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Igniter of an Industry - Remembering Marty King

7/28/2022

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Martin "Marty" L. King's vision was to, "See the business of insurance restoration and damage repair become a profession."  

In this video, which originally aired as part of The DYOJO Podcast Episode 85, we talk to John Pletcher. Mr. Pletcher was awarded the 2022 MLK Award at the Restoration Industry Association (RIA) Annual Convention. John shares his fond memories of being mentored by and working with Marty.   

In the mid-1980s the Association of Specialists in Cleaning and Restoration (ASCR), which would eventually be re-branded as RIA, recognized Marty with a lifetime achievement award for his pioneering work since the late 1960s to carve a restoration niche in the larger cleaning and restoration industry as a standalone discipline from remodeling and general contracting or carpet cleaners and janitorial companies who engaged in restoration work as a sideline business activity. In 1986, the lifetime achievement award was renamed the Martin L. King (MLK) Award given to an individual who has, over many years, made significant and conspicuous contributions to the restoration profession.   

The August 2015 issue of Cleaning and Restoration Magazine (C&R) featured property restoration industry icon Martin “Marty” L. King in remembrance of his passing earlier that year in May. The title of the video attached to this article, “Igniter of an industry,” is recognized as a concise summary of Marty’s contributions to fulfilling his vision for the craft of property restoration. Those four words were penned by another industry founding father, Cliff Zlotnik.    

For those interested in the history of our industry, Pete Consigli wrote an article recognizing the four faces on Mount Restoration for the same publication (C&R) in March of 2007 which the reader would do well to study.   

In the 2015 issue previously mentioned, Pete stated,   

​“Marty had a vision for a new and emerging industry he called “damage repair.” Marty’s life’s work was to see the business of damage repair evolve into a profession. Fifty years after Marty had that dream, the legacy of the restoration industry is in the hands of those he influenced and many of those people are preparing to pass on the stewardship of the industry to the next generation. It is the hope of many that the next generation will take the industry to a place never imagined by the industry’s founders.”  

As part of our ongoing commitment to research and share elements of property restoration history, you can read more and contribute historical content to PropertyRestorationHistory.com

As Mr. Consigli says, "Reflecting on Marty’s passing, it is my hope that his teachings and wisdom will be remembered with reverence. In this way, the industry will honor those who paved the path for its success today. This is how we will evolve as succeeding generations seek greatness in the restoration profession.”

Additional resources on this topic:
  • March 2007 issue of Cleaning and Restoration (C&R) Founding Fathers of Restoration
  • Appearance on IAQ Radio Episode 75
  • A Brief Walk Through Restoration History (R&R Magazine)
  • Building A Bridge From Restoration's Founding Fathers To The Modern Restorer (Cleanfax Magazine) ​

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Concerns Over Water Damage Standards

6/6/2022

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IAQ Radio, episode 426 from August 12, 2016 featured John Downey, Ken Larsen, and Cliff Zlotnik. The group discussed, "Two articles which appeared in the August issue of the IICRC Journal along with details from the story behind them." While this description may not grab your attention, if you are involved in water damage or the property restoration industry, the content of the articles and the discussion on this podcast are important. Cliff and Ken expressed their concerns over the state of the water damage restoration industry with pointed critiques of the foundation behind the IICRC Applied Structural Drying certification and its subsequent incorporation into the IICRC S500 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Water Damage Restoration.

This episode discusses:
  • The formation of the IICRC S500 aka the water damage standards (WRT) 
  • The history of water damage approaches as well as the influence the S500 has had on the drying industry
  • Observations regarding the science behind in-place or top-down drying methodologies 
  • How insurance carriers have reduced their claims staff and now rely on TPAs (Third Party Administrators)
  • How TPAs have mandated practices that they claim come from IICRC standards but aren't ​ ​

Is Applied Structural Drying (ASD) Scientific?

According to Cliff Zlotnik, no one knows "chapters and verse of the S500 better than Ken Larsen. Ken noted that in May 2012, the Journal of Environmental Health demonstrated that a water loss responded to within four hours showed an exponential increase (orders of magnitude) of microbial growth in floor materials. He was disappointed that so few IICRC insiders and leadership acknowledged the results of the research's feedback. Cliff Zlotnik writes in the IAQ Radio blog and show recap expanding on Ken's comments from the show,
Problems on water claims is a dominant theme. Contractors find their lack of control on their projects discouraging. Many declare water restoration work is no longer fun or rewarding. The bureaucracy and loss of control is a challenge to contractor’s patience and tolerance. Contractor’s are exhausted by the demand to provide non-compensated services and mandatory investment and utilization of drying documentation software. All these demands stem from the IICRC. The IICRC is the source of these ideas. Readership has been supportive of our method to inspire the IICRC to make the needed corrections.

Is Top-Down Drying Realistic?

Cliff Zlotnik was motivated to write his article after attending both of the early in-place drying courses. He said that he felt uneasy and uncomfortable about the methodologies for “top-down drying” being taught to restorers. After testing the theories in his original Restoration Science Academy training center he came to different conclusions. Cliff thinks the training courses were unrealistic and summarized part of the fix in tese words,
Simplify curriculum, remove complication. To paraphrase the late Jim Darling’s recommendation that the IICRC mold remediation course for workers’ whose first language was other than English could be done in 4 words: “mold bad-clean good!” Drying is pretty simple “wet bad-dry good”; we need to show workers how to get there. Lloyd’s [Weaver] method was simple and it worked. When the IICRC changed the WRT curriculum and exam and added committee “Made Up Stuff”: the IICRC drying formulas, equipment placements formulas, categories of wetness; I could no longer teach it. The photos in the article show air passing through materials and into interstitial spaces. Adjusting curriculum away from the dominance of in-place drying would be a good start.

The Role of Water Damage Drying Standards

Pete Consigli mentioned that good intentions, such as quicker drying times, can sometimes lead to unintended negative outcomes. He recommended the following, 
Get away from prescriptive standards. Move to performance based standards. The separation of standards from the reference guide will reduce the confusion. Reference guide is being used and referred to as authoritative when it isn’t.
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The Evolution of Ed Cross and the AGA

6/3/2022

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The DYOJO Podcast conducted an interview with Ed Cross which also uncovered aspects of the development of IICRC Standards as well as the evolution of the Restoration Industry Association (RIA).

This interview goes into the last 25 years of Ed's involvement with advocating for property restoration contractors and his pivotal role in the formation and momentum of the RIA's AGA Committee. The episode is titled, "A History of Collaboration, a Future of Advocacy" and is accompanied by an article in Restoration and Remediation Magazine (R&R) by the same name. 

Highlights include:
  • How the restoration industry owes a debt of gratitude to Alice Cooper
  • The four names of the Restoration Industry Association (RIA), including one rather unfortunate acronym
  • Legal issues for restoration contractors in the era of "Mold is Gold"
  • Early standardization efforts of the IICRC and the ASCR
  • Some of the key personalities in the evolution of restoration and remediation
  • Mark Springer's manifesto, "Our Greatest Need"
  • RIA's pivot to focusing on advocacy ​
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An Unfortunate Acronym for a Trade Association

4/1/2022

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Jim Thompson shares a funny story about the early days of the Restoration Industry Association (RIA) when it had the unfortunate acronym of AIDS (Association of Interior Design Specialists).  

Large loss specialist and trainer Jim Thompson sat down with Jon Isaacson to discuss his life experiences and the content of his new book, “My Life Is One Disaster After Another.” Jim started from the ground up as a public adjuster, moved into cleaning and property restoration, before taking some time away to work with NASA (yes, THAT NASA).

Jim didn’t think he would return to the industry but found something he enjoyed training local contractors to market, win, and complete large losses. Projects for commercial, residential, industrial, and catastrophic disaster response, Mr. Thompson has done it all. He has compiled his 40 plus years of experience and is sharing it in written form with those willing to listen.

Our conversation also touches on:
  • Property Restoration History - interactions with Lloyd Weaver and Cliff Zlotnik
  • The early days of local, regional, and national associations
  • Seeing an opportunity and taking a chance the right way
  • What it takes to start a restoration company

Guest appearances and shoutouts for:
  • Cliff Zlotnik
  • IAQ Radio
  • Lloyd Weaver
  • Pete Consigli
  • Marty King
  • Restoration Industry Association (RIA)
  • Restoration & Remediation Magazine (R&R) - Prior article “A History of Collaboration, A Future of Advocacy”
  • Cleaning & Restoration Magazine (C&R) - Upcoming article “The Restoration Zoombie Apocolypse”
  • Kelly Dolan
  • Mat Allen
  • Brian Austin
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The Origins of Cleanfax Magazine

4/1/2022

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John Downey calls himself a "formerly important person" but he is far from hanging up his hat and retiring. The founder of Cleanfax is busy with his work as the executive director of CIRI, the Cleaning Industry Research Institute. In this special on-location interview, Downey discusses his work and what he is doing to help promote the value of cleaning.

John and interviewer Jeff Cross discuss some funny stories from the early days of Cleanfax Magazine.

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Building A Bridge Article in Cleanfax

2/4/2022

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Pete Consigli, the Global Restoration Watchdog, and Jon Isaacson co-authored an article in Cleanfax Magazine. 

Building A Bridge From Restoration's Founding Fathers To The Modern Restorer. Pete and Jon discuss how modern restorers can explore the restoration industry's rich history and use many of those mindsets and habits to build a strong future. 

Consigli says, “It is critical, following a loss, that a process starts with a meeting of the minds among the three parties that are central to a disaster restoration project,” what he refers to as the “Restoration Triangle,” made up of the property owner, insurance carrier, and restoration contractor of record. He humorously summarizes these parties as “who’s damaged,” “who’s fixin’ it,” and “who’s payin’ for it.” 

Read more, for free, in the latest print and online volume of Cleanfax Magazine. 
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The Watchdogs Express Concerns During the Development of Industry Standards

1/30/2022

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Jeff Cross is the host of Straight Talk from ISSA Media which is the group that publishes Cleanfax Magazine. While his show is normally fifteen minutes or less, he rolled extra tape to dive into the history of the Restoration Industry Watchdogs with Cliff Zlotnik and Pete Consigli. For nearly an hour, Jeff and his guests discuss some of the questions the two Watchdogs and others started asking when issues with the formation and revision of the standards came about. 

The symbol of the Restoration Industry Watchdogs is the German Shepard. When asked to define what a Watchdog is, Pete says. "We challenge what's out there. We ask a lot of questions. We don't always know the answers but we're curious." As the industry was developing the first S520 which is the Standard Reference Guide for Professional Mold Remediation Pete, Cliff, and several others began asking some probing questions about the behind the scenes process and the motivations of some of the players. 

Standards of Care for Property Restoration

Cliff believes there have been some key questions that need to be asked whenever standards of care are being composed. Cliff says that there is a problem when we abdicate responsibility from the contractor to a book. The voluntary standards for the restoration industry came as a response to some litigation issues. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards for products, services, processes, systems, and personnel in the United States.

There are two approaches of standards:
  • Prescriptive based standards
  • Performance based standards

As well as two types of standards:
  • Voluntary standards 
  • Compulsory standards

The standards of care for the property restoration industry have been voluntary in that they are not compulsory such as OSHA standards. They are also prescriptive, outlining how something should be done but not always quantifying the performance outcomes. 

Asking Good Questions

In 2003 Pete and Cliff co-wrote an article, The Future of the Water Loss Industry: Joy and Prosperity or Gloom and Doom? for Cleaning and Restoration (C&R) Magazine. Some people took offense to the publication, as the pair share in this interview, but they were asking the right questions.  Being contentious is not a bad thing, a good debate helps to refine the process and builds a better end product through "contentious collaboration." 
  • Create awareness
  • Be transparent
  • Build true consensus
  • Have differing viewpoint and healthy debate 

The pair mentions in the article, 
"As professional restorers engaged in the sewage and mold remediation segment of
the restoration industry, you should pay attention to what is going on and take a proactive approach to your business activities. For example, update your existing policies (and procedures) for handling sewer and mold losses. Invest in technical and safety training, strive to maintain good relations with customers, sub-contractors and vendors. Improve your record keeping and documentation. Keep a close eye on risk management, insurance and liability issues. Use and apply the referenced best practice documents in this article to establish your adherence to a reasonable standard of care."

Unnecessary Use of Big Words

Cliff closes the discussion with a recap of his reservations about fear mongering that was used in the creation of prior standards and still being promulgated in the development of upcoming standards such as fire restoration. He mentions that some people like to hide behind big words in contrast to a pure sign of having a deep knowledge of a subject is whether you can explain it in simple terms to a six year old. 

Additional resources on this topic:
  1. To hear more from Pete and Cliff, you can listen to IAQ Radio Episode 514
  2. The 2007 Founding Fathers article from Pete Consigli 
  3. A recent article co-authored by Jon Isaacson and Pete Consigil in Cleanfax Magazine - Building a Bridge
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A living history of the property restoration industry

1/12/2022

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We are working to track down and share the people, innovations, movements, and stories from the evolution of the property restoration industry. The goal of this site is to be a collection of shared memories, photographs, videos, audio segments, documents, relics, and stories. We want to learn from and honor our past and we need your help. Please reach out if you have something to add or a lead on an interesting fact. 
Property Restoration History
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    We are tracking down and sharing the people, innovations, movements, and other fun facts from the evolution of the property restoration industry. Please reach out if you have stories and relics to share. 

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