9/11

9/11/2020 (Permalink)

September 11, 2001. A day that we will never forget. 19 years ago, our country lost nearly 3,000 people to terrorist attacks. As the traumatic events continued to unfold, Americans were hit with tragic loss, grief and sense of uncertainty.

The aftermath of the attacks were brutal and scarring. SERVPRO was called upon to assist with the restoration of the Pentagon. SERVPRO was able to complete the process of drying over 300,000 SQF of property due to water pipes bursting, and provide fire restoration. Despite the emotional nature of the job, SERVPRO professionals were honored in doing their part to help our Nation come back stronger. 

As we reflect almost two decades later, SERVPRO acknowledges that we as a country are still healing and recovering from those events. Despite all the loss, our spirit was never broken. We would like to thank all of our heroes. Our first responders, who put their life on the line to save another. Their bravery will never go unnoticed.

Today, on National Day of Service and Remembrance, we honor the victims, survivors of those who were impacted during the tragedies that took place in New York, DC and Pennsylvania.

We encourage everyone to use this day to find an opportunity to volunteer and help your fellow neighbor.

Holiday Safety Tips

12/1/2016 (Permalink)

As we start December and get excited because the holidays are upon us, we must also keep in mind the importance of safety. Here are some tips to remember during the holidays.

Never use lighted candles near trees, boughs, curtains/drapes, or with any potentially flammable item.

Stand your tree away from fireplaces, radiators and other heat sources. Make sure the tree does not block foot traffic or doorways.

If you use an artificial tree, choose one that is tested and labeled as fire resistant. Artificial trees with built-in electrical systems should have the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) label.

If using a natural tree, make sure it is well watered to avoid dry branches from catching fire from the heat of light bulbs.

Turn off all lights on trees and decorations when you go to bed or leave the house. Unplug extension cords when not in use.

When putting up holiday decorations, always use the proper step stool or ladder to reach high places. Don’t stand on chairs, desks or other furniture.

Prepare your car for the winter by checking items such as the brakes, spark plugs, battery, and tires. Check your owner’s manual for the recommended interval for a tune-up.

Refer to the link below for more safety tips.

http://www.nsc.org/NSCDocuments/Holiday-Safety-Tips.pdf

SEPTEMBER IS NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH

9/15/2016 (Permalink)

Different types of disasters and emergencies happen in communities across the country, but there are key steps that every household can take to be better prepared for them. If you do nothing else this month, take time to create a disaster plan including an emergency escape plan.

Make a clear plan of what to do in an emergency and in case of an evacuation.

Identify clear roles for everyone in the house.

Discuss how to prepare and respond to emergencies that can happen at home, work, and school.

Make a list of all the important things you may forget when in an emergency.

Have a disaster kit assembled for everyone in the house.

Have an out of the area emergency contact person saved on a smartphone.

Practice evacuating your home twice a year, especially if you have kids or pets. This makes it a routine and can make a real emergency situation less stressful.

According to the Red Cross there are many disaster apps now available for smartphones and tablets that can be downloaded to help with emergencies. Some of these apps include a full emergency app, tornado, hurricane, earthquake, wildfire and flood apps. If any of these disasters are common in your areas I would recommend downloading the corresponding app. With these apps you can know when to evacuate, where a shelter may be located, and exactly where the disaster occurred.

Go to: http://www.redcross.org/get-help/prepare-for-emergencies/mobile-apps for more information

Happy 40th Anniversary!

8/30/2016 (Permalink)

Forty years ago, John and Nancy Hargrove acquired SERVPRO of Bethesda/Potomac with no idea as to how successful they would become. John started working for SERVPRO three years prior to becoming an owner as a crew chief. At that time this franchise only handled carpet and upholstery cleaning as well as water losses. Over the years, John has gained extensive knowledge on how different aspects of the business should be run effectively and is certified in all areas of mitigation and restoration. As a working owner, John has gained the respect and admiration of his peers and competitors by being a “hands on owner”, present in the daily operations of the business.  

Since the day it was acquired, SERVPRO of Bethesda/Potomac has helped countless families and businesses recover from unexpected disasters. We were brought on for an extensive part of the clean-up and restoration of the Pentagon after 9/11.  Whether you have a problem with water damage, fire damage, or need a cleaning service we have had you covered through the years.

We have been consistently expanding our franchises as well as our equipment over the years. John and Nancy Hargrove now own 5 franchises in total including Bethesda/Potomac, Washington DC, Chevy Chase/Silver Spring, College Park/Hyattsville and District Heights/Landover.  Now, in addition to Water Damage Restoration, we are able to serve a vast majority of the Washington Metropolitan area with Fire and Smoke Damage Restoration, Mold Remediation, Odor Control, Biohazard/Trauma Cleanup as well as Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning.

Today, SERVPRO of Bethesda/Potomac has a 40,000 square foot warehouse full of equipment, a fleet of vehicles, and a crew of highly trained technicians who are on call 24/7, ready for whatever disaster comes next.

We have paved the way in these 40 years.  Here’s to many more years to come!

SERVPRO Named to Entrepreneur's Top 10 Franchise List for 7th Consecutive Year

8/25/2016 (Permalink)

 SERVPRO, a cleanup and restoration franchise company, maintains its hold on the top ranking in the Restoration Services industry for the 13th consecutive year and moves up to the number four spot overall in the 2016 Franchise 500 rankings from Entrepreneur magazine. This is the seventh consecutive year SERVPRO has been included in the magazine's Top 10 list, standing out in a group of more than 951 franchises that qualified for inclusion in the list.

Entrepreneur magazine's Franchise 500 selection process uses "objective, quantifiable measures of a franchise operation" to help would-be entrepreneurs identify franchise investment opportunities. Some of the most important factors considered by Entrepreneur in developing the list each year are "financial strength and stability, growth rate and size of the system."

"This recognition affirms that SERVPRO is a dynamic organization that continues to grow and strives to always provide superior support for its franchisees, and by extension its customers," said Sue Steen, SERVPRO Industries, Inc., chief executive officer. "The recognition that the company earns year after year in this prestigious list is confirmation of a commitment to excellence that starts at the top and is evident in the service that each franchisee provides to each and every customer."

According to Steen, a number of differentiators set SERVPRO apart from the competition and fuel the attractiveness of the company to both existing franchisees and would-be entrepreneurs looking for a strong business opportunity. Key among these are:

• SERVPRO's strength as a brand with a national footprint, wide-spread market penetration, laser-focused brand messaging, and the ability to create national partnerships with organizations such as the PGA TOUR and the American Red Cross.
• SERVPRO's commitment to being a learning organization, which keeps training and support at the forefront of the company's culture and philosophy of success and helps franchisees plan, track, and deliver best-in-class services to consumers.
• SERVPRO's focus on continued development and support for proprietary software and systems to allow the company's operational capacity to keep pace with an aggressive growth strategy.

Steen adds, "One of the potential pitfalls of growing too quickly is outpacing your capacity to train and support the franchisees. SERVPRO is a conservative company, and early on we took the time to build a strong system and put the building blocks in place to support growth without sacrificing support to our franchisees." "Today," Steen continues, "as a mature franchise organization with more than 1,700 locations under a single brand, recognition like this makes it clear we are reaping the rewards of having laid a solid foundation and a framework to handle quick growth. As our brand continues to grow, we will continue our winning strategy of supporting and improving upon our infrastructure and investing resources in training and support."

SERVPRO specializes in fire and water cleanup and restoration services, helping both commercial and residential customers recover from property damage emergencies "Like it never even happened." For more fire prevention tips and information about fire and water damage restoration services, please visit www.SERVPRO.com/.