test for this is to take a 10 to 30 board width measurement. For example, if we have a 4-inch-wide material and measure 32 boards, it should equal 128 inches.

However, if you obtain measurement of 128-7/16” wide when the fl oor dries back to normal, there will be a .015” gap between each board. These unsightly gaps were not present before the fl oor experienced the water exposure and will be a concern to the property owner.

The second scenario is where the fl oor expanded and actually buckled in a small area as shown in the photograph of a 4-

Photos courtesy of Roy Reichow

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We Dried a Hardwood Floor and Now it’s Noisy Continued

inch American Cherry floor. You can see from measuring blocks, the floor is now 7-1/4 inches for total loss for 3/4”. This is the reverse scenario of the example above, however the results are the same. There would be no way to successfully repair this wood floor. Therefore, the course of action would to remove and replace the solid wood floor so we would not experience as gapping concern.

SUBFLOORSThe latest trend in construction today is to use OSB subfloors and in many cases, the general contractors will use a com-modity grade (low end) material to keep housing costs down. However, when these types of subfloors get wet they lose their ability for fastener retention once they are dried. This is due to the OSB panel decompression and swells in thick-ness. During the manufacturing process of the OSB, the thickness was produced at 0.705 inches. After moisture adsorption the panel swelled to 0.803 inches, nearly 0.100 inches, causing a reduction in fiber density and fastener retention abilities.

When this occurs, the floor fastener will become loose, allowing the floor to have vertical deflection, thus creating the noise related concern. If the OSB sub-floor panels are high performance rated the noise concern rarely occurs due to the increase in fiber density and minimal swelling and deflection.

There is a rather simple field test to perform on OSB using an ice pick or awl. By depressing the ice pick into the OSB, if it penetrates through the other side by ¼ to ½ inch, this subfloor has lost its fas-

tener retaining abilities. If the ice pick penetrates half the thickness of the panel material generally suggests it has normal fastening retention capabilities. If the ice pick penetrates through the OSB there are only two choices available for rein-stallation of a wood floor. The first op-tion would be is to remove existing OSB and replace it with a higher performance grade OSB. The second option is to use a full spread adhesive to glue and nail as-sist to install a new wood floor.

LOOSE FASTENINGThe other thing the restoration profes-sional should be aware of is how the original floor was installed. If the floor fasteners originally exceeded the floor manufacturer’s spacing recommenda-tions, this would cause a loose floor af-ter a water loss. It’s important for the

restoration professional to have a couple rare earth magnets on hand and a hand-ful of grout spacers to mark out the lo-cations where the fasteners are placed in the floor. The standard spacing for solid hardwood strip floors (under 3”) is 8 to 10 inches apart, for plank floors (3” and over) the spacing is 6 to 8 inches apart. For most engineered wood floors, the fas-tener spacing will range between 4 to 6 inches apart. The NWFA.org website is a resource to obtain standards for floor fas-tening schedule. As the photo on the next page illustrates, the spacing is nearly 12 inches apart on a wide plank material and is out of specification. Combined with a lack of fasteners, decompression of OSB is a guaranteed red flag and the floor will most likely create noise when sub-floor and flooring reaches the original mois-ture content before the water loss.


CONCLUSION

It is vitally important for the restoration professional to observe all the conditions involving the wood fl oor beforehand and how the wood fl oor was originally assembled. Make note of the type of subfl oor and condition at the time of water loss, and if you believe there is a chance the fl ooring is unsalvageable or will have recurring problems down the road, have a conversation with the ad-juster. If you need some hard evidence, check out NWFA.org or contact your local NWFA inspector. Or share articles like this or others from R&R, or BNP sister publication Floor Coverings In-

staller Magazine. This will save you and potentially the insurance company time and money, and minimize the potential

of noisy wood fl oors and liability in the future. The more you know, the better you can serve your customers!

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Counselor, Inspector and Commercial Inspector, and he served on the

NWFACP board of directors and Past Chairman. Roy is the founder of

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Can Cost You Your Business

Lack of Money

By Les Cunningham

According to the IRS, two-thirds of all businesses fail in their first five years. One of the major reasons this happens is not from a lack of business, but from a lack of cash.

Here’s a math question for you: how many jobs can you take on and complete with-out any payment from the insured or their representative? The answer is pretty simple…until you run out of your own money. The only one that really cares about cash flow is the owner. If a sub isn’t paid on time, oh well, next week. If a vendor isn’t paid on time, oh well, next month. If an employee isn’t paid on time….now we have a serious problem, because they might not stay

around for the next payroll. Which means you cannot get the work done to earn the money you need to operate on and pay your debts.

Let me suggest some steps that might help you better manage your cash and make a profit;

1) Start no job, other than an emergency, without a signed, written draw schedule. 2) Pause work on any job when your draw schedule isn’t adhered to.3) Do not ever give up your lien rights without a very GOOD reason.4) Operate your business on a Win-Win or No Deal premise.5) Stop doing business with people who don’t pay you per your agreement with them.

Let me suggest some rules of thumb for cash flow in your business. In order for a company to function properly and profitably;

1) A company needs 10% of its total gross sales volume in cash inside of their company machine to lubricate the business process. As you have less and less cash

in the business, the company will heat up just like an engine running low on lubrica-tion. Some indicators are subs not getting paid and vendors cutting off your purchas-

ing ability. The owner’s blood pressure goes up and the owner becomes upset more quickly than normal.

2) A company needs 20% of its total gross sales volume in available cash in order to be able to thrive and compete in business. So if you are doing $1 million a year in sales volume, you need

$200,000 available in cash to the business. The owner needs to be able to loan the business $100,000 personally and the owner needs to obtain a $100,000 line of credit from the bank for the business to use.

Every time you have taken on a job that gives you no money until the job is done, you’ve had to manage the cash float on the entire job for a period of time. If you used any vendors or subs, they also were waiting to get paid when you get paid. Sounds familiar doesn’t it? What happens when they don’t get paid as agreed? That’s when you begin to feel the heat from the two sources that you cannot do future business with until you get paid. Now you have to pay them or find new subs and new vendors. All because you decided to do work without any money and usually no written payment schedule! If your subs and vendors continue with you in this situation, they will begin to factor in your slow payment in their future bids, thus raising your costs. All because you decided to extend credit to people you didn’t even know.

Let me describe a good company and how they’ve learned to handle their cash flow:

1) They worked at knowing exactly where the business was financially. From their business beginning, they sought outside help from a CPA. This allowed them to have their accounting numbers checked and reviewed by some-one who was qualified to do so. It also helped them to make plans for the future growth of their business.

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Lack of Money Can Cost You Your Business Continued

2) At the end of each month, they took 2% from their total money received for the month and placed it into their building fund. After they completed building their new building with this money, they changed the name to their capital improvements ac-count. This allows the company to set aside 10% of their sales volume in cash for the future growth of the business. It also sends a very strong message to their bank that they are a company that banks want to do busi-ness with.

3) The company set a net profit goal of

10% of their gross sales before tax-es. This allowed them to get a grip on their job cost processing of their job costs. It also set the goal in the em-ployee’s minds that profit was not a dirty word and that without a profit, there was no future for any employee in the company.

If you want to talk to a company that is doing a lot of the things I’ve been talk-ing about, you can email Gail Yanker at Buffalo Restoration ([email protected]) and chat with her. She’s very knowledgeable and knows her stuff.

Wishing you a reasonable profit for all of the efforts that you put into your business! Remember, if you do not ask for a reasonable profit, you will not get a reasonable profit!

Les Cunningham, CGC,

CR, CCR, CGRa, is a

highly-respected industry

consultant and author of

Accountability through

Transparency. He can be contacted at

800-525-1009, ext. 14 or by e-mail at

[email protected].

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In keeping with the advancing technological trends, BioPTO reached out to a Florida firm to create a new tool for business owners and customers. #250 Victim Services was created to en-hance not only the immediate needs of the client but to simplify and streamline the efficiency of the qualified forensic restoration provider to the client. Simply by dialing #250 on any mobile device and speaking the phrase “Victim Service” when prompt-ed, the client is instantly connected to the BioPTO call center, where their contact information and specific service needs are collected. That information is then sent to a vetted and locally qualified service provider within the BioPTO network.

www.biopto.org

Texas Contractors: NEW Disaster Recovery Contracts Package AvailableBrand new, cutting edge Disaster Recovery Contracts for the State of Texas. Restoration industry advocates at Cross & Asso-ciates built on the years of development of their forms for other states to create the best product for those answering the call of those in distress in the Lone Star State. This package includes:

• A contract that can be used for commercial or residential jobs for everything from basic cleanup to remediation and signifi-cant reconstruction.

• Special Terms and Conditions favorable to the contractor.• Strongly-worded Assignment of Insurance Benefits (AOB).• Contents Disposal Authorization.• Several releases and disclaimers.• Array of notices and disclosures required by the State of Texas.

www.restorationlawyer.com

Delta Disaster Services Franchise Makes INC 5000 ListDelta Disaster Services of Southern Colorado has been awarded #1091 for 2017 Inc. 5000 list. With 388% three-year growth and #23 of Top Colorado Companies, the Colorado Springs location is well deserved of the award. Starting August of 2012, with five core staff members, Delta Disaster Services of South-ern Colorado has grown to twenty-two staff members and the business is grossing $4.3 million in revenue annually. This is a momentous accomplishment for new franchise with the emerg-ing brand of Delta Disaster Services.

www.deltasoutherncolorado.com

SAVE THE DATE! 3rd Annual Indoor Environmental Science Forum

The Indoor Environmental Science Forum is designed to bring together industry educators and leaders in the field to share their knowledge and supporting science to elevate the industry. The 2018 event will be Feb. 22-24 at the Hyatt Regency Pier Sixty Six in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. The event theme will be “Mi-crobial Trench Warfare: A Day in the Life of Mold Assessors & Remediators!” and will cover the mold business from assess-ment to the court room.

www.indoorenvironmentalscienceforum.com

911 Restoration Expands with 4 New Locations in Lake Tahoe AreaThe Fresh Start Company is proudly announcing the expan-sion of 4 new locations owned by brother and sister team, Chris and Dana. When your property becomes affected by a disaster, home and business owners need to have access to a reliable res-toration company that they trust, and now those living in the Tahoe community can call any one of 911 Restoration’s four

Dialing #250 Now Connects Customers with Forensic Restoration Pros N

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News & New Technologies


new locations. The expansion covers Reno, Tahoe, Carson City and Truckee, highlighting just how dedicated branch owners are to providing as many property owners as possible with the utmost customer care.

www.911restoration.com

RGF Environmental Wins Dealer Designer AwardRGF Environmental Group, Inc., the leader in IAQ and in-novative technologies, was recognized once again for excel-lence in product design in the 14th annual Dealer Designer

Awards Program sponsored by The Air Conditioning Heat-ing & Refrigeration News (“The ACHR News”) magazine. An independent panel of contractors acted as judges in the contest that had 81 entries. The company’s Rapid Recovery Air Purification and Odor Destruction System (RRU)® was awarded the Bronze Dealer Design Award for Innovative IAQ technology. This is the company’s eighth award over the past five years.

www.rgf.com/air-purification

Advanced Microbe Shield Technology Protects Against Mold IssuesWith housing start-ups nationwide, especially in southern and more humid climates, and more powerful storms hitting the US causing the need to fix and rebuild homes and small businesses, mold complaints and lawsuits along with the health issues they create will continue their steady rise. Enclean USA has brought its EPA-registered and compliant, proven safe, microbe shield technology to the home construction market to help address this critical issue. Enclean USA’s technology prohibits the growth of mold on any surface to which it is applied and it is guaranteed for 10-full years.

www.encleanusa.com

MAKE WHAT IF

BECOME WHAT IS

+1 800 360 3513

[email protected]

violand.com

The Most Trusted Advisory Services in Restoration &

Cleaning

Hiring Violand was the smartest business decision I ever made. They are instrumental to my success.

- Kirk Prouse ASR Construction, DKI

Improve cash flow and financial performance.

Increase sales and enhance marketing.

Hire, train, and retain top talent.

Implement proven systems.

Scale your business.

Get your life back!

Ne

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To access either of these documents, head to


or

www.restorationindustry.org.

RIA Flood Cleanup Advisory for Restoration ProfessionalsHurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria are providing restoration contractors with the unique opportunity to assist individuals with wind damage and wide ranging fl ooding in multiple states and territories. Experience from previous storms should not be forgotten as les-sons learned after Katrina and Sandy came at a high price and offer invalu-able information for restoration profes-sionals responding to fl ooding across the country.

Hurricane Cleanup Guidelines for VolunteersIn past disasters, volunteers returning from working with the rebuilding efforts have brought more than just the feeling of a job well done with them. Too many who went to help developed health problems that included “mold cold”, infections, antibiotic-resistant injuries, meningitis, multi-system reactions such as Chronic Infl ammatory Response Syn-drome, (CIRS) and even Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The Restora-tion Industry Association (RIA), the international association of professional restoration and disaster recovery compa-nies, applauds the volunteers and wants to see them return to their homes with a sense of accomplishment rather than health issues.

Meet the International Restoration Convention & Industry Expo Keynote!RIA is excited to introduce Chris Voss as our keynote speaker for the International Restoration Convention + Expo. Chris Voss is the CEO of The Black Swan Group, a national best-selling author, an expert negotiator and a 24-year veteran

of the FBI. Mr. Voss brings unique ex-periences to his talk, and you can will expect to learn how you and your team can be effective negotiators.

Plan now to join RIA for the Interna-tional Restoration Convention + Expo

this February 14-16, 2018 in Austin, Tex-as. Registration will be opening this Oc-tober. Stay tuned for additional informa-tion about the schedule, planned sessions and networking opportunities. We look forward to seeing you in Austin!

Subscribe at

www.RandRmagonline.com

Subscribe at

RIA

Ne

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Restoration Industry Hurricane Cleanup Documents

NewsNewsFor more RIA news, visit RandRmagOnline.com


IICRC Seeks Standards Consensus Body Volunteers

The IICRC is seeking volunteers to serve on a consensus body for the development of the new BSR-IICRC S550 Stan-dard for Professional Water Damage Restoration of Commer-cial Structures.

The S550 will be a procedural standard for performing water damage restoration in commercial, industrial, institu-tional and complex residential structures, systems and furni-ture, fi xtures and equipment. The proposed standard includes: building and material science; drying complex materials and systems; safety and health; project coordination, documenta-tion, logistics and risk management; inspections, preliminary determinations and pre-restoration evaluations; limitations, complexities, complications, and confl icts; specialized experts; restoration procedures; HVAC; evaluation and furniture, fi x-tures and equipment; historical buildings; government; and

healthcare facilities.Those interested in participating on the consensus bodies

should fi ll out the application forms found at http://www.iicrc.org/standards and email them to IICRC Standards Director, Mili Washington at [email protected].

IICRC to Develop First Ever Field GuidesIICRC is also seeking volunteers to serve on the development committees for two, fi rst of their kind, fi eld guides to help im-prove the health and safety practices of professional disaster restoration and cleaning professionals.

The new documents titled, “IICRC Field Guide for Safety and Health for Professional Cleaners” and “IICRC Field Guide for Safety and Health for Disaster Restoration Professionals,” will supplement existing IICRC restoration standards and cer-tifi cation classes. The guides will include valuable information about safety and health hazard identifi cation procedures, safe work practices and control methods that prudent disaster resto-ration and cleaning professionals should employ.

Committee members can expect to begin work on the stan-dard by the end of 2017 with all meetings being held online and via conference calls. The new fi eld guides are expected to be completed in approximately one year.

Those interested in serving on a fi eld guide committee can fi ll out the downloadable application forms: found at http://www.iicrc.org/standards.

Complete applications should be emailed to IICRC Stan-dards Director Mili Washington at [email protected]. Please note, separate application forms are required for each fi eld guide committee.

IICR

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R&R IICRC Monthly UpdateNovember 2017

NewsFor more IICRC news, visit RandRmagOnline.com

▶ IICRC Field Guide for Safety and Health for

Professional Cleaners

▶ IICRC Field Guide for Safety and Health for

Disaster Restoration Professionals

Subscribe now at


Classifi ed/MarketplaceDisplay Classified Rates:

1X $165 • 3X $155 • 6X $140

Please contactPublisher: Randy Green • (248) 244-6498 • [email protected]

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BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation (Requester Publications Only)

Publication Detail

1 Publication Name RESTORATION & REMEDIATION/BNP MEDIA II, LLC

1 Publication Number 4600

2 ISSN 19360789

3 Filing Date 09/13/2017

4 Issue Frequency MONTHLY

5 Number of Issues Published Annually 12

6 Annual Subscription Price 135.00

7 Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication 2401 W BIG BEAVER RD STE 700

7 TROY, OAKLAND, MI 48084-3333

7 Contact Person WAFAA KASHAT

7 Telephone (248) 786-1631

8 Complete Mailing Address of Headquarter or General Business Office of Publisher "2401 W. BIG BEAVER RD., STE. 700"

8 TROY, MI 48084-3333

9 Publisher (Name and complete mailing address) RANDY GREEN

9 "2401 W. BIG BEAVER RD., STE. 700"

9 TROY, MI 48084-3333

9 Editor (Name and complete mailing address) MICHELLE BLEVINS

9 "2401 W. BIG BEAVER RD., STE. 700"

9 TROY, MI 48084-3333

9 Managing Editor (Name and complete mailing address) NONE

9 NONE

Owner

10 Line Full Name Complete Mailing Address

10 1 BNP MEDIA II, LLC 2401 W. BIG BEAVER RD., STE 700, TROY, MI 48084-3333

10 2 TAGGART E. HENDERSON 2401 W. BIG BEAVER RD., STE 700, TROY, MI 48084-3333

10 3 HARPER T. HENDERSON 2401 W. BIG BEAVER RD., STE 700, TROY, MI 48084-3333

10 4 MITCHELL L. HENDERSON 2401 W. BIG BEAVER RD., STE 700, TROY, MI 48084-3333

Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, Other Security Holders

11 Line Full Name Complete Mailing Address

13 Publication Title RESTORATION & REMEDIATION/BNP MEDIA II, LLC

14 Issue Date for Circulation Data Below 09/01/2017

15 Extend and Nature of Circulation

Average No. Copies Each Issue

During Preceding 12 Months

No. Copies of Single Issue

Published Nearest to Filing

Date

15a Total Number of Copies (net press run) 16008 15613

15b1

Outside County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions stated on PS Form 3541. (Include direct

written request from recipient, telemarketing and Internet requests from recipient, paid

subscriptions including nominal rate subscriptions, employer requests, advertiser's proof copies,

and exchange copies.) 11330 10931

15b2

In-County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions stated on PS Form 3541. (Include direct written

request from recipient, telemarketing and Internet requests from recipient, paid subscriptions

including nominal rate subscriptions, employer requests, advertiser's proof copies, and exchange

copies.) 0 0

15b3

Sales through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors, Counter Sales, and Other Paid or

Requested Distribution Outside USPS 52 38

15b4 Requested Copies Distributed by Other Mail Classes Through the USPS (e.g. First-Class Mail) 0 0

15c Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation 11382 10969

15d1

Outside County Nonrequested Copies stated on PS Form 3541 (include Sample copies,

Requests Over 3 years old, Requests induced by a Premium, Bulk Sales and Requests including

Association Requests, Names obtained from Business Directories, Lists, and other sources) 3675 3592

15d2

In-County Nonrequested Copies stated on PS Form 3541 (include Sample copies, Requests

Over 3 years old, Requests induced by a Premium, Bulk Sales and Requests including

Association Requests, Names obtained from Business Directories, Lists, and other sources) 0 0

15d3

Nonrequested Copies Distributed Through the USPS by Other Classes of Mail (e.g. First-Class

Mail, Nonrequestor Copies mailed in excess of 10% Limit mailed at Standard Mail or Package

Services Rates) 0 0

15d4

Nonrequested Copies Distributed Outside the Mail (include Pickup Stands, Trade Shows,

Showrooms and Other Sources) 328 523

15e Total Nonrequested Distribution 4003 4115

15f Total Distribution 15385 15084

15g Copies not Distributed 623 529

15h Total 16008 15613

15i Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation 73.98 72.72

16 If total circulation includes electronic copies, report that circulation on lines below

16a Requested and Paid Electronic Copies 3628 3076

16b Total Requested and Paid Print Copies (Line 15c) + Requested/Paid Electronic Copies 15010 14045

16c Total Requested Copy Distribution (Line 15F) + Requested/Paid Electronic Copies 19013 18160

16d Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation (Both print & Electronic Copies) 78.95 77.34

I Certify that 50% of all my distributed copies (Electronic & Print) are legitimate requests.

17 Publication of Statement of Ownership Publication of this statement will be printed in the 11/01/2017 issue of this publication

18 Signature and Title of Editor, Publisher, Business Manager, or Owner WAFAA S. KASHAT

18 Title Audience Audit/Postal Specialist

18 Date 09/13/2017 01:16:02 PM

Version PS Form 3526, September 2007

Contact Your R&R Sales Representatives

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and/or

Products & Services Showcase Space!

Darlene Balzano Phone: 216-672-5926

Fax: 248-502-9028

[email protected]

Want to See More

PRODUCTSin the restoration and

remediation industry?

Go to

www.RandRmagOnline.com

Be Seen

Get Your Spot Here Now!


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Last Word From The EditorBy Michelle Blevins

Ad Index1-800-PACK-RAT ..................................................2

www.1800packrat.com

American Risk Management ..........................9

www.armr.net

Armex ...............................................................19

www.armex.com

B-Air Blowers .....................................................23

www.b-air.com/restoration/

CompanyCam ...............................................27

www.companycam.com

Concrobium Products ....................................24

www.concrobiumpro.com

Fiberlock Technologies ..............................3, 15

www.fiberlock.com

Interlink Supply .................................... 21, 32, 40

www.interlinksupply.com

Law Office of Edward H. Cross .......................25

www.restorationlawyer.com

Mold Science Technologies ..........................29

www.moldscience.net

Next Gear Solutions ........................................21

www.nextgearsolutions.com

Odorox Hydroxyl Group ..........................16, 39

www.odorhg.com

Phoenix Restoration Equipment ...................11

www.usephoenix.com

Preparing To Respond 2018...........................31

www.preparingtorespond.com

Protimeter .........................................................20

www.protimeter.com

Sporicidin by Contec .....................................13

www.sporicidin.com

Violand Management Associates ...............34

www.violand.com

XPOWER ........................................................5, 15

www.xpower.com

¨

That’s a wrap! What was your favorite article from this issue? Was there a quote or concept that really stuck out to you that you plan to take with you this week and put into practice?

Coming in December, look for our annual Year in Review article, recapping all the major industry news, innovations, headlines, and trends from 2017 – and perhaps taking a few little peeks into 2018.

Plus, registration is now open if you feel like being a super early bird for R&RÕs brand new event, Preparing to Respond. Our website is up, and constantly evolving with new information … www.preparingtorespond.com.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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“ American Technologies, Inc. has currently mobilized over 400+ employees

due to all of the wild fires in Northern, California. It is because of

the Odorox hydroxyls that we have been able to

save multiple clients millions of dollars due to the

efficiency of these machines. If it wasn’t for the hydroxyls, these

clients would have lost valuable time in production and revenue. I would highly

recommend Odorox to anybody in the industry as they have been a game changer

for us during this catastrophe.” Ryan Moore

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

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At Nexus, you’ll be in the company of the best in the industries

of restoration, carpet cleaning, surface preparation, abatement,

professional cleaning and so much more.

VENDOR EXPO:

Over 100 exhibitors will be showing off their greatest equipment,

giving demos of their new products and sharing industry

insights. Plus, you’ll have valuable one-on-one time with the

Aramsco, Interlink Supply and Safety Express sales teams.

EDUCATION SEMINARS:

Gain insight on new trends and regulations, add a fresh spin on

your business management, and pick up a new line of business

or two by attending our seminars. You’ll walk away with a ton of

new information and IICRC CECs.

NETWORKING:

They don’t call Las Vegas “The Entertainment Capital of the

World” for nothing! Relax and create some great memories at

one of our many networking events. We’ll be kicking off Nexus

2018 with an incredible Welcome Reception and closing with our

legendary after-party, with tons of fun in between!

WHY ATTEND NEXUS 2018?

JANUARY 29-31, 2018

Join us in Las Vegas to see how you can elevate your business!

For more details and to register go to: http://bit.ly/nexus2018

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