July 2019
Regency DRT, a nationally recognized leader in property restoration, was recently awarded the prestigious Phoenix Award for Innovation in Restoration by the Restoration Industry Association (RIA). The award was created by the RIA In order to recognize conspicuously high achievement in the area of disaster restoration.
“It is an incredible honor to be awarded this significant award in our industry,” said Scott Stamper, President, and CEO of Regency DRT. “Although it is not because of awards that we do what we do, we are humbled that our efforts to be an exceptional restoration company are recognized. Our highly experienced, educated, and professional team members are able to provide our customers with innovative solutions to restore their properties to pre-loss condition. Through the use of state-of-the-art equipment, continuing education, and teamwork, Regency DRT is proud to manage and restore projects such as the one for which we received the Phoenix Award. Congratulations to our entire team for receiving this award.”
Regency DRT received the honor for their work on the First Baptist Church of Panama City after the church suffered incomprehensible damage following Category 5 Hurricane Michael on October 10, 2018. During the storm, Regency DRT offices and many of their employees’ homes took a direct hit from the storm. With no communication of any kind possible, Stamper and his management team had no way of knowing what damages their Panama City team faced. It was not until two full days later, they learned everyone was okay. Prior to the storm, having experience with situations similar to this in the past, the company set a predetermined time and location to meet and begin their response. Every single one of their employees, even the individuals that suffered massive home damage and many who were nearly killed, were at the meeting place ready to help.
The Regency team arrived on site of First Baptist Church of Panama City on the afternoon of the 12th, a mere 48 hours after the storm. The mega church, with a total of 16 buildings, had 90% of their roofs either damaged or torn off by the wind and the resulting water damage was everywhere. As the Regency DRT management team walked the 300,000+ square foot complex with the church staff, it became crystal clear how important this place of worship was to the community, a community that had suffered a horrendous loss and needed a place to worship and restore hope. After that inspection, the Regency team committed to First Baptist Church that the 3,000-seat sanctuary would be ready for service in just 4 weeks.
Regency was able to immediately begin mitigation services, despite all the challenges, in large part, due to their catastrophe pre-planning. “We mobilized our equipment, including a large command center, and placed supplemental generators and desiccants on reserve prior to landfall,” said Dale Weiss, General Manager of Regency DRT and project estimator for the restoration of the church. “The dry-in roofing crews were on standby and arrived on day one to begin service. Our planning was a huge factor in the ability to immediately start the drying process, thus limiting the development of mold on the building materials. It allowed us to dry in place the 129,000 square foot sanctuary, with minimal demolition.”
Another key to success on this project was Regency’s ability to work with the church’s insurance company. With the adjuster, consultants, and Church leadership working together, coverage questions and other issues were quickly answered. This seamless communication saved an incomprehensible amount of time on this huge project. Stamper proudly recalled team members’ ability to use innovative solutions to complete the job at hand. “Despite the numerous challenges including, no power, no water, no cell phone service, no available accommodations, employees working long hours with no roof to sleep under, scarce resources, and working in a Federally named Disaster Area, Regency succeeded. In just 3 short weeks, one week earlier than promised, the community was able to gather, worship, and begin to heal at the First Baptist Church of Panama City.”
Chris Mundschenk, Executive Director of the Restoration Industry Association congratulated Regency DRT on receiving the award. “Your project was extremely challenging and is an excellent illustration of the work RIA members do every day. Our judges felt your project was an excellent example of creativity and cost-savings.” Regency DRT was presented the award at the RIA’s International Restoration Convention and Industry Expo in Phoenix, Arizona on May 1.
For more information about Regency DRT, call 1 (888) 354-2447 or visit their website at RegencyDRT.com.
