Restoration company looking to add more Technicians

by Stacy Dunn

Paul Davis Restoration repairs homes and businesses that have been damaged by fire, water, mould or severe weather.

The company has been back on PEI under new management since January 2023. Owner Greg Kemp operates the year-round emergency restoration business in Kinkora and offers services Island-wide.

They currently have 12 staff, which include the following:

• Project Managers
• Job Cost Accountant
• Mitigation & Rebuild Technicians
• Contents Technicians
• File Managers

In the near future, Paul Davis plans to hire more Project Managers as well as entry-level Technicians who can combine an understanding of technology and good craftsmanship.

“It’s difficult to find the right people for this job, so we invest a lot into training our employees,” Greg says. “If we find a great craftsperson who doesn’t know the technology, we can teach them. If we find a tech savvy person who can help us in the front-end of the project, we can team them up with an experienced tradesperson to do the rest of the project.”

Paul Davis takes on high school and college-level students for co-op placements or job shadowing and welcomes applications from anyone interested in the commercial or residential construction sector.

“Paul Davis is known for restoration projects driven by insurance companies,” Greg says. “We have also been fairly successful in working in commercial construction as well. We have a diverse customer list, including post-secondary institutions and the Government of PEI. We are a Network of Excellence Contractor, which allows us to do government grant program work as well.”

They are still seeing a few claims originating from Post Tropical Storm Fiona. “A lot of the emergency work at homes is done, and we are in the rebuilding stage. Most of those files have been settled by the insurance companies, but plenty of homeowners are still looking for contractors to do the work.”

Keeping up with technology

Greg says keeping up with new technology means better customer service.

“If I was to receive a call right now from a homeowner, they can take photos and send them to us via their cell phone, and we can send them documents to read and sign right away.

“With the administration of the information sharing that happens around claims, we use digital mapping every time when inspecting a home. Using its floor plan, we document the home’s damage and existing conditions with 360° cameras.”

Employees are trained on an ongoing basis to use these technologies, so they are well prepared with the tools needed for the job. Greg says technology is changing all the time and his company has invested heavily in sensors and other tools used in surveying buildings and land.

“Every time we can improve our employees’ usage of the technology, our customers see a better result at the end,” he says. “It’s important that our customers have a high level of transparency with us. We want to able to share the information the insurance company wants and provide the results the homeowner needs to get them back to normal as best we can.”

No day is the same

“The exciting thing about our business is that every day is a little bit different,” he says. “We operate 24/7. Flexibility is required – we can receive a claim at any moment and may have to shift our plans.

“For instance, I could be repairing drywall, and a call comes in saying a neighbour’s home is flooded. I may have to put down my tools to attend to the flood and handle mitigation before I go back to the drywall.”

Being prepared

The company is busy during every season. Paul Davis Restoration holds internal meetings with staff to go over plans to prepare for potentially damaging weather events. Greg says it is hard to predict what each season will bring.

“This spring did not have heavy rains, yet the early snow melts in March or early April paired with the little rain we got caused homes to flood. We received many calls about flooded homes.

“We do projects off-Island as well. We recently deployed a team to Ontario where there was severe flooding.”

Where jobs are advertised

When hiring, the company’s job ads are posted on various job search websites such as Indeed.com.

“We took part in a job fair earlier this year in Charlottetown, and it was a good experience in giving us exposure.”

During the job interview

Greg says he asks the person being interviewed to describe a time they used their problem-solving skills. “I am looking for personality and drive. I want someone who works hard and is in learning mode – that is, always curious and asking questions.

“Teamwork is also important, because we solve any problems that arise as a team. It’s the nature of our business to have a team that is amenable and works together well.”