South River Restoration (SRR)

Since 1998, South River Restoration (SRR) has been specializing in 24/7 emergency disaster restoration. With a passion to give back what disaster took, SRR is able to help with any loss or emergency involving flood, water, fire, smoke, mold and weather-related incidents. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., with a second office in Dallas, SRR applies its services to residential and commercial clients such as property managers and building/business owners.

Founded by Bryan Agee, SRR began as a one-truck operation performing carpet cleaning services. Agee soon added disaster restoration to its services, repairing and rebuilding structures damaged by water, fire, smoke and mold. “We pride ourselves in our communication skills, customer service and really building a relationship with our clients,” says Agee. “Gaining their trust is what has really helped us grow over the years.”

With a team of expert restoration responders, trained and certified to provide the best possible customer experience, SRR believes it is important to guide clients through the process from start to finish. While the company directly services Maryland, Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Dallas-Fort Worth, SRR’s membership with Restoration Affiliates (RA) gives the company a footprint across the United States that provides the ability to utilize hundreds of premier business associates offering the same restoration services.

Building relationships

When it comes to emergency and mitigation services, such as cleaning and drying, it is performed by the SRR team. For the reconstruction phase, the company turns to its strong network of subcontractors to support the rebuilding efforts, always with a dedicated project manager closely managing the project.

The relationships that are built with vendors and subcontractors have proven to be just as important as the trust and communication that SRR establishes with its customers. “Our subcontractors are an extension of SRR and need to share our values when it comes to customer service and quality,” says Agee. “They represent us on the jobsite, so when we find a good sub, they essentially become an extension of our team and will do a lot of repeat business with them.”

The communication aspect that SRR extends to its clients has been a major factor in the company’s continued growth throughout the years. By using Luxor CRM, an online-hosted customer relationship management program, SRR is able to track information regarding its insurance and property management clients, such as how often they refer work to SRR, which is a method of measuring success of the company. “When we see that a client is consistently using us, then we know we are doing a good job,” says Agee. “After every project is completed, we send out a customer survey to both the homeowner and property manager focusing on key areas of the project like communication, timeliness and professionalism. We’re constantly looking for areas for improvement and address any issues immediately.”

Expanding services

Agee was just 20 years old when he started SRR. He knew at a young age that he wanted to start his own business. Starting at 14, he worked on boats and electronics at a local marina. “I learned a lot of good skills doing that type of work,” he recalls. “I knew I wanted to start my own business and I stumbled upon a van that was already set up with a carpet cleaning machine. I took a risk and started South River Carpet Cleaning. I would work all day at the marina and then clean carpets for restaurants at night. I worked 80 hours a week for about a year until I decided to focus 100 percent on the restoration business.”

After establishing a large client base, Agee started doing restoration work when customers began to call him after they experienced some flooding and needed water mitigation services. He quickly realized that many of the vendors that provided him with his cleaning equipment also provided training in water mitigation. “As soon as I got certified, I realized that helping people who experienced water damage or a fire was much more rewarding,” says Agee. “Within two years I was strictly doing water mitigation and the carpet cleaning kind of phased out.”

Through the years of running his own company, Agee has enjoyed watching the people that work for him grow professionally and personally. “Watching them consistently get to that next level gives me a lot pride,” he says. “I also love to see homeowners go back home after we have rebuilt it. To see their faces when you hand them the keys is a great feeling. Even though it’s a stressful time for them when a disaster happens, there is light at the end of the tunnel. And I’m proud to be a part of it.”

Within the next few years, Agee is looking to open one to two additional offices and continue to expand the commercial division of the company. With its affiliation with RA and continued exceptional customer service and communication, South River Restoration will remain a leader in restoration and mitigation services.