Meet the 2023 Unsung Hero Award Winners

Employee recognition is among the most impactful things employers can do to retain the talent they have, and attract new people to the company. 

According to research done by workhuman, in collaboration with Gallup, employees who are recognized for their efforts and contributions are:

• 5x more likely to see a path to grow in the organization
• 44% more likely to be “thriving” in life, overall
• 73% less likely to “always” or “very often” feel burned out
• 4x more likely to be engaged at work
• 5x more likely to feel connected to their workplace culture

At C&R, we want to celebrate the members of the cleaning and restoration industry who are in the trenches every day – and often overlooked for larger industry awards.

In partnership with this award’s ongoing sponsor, CoreLogic, the Unsung Heroes Award recognizes three worthy individuals within the restoration and cleaning industry. Each year, ONE position will be chosen from each category and nominations accepted for individuals in those positions.

• Executive Hero of the Year: Owner, CEO, General Manager, Director of Operations, etc.
• Office/Sales Hero of the Year: Admin, Project Coordinator, Sales, Marketing, Bookkeeper, Receptionist, etc.
• Field Hero of the Year: Technician, Project Manager, Estimator, Carpenter, etc.

Nominees must be employed in the cleaning and restoration industry in 2023. You may nominate numerous individuals, but you must submit a separate nomination for each nominee. We will only evaluate one nomination per nominee per category; please coordinate within your team to submit one submission per individual. An individual may only be nominated for one category. Judging is based on the nomination responses, quality, and clarity of the examples given.

Nominations will be received during a set nomination period each year, and reviewed by a panel of industry judges to select a winner from each category.

This year, there were some close races! In the end, here are the three very deserving winners of the three divisions of the Unsung Heroes Award!

1. Share your background! What was your journey before restoration? How long have you been in restoration?

My journey started in the world of employee benefits and insurance with employer groups ranging from 2 to 4,000. Traveling all the time while my kids were young made it difficult as a mom, so I decided to take a HR position at a marine cargo surveying company. Years later, a move to Baton Rouge, Louisiana from a small Louisiana town, and answering a job posting for a HR Manager changed my journey for good. Six years later, Guarantee Restoration Services is still my home and heart.

2. How long have you been in your current role? If you moved up the ranks, what roles did you hold prior to this one? 

I have held the same title since I came to GRS, but the job responsibilities have grown. Besides human resources, I oversee facilities, IT, and safety.

3. What is your favorite thing about the company you work for? What is your favorite thing about working in the restoration industry, in general? 

My favorite thing about GRS, hands-down, are the individuals who make up this amazing company. Every day, I am amazed by the commitment and heart they show to GRS. When I look at the restoration industry, I see the same thing. Individuals who commit and care for a purpose greater than themselves, which is my favorite thing about our industry.

4. How does your job bring meaning and value to you? 

A huge component of my job is giving people the opportunity to reach new heights. And the most rewarding is when an individual reaches that next level, accomplishes a goal, or becomes more comfortable in who they are. So yes, my job fills my cup. I take it as a huge privilege and responsibility when an individual allows me to push and coach them up because they know I believe in them.

5. What are your goals from here, within your current company? 

My current goal is to keep excelling and growing our workforce. Training and developing is at the heart of all we do. By strengthening our employees, GRS will continue to reach new heights.

6. Share a FAVORITE restoration story. It can be about a job, a moment with your team, etc. 

There are so many! But my favorite restoration story is about resiliency within GRS that happened in August of 2021. In July 2021, GRS lost two influential employees very unexpectedly to health issues. GRS was at a low point. There were several days where we simply struggled to do anything. GRS was hurting. But one month later, Hurricane Ida came charging in, right to our backyard. As you know, hurricanes bring loss of power, flooding, and destruction, and we had several employees who were experiencing some or all the effects of Ida at their homes. But it never stopped, not once, their determination, commitment, or duty of service to the people of South Louisiana. At our lowest point, GRS soared conquering and accomplishing bigger heights and goals. We came out stronger after all the jobs were completed than ever before. We believed in each other. Not only did we grow individually, but also as a company. Talk about a restoration.

7. What advice would you give to someone who is considering   accepting a job in the restoration industry – or someone who is looking for a new career path? 

Do it. No matter what the department is, every single individual is a significant contributor to the restoration industry. There are career paths within the industry. I have seen a cleaning technician rise to branch manager. I have seen coordinators become project managers. If you are looking for a fulfilling and solid job outlook, jump with both feet in! You will not regret it.

1. Share your background! What was your journey before restoration? How long have you been in restoration? 

I have been working in the restoration industry for the last six years. Prior to that, I worked in the insurance industry for a Fortune 50 company for 13 years. I got to know the insurance industry very well throughout my time there obtaining multiple insurance licenses and certifications for the state of Texas. As my insurance industry knowledge expanded, so did my responsibilities; I served in roles including customer service, sales and claims. It was a great experience, and I learned a lot.

After so many years in the insurance industry, a headhunter found my LinkedIn profile and the opportunity peaked my interest. After two rounds of interviews, I was hired as the Office Manager for ATI’s Dallas office in June of 2017. There have been multiple occasions where my insurance background has helped me have a greater understanding of the restoration industry, including my current role in Supplier Enablement. I love the restoration industry and the company I work for; I plan to be here for many years to come.

2. How long have you been in your current role? If you moved up the ranks, what roles did you hold prior to this one? 

I started as ATI’s Office Manager for the Dallas Office in June of 2017, and I stayed in that position until October of 2021. I was then promoted to Senior Office Manager serving in a national capacity in October of 2021. I was responsible for all the office managers across the country. I held that role until June of 2023 when I was again promoted to my current role of Supplier Enablement and Travel Manager.

During my time with ATI, I also served as interim office manager when there was a need. It was challenging, but I like to be challenged. Currently, in addition to my position as Supplier Enablement and Travel Manager, I’m helping with the ERP initiative retaining my role on the Operations side as well as Supplier Enablement and Expense Management. I’m working alongside ATI’s best in advancing the design, discovery, and system development. I have been involved in this massive ERP initiative since early 2022.

3. What is your favorite thing about the company you work for? What is your favorite thing about working in the restoration industry, in general? 

My favorite thing about working for ATI is the multiple opportunities that it provides. When I took the job in 2017, I had no idea where I would end up in six years. It’s a big company and we are growing so much that the opportunity for advancement is unlimited and exciting.

I am also grateful for the way management treats its employees, especially when tragedy strikes. I’ve experienced two deeply personal, life-changing losses during my time with ATI. The company’s leadership, as well as my colleagues, surrounded me with overwhelming support. They showed me that spirit of family that still takes my breath away. While my life went through major upheaval, they rallied behind me with support. I’ve met what I consider family here. I’ll always value those relationships no matter what happens next.

My favorite thing about the restoration industry is that it’s a male-dominated industry and I’m a female blazing a trail. I don’t accept you have to be a male in order to succeed. At ATI, we value hard work, and you can go far based on your work ethic and performance. I truly believe that at ATI, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you came from, you can be very successful here. I’m proof of that and am very appreciative.

4. How does your job bring meaning and value to you? 

This job gives me the opportunity to continually learn new things and educate others, which I find truly fulfilling. I’m a self-described know-it-all, or if I don’t know, then I’ll go find out. I’m also the “why” and “how” person. If you explain the “why” to me, I can communicate that to a larger group.

If something motivates me, I can then connect with people who I can then motivate. I get real satisfaction out of being able to paint a detailed picture and convey an idea and see the buy-in. I enjoy sharing what I know and bringing enthusiasm to others.

5. What are your goals from here, within your current company? 

My goal is to continue to provide value in whatever capacity I’m able to – whether that’s in my current position or whatever comes next. I hope to continue learning and taking advantage of every opportunity given to me.

At ATI, we are continuing to evolve and are forward-thinking and are constantly looking for ways to improve ourselves for our employees and as a company. I love that we aren’t stagnant, and we continue to pursue excellence in all things.

6. Share a FAVORITE restoration story. It can be about a job, a moment with your team, etc. 

My favorite, and most memorable time, at ATI began on Monday, Feb. 25, 2021, while I was the Office Manager in Dallas. I had just come back from maternity leave when the polar vortex hit North Texas causing a deep freeze that hadn’t been seen in over 30 years. Days of low temperatures resulted in power outages, rolling black outs, and frozen pipes across the DFW Metroplex (five counties). We quickly came together as a team, working very long hours and for many days straight. This was nearly a year after the pandemic gripped the world which made our jobs even more challenging, but we got through it together.

Many of us have had job promotion opportunities because of our performance during that time. It was hard but it was awesome too.

7. What advice would you give to someone who is considering accepting a job in the restoration industry – or someone who is looking for a new career path? 

My advice would be to take it! Take the opportunity because this career is extremely meaningful. We help people put their lives back together during what may be a stressful and traumatic time. This industry can be very rewarding, demanding, draining, and fulfilling. In this job, you are making a difference in someone’s life. To me, that’s worth it.

1. Share your background! What was your journey before restoration? How long have you been in restoration? 

I’m Greek Ukrainian who came to make dreams come true in 2011. Having Post-graduate degree in logistics and Bachelor’s degree in project management helped me to organize the processes in the company and identify and fix any issue in the system. I’ve been in the restoration business since 2014 and since day one, the restoration industry became my passion.

2. How long have you been in your current role? If you moved up the ranks, what roles did you hold prior to this one? 

When I started, the company I worked for was a new and tiny business. At that time, we had a couple people working and until now, I’m very grateful I was one of the first ones. Serious competition, constantly changing policies, and customers with different backgrounds gave me an amazing experience and I’ll always be thankful for that. At the moment, ONT Restoration is one of the top privately-owned companies in the area and I’m very proud I’m a part of it. I started as an estimator and now, I manage the whole estimating department.

3. What is your favorite thing about the company you work for? What is your favorite thing about working in the restoration industry, in general? 

ONT Restoration is a part of the family now. The company is based on cultural diversity, inclusivity, and care for each customer. The company is not money-oriented; the main priority is to help. ONT inspires me every single day. Working in the restoration business helped me to understand how helping people and being able to change their life is important. Many restorers complain on constantly changing industry market, but I’m getting goosebumps when trying to figure out new ways and finding solutions to the changes.

4. How does your job bring meaning and value to you? 

The main value the job brings me is happiness. I’m lucky to get so much happiness from something I do every day for many years. It keeps me up at night, it’s my hobby and my passion. It pushes me to be better every day, learn new things, know the laws, and understand human psychology.

5. What are your goals from here, within your current company? 

My goal is to help my company grow and become a new high standard of restoration businesses not only in Canada, but in other countries. Go big or go home.

6. Share a FAVORITE restoration story. It can be about a job, a moment with your team, etc. 

It was 2018, we had a rough, cold winter. We received a call at 3 a.m. with pipe burst. The whole house was damaged, the owner was an 86-year-old man named Robert. He was lonely, his kids moved to Europe, and wife has died many years ago. At the time of the emergency he was lost, very stressed, and crying. When checking his policy, it turned out it had expired and he forgot to renew it. When the owner of ONT came on site and talked to him, he came out of the property with tears. Robert was a former military surgeon and was giving disabled people free food and places to stay. He was very famous back home and known for his incredibly big heart. When he moved to Canada with his family, the first thing they bought was weird-looking wall art of the sky with seagulls. It reminded him of his home, of his patients, and his family. After his wife passed away due to cancer, he didn’t let the picture go.

After listening to his life story and seeing the old man with deep black eyes, our owner decided to do the remediation and repair for free. Honestly, that was the best time we all had. Robert was telling us stories during drying process, showing photos during reno. Six month after completion of reno, we received the news that Robert has passed away. We were devastated and had an evening dedicated to him remembering his stories and his eyes.

After a couple months, we got a call from his son. His son explained that Robert left a note asking to pass the picture of that exact sky and seagulls to ONT Restoration. This picture is proudly hanging on our wall as a proof of integrity and service to people.

7. What advice would you give to someone who is considering accepting a job in the restoration industry – or someone who is looking for a new career path? 

My main advice – do it with all your heart or don’t do it at all. The restoration industry can be difficult and cruel sometimes, but if you love what you do – it’s the best place to work.