Hays + Sons

Disasters and emergencies happen, and in the midst of the chaos is Indianapolis-based Hays + Sons, bringing calm and rapid response to its clients as expert disaster recovery professionals. Tom Brown, president of Hays + Sons, says the company exists to help people put their homes and lives back together after disaster strikes.

“Day in and day out, we’re helping people in their time of need,” he says. “It’s just what we do.” And Hays + Sons has been doing this for the better part of 30 years.

Charles Hays and his sons, Brian and Mark Hays, founded Hays + Sons in 1982. Charles worked for many years prior as a homebuilder, but when the construction bust hit in the early 1980s he saw the need to diversify, and turned to his sons for help.

Friends in the business

A friend in the insurance business pointed him to a client who needed restoration after a fire destroyed his home. The father and sons team accepted the challenge; the company has been building relationships with a number of insurance carriers, adjusters and property management companies since.

“Our business is very much referral-based,” shares Tom. “We’re a family-owned company, and the relationships we’re building on today stem from the links formed by Brian and Mark over the last 30 years.”

When damage occurs – be it fire, water, wind – insurance companies and other names in the emergency response business know who to call. “For the majority of our projects – residential, commercial and industrial buildings – we go straight through referral sources,” says Tom.

Since Tom joined the team, which he did through an ad in the local paper, he has worked closely with his dedicated and experienced staff to considerably grow the business.

“We now have 135 team members across seven offices; most are located in Indiana, but we also have an office in Ohio,” he notes. “We’re operating in three or four states on a daily basis and plan to continue expanding our territory in the coming years.”

The company has grown throughout Indiana and beyond by focusing on customer care. “We’re a full-service disaster recovery company equipped with the know-how and experience to restore your property and guide you through the process,” explains Tom. “From water damage to content storage, we rewind life’s disasters.”

Hays + Sons understands these situations generate stress and frustration, emotions the company strives to alleviate. “We’ve built our reputation on the customer,” measures Tom. “To ensure we’re doing everything for our customers, we use a third-party to assess their satisfaction, which helps us to constantly improve.”

Rapid turnaround

After fires, floods, damaging winds, rain and a slew of other unfortunate events, once called on, Hays + Sons steps in quickly to take care of business. The first point of contact is a Hays + Sons customer service representative, who gathers client information and takes immediate action.

“Once the immediate danger is under control, our quick response team will assess the situation and outline the scope of work needed to restore property and/or possessions to its pre-damaged state,” explains Tom.

Next, an estimate is performed utilizing state-of-the-art estimating software. Hays + Sons gets an accurate and concise estimate right away so customers are one step closer to getting things back to normal. From estimate to action, Hays + Sons is able to begin restoring property immediately after the estimate is approved.

From a multimillion dollar business complex to a single home, Hays + Sons maintains the highest standards of quality and workmanship. “We just completed an apartment building in Lafayette, Indiana,” details Tom. “The building burned to the ground and in just 10 weeks we had it back up and occupied. It was an unbelievable adventure and our team came through, making us look really good.”

Two and a half years ago, Hays + Sons completed a large-scale historical project, housing a YMCA, theater, bar, restaurant and meeting space. During the construction of the building the owner had a crew working in the back and removing the chimney with a crane. The crane lost balance and fell into the building.

“It caused structural damage and set off the sprinkler system, flooding four floors of the building,” tells Tom. “We were able to go in and get the water controlled and remediated in the morning and the owner had a portion of his restaurant open by that evening.”

However, one of the most rewarding projects Tom says he’s ever been involved with during his 11-year run at Hays + Sons was a large apartment fire in Ohio where crews were able to help veterans retrieve service memorabilia and honors.

“I was personally on this job,” tells Tom. “We retrieved Purple Hearts and swords earned in battle. Just to see the looks on their faces – they thought they had lost everything, and you come out with something that’s near and dear to them. It’s very rewarding.”

It’s all in a day’s work for Hays + Sons as the company continues to grow its reputation for rapid disaster response and relief.  “Our goal is, and always has been, to help people during difficult times,” he details. “I have no doubt 2015 will hold only more growth for our team, including expanded office space and project capacity.” When disaster strikes, Hays + Sons steps in quickly to bring things back to normal and put lives back together.