What Sets United Water Restoration Group Franchise Owners Apart

When working in an industry as personal as disaster relief and restoration or reconstruction, it is important that a business owner is truly dedicated to the work and understands the impact of their client relationships. Phil DePaul, owner of United Water Restoration Group (UWRG) of Long Island, New York, is a prime example of the growth that can be achieved when an owner makes a concerted effort to build strong relationships and improve, even just slightly, each day. In his work as a restoration and reconstruction franchise, DePaul is able to serve members of his community who are in need while building a business for himself.

“I feel like I’ve always been an entrepreneur… Going back to my formative years, I had side hustles, I just never had a real business,” explained DePaul. “It was only a matter of time before I pulled the trigger and stopped working for other people. I’ve always had this insatiable appetite to make things happen, whether it was chasing money, independence or the ability to make good things happen for myself and those around me. I always felt like if I just applied myself to whatever widget I chose, I could be good enough to grow. All I needed was a platform.”

UWRG gave DePaul a widget and platform that he could leverage to grow his own business while contributing to the expansion of the larger system.

DePaul’s Journey to UWRG

Prior to franchising with UWRG, DePaul had experience both in leadership roles and the disaster relief segment. Over the course of 14 years with a wholesale distribution company that handled both plumbing and HVAC supplies, he learned crucial leadership skills and built a powerful team. After transitioning from this role, he worked with a private firm that was contracted to support New York residents in recovering from Hurricane Sandy, gaining project management and restoration expertise that would eventually inform his work with UWRG.

After he began considering making the switch to franchising to take more control of his professional future, DePaul learned of UWRG, and it seemed like a great fit.

“What initially drew me in was the business model,” said DePaul. “It was the idea of doing insurance work where you serve a client without holding them directly accountable for the costs associated with the services.”

He was also confident in the consistent need for restoration-related services. As long as there are buildings, there will be natural disasters and other accidents that damage them, and people will need support in either restoring or rebuilding the space.

“I’m not going to lie. UWRG, at the time, was an immature concept, but I liked it like that,” said DePaul. “I was one of the first 10 Franchise Owners in the model. Even though the resources I was given to start up with may not have been as mature as they are now, I got a good vibe, and I saw it as a win-win situation where I could be a part of their growth story, helping push the brand forward and figure things out.”

How He Has Grown Alongside an Ambitious Team

After entering the restoration and reconstruction space as an owner, DePaul has been especially conscious about turning even the seemingly negative aspects of his growth into learning opportunities.

“I never want to be put in a box, so I’ve surrounded myself with a team that trusts me regardless of where we are in the process,” said DePaul. “The only thing you can do every day is to put your pants on one leg at a time, crawl before you walk, before you run, and always keep your vision in mind.”

As he continues to pursue the excellence he sees for himself, DePaul added that he has seen members of the team buy in and “have that same fire in their belly.”

“We’re values-centered and aligned, and we’ve watched this group come together, each for their own different reasons,” added DePaul. “We’re intentional about the fact that ‘good enough’ is never good enough. We all start at a place where we have to figure out how to do the job, and over time, we start to figure out how to do it a little bit better. That’s what makes this process really, really fun; that’s where the magic happens.”

The total initial investment to open a UWRG franchise ranges from $196,906 to $582,127. For more information on franchising, visit https://uwrgfranchise.com/investment-opportunities/.