I like to preach that MD Restoration is a customer service company that just happens to do restoration services. Our customers have always valued that we prioritize how the customer is feeling. Typically our clients aren’t planning or asking for these services; we’re responding to an emergency call early in the morning because a home is flooded. The customer is usually very stressed out so we try to take a step back and make sure to be empathetic, paying special attention to sentimental fixtures or furniture, etc.

For many years, I tried to do a lot of it by myself, getting involved with every aspect of the business, trying to make sure that no mistakes were made and it hampered our growth. Handing the reigns over and empowering great people to run different parts of the business has been the key to my success.

I learned to trust other people, knowing that they’ll make mistakes but allowing them the freedom to make mistakes, and learn from those mistakes. Not everyone is going be an expert so we try to make sure they have the resources they need to do their job and grow into their position, and hopefully even higher positions.

I started working with Hawaii National Bank four years ago when I was trying to grow the business. We were operating out of a really small warehouse and looking for property to buy. At the time, we were with a different bank and that bank actually took away about half our line of credit, which put a damper on our prospects.

When we found Hawaii National Bank, not only did they give us the loan to purchase the property, but also the line of credit that we needed in order to grow. In the years since, they’ve been very helpful, offering us the financial resources in order to help us operate our business on a daily basis. HNB was basically the bank that believed in us and for that, I’m very thankful to Hawaii National Bank.