United Cleaning & Restoration LLC

2011 was a very damaging year for New England residents in terms of weather. The region suffered from several major snowstorms that caused nearly $1 billion in damages, and was additionally impacted by Tropical Storm Lee in September and Hurricane Irene in August. Businesses and homeowners across the region suffered an unprecedented amount of damages to their buildings. No one wants to have to deal with fire, smoke and water damage, but in Connecticut there are those that rest a little easier knowing that when they must content with property issues they can turn to United Cleaning & Restoration LLC (UCR) to help them repair damaged buildings after Mother Nature has done her worst.

Childhood friends Bill Leone, Rich Naccarato and Bob Sorensen founded the company in 1998, and it has grown into a preferred strategic partner of a large number of insurance companies and their agents. Previously each founder was working for separate cleaning and restoration groups, but the three had a shared vision that one company could offer clients a full range of cleaning and restoration services, provided in the most ethical, professional manner and at competitive prices.

According to Leone, who is the company CEO, UCR has established a niche for itself as a “one call does it all” disaster recovery company that sees much of its activity through insurance restoration services (a position strengthens through membership in several professional insurance associations). He explains, “About 90 percent of our business is in insurance restoration. Our customers have come to rely on us because we are a true one-stop shop, and we have an extremely quick turnaround. We can have a crew on a project within a couple of hours.”

Leaders in Performance and Reputation

The company’s headquarters is on five acres in Middlefield, Conn., where UCR maintains a 15,000-square foot state-of-the-art facility. But as the result of strong growth over the years, UCR additionally established and maintains a satellite office in Fairfield, Conn. The company, which started with five employees in 1998, currently employs roughly 100 personnel, and Leone expects UCR will continue to grow.

“We’re currently only licensed in Connecticut, but we’ve applied for and are working on obtaining licenses in New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Florida,” reveals Leone. “It’s a natural growth progression for us as we’ve established ourselves as the premier cleaning and restoration provider in Connecticut.”

Insurance companies and their agents are UCR’s typical clients, but Leone also plans to aggressively market the company directly to homeowners as well. “Business for general contracting companies in Connecticut is extremely competitive right now, but we see a need for a fast and reliable handyman service,” reveals Leone. “We employ most of the trades because we like to keep our work in-house, so this will provide an additional outlet of work for them.”

Attentive, Proactive Workmanship Emphasized

UCR offers its clients a surprising number of services, including emergency board ups and loss mitigation, dehumidification, mold remediation, appraisals and estimates, packing and moving, climate-controlled storage, content cleaning, building and surface cleaning and reconstruction and remodeling. These services can also involve winterization, temporary electrical services, temporary heat, water extraction, security services, debris removal, deodorization, carpet/rug cleaning and all manner of carpentry.

The company’s capacities are reinforced by educational opportunities through membership in such associations as the Restoration Industry Association (RIA), the National Institute of Disaster Restoration (NIDR), the Mechanical Systems Hygene Institute (MSHI), the Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Institute (CUCI), the Water Loss Institute (WLI), the National Institute of Rug Cleaning (NIRC) and the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration (IICRC). Additionally, UCR’s business operations are strengthened and insured through strategic partnerships with companies such as Financial Network Ltd.

To put it in layman’s terms, imagine a business that has had its facility flooded. With one phone call to UCR the business can request a crew to secure the site to prevent theft, remove the water and dehumidify the structure, check for and successfully treat mold, move all of the company’s inventory to a UCR facility where the inventory can be cleaned and stored until the building is ready again, and simultaneously clean and restore the office to its previous condition.

Leone describes a project that is typical of the company’s work as follows: “Right now we’re working on a 40,000-square foot fire-damaged commercial facility. The contents have to be packed up and moved and we’re restoring and repainting the facility to get it back up and running. We have crews working 24-7 to get it done in a timely manner.”

It’s no wonder that the company’s growth has been spectacular. Leone says that UCR has a healthy backlog of business in spite of the economy and the company currently working on several projects throughout the state. “In a typical week we’ll receive phone calls in regards to two or three residential fires causing roughly $200,000 in damages and 20 or 30 calls regarding mitigation lawsuits,” he explains.

UCR’s presence in its region is so strong because the company supports the growth and enrichment of employees through both their jobs and their lives. Along with literally rebuilding parts of a community, UCR gives back annually to the regions that have made it a success over the years. Leone says that the company is involved locally charities and throws an annual party for its clients and employees. The UCR “October Fest” draws up to 300 or 300 people. The company hires a band and donates all of the proceeds earned from the festival to its preferred charities.

Brutal weather seems to be increasingly occurring at an alarmingly year-round rate, so it’s good to know that homeowners and businesses alike can turn to Bill Leone, Rich Naccarato, Bob Sorensen and the consummate team of United Cleaning & Restoration LLC to help them get back into their homes and businesses in a safe and timely manner.