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Get Ready to Pop Bubbles at the RIA 2025 Convention with The 5050 Challenge!

4/17/2025

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Are you ready to shake things up at the Restoration Industry Association (RIA) 2025 Convention and Industry Expo in West Palm Beach, Florida, from April 28-30? The DYOJO Podcast and C&R Magazine are thrilled to unveil the 5050 Challenge—a fun, engaging, and industry-uniting initiative that’s about to take networking to the next level! If you haven’t heard of the #5050Restore challenge, buckle up because this is going to be exciting!
What is The 5050 Challenge?

Dreamed up by Jon Isaacson, host of The DYOJO Podcast, the 5050 Challenge is all about bursting bubbles and building connections in the property restoration and insurance industry. Last year, Jon tested the waters, and now we’re going BIG at RIA 2025! The goal? Meet 50 new people from 50 different states (or as many as you can!) during the convention. It’s a chance to step out of your comfort zone, pop those industry cliques, and welcome new faces—whether you’re a seasoned pro or a first-time attendee.

Why does this matter? The RIA Convention broke records last year for attendance, with a huge wave of first-timers joining the ranks. The 5050 Challenge is your ticket to embracing the incoming generation of contractors, sharing wisdom, and forging new relationships that could spark collaborations, ideas, or even lifelong friendships. Plus, you might just win some awesome swag in the process!

How The 5050 Challenge Works

We’ve made it super easy (and fun) to join the challenge:
  1. Grab a 5050 Challenge Postcard: At the convention, pick up your special postcard. One side features a U.S. map to track the states you’ve covered, and the other has space to jot down the names of the new folks you meet.
  2. Meet & Connect: Challenge yourself to meet 50 people from different states. Strike up a conversation, share a laugh, and exchange ideas. Whether you’re a veteran restorer or a newbie, this is your chance to expand your network.
  3. Snap & Share: Take a selfie with your new connection and post it on social media with the hashtag #5050RestoreChallenge. Spread the word and inspire others to join the fun!
  4. Submit for Swag: Fill out your postcard, drop it off at the designated spot, and you’ll be entered into a raffle for exclusive prizes. The more names and states you collect, the closer you get to networking glory!

Why You Should Join The 5050 Challenge 
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The restoration industry is tight-knit, but let’s be real—we all gravitate toward our familiar groups. The 5050 Challenge is a reminder to break out of those bubbles. As Michelle Blevins, owner of C&R Magazine, puts it, “This is a good challenge because we do kind of all go into our groups. The industry is so small, so if you walk into a room, you can see where the groups of friends are. I’m certainly guilty of that.”

For industry vets, it’s a chance to mentor and welcome newcomers. For first-timers, it’s an opportunity to push boundaries and connect with the pros you’ve read about in C&R Magazine or heard on The DYOJO Podcast. And for everyone, it’s a way to make the RIA Convention unforgettable.

Jon Isaacson sums it up perfectly: “Those of you that have been in the industry, get out of your bubble. Meet some new people. Embrace the incoming contractors and generations. And those of you that are new, keep pushing people to burst their bubbles. Pop bubbles. That’s what we’re trying to do.”

Why C&R Magazine and The DYOJO Podcast?

C&R Magazine, the oldest trade publication in the cleaning and restoration industry, and The DYOJO Podcast, the go-to resource for shortening your “DANG learning curve,” are proud to team up for this initiative. Both are passionate about elevating the industry through education, advocacy, and community. C&R delivers cutting-edge insights from industry thought leaders, while The DYOJO Podcast brings practical tips and stories to help contractors thrive. Together, they’re the perfect duo to launch a challenge that’s as fun as it is impactful.

Join The DYOJO and C&R Magazine at RIA 2025!
The RIA 2025 Convention and Industry Expo is the premier event for property restoration and insurance professionals to network, learn, and grow. With the 5050 Challenge, you’ll make the most of every moment—meeting new people, winning swag, and leaving with a network that spans the country.

So, are you ready to pop some bubbles? Mark your calendars for April 28-30, 2025, in West Palm Beach, Florida. Grab your ticket, follow #5050RestoreChallenge on social media, and get ready to connect like never before. As Jon would say, “Skibbidy, restorers!” Let’s make this convention the most connected yet.
​

For more details on the RIA 2025 Convention, visit convention.restorationindustry.org. To dive into industry insights, check out C&R Magazine at candrmagazine.com and tune into The DYOJO Podcast at thedyojo.com/podcast. See you in Florida!
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Did Xactimate Apologize to Restoration Contractors?

5/1/2024

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We recap some of the highlights from the Restoration Industry Association (RIA) Convention and Expo with our friend Ed Cross. Items of interest for property restoration contractors include an apology from the stage by Xactimate/Verisk and a face the advocate with four TPAs from the insurance claims ecosystem; Contractor Connection, Alacrity, Sedgewick, and Westhill. 

In Episode 117 of The DYOJO Podcast 
0:00 Sgt Ed Cross 
2:23 Recap of Episode 116 
3:20 Waste Diversion Tracking 
4:31 Insurance Denied by Drone 
6:09 New Position Statements from RIA 
9:46 Xactimate Apologizes to Restorers 
16:32 Weaponizing Xactimate 
24:28 RIA 2024 Highlights 

Clips were used in this Episode from 
​
* InsurTech Trends, Integrations, Pricing, & More - C&R Magazine / Restoration Today Michelle Belvins interviews Aaron Brunko - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E0Ja... 

* Restoration Invoice: PAID - Restoration CrossCheck (Sgt Ed video) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVSUe...

QUESTIONS:
​Are there restoration contractors in Rhode Island or South Dakota? 
Read the article in C&R Magazine
Watch the recap video on The DYOJO YouTube

Restoration Contractors from Every State
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Making the Most of Industry Events and Tradeshows

4/28/2024

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Jon Isaacson's attempt to meet an RIA member from every state
Tradeshows are an excellent way to expand your knowledge and your network. Industry expos can also be socially awkward. Meeting new people can be harrowing. This is true whether you have been to several large events or you are attending your first convention. One creative way I have found to force myself to meet new people is to try to meet a member from every state at larger industry events. This practice gives me a goal, forces me out of my shell, and has opened up some fun conversations.

READ MORE: C&R Article - Embracing the Social Awkwardness of Industry Tradeshows 
WATCH the video recap (Below) 
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Guest on the OG Spotlight Podcast

12/29/2023

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Jon Isaacson was a guest on The OG Spotlight from Learning and Mishaps for the skilled trades and construction industry. 
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Investing In Yourself

11/30/2023

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If you don't have a leader that is invested in your growth, then you have to invest in yourself." - Nicole Humber, CEO of Bravo Restoration 
On Episode 110 of The DYOJO Podcast, we talked to Nicole Humber CEO of Bravo restoration, she's going to piggyback on the concept of reaching out to schools and talking to students about opportunities in the skilled trades. She says, "So I've been really involved in those schools coming back and either being a presenter and talking about our specific trade, or being a mentor for women, like women students that are interested, but not like, they only see male, so they think that's allowed. We have a couple of programs outside of schools that focus in on, you know, ages 16 to 24, or right after high school. And so I just get involved in those, you know, reaching out asking if I can be a mentor, or like, Hey, do you need anything like, what can I give you to help?" 

Generational Construction Outreach

We echo ​what Nicole is saying. And for anyone who hasn't experienced it, and we've had some badass ladies on our crews. It really is, there's no rhyme or reason it's not you're from this generation means that you're a hard worker, I've had people from older generations who have been lazier than young people. I've had young people kick butt and, you know, take in complex concepts quicker than others who've been doing it for a long period of time. So it's really, you know, finding the right people that are a culture fit for your organization. And if you look around, and the culture is pretty monolithic, you know, maybe it's a lead not, maybe it's a leadership issue, it's time to you yourself, need to get outside of your box, expand the parameters for finding new talent, and finding ways to make it open and inviting to not just because it's the right thing to do, but because it will exponentially grow and improve your company having more diverse influences. What are some of those words of encouragement for people that maybe are feeling like, Man, why am I doing this? Do I need to stick with it? How do will I break through barriers? Because whether it's a young person or various genders, or races, you know, there's all kinds of barriers to you know, especially a very traditional old school thinking industry.
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Becoming a Valuable Employee

Nicole Humber says, "​I think that um, my biggest encouragement or advice would be just, you can only control what you can control what you do. You can't control what other people say or do or, or, and so it's like, what you can control is what you experience. And so when people are in these establishments, that they're like, I can't quite break through this barrier. I feel like there's a seat. A glass ceiling, I just I see it, but I can't get there. Invest in yourself. So invest in reading leadership books, invest in, you know, if you have to pay for your own IICRC classes do that. Do your research, become an expert in the industry where it makes it impossible for anyone to put the lid over you. If you don't have a leader that is invested in your growth, then you have to invest in yourself."
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When Was The Air Mover Invented

8/31/2023

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This week on The DYOJO Podcast we share some more property restoration history. If you listen to IAQ Radio on Fridays, you know that Cliff Zlotnik always opens the show with a question. Joe Hughes and the Z Man are the OG's of property restoration podcasting. They were podcasting before that was even an option, broadcasting live in the 2000's over internet radio. 

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  • Question 1: Who invented the modern air mover? 
  • Question 2: From what common household appliance did this industry innovator extract his first carpet dryer? 
  • Question 3: What natural disaster was the catalyst for this innovation?

We speak to this restoration founding father's sons and several others about these historic contributions that birthed the water damage mitigation industry. Cliff Zlotnik shared, "His invention of the air mover was probably the most significant invention for our industry. It was a brilliant idea. It was simple. And do you know what's even crazier? His idea to put it underneath the carpet and float the carpet." ​
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