 Josh Winton (IAQ JOSH) (remediation) and Michael Symula (assessment) helmed the Remediation Panel for our Lessons Learned from Storm Response Workshop. They shared how important safety is for all involved as well as setting clear and grounded expectations. Assessors and remediators should work with, not against each other. Thank you to sponsor AEML, Inc as well as all of our sponsors, presenters, and participants. Watch the pre-workshop interview with Jeff Cross and Cleanfax magazine
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 Bob Blochinger (Boca Raton, FL) and Casey Clark, Capital Restoration (Atlanta, GA) teamed up to share their Lessons Learned from Storm Response as our workshop Restoration Panel.
Thank you to all of the sponsors, presenters, and participants of the first workshop collaboration between Pete Consigil and The DYOJO. Lessons Learned from Storm Response and Hurricane Recovery Naples, Florida and online Thursday, January 26, 2023 Listen to IAQ Radio for a recap of this event with Joe Hughes and Cliff Zlotnik. On a daily basis, intentional restorers are flooded (pun intended) with tidal waves of information. If a restoration contractor wants to learn and perform their duties in a manner that is instep with the best practices in their industry, they have to filter through a lot of misinformation (dare we say, BS). Founding Father, Cliff Zlotnik, shares his perspective on how modern restorers can get a clearer grasp on solid information so they can form and train stellar habits for serving their clients in need.  Mr. Zlotnik says, “In our industry, people look for the highest-tech solution rather than the lowest-tech solution. We should look for the lowest-tech solution that'll work first before we go to any higher-tech solution.” Cliff Zlotnik, or the Z-Man as he is known by his peers and those who listen to his weekly IAQ Radio show, is one of four key people that industry historian Pete Consigli chisled into Mount Restoration with his March 2007 C&R Magazine article. Of his friend and fellow watchdog, Pete says, “Perhaps Cliff’s greatest lasting legacy is as the pioneer who introduced and popularized the concept of hands-on restoration training. In 1985, he converted a vacant church rectory into a hands-on training site for fire and water damage restoration, a place which became known as the Unhouse training facility.” Restorers who enjoy history and want to develop their knowledge of the industry will be happy to see Cliff share training slides from his time at Unhouse in Episode 96 of The DYOJO Podcast. In the clip included with this article, host Jon Isaacson asks: “Say that the new guy coming in really wants to try to learn to do things the right way. Do you have anything that might help that person to decipher when they're being fed a line of bull?” In his storylike fashion, Cliff opens with, “I want to talk about two animals to answer your question.” Albert Einstein's Business AdviceMr. Zlotnik goes on to share:
If you take a baby elephant and you put a rope around his leg and you tie that rope to a tree. The elephant is going to learn to stay in a tight radius. You can actually remove the tree and still leave the rope on the elephant's leg and he will still stay there. He is kind of lost and helpless. If you take a honeybee and you put it in a jar, the honeybee will fly around for a while. It will try to get out. When it realizes it can't get out, it's going to feel helpless and will not try to get out anymore. In a video clip from The DYOJO Podcast, Cliff says, “I think a lot about complication. People can be made to feel helpless. I think that's what happens with a lot of these products. They give you this really sophisticated sales pitch. There are all kinds of numbers with equations and math, and none of us are good at math. People figure that they don't understand it. Therefore, the person who invented it is smarter than them. But it’s not necessarily true.” Cliff, who has heard it all in his decades of working in this industry, says that filtering through industry information begins with a simple question. He says, “Ask them to explain to you simply. How does it work? Imagine that I'm a six-year-old and explain it to me.” Mr. Zlotnik says if this test was good enough for Albert Einstein it should be good enough for our industry. He continues, “If these people cannot explain it to a six-year-old, they don't understand it themselves.” Simple Solutions Are Often The Best OnesWhen it comes to sales pitches for new innovations, techniques, and strategies for success, Cliff remarks, “I think there's a tremendous amount of complicated solutions, and the simpler the better oftentimes. I think in our industry, people look for the highest-tech solution, rather than the lowest-tech solution. We should look for the lowest-tech solution first before we go to any higher tech solution.” Whenever there is an opportunity to hear Cliff speak about the history of the industry in is interesting to hear how first, the issues of today are not that different from 30 years ago and, secondly that history has a way of repeating itself. For those who are interested in diving into the technical details of the property restoration industry from people who have “been there and done that,” Cliff co-hosts IAQ Radio every Friday with Joe Hughes. This is the cleaning and restoration industry’s longest running podcast. IAQ Radio was podcasting before that was even a term, using internet radio for their weekly broadcasts. Opportunities to Meet with CliffIn January 2023, Cliff will be with us for the Andrew Ask Building Science Symposium (Tuesday and Wednesday, January 24-25, 2023) and then for the one-day workshop, Lessons Learned from Storm Response and Hurricane Recovery (Thursday, January 26, 2023). The workshop is being produced by Pete Consigli and The DYOJO, it is available for in-person attendance as well as remote participation via Zoom. The fourth week of January 2023 is going to be a week of networking and education LIKE NO OTHER. As course presenter Robert Blochinger says, "Come here and have a lot of fun and gain some education." For those planning to be in Naples, Florida on January 23rd through the 26th of 2023, we've go three events for you!
Early Bird Discounts for Remote Hurricane Recovery WorkshopInterested participants who will not be in Florida, do not fear! The DYOJO has a remote option available for the one-day "Lessons Learned from Storm Response and Hurricane Recovery" workshop. Early bird discounts expire SOON. Register yourself or your team to participate in this one-of-a-kind one-day workshop TODAY. MORE INFORMATION: Visit thedyojo.com about this event and how to register. Also check out our media sponsors and supporters including
Online Storm Response WorkshopWHO: Property restoration contractors, insurance claims professionals, environmental assessors, and building science service providers. WHAT: One-day workshop, in-person and remote, "Lesson Learned from Storm Reponse and Hurricane Recovery" WHERE: In-person in Naples, Florida; Remote via Zoom WHEN: Thursday, January 26, 2023 730am - 530pm EST HOW: Register via Eventbrite through The DYOJO  Workshop Agenda for Online Disaster Recovery WorkshopThis one-day workshop includes presentations from industry leaders such as: * The Legal Eagles - David Popper and Justin Peterson * Remediation Panel - Michael Symula (Assessment) and IAQ Josh Winton (Remediation) * Restoration Panel - Robert Bloechinger (Third-party consultant) and Casey Clark (Contractor) * Science Panel - Dr. Ralph Moon (Expert witness and researcher) and Jeremy Beagle (Hygienist, IAQA 1st Vice President) * Shane Bailey (Mechanical contractor) * Edward Cross (The Restoration Lawyer) * Peter Crosa (Independent adjuster) * Special preview presentation of Encircle 's data regarding Industry Response from Hurricane Ian (What went Wrong, What went Right?) * Interactive Workshop Special Guest Moderator Cliff "Z-man" Zlotnik This event is approved for continuing education credits (CECs): * American Council for Accredited Certification (ACAC) * IICRC - Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification * Restoration Industry Association (RIA)  An expert is somebody who knows what he's talking about through experience, training, and education. You cannot become an expert without all three.” - Bob Blochinger As a guest for Episode 94 of The DYOJO Podcast, Bob Blochinger shares his thoughts on the roadmap to expertise. For a professional to seek and achieve expertise, they need to be able to:
From his own experience Bob states, “Whatever questions, or problems, or whatever exists that needs explanation or evaluation, the expert needs to know what he's saying and how to explain it so that a regular person can understand.”  Determining whether information is reliableIn our discussion, Bob notes that expert witnesses have to pass the Daubert Standard. We share a video from Forensics Group talking about this rule, “According to the Federal Rules of Evidence 702, a witness who was qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education.” The Daubert Rule addresses the knowledge, skill, training, and education of a relevant witness. I like how Bob puts it, "Education, training, and experience." Experiences are often one of those key factors that tie all of the information and knowledge together. I find this concept to be interesting. I'm thankful that Mr. Blochinger brought the Daubert Standard up. This is a great metric for determining whether information shared with a restoration contractor is relevant and reliable. A good question to ask, is whether the information that you're receiving from industry leaders, influencers, and experts, (a) is it relevant to the task at hand and (b) does it rest on a reliable foundation. A scientific approach to expertisePerhaps the highest takes arena in which expertise is on display is in the courtroom. Testimony should be based on sufficient facts or data. Experts should be sharing information that is the product of reliable principles and methods. This affirms we want to apply a scientific method or methodology to the processing of information to determine whether it's reliable. The scientific methodology applied to Rule 702 helps us determine:
Does the process, of confirming whether the information is relevant, eliminate confirmation bias? Just because we believe that something is true, did we only seek out information that supported our preconceived notions rather than actually being open to our hypothesis being wrong? Experts demonstrate a mastery of knowledgeCalling upon his experience as an expert witness, Mr. Blochinger shares, “When you sit in a courtroom on the witness stand and you get grilled by the opposing attorney, you do not have notes in front of you. You do not have a book. You do not have photographs. You have to answer questions in a manner that you come across as intelligent. That you understand. We call these competent witnesses subject matter experts.” When the Restoration Industry Association (RIA) created the Body of Knowledge, the stated that the third level of knowledge, mastery, was defined as, “Without reference material, promptly and correctly apply subject knowledge and skills to solve typical problems or address detailed issues in the subject.” Professionals are nearing mastery when they are able to apply the principles of property restoration in their everyday lives without having to check their reference materials. They know the concepts and are able to apply them to real-world situations. Wherever you are at in your professional journey, keep yourself hungry for expertise.  The best-selling book, How To Suck Less At Estimating: Habits for Better Project Outcomes, by Jon Isaacson is NOW AVAILABLE as a six module training course from Restoration Technical Institute. Project outcomes in the skilled trades are tied to the estimating process. Good estimating is marked by the thoroughness of data capture (site observation) and the accuracy of data input (bidding). Author Jon Isaacson, The Intentional Restorer, shares his two decades of professional experience to help anyone involved with, or interested in, the art of estimating to shorten their DANG learning curve for improvement. Habits For Better Project Outcomes:
Included in your purchase:
Unlike any course you have ever taken before. If you like to be overstimulated, learn and estimating, this is the course for you! Jon Isaacson delivers practical knowledge and demonstrations in his signature "INFOtainment" style.  How To Suck Less At Estimating, was written for:
Early Reviews for This Book:
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