Publisher’s Note: We love sharing restorer’s stories of interesting losses you and your team have tackled! In this C&R Case Study, Chad Holland, from Paul Davis Restoration of S.E. Wisconsin, shares the journey of restoring a mall heavily damaged by a tornado.
Paint a picture of the loss – when did the tornado happen, and what was the overall damage to your town? Was your franchise affected?
The mall in Richmond Indiana was hit by a EF0 tornado on June 15, 2019. It had a short and narrow path of destruction mainly in the general vicinity of this mall.
How did you get the job at the mall? Was there a pre-existing relationship?
We were called in by the carrier to help this very large property manager through this claim. We have been working with this carrier on large losses for seven years.
What was the scope of work? How much of the mall was damaged?
80% was wet in some capacity.
How many people did you need on site to get this done?
50 technicians, 5 management personnel
How much equipment did you have on site?
2 x 15,000 cfm Desiccants, 30 LGR’s and 200 Air Movers
Did you do mitigation, structure, and contents?
We did the dry out only. The property manager had their in house team there repairing items behind us as we cleared the areas.
Any time constraints for getting the job done?
They wanted the mall open ASAP to keep tenants and their employees happy. The roof timeline was in line with ours. When the roof was complete two weeks after the tornado hit; we needed to be out for occupancy.
Were you working with one management company overseeing the mall – or multiple companies involved due to multiple businesses affected? One main manager, but multiple carriers, tenants, and management companies for the individual stores.
What was a unique challenge you faced on this job – and how did you overcome it?
We were hired late on a box store that had another contractor on it. Once they failed to properly mitigate damages, we were hired to get them back in business. At this time mold was aggressive in their extensive storage area.
What was your team’s biggest takeaway from this loss?
Because we do not solely rely on temp labor, we are able to perform at a high level on large losses. We have a large trained staff to accommodate large losses that are complex, involve contents and have tight timelines.
What type of technology did you use to assist with the restoration and documentation process?
Thermal imaging, moisture mapping, moisture meters, nanometer.
How often were you in communication with the property owner and other involved parties?
WE had daily meetings and sent daily emails with a progress map to show what was completed each day.
Any tips for getting paid in full on large losses, working with adjusters and carriers, etc?
Have the conversation up front, determine costs and scope and create a ROM to set proper expectations as soon as possible.
Anything else?
Customer service and doing the right thing prevails every time.
