From building homes in Ecuador to helping those in the Gulf Coast recover from the destruction of Hurricane Ida, 911 Restoration has been a beacon of hope for many. The nationally trusted brand, which specializes in restoring properties impacted by water, mold and fire, has been providing a “Fresh Start” for franchisees and customers alike since 2005. By Brianna Bohn
From building homes in Ecuador to helping those in the Gulf Coast recover from the destruction of Hurricane Ida, 911 Restoration has been a beacon of hope for many. The nationally trusted brand, which specializes in restoring properties impacted by water, mold and fire, has been providing a “Fresh Start” for franchisees and customers alike since 2005.
“Our goal is to help franchise owners create the fresh start they’ve been dreaming of, and possibly even dream bigger,” said Idan Shpizear, founder and CEO of 911 Restoration. “We work to understand their priorities, their strengths, their challenges, and offer them the support they need. We want to inspire them toward personal growth – empower them to be their own fresh start – so they can become the best version of themselves.”
With the explosive growth that 911 Restoration has seen – 13 new territories were opened in December alone – the brand recognizes the importance of establishing strong partnerships with those who have a can-do attitude. One of those partnerships is with Nichoel and John Gabriele, owners of the 911 Restoration of Des Moines, Iowa.
The Gabrieles, who experienced their first big storm project when a derecho blew through the Midwest in 2020, appreciate the relationship they have with the restoration giant. Although they initially felt overwhelmed and stuck, like they had “glue on their feet,” the Gabrieles were in awe of the support system available to them. “That’s one of the reasons we bought into the franchise. If you call a different branch and talk to the owners, they are more than willing to help you. They offered a lot of help, sent crews, sent equipment, which we thought was really a warm gesture. It made us feel like we were part of the family. We weren’t alone,” John said.
The brand offers so much support that Nichoel is able to work multiple jobs as a real-estate agent and full-time mom, acting as a hero for her business and her family. “My wife is the majority owner, so we’re a female-owned company,” John explained. “I’m her backup quarterback. She’s superwoman. She does the day-to-day, getting the kids to school, leading the morning meeting, and I just follow in her footsteps after that.”
Although she has a lot of responsibilities, Nichoel continues to find joy in her role as a franchise owner because she is able to help others. “We run into a lot of people who are going through hard things – the worst thing that could ever happen to them. For us to be able to go in there and help them relax and know that we’re going to restore normalcy for them – it’s what we love about what we do,” she said.
And it’s easy to love what you do when the franchisor is just as invested in the business and its employees as the franchisee. “Our employees are like our family, and we could see Idan feels the same way. In 2020, when a lot of families were struggling due to the pandemic, we put up a post on social media about how we were preparing Thanksgiving dinners for people who couldn’t afford it. Idan saw the post, reached out, and said, ‘I want to pay for dinners for 10 families. How much does that cost?’ We had a check in our mailbox the next week,” said John, who shared that being a 911 Restoration franchise owner has put his family in such good financial standing that he was able to buy his children cars and continue to take care of his community.
Brianna Bohn