Protect Your Business

9/4/2018 (Permalink)

When natural disasters happen suddenly without warning, it can be tough as a business owner to know what steps to take. Today we’re providing you with a couple of tips to ensure that you’re not left unprepared if your business is victim of a disaster.

First – protect your workers! 

Talk with each employee to ensure they know just what to do if a disaster hits during work hours. Plan evacuation routes, emergency shelter areas, and have regular drills to practice your safety plans.

Secondly – secure your assets!

Protect your facilities, equipment, and more by contacting us to see what we can do for you in case of disaster. Back up data and software regularly, and maintain an up-to-date inventory of all equipment.

Third – remember us!

Keep SERVPRO of Washington DC contact information handy so you can get back to work as soon as possible following the disaster. SERVPRO of Washington DC is ready to respond immediately and work quickly to clean or restore your business. We understand that your property’s appearance is important and that every hour spent restoring is an hour of lost productivity. When you need a restoration or cleaning professional, SERVPRO of Washington DC has the training and expertise to help make it “Like it never even happened.”

Whether it be small offices or large restaurants, we can help with it all. We’re available 24/7 to get your business back up and running.

August Ladder Safety

9/7/2017 (Permalink)

As the summer comes to an end and people are having work done to get ready for fall such as; paint jobs, cleaning gutters, one should pay careful attention to the following ladder safety tips.

Ladder climbing takes place in almost every home and workplace. 

Falls off ladders are near the top in causes of fatal work related injuries in the construction industry and the third leading cause in all industries combined.

- Be sure to inspect the ladder before using it. Check for broken or missing parts, as well as grease, oil or other substances that could result in a slippery surface.

- To ensure stability, place the ladder on firm, even ground. Make sure it is not near any electrical wires or power lines.

 -  When setting up the ladder, use the 4 to 1 rule. For example, if the ladder touches the wall 16 feet above the ground, the feet of the ladder should be 4 feet away from the wall.

 -  Before climbing the ladder, make sure the braces are fully extended and locked in place. Never climb higher than the third rung from the top of the ladder, and never try to “jog” or “walk” the ladder to a new location. Descend and relocate the ladder instead.  

-When working from a ladder, stay in the center and do not reach more than a comfortable arm’s length away. Keep your feet braced against the side rails and lean slightly forward.

-Always face the ladder when ascending or descending.

-Whenever possible, work within sight of someone who could provide assistance in the event of an emergency.

Happy 40 year 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/.