“What do I want to be when I grow up?” – a question that Keith Burney asked himself before becoming a Paul Davis Restoration franchisee. After a career in the Navy and as a lawyer, Burney found himself in a corporate job that wasn’t fulfilling. He was fortunate enough that his wife’s salary alone would cover their expenses, so he took the opportunity to quit and figure out exactly what he wanted to do. By Kelsi Trinidad
“What do I want to be when I grow up?” – a question that Keith Burney asked himself before becoming a Paul Davis Restoration franchisee. After a career in the Navy and as a lawyer, Burney found himself in a corporate job that wasn’t fulfilling. He was fortunate enough that his wife’s salary alone would cover their expenses, so he took the opportunity to quit and figure out exactly what he wanted to do.
Owning his own business wasn’t a lifelong dream of Burney’s, but when he considered what was important in this next chapter of his life, becoming a business owner made the most sense. He knew that he didn’t want to start from scratch, preferring to focus on operations and leadership. So Burney began taking entrepreneurship classes through a veterans program where a speaker discussed franchises, which seemed to fit his criteria.
Burney came across the Paul Davis Restoration franchise opportunity through a recruiter and was impressed by the scale of the company and its core values.
“I’m a handy guy and like fixing things,” said Burney. “It’s always been interesting to me how things work around the house, and I liked being able to help people. That just really spoke to me.”
Burney opened his Southeast Puget Sound, Washington, location in March 2024. Since then, he’s grown his workforce from two employees to 11 and has been working to streamline the company’s day-to-day operations. However, being a resource for the local community has been the most rewarding aspect for Burney.
“The most gratifying part is being able to help people,” he said. “And I mean not just my customers but my employees and my community. I think these are all things that Paul Davis focuses on as a company, not just taking care of your customers. That’s the obvious mission, but being able to grow your employees and be a valued member of the community – those things are all part of our values and really make running it kind of special.”
Kelsi Trinidad