The Clifton family has operated multiple businesses together before, but so far, their Paul Davis Restoration franchise has been the most fulfilling. The family had vacationed on Florida’s Emerald Coast for years, so opening a shop in Panama City Beach felt right. By Lizzy Yeserski
The Clifton family has operated multiple businesses together before, but so far, their Paul Davis Restoration franchise has been the most fulfilling.
The family had vacationed on Florida’s Emerald Coast for years, so opening a shop in Panama City Beach felt right. They’re coming up on their second anniversary in March and love the rhythm they’ve created.
“Everyone has their different lane in the business,” explained Kyler Clifton, business development manager. “I focus on business development and employee growth and culture. My brother Cody focuses on the actual jobs; he’s our operations manager. And my brother Colby is one of our estimators and is now starting to take on more responsibilities from Mom, who is a CPA. She acts as our CFO.”
And while their dad, Greg, has been intentional about loosening the reins and letting his sons run the show, he serves as majority owner, executing high-level deals.
The trajectory has been deeply rewarding for the family, who started with one employee and currently oversees a team of 34. They’ve already added a second shop in Pensacola, better positioned to have a community impact and participate in local charity events. With Paul Davis’ extensive training and ongoing support, the Cliftons have been guided to success.
“My favorite part is growth,” confirmed Clifton, who’s not simply talking about revenue. “When I say growth, I mean growth overall, especially when it comes to employees. The most exciting thing to me is having a new hire. We’ve gotten to the point now where we have division managers, so when you see that one of the managers has hired someone else, that’s really exciting!”
Besides their robust expansion, the Cliftons value being able to help people in their time of need. And they can do it alongside family, which makes the work even more satisfying.
“We all really enjoy it,” said Clifton. “There are many benefits to working with family when you’re planning because everyone knows each other’s tendencies, and we have an idea of how to get on the right path. The coolest thing is you never feel alone. We’re constantly making decisions as a group.”
Lizzy Yeserski