ServiceMaster Restoration Services Announces Technician Appreciation Month

CONCORD, Calif.—November 24, 2020—In this season of thanksgiving, California residents celebrate the sacrifice and courage of the state’s many first responders—the healthcare workers, firefighters, EMTs, and police officers who helped us endure a tumultuous 2020. ServiceMaster Restoration Services, a California-based ServiceMaster Restore franchise, believes restoration professionals deserve to be among those honored when we show our appreciation to first responders. To acknowledge the efforts of restoration professionals, ServiceMaster Restoration Services has designated November as Technician Appreciation Month. Throughout the month the company will celebrate the accomplishments of the employee owners who went above and beyond their job descriptions to help people get through the various disasters that occurred in 2020.

“Few people realize the sacrifices made by restoration teams this year,” explained Shawna Caderette of ServiceMaster Restoration Services in Concord, Calif., an employee-owned franchise. “Our technicians put in very long hours under stressful circumstances to help people in a wide range of crisis situations, including water, mold, and fire damage, sewage issues, hoarding, and reconstruction.”

Restoration technicians are often the first called to disinfect and protect homes and businesses from coronavirus. They are on the frontline in the aftermath of wildfires and areas of civil unrest. Without their help, many people would have suffered more and longer from the series of events that have occurred this year.

“There were many times I worked on multiple jobs in a single day,” said Hector Hernandez, a senior lead technician for the company. “The work is hard and physical, but the emotional part can be even harder. We meet people who have suffered major losses. They don’t know what to do. If we can help get them back into their homes and businesses, that’s a very rewarding feeling.”

Caderette noted that Hernandez, who has a degree in Psychology, often spends considerable time reassuring distraught families and business owners. Hernandez is just one of the 100 technicians ServiceMaster Restoration Services will acknowledge this month.

“Restoration services is a very demanding job and it sometimes involves risk,” said Caderette, referring to the technicians. “Our technicians clean and disinfect COVID-19 locations wearing full PPE. They clean fire-damaged structures filled with broken glass, debris, and sometimes harmful fumes. When riots are threatening, they cover windows with plywood. They have helped thousands of Californians resume their lives after these events.”

The number of catastrophic events in 2020 has made this the busiest year in ServiceMaster Restoration Services’ history. The team experienced a 68% increase in the number of jobs this year across their nine locations in Central California and Nevada. The massive workload required the company to hire 40 new employees.

“If there is a silver lining to the challenges of this year, it is that they created a lot of good jobs for people in this region,” said Caderette. “We are so proud and thankful for the work our teams have done. 2020 was stressful for them, too, but they brought a great attitude and a lot of determination to the job every day.”

Technician Appreciation Month will include numerous rewards for technicians including a catered meal for each family, prizes, gift cards, and awards.