Tell us about yourself, and what led you to your business?
I moved to Maui from Washington state when I was 25 to be closer to my wife’s family. After a few weeks of being on island anxious to find something to keep me busy, my wife’s family introduced me to Anthony Nelson (currently The President of Premier Restoration Hawaii) who was the head of operations for Premier Restoration Hawaii on Maui. My interview with Anthony went as far as “Do you have pants and boots and can you work hard?” To which I answered yes to all of the above and that launched my career into the property damage restoration industry. I started off in a temporary role basically moving furniture for the demolition guys and after 5 months, I worked my way up to a Mitigation Project Manager overseeing the team that responds to floods and mold remediation. When Premier opened its Oahu location, I was a founding member and helped open shop there as Operations Manager of Oahu. I was responsible for getting the Oahu operation off the ground in 2016 with just 3 technicians and within a year, the growth on Oahu swelled to 80 employees. I eventually shifted my focus more on servicing higher end commercial and hospitality accounts and after starting a commercial and hospitality specific division within the company on Oahu, hospitality clients on Oahu began asking for more and more support on Hawai’i Island properties. It became apparent to the company that a third location on Hawai’i Island had to happen to service at the quality and capacity that was being asked of us; so when the opportunity presented itself, I stepped into the role as Premier Restoration Hawaii’s General Manager of Hawai’i Island.
Tell us about your business and your role in it:
Premier Restoration Hawaii is a statewide, full-service property damage restoration contractor. We fix homes and commercial properties impacted by water, fire, mold or storm damage. With our team of experienced technicians strategically positioned across the Island, we are able to provide immediate emergency response to flood, mold, storm or fire damage no matter where you are located on Hawai’i Island. As General Manager of Hawai’i Island, I oversee the entire operation here which means everything from project management- checking in with on-going jobs every day- to providing inspections as well as more business development focused activities like meeting with larger commercial clients to go over their needs for upcoming improvement projects.
What Does a typical day look like?
My day starts with an hour drive into our Kona office for our morning huddle where we go over a job status report of every ongoing job across the island before everyone dispatches for the day. I’m typically going out to projects that may require a bit more heavy lifting or coordination from our team to complete. Because we are a small shop, I provide customer inspections and step in to work alongside our technicians responding to floods or other kinds of property disaster. Lunch is typically reserved for the business development side of my role where I meet with potential commercial clients.
What makes your business unique?
What makes our business unique from our competitors on island is that we are locally owned and operated with a true, full-service solution to property damage. With an in-house reconstruction and licensed asbestos abatement team, we can address hazardous materials in conjunction with ongoing mitigation services so you’re never having to halt a project if asbestos containing materials are found. We are also able to build back whatever building materials were removed during the response process. This A to Z approach to property damage helps our customers cut down on time and overall repair costs as well as avoid the headache of having to juggle multiple contractors. Because of our large, state-wide presence, our capacity to service no matter how large the event or scope of work required is also unique as we are able to pull resources from our teams and equipment throughout the state if needed.
What inspired you to join the HICC?
To get to know the people and businesses that make Hawai’i Island work so well. We are so inspired by how our fellow HICC members have really woven themselves into the fabric of the community here and we hope to learn from them so we can follow in their footsteps.
Are you involved in other community organizations?
Yes, we are a part of the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce, Hawai’i Lodging and Tourism Association’s Hawai’i Island Chapter, West Hawaii Realtors Association, as well as sponsors of the Kona Historical Society and this year’s Relay For Life event with the American Cancer Society.
How can members reach you?
Brent@premhi.com or by our office and 24/7 Emergency Number 808.326.4746.
Premier Restoration Hawai`i offers 10% off Commercial Deep Cleaning and Disinfecting / COVID-19 Response for Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce Members. Inspection fee waived for all service lines for Chamber Members.
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