For more than 50 years, Paul Davis Restoration has been known for exceeding clients’ expectations with the highest-quality customer service for homeowners recovering from the unexpected. John Conway, director of franchise development, shared some exciting insight on plans in the pipeline. By Heidi Lubrani
For more than 50 years, Paul Davis Restoration has been known for exceeding clients’ expectations with the highest-quality customer service for homeowners recovering from the unexpected. John Conway, director of franchise development, shared some exciting insight on plans in the pipeline.
“Contrary to popular belief, our business is not about disaster relief as much as one might think. A lot of people equate the restoration business with tornadoes, hurricanes, or wildfires. That’s what you see on the news, but that’s only about 10% of our business. We have started to focus more on commercial clients than we have historically, and we literally have grown from a 95/5 split to an 80/20 split, residential to commercial, in a very short period of time,” he said.
For Conway, the motivating factor when choosing a franchise to buy is simple. “I’ve always advised people to buy something that you feel like you will be good at, or buy something that you’re going to love doing,” he said.
Offering genuine compassion and making a difference in people’s lives is the foundation of Paul Davis Restoration. “Our marketing campaigns are about being a difference-maker both as a franchisee and an employee,” explained Conway. “When we actually market our business model, it’s not only geared to bringing in potential franchisees but also new customers. Our advertising has evolved to not just feature our services for the franchisee but also focus on getting great employees at the same time.
“If you were to talk to our franchisees, a couple of different things would come out of it. They’ll tell you it’s not just going to be about how much money you can make but how much they love helping people in their community. They get feedback all the time from people saying that we’ve helped in their time of need on probably one of the worst days of their lives. Unless this actually happened to you or a family member, you don’t realize what a negative impact it can make on your life. For them to come back afterward and thank you for helping them put their lives back together is just awesome. That’s a pretty good business to be in,” he said.
Conway shared the connection he feels with franchisees looking for more than just a financial investment. “I feel like I bring in people that become difference-makers in their community. Therefore, I am a difference-maker. We’re doing a lot more than just making money. We empathize with each customer. We are helping people put their lives back together, and that’s where we shine.”
Paul Davis Restoration also is focused on helping veterans transition back into civilian life. The brand appreciates the sacrifices veterans have made and offers additional financial assistance to them in exchange for their years of service. “We have increased the benefits for potential veteran candidates looking to purchase a franchise to give them a 25% discount off our territory fee, and we will also finance 67% of the remainder, which is pretty huge,” Conway said.
Heidi Lubrani