Franchise Stars: Paul Woodall Davis : Restoration Giant Paul Davis Mourns the Death of its Namesake Founder

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"Our offices are a bit somber this morning," said Rich Wilson, President and CEO of Jacksonville-based Paul Davis Restoration Inc. last Friday, June 14th.

"We learned today of the passing of our founder Paul Woodall Davis at the age of 92. I am so pleased that I got to visit him recently and tell him how much his guidance and great spirit have helped me personally and helped the entire company to thrive."

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Paul Woodall Davis founded Paul W. Davis Contracting in 1966. During the time that entity was growing, Insurance Restoration Contracting was a "niche market."

Paul Davis had very original insights about what the future would be for this industry. Property insurance adjusters were looking for ways to settle claims, sorted out these folks who soon realized the insurance adjusters were going to be their sole source of business. Paul Davis saw this fragmented niche for what it is today; a multi-billion-dollar stand-alone industry.

The company began franchising in 1969. That's when Davis began his teaching role and is credited with doing an excellent job of it by the Paul Davis staff and early franchisees. He authored the original Operations Manual and personally taught the Owners' School. As the franchise network grew and he had less personal time to spend teaching, instructors were brought in.

Employees were also empowered to participate in the Owners' School. Davis took a personal interest in all the employees at what was then called Paul W. Davis Systems. His management style was the same as his project development; he empowered the employee and helped them make corrections along the way. He had an open-door policy; he made himself available to all employees.

In 2016 Paul Davis wrote and published his autobiography called "If I Could, So Can You!" an effort that delighted the entire PDRI system. Among the values shared in the book by Davis: "For any organization to enjoy the greatest potential for success, its culture must always reflect its basic values."

Stephanie Rosenstone, Senior Executive Assistant to Rich Wilson, spoke at Davis' funeral Saturday.

"Paul felt strongly that Rich Wilson embodies the values and integrity which the company was founded on. Paul often commented that Rich is the perfect CEO to lead our network to the growth that he could not have dreamed. He was passionate about his support for the direction/leadership occurring at what is now Paul Davis Restoration Inc."

Paul also credited his devoted wife Brenda for coining an oft used phrase among us at Corporate; "Remember who you are and who you Represent".


Obituary from Florida Times Union Saturday June 15th, 2019

https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/timesunion/obituary.aspx?n=paul-woodall-davis&pid=193148091


About Paul Davis Restoration Inc.

Paul Davis has been providing restoration and cleanup services to the residential and commercial market since its founding in 1966. The Company was acquired in 1997 by The Franchise Company, known today as FirstService Brands, a network of home service franchisors.

Paul Davis has over 300 North American offices, is a leader in the recovery, reconstruction and restoration industries. In 2018, the company had over $850 million in revenue from work on over 125,000 commercial and residential projects.

Paul Davis franchise owners employ over 126,000 restoration professionals. www.pauldavis.com

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3 Comments

Great article on a franchising pioneer and Paul Davis Restoration.

In an age when many franchise concepts come & go it's great to see PDR standing the test of time and still growing!

Well done Rhonda and Rich.

Thanks Joe. Yes and it's only getting better. Of course there is such demand on the Restoration and Disaster Management Industry thanks to the severe climate changes we are experiencing. see this article about it that ran in Entrepreneur Magazine in April.
https://tinyurl.com/y2xqkly3

Thinking that natural disasters will always be a problem and that's why we need great providers like Paul Davis to help put things back together.

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