At Paul Davis, we encounter people during some of the worst times in their lives. Each of us has pledged to help every customer in any possible way recover from disasters and return to normal with hope, healing, certainty and a measure of control. As our website states, we aim “to deliver an experience of extraordinary care while serving people in their time of need” and we care as hard as we can 24/7/365. It’s a big responsibility but it’s the centerpiece of our company and our reason for getting up in the morning – or in the wee hours, as we often do.
“Our inspirational founder set us firmly on this course,” says Stephanie A. Rosenstone, Senior EA to Rich Wilson, CEO of Paul Davis. “As a young child, Paul Davis learned the joy of helping others as his mother enlisted her children to deliver home-cooked food to the sick and do chores for shut-ins. Those kindnesses showed Paul his purpose and he committed his life to serving others through the restoration business.”
Standing in charred and flooded homes, he felt the pain of the owners and adopted two guiding principles for his fledgling company: the Golden Rule, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you; and the Rotary Motto: he profits most who serves best. Employees reflect often on Paul’s examples and leadership and remember him through the pithy sayings that embodied his beliefs. “Paul’s Pearls”, as the sayings were dubbed, are as true today as when he first voiced them. Here are just six of our favorites:
“There is no higher goal than to seek to make someone’s life better by your words and deeds.”
“Honesty and integrity are essential for a well-balanced, rewarding life.”
“Always take total responsibility for who, what and where you are.”
“You may not be who you think you are, but you are continually becoming the product of what you think. What you consistently think as though it were so, almost always becomes so, good or bad.”
“An objective without appropriate processes is just a dream.”
“Always look at the present realistically and objectively. Always look at the future through rose-colored glasses.”
Paul gave a full accounting of his Pearls and the company’s history in his autobiography, “If I Could, So Can You!, the man behind the Paul Davis franchise, in his own words.”
The culture he instilled is alive and well today as we grow across North America, expanding mindfully and always ensuring that our expansion aligns with our values in all areas. We insist that our franchises meet and maintain very stringent standards. We find, nurture, train and commit to trustworthy and talented partners. We become trusted resources that others can always count on. We continually innovate to make mitigation and restoration better, faster, more economical and easier to understand. We never stop looking for ways to give back and exceed expectations. We serve as hard as we possibly can, returning calls for help in half an hour and promising to arrive onsite anywhere in North America within four hours of that call.
It’s what Paul wanted, it’s what customers deserve and we are very proud to carry on his extraordinary legacy.
