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On Episode 108 of The DYOJO Podcast, we are talking about crime and construction. Our main story centers around a burning truck, a missing contractor, and millions of dollars for housing developments being unaccounted for. Intro The DYOJO podcast Helping Contractors shorten their DANG learning curve Join host Jon Isaacson as we explore contractor stories, experiences, and best practices to help listeners thrive in the skilled trades. Prior - Related This isn’t the first time we’ve covered the intersection of construction and criminal activities on TDP. You may remember we did a four part series on RJC vs AISD - here’s a brief recap (video with Michelle Blevins from C&R Magazine / Restoration Today Podcast) RJC vs AISD Episodes Ep 98 - Part 4 - https://youtu.be/uJ_Z5nOOtNg?si=646hdBVa8iEDOPsB Ep 96- Part 3 - https://youtu.be/pZlJa5jz64s?si=qv-11QchnrnMmZZX Ep 93 - Part 2 - https://youtu.be/J8I-z9kSr8o?si=R9eCofvPIv-0kZkv Ep 92 - Part 1 - https://youtu.be/yjsJYljF9_0?si=bIsLLVUQnn7hNXfw New video https://youtu.be/0FyTqR6POQk?si=CahmeXjNh-eTAz2o Unfinished houses, open roofs: RJ Construction customers take their claims to bankruptcy court - https://www.keranews.org/business-economy/2022-09-12/unfinished-houses-open-roofs-rj-construction-customers-take-their-claims-to-bankruptcy-court Sponsors You know what the true crime is? Not checking out our sponsors… EPIC Esitmates - Any estimate, anywhere, anytime. Let the award-winning EPIC Estimates help your team write the next Xactimate or Symbility estimate. Freeing your team up to do what their good at, while helping your business maximize productivity and profitability. Restoration Industry Association (RIA) - Connect and collaborate with your industry peers through the largest non-profit professional trade association dedicated to the unique plight of restoration contractors. Join us April 8-10, 2024 in Dallas for the Restoration Industry Association Convention and Industry Expo. Discounts are available for early registration. Washington Business Brokers partners with business owners to confidentially explore selling their business with discreet, objective counsel as well as insight into market activity and comparable private transactions. Encircle - The only all-in-one field documentation solution. Visually document and present high-quality reports, so there are no questions asked. Their floorplan tool now integrates with Xactimate to create an ESX for estimating. So, You Want To Be A Project Manager? The third book from Jon Isaacson, written to help those wanting to advance their careers in the skilled trades. This book covers the mindsets and habits for construction project management with an emphasis on property restoration. Story Today's construction crime, developer Bret Detamore allegedly faked his disappearance for nearly a week and burned his bright yellow Dodge TRX as a potential cover-up for stealing hundreds of thousands, if not millions, from clients near Houston, Texas. We discuss the timeline and details of this story that started with his wife reporting him missing on Wednesday, June 21, 2023 and the fallout from the many unanswered questions related to this unique event. His business seemed to be thriving, according to those who know him. In his Instagram account in February, he showed what he termed “the 1st of 14 homes to be completed in 2023,” and he was driving a model of a Dodge Ram truck which sells with a low-end price tag of $84,555. TIMELINE Wed June 21, 2023 8:46am Wife reports 38 year old Contractor Brett Detamore missing to West University Place PD; a suburb near Houston, TX 100pm call from Houston PD to West U PD That same day Brett’s truck is found burning (pic) bright yellow dodge ram TRX in Bear Creek Park. According to WPD Chief Ken Walker, "The vehicle was severely burned. Most of the recognizing or identifying information had been destroyed. One of the HPD officers knew that they could find a secret VIN number. He found that number, ran it and it came back as a missing person’s vehicle. We were then notified where the vehicle was." The Houston Fire Department is investigating the arson case for Detamore's burnt truck and will determine if any charges will be filed. So far, HFD says no one has been ruled out as a suspect. Last week, the Harris County Precinct 1 and Precinct 5 Constables’ Offices and Texas Equusearch helped to conduct a search at the park last week but did not find Detamore. No shared evidence or discovery other than a male witness who claims to have observed a male walk away from the burning truck the morning of 6/21/23 Cameras from 6/21/23 at 4:21am (confirm) WPD cameras pick up Brett driving his truck, he is not following anyone or being followed Monday, June 26, 2023 Police still looking According to Fox 26 Houston - On Monday night, authorities say his wife received an e-mail from Detamore. "We had to verify it wasn’t a hoax. We had to verify it wasn’t somebody that was holding him hostage," Rosen said. "He was located in San Antonio Texas. He was located at a bus stop. He was then transported back to Harris County, voluntarily. We didn’t have to do anything other than we want to bring you back to Houston." Tue June 27, 2023 Brett is found in San Antonio at a bus stop According to Fox 26 Houston - Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen confirmed with a Facebook post that Brett Detamore, 38, has been located. Authorities say Detamore was taken to a hospital for medical evaluation and treatment. Constable Rosen expressed the family's gratitude for the support and requested privacy. Criminal charges? According to Fox 26 Houston - West University Police Chief Ken Walker says there was no foul play involved but believes his disappearance was pre-planned. "We are not investigating the missing person for a crime," he said. "We are still investigating people that may have been complicit in some things that were occurring, and we’ll continue to run those leads down." WPD has subpoenaed phone and financial records Civil lawsuits Detamore has not been charged criminally, but he and his development company were previously face two civil lawsuits. Detamore had two lawsuits — totaling about $325,000 — filed against him in New York after he allegedly defaulted on a pair of borrowing arrangements frequently used by strapped businesses seeking infusions of fast cash by signing away future revenues. Both cases were filed in Kings County, N.Y. by the same law firm on behalf of clients.
10/4/23 lawsuit The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, Oct. 4, in Harris County District Court, accuses Brett Detamore of abandoning home construction builds when he executed a plot to go into hiding. Now a $1,000,000 civil lawsuit filed by Zaffer Syed on Oct. 4 in Harris County seeks to fill in some of the gaps. Claim Before going into hiding, Detamore had already stolen money meant for the construction of homes, the lawsuit says. He falsified invoices and submitted them to a financing bank to acquire the money, according to the lawsuit. “Rather than use the funds for the homes, the stolen funds were used to support Brett Detamore’s lavish lifestyle,” the lawsuit says, alleging Detamore used money on Super Bowl and World Series tickets, high-priced vehicles and a home in Galveston worth more than $1 million. Response At attorney representing Detamore told KPRC the allegations are still being reviewed. “The events of the last few months have been tragic and unfortunately the subject of much public speculation and rumor,” a statement from the attorney read, according to KPRC. “Mr. Detamore is getting the help he needs, and the entire Detamore family requests privacy at this time.” SOURCES News clip - 2:43 https://youtu.be/WKyPz4JVurc?si=XJTJf3SmfnYXg3sD Police - 14:44 6/26/23 https://www.youtube.com/live/fNXcAt43cy8?si=-d8_VLDp0LEavF1n Police - 14:52 6/27/23 https://www.youtube.com/live/fNXcAt43cy8?si=fgieWBwOJElh6fQi Report - 6/26/23 https://www.fox26houston.com/news/missing-brett-detamore-search-continues-for-man-last-seen-in-west-university-place-truck-found-burned.amp Two Lawsuits prior - 6/26/23 https://www.essentialsnews.com/2-lawsuits-charge-missing-west-u-man-with-defaulting-on-cash-advances/ Found - 6/27/23 https://www.fox26houston.com/news/missing-west-university-resident-brett-detamore-found-alive Third suit - 10/9/23 https://lawandcrime.com/lawsuit/home-builder-jet-setted-around-blew-project-cash-on-super-bowl-and-world-series-before-faking-disappearance-and-setting-100000-truck-on-fire-lawsuit/ Ad - Encircle Closing Thoughts - Foul Play? Police said Detamore’s disappearance was pre-planned, and there were no indications of foul play. No “foul play” suspected Definition of foul play - “criminal violence or activity that results in a persons death.” Next Week - Missed a construction estimate by BILLIONS (with a B)
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What is the importance of telling your story as a construction business owner? Communicating your vision and values to your team and your community is an important component of achieving your goals as a contractor. Mari Borrero, CEO of American Abatement and Demolition, will be sharing the lessons she has learned in building her company. She will inspire participants of the Fall PNW Contractors Symposium and help them to better understand how to tell their stories as construction business owners.  Contractor Story Telling Seattle WorkshopPresentation 4 Mari Borrero - American Abatement and Demolition (Auburn) Telling Your Story, Achieving Your Dreams Mari Borrero is the CEO of American Abatement and Demolition (AAD). Inspired by the dignity of work, the promise of education, and seizing every opportunity. Mari will share her story of building a business within the skilled trades, contributing to the local community, and the lessons learned during the growth process as a leader. She will share unique ways that contractors can tell their story to inspire team members and community partners to help achieve those visionary goals.  Seattle Contractors Story Telling EventTHEME: Creating Value Within Construction Teams Hosted by FoCKED and The DYOJO Podcast DATE: Tuesday, October 10, 2023 TIME: 8am - 130pm (Doors open at 730am) LOCATION: Tukwila, WA 98188 Please RSVP through Eventbrite Meeting sponsors:
730 Doors open and set up 805 Opening Theme - Creating Value Within Your Teams 815 Presentation 1 Ryan Hemmert - Washington Business Brokers (Seattle) Would You Buy Your Business? 900 Presentation 2 Geoff Lawson - Auburn School District Collaborative Productivity Goals 1005 Presentation 3 Peter Holmes - Encircle Communicating the WHY of Documentation 1050 Presentation 4 Mari Borrero - American Abatement (Kent) Telling Your Story, Achieving Your Dreams 1140 Closing Thoughts Panel with all speakers 1205 FREE Lunch, networking, and exhibits Sponsored by Luke Draeger - Aramsco (Tukwila)  What is the worth of a construction company? What is the value of a company that provide water and fire damage restoration services? According to Washington Business Brokers, "Understanding the worth of your business is just as important as knowing your personal credit score or having a will drawn up. It offers numerous benefits, including comparing its current value to the previous year, identifying strengths and areas for improvement, calculating revenue per employee, qualifying for bank loans or financing, planning for the future and retirement, and creating a succession plan." Ryan Hemmert, the founder of Washington Business Brokers, will be speaking at the Fall PNW Contractors Symposium on Tuesday, October 11, 2023 to discus Determining the Worth of a Construction Company.  Seattle Workshop for Construction WorthFall PNW Contractors Symposium Presentation 1 Ryan Hemmert - Washington Business Brokers (Seattle) Would You Buy Your Business? Ryan Hemmert partners with privately-held business owners to think strategically and position for a successful sale of their most valuable asset – their business. His presentation will help contractors create maximize value and build financial freedom. Is your business running the way you would like? If you had to start over, how would you set it up differently? Ryan will help contractors approach their business with a fresh set of eyes and make a plan that buyers will value and pay for.  Seattle Construction Value EventTHEME: Creating Value Within Construction Teams Hosted by FoCKED and The DYOJO Podcast DATE: Tuesday, October 10, 2023 TIME: 8am - 130pm (Doors open at 730am) LOCATION: Tukwila, WA 98188 Please RSVP through Eventbrite Meeting sponsors:
730 Doors open and set up 805 Opening Theme - Creating Value Within Your Teams 815 Presentation 1 Ryan Hemmert - Washington Business Brokers (Seattle) Would You Buy Your Business? 900 Presentation 2 Geoff Lawson - Auburn School District Collaborative Productivity Goals 1005 Presentation 3 Peter Holmes - Encircle Communicating the WHY of Documentation 1050 Presentation 4 Mari Borrero - American Abatement (Kent) Telling Your Story, Achieving Your Dreams 1140 Closing Thoughts Panel with all speakers 1205 FREE Lunch, networking, and exhibits Sponsored by Luke Draeger - Aramsco (Tukwila)  The Fall Pacific Northwest Contractors Symposium will be hosted Tuesday, October 10, 2023 at Aramsco's Seattle office. This event is being organized by The DYOJO Podcast and the Fellowship of Construction Knowledge and Entrepreneurial Development (FoCKED). FoCKED hosts monthly roundtable meetings for contractors and this will be the second symposium of 2023. The first symposium focused on water damage mitigation and was hosted by American Water Damage Restoration at the Yacht Club of Edmonds. The theme of the October Contractor 1/2 Day Symposium is "Creating Value Within Construction Teams."  Seattle Workshops for ContractorsThe format for the Fall PNW Contractors 1/2 Day Symposium is four TED-talk style presentations by subject matter experts. Each presenter will address the theme of "Creating Value Within Construction Teams" from their area of expertise. Following the twenty minute presentations there will be focused peer-to-peer roundtables as well as question and answer (Q&A) with the speaker.  Presentation 1 Ryan Hemmert - Washington Business Brokers (Seattle) Would You Buy Your Business? Ryan Hemmert partners with privately-held business owners to think strategically and position for a successful sale of their most valuable asset – their business. His presentation will help contractors create maximize value and build financial freedom. Is your business running the way you would like? If you had to start over, how would you set it up differently? Ryan will help contractors approach their business with a fresh set of eyes and make a plan that buyers will value and pay for.  Presentation 2 Geoff Lawson - Auburn School District Collaborative Productivity Goals Geoff Lawson is the Operations Coordinator at Auburn School District. Having built his career in the skilled trades, from a janitorial technician to supervisor and now coordinator. His innovative process for creating clear productivity goals and collaborative results have helped him guide service teams through the various challenges inherent to working within the educational system. Contractors will learn new ways to approach team goals and develop accountability.  Presentation 3 Peter Holmes - Encircle (Ontario) Communicating the WHY of Documentation Peter Holmes is an account manager at Encircle. He helps restoration contractors do more with less by making it easy for their teams to deliver clear reports that get them paid on time and in full. This presentation will focus on the importance of documenting work to field teams. It will cover how to capture data that tells the true story of every property loss and ways to involve field teams in the process. Contractors will leave with three key takeaways centered around context, clarity, and consistency.  Presentation 4 Mari Borrero - American Abatement and Demolition (Auburn) Telling Your Story, Achieving Your Dreams Mari Borrero is the CEO of American Abatement and Demolition (AAD). Inspired by the dignity of work, the promise of education, and seizing every opportunity. Mari will share her story of building a business within the skilled trades, contributing to the local community, and the lessons learned during the growth process as a leader. She will share unique ways that contractors can tell their story to inspire team members and community partners to help achieve those visionary goals. Fall Seattle Contractors SymposiumTHEME: Creating Value Within Construction Teams Hosted by FoCKED and The DYOJO Podcast DATE: Tuesday, October 10, 2023 TIME: 8am - 130pm (Doors open at 730am) LOCATION: Tukwila, WA 98188 Please RSVP through Eventbrite Meeting sponsors:
730 Doors open and set up 805 Opening Theme - Creating Value Within Your Teams 815 Presentation 1 Ryan Hemmert - Washington Business Brokers (Seattle) Would You Buy Your Business? 900 Presentation 2 Geoff Lawson - Auburn School District Collaborative Productivity Goals 1005 Presentation 3 Peter Holmes - Encircle Communicating the WHY of Documentation 1050 Presentation 4 Mari Borrero - American Abatement (Kent) Telling Your Story, Achieving Your Dreams 1140 Closing Thoughts Panel with all speakers 1205 FREE Lunch, networking, and exhibits Sponsored by Luke Draeger - Aramsco (Tukwila)  |
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