A Berks Business Success Story

BY BELL MEDIA GROUP & GRCA MARKETING TEAM

Editor’s note: The following story was written as a part of GRCA member storytelling campaign. To read the entire story behind Berks • Fire • Water Restorations, Inc. scan the included Flowcode.

In the summer of 2000, Ted Lavender decided he’d had enough of corporate life. He was tired of inefficient management and a lack of peoplefocused practices.

He’d spent the 10 years prior as a claims adjuster and manager, which had opened his eyes to the need for a full-service restoration company in Berks County that could handle an insurance-related loss from beginning to end.

After some heartfelt and serious discussions, Ted and his wife Lisa decided to go for it. Equipped with drive, passion and an entrepreneurial spirit, the duo first worked out of their home and their personal vehicles. Vehicles that — oddly enough — were cemented into Berks • Fire • Water Restorations, Inc.’s brand in an unexpected way.

Ted drove a gold vehicle; Lisa, a dark green one. To make the vehicles look more professional and cohesive, they decided to make the lettering on each car complimentary. They stenciled gold letters on the green vehicle and green letters on the gold vehicle.

Although they’ve long since graduated from those early personal vehicles and upgraded to a full fleet, the colors green and gold stuck. Today, green and gold emblazon everything from the company vehicles to their logo to their team shirts — an homage to their early days that’s now a permanent part of their brand legacy.

But it’s not just their brand and their fleet of vehicles that have experienced extraordinary transformation. Always willing to dig into their industry and experiment with new services and solutions, Berks • Fire • Water Restorations, Inc. has grown steadily over the past two decades. Under Ted and Lisa’s guidance, the company quickly expanded from a “mom-and-pop” shop into a thriving business. In 2002, after just two years in business, they crossed the $1 million in revenue mark; in subsequent years, they would also navigate through three location changes, multiple new service line rollouts and a rapid staff expansion.