By Dillon Emanuel
Hey everyone,
I’m Dillon, at 13 years old, I became the youngest IICRC-certified carpet cleaner at the time. Admittedly, it’s not the record I envisioned holding, but here I am today—an IICRC Triple Master Restorer, leading Surfco, a full-service restoration company, alongside a team of dedicated professionals.
Restoration runs deep in my family—I’m the 4th generation in restoration and construction. My father, Brock, started restoring mobile homes when he was just 14, working after school and on weekends. His passion and work ethic led him to build a thriving restoration & construction company in California, growing it to a team of 75 employees. Eventually, we made the decision to return to Arkansas to be closer to family and start fresh.
That fresh start became Surfco. We started in a late-1800s meat fridge (yes, really), and over the past decade, we’ve grown into a company of more than 50 employees. Today, we provide full-service restoration for residential and commercial clients across Arkansas, and we’ve built a workplace that feels more like family than just a business.
Our success hasn’t come without its challenges, and along the way, we’ve learned the importance of being part of the right industry organizations like the RIA.
Now, if you’ve met Jeff Moore, you know how passionate he is about the Restoration Industry Association (RIA). That’s part of the reason he encouraged us to share our experience. We’ve been involved with other industry organizations before, but many felt like little more than a local networking opportunity. They required time, money, and resources, and too often, we found ourselves questioning whether they truly provided value to our business.
The RIA, however, has been different. It has given us access to resources, advocacy, and a network of like-minded professionals who genuinely support one another. In an industry where navigating insurance challenges, labor shortages, and evolving standards can feel overwhelming, having an organization that actively works to strengthen restoration businesses has made all the difference.
Looking back, I never imagined my journey in restoration would begin at 13, let alone lead me to where I am today. But through hard work, the right team, and the support of organizations like the RIA, Surfco continues to grow, and I’m proud to be part of shaping the future of our industry.
We joined the RIA in 2018, and there are two big reasons why we’ve stuck around:
1. The connections have helped us navigate real challenges in our business
During COVID, like many of you, we were scrambling, trying to add sanitation services to our business but unsure of the logistics. Through the RIA, we got connected with someone who owned a business that made sanitation products and had all the answers we needed so we could be off and running.
Another time, we were doing the cleanup for a large library that had a fire. There were tons of important documents, and we had questions about the best technical approach to this work, so we reached out to our RIA network. We got in touch with a national restoration company that was willing to give us some advice even though we were technically “competitors.” Time and time again, we’ve been so grateful for these connections and encouraged by people’s willingness to help one another.
2. We know someone has our back (because carriers and TPAs certainly don’t)
There’s so much tension right now with TPAs, carriers, and getting paid, and it just continues to grow. We have never felt more confident that the RIA will be able to initiate change and get some big players to the table. As the organization continues to grow, so does its influence, and it makes us excited to be a part of something that is truly bigger than ourselves.
As a small business, we can say with full conviction that joining the RIA has been a great investment. It’s allowed us to connect with other business owners and learn from some of the great minds in our industry, as well as open up new opportunities that would be challenging to access on our own.
We’ll be at the RIA conference in April and hope to see you there!
Dillon Emanuel
Surfco Restoration
[email protected]
(479) 287-6191
www.surfcorestoration.com