Panhandle Cleaning & Restoration: Recovery for All

Robert Contraguerro Sr. founded Panhandle Cleaning & Restoration (Panhandle) in 1977 to provide high-quality emergency cleaning and repairs to communities surrounding Wheeling, W.V. Today Panhandle offers nearly 40 years of experience in both home and business disaster cleanup and restoration services; something any family would be proud to be a part of.

Panhandle offers full recovery services for businesses, homeowners and insurance companies alike to restore properties after flood, fire or mold damage. In addition, Robert Sr. and his Panhandle team are affiliates of Disaster Kleenup International (DKI), North America’s largest restoration contracting organization, certifying each cleanup is professionally executed.

Robert Sr. still runs the family business, and happily works alongside his three sons. Josh, Tom and Robert Jr. (better known as Bob), who serve as the Panhandle’s vice president of marketing, vice president of operations and vice president, respectively.

“It’s a family-run company,” explains Bob. Bob, Josh, Tom and the rest of the staff continue to build upon the principles upon which Robert Sr. founded Panhandle years ago. Panhandle continues to guarantee quality on all work, as restoration is a big investment. The team has established a reputation for providing a quality finished project in a timely manner, delivering a building that is complete down to the last detail.

Responsive Service

The team’s dedication and heart has allowed Panhandle to become a leading restoration contractor on the East Coast. Clients know they can count on fast response at any time, day or night.

“Our crew of trained professionals can be on site within an hour,” explains Bob. The team has cleaned up and restored properties from an assortment of natural and man-made disasters including storms, floods, fires, mold and more. The residential and commercial disaster recovery team prioritizes homeowners who have often suffered enormous losses. Panhandle is sure to work quickly and professionally to salvage damaged belongings and return a home or business to its predisaster state.

The company’s team of professionals has worked extensively with insurance companies for four decades. Panhandle’s dedicated team works with insurance companies to determine coverage and keep the stress off the backs of clients. Once the paperwork is done, the team is happy to get to work.

Often the process begins with cleanup. Panhandle is armed with top-of-the-line equipment to clear the debris and/or water from a damaged property. The professionals can pump out a flooded basement and clean or remove components and items damaged by fire, smoke and water. After the initial damage control, structural cleanup crew works extensively throughout a structure to do the same for walls, flooring and ceilings.

Once the mess is cleaned up and the damage has been sorted through, the construction team gets to work rebuilding. In some cases, entire areas of a home or business need to be rebuilt, and there is no better team for the job. Panhandle rebuilds and finishes homes and businesses inside and out. Whether reroofing a house that has been through a hurricane or rebuilding a wing of an office building, Panhandle provides professional, sound solutions to a client’s loss.

Sorting the Stuff

While the team is working on site, others are hard at work saving a homeowner or business owner’s property. Panhandle has broad content restoration capabilities, bringing furniture, clothing and more back to life through customized processes that remove harmful toxins, bad smells and unsightly stains. The team at Panhandle has thought of everything.

“Our state-of-the-art cleaning facility uses special equipment like ozone chambers, ultrasonic baths and the Esporta Wash system, which can disinfect, deodorize and wash soft goods like laundry, leather and other delicate materials,” says Bob. “With the new technology, we can restore more than 85 percent of soft contents that were once deemed ‘nonrestorable’ after smoke, fire, water or sewage damage.”

Panhandle also offers off-site storage for both personal and company property removed while a structure is being cleaned and restored. The wheeling location includes a temperature-controlled warehouse and contents storage right where items are cleaned and dried. When a building is again fit for occupancy, Panhandle assists customers in transitioning contents back to the restored building.

Reaching Out

Every so often the East Coast is slammed with vicious storms, tornadoes and hurricanes that leave hundreds to thousands of people with extensive property damages. That is where Panhandle steps up. When Hurricane Irene hit in 2011, Panhandle sent crews as far as New Jersey to clean up in the wake of the storm’s destruction. The team performed a wide range of restoration services from cleaning out basements and reroofing houses to rebuilding sections of structures crushed by falling trees.

It is evident that Panhandle’s staff of 100 truly cares, performing most of the work in house. “We do subcontract out some construction work and specialty services when needed though,” explains Bob.

In addition to the hearts of Panhandle, the team’s construction capabilities have been impressing clients for many years. This prompted the team to diversify into other aspects of construction.

The team again expanded, and now offers a wide range of custom remodel services to customers who may not have been through a hurricane, but would really like a new bathroom. The company has a 5,000-square foot showroom in Wheeling at corporate headquarters displaying the company’s best. Panhandle’s two other locations provide customers closer to offices in Pittsburgh, Pa., and Morgantown, W.V., with the same friendly service.

The family business is constantly adapting to customer demands by offering new services and upgrading technology, which certainly sets Panhandle aside. The team not only repairs losses, but helps to reduce them. Robert Sr., Bob, Josh, Tom and the remaining Panhandle professionals are dedicated to service that pays off for a customer, and it shows. With competitive prices and an unusual level of service and professionalism, Panhandle Cleaning & Restoration continues to grow.