Her particular areas of expertise are contents processing facility design, work flow and production strategies, contents processing procedures on-site and in the warehouse, and contents packing techniques. Her design projects range in size from a 2,000 sq ft facility to an 8,000 sq ft warehouse within a 120,000 sq ft building. Barb was a certified trainer for Assured Software’s POI (Pack Out Inventory) software, and is currently a trainer for Assured Software’s successor program, Assured Packout.
In the Beginning
It all started in 1980 in her hometown of Pittsburgh, PA. Barb saw a need in the rapidly growing residential cleaning arena. While other services provided a check list of what they would do and NOT do (which certainly did not include cleaning windows) Barb created a niche for her business by asking clients what services they wanted. She provided personalized residential and post-construction cleaning – hence the company name Personal Attention Cleaning Services. A loyal clientele base was built on consistent results and outstanding customer service.
In 1990, while on a cold call to offer office cleaning services to Disaster Restoration company in Bridgeville, PA, the owner offered Barb the opportunity to clean a client’s personal belongings that were smoke damaged. He had a 5,000 SF storage facility full of furniture and boxed contents which needed to be restored. Barb provided 2 shifts of workers to assist in getting their client’s contents restored and quickly returned.
Barb learned that restoration contractors often have a huge influx of work, and may need to rely on temporary workers who lack the skill and training of a true contents restoration specialist. Extra supervision is needed, taking skilled supervisors from other projects.
Addressing the Need
Recognizing the need for skilled, trained restoration cleaning specialists, Barb quickly seized the opportunity to develop a niche restoration business, Restoration Cleanups. Her employees had the skills and specialized training for restoration cleaning of fire, soot, water and mold damaged structure and contents, providing an important B2B service.
Within 2 months Barb discontinued offering residential cleaning services. As a specialty service provider, Restoration CleanUps offered specialized fire, smoke and water damage restoration cleaning services to full-service contractors in the Pittsburgh and tri-state area, working with over 30 firms.
She has developed an operating model for her company which implements standards and procedures – Total Systems Approach, to manage the varied challenges of restoration cleaning and pack out situations.
Total Contentz – the Culmination of Her Experience
Once again identifying a unique niche in 2003, Barb and Tim, her business partner and husband, developed Total Contentz, and quickly became the leading contents restoration consultants in the industry. They share their knowledge and experience by providing training and consulting to disaster restoration companies, guiding the development of their contents restoration systems and procedures, facility designs and set-ups.
In association with the Restoration Industry Association (RIA), Barb helped develop the Certified Restorer pre-requisite “Contents Restoration: Process and Handling Course”. Barb holds several certifications, including CR #546 (Certified Restorer).
Total Contentz has served over 1,000 clients in Australia, Canada, Japan and the United States.