How It All Began...

Have you ever wandered what would happen if your house caught on fire one day? Or what if your house was engulfed by a swirling tornado? Could you imagine what you would do if you had 6 feet of water in your basement? Many people acknowledge natural disasters and have insurance policies to cover the disaster if one should ever strike but not many people actually know what happens after the damage has been done. It’s hard to imagine everything you have ever had; all the toys, electronics, furniture, appliances, and memories all being engulfed by flames as you watch the fireman work tirelessly to save what is left of your house before it gets worse. Well that’s the business my family has been in for the past 20 years.

It all started back in Chicago of 1991. My parents were married for just over a year and had a young baby boy who wasn’t even 18months old, me! They were renting a small little house in Skokie, Illinois practically no money and a family to provide for. My dad was looking through the newspaper for job and came across a company that restored homes after fires, floods, wind damage, and mold damage. He was hired! After working for the company for only a few short months and bringing in over a million dollars of business he asked for a raise. When his boss declined him for a raise an insurance agent from Allstate approached him and advised him to start his own company. He told my dad, “Jonathan, I like the way you work. If you start your own business I will provide you with your first 10 losses* for your new company and help get you on your feet.”  (A loss in the restoration business is known as any job type that requires restoring.) My dad talked to my mom about it and they jumped at the opportunity!

After taking out a new business loan from the bank, buying one truck to transport contents, renting a small warehouse space, and hiring 5 family members, which were all family, my parents had officially begun to start what is now the largest privately owned Restoration company in the Midwest: 

Laurens Restoration Inc.

Laurens Restoration Inc. has now been in busy for over 20 years. Providing professional and quality restoration work throughout Illinois and reaching into parts of Indiana and Wisconsin. We now employ roughly 100 employees with over 50 company vehicles. With our state of the art 80,000 square foot facility based out of Glenview, Illinois 

there isn’t a job we can’t handle.