Disaster Restoration

In Disaster Restoration, the right people help organizations respond quickly, restore properties safely, manage complex claims and projects, protect customer relationships, and bring structure to urgent, high-pressure situations when clients need confidence most.

Our Disaster Restoration specialty practice supports employers across property restoration, emergency response, water damage, fire and smoke damage, storm and wind damage, mould remediation, demolition, reconstruction, large loss, insurance restoration, and related service environments. This is a demanding, fast-moving sector where responsiveness, technical knowledge, customer care, documentation, estimating accuracy, safety, profitability, and leadership all matter.

Stoakley-Stewart Consultants brings decades of recruitment experience, long-standing client relationships, and specialized search discipline to help organizations identify candidates who can succeed in disaster restoration environments. We understand that the best hiring outcomes require more than matching keywords on a resume — they require careful evaluation of field experience, judgement, urgency, communication style, technical capability, client-facing professionalism, financial awareness, and fit.

Our Disaster Restoration practice is led by Pat Laforet, VP Business Development, whose relationship-driven approach and North American business development reach help organizations clarify important hiring needs, strengthen leadership teams, and address strategic talent gaps in competitive markets.

Pat plays a leading role in connecting restoration organizations with the recruitment expertise needed to support growth, succession planning, operational expansion, project leadership, business development, finance, and senior management hiring. For companies exploring a critical Disaster Restoration search, Pat is the primary contact for this division.

Working alongside Pat, Gian Mele brings a practical, consultative recruitment approach to understanding both the search mandate and the realities of the role. In Disaster Restoration, that means looking beyond a job title to assess operational experience, project discipline, communication, customer focus, urgency, and fit.

Gian supports searches where employers need professionals who can navigate demanding project environments, coordinate people and resources, communicate credibly with internal and external stakeholders, and contribute to stable, profitable, service-driven operations.

Completing the Disaster Restoration leadership team, John Barron brings a thoughtful, relationship-based recruitment approach to searches where candidate quality, communication, fit, and long-term success matter.

Together, Pat, Gian, and John provide collaborative coverage across Disaster Restoration — supporting searches in operations, project management, estimating, large loss, emergency response, reconstruction, business development, sales leadership, finance, accounting, administration, and senior management.

Hiring in Disaster Restoration requires practical understanding of urgent, technical, customer-facing, insurance-driven, and project-based environments. Employers need people who can respond quickly, document accurately, manage changing job conditions, coordinate field teams and subcontractors, communicate with property owners and adjusters, control costs, protect margins, and keep projects moving under pressure.

Our consultants’ recruitment knowledge allows them to source candidates who match the unique and specific criteria of our clients. We pride ourselves on working on behalf of both client and candidate, helping ensure the right fit for both parties while supporting confident, well-informed hiring decisions.

Our Disaster Restoration practice supports a range of organizations and environments where emergency response, mitigation, remediation, reconstruction, insurance restoration, client service, project control, operations, finance, and business growth intersect.

• Disaster Restoration, Property Restoration & Emergency Response Companies
• Water Damage, Fire Damage, Smoke Damage, Storm Damage & Mould Remediation Operations
• Insurance Restoration, Large Loss, Commercial Loss & Catastrophe Response Teams
• Reconstruction, Demolition, Remediation & Construction-Adjacent Restoration Environments
• Regional, Multi-Branch, Franchise, Independent & National Restoration Organizations
• Operations, Finance, Sales, Administration & Senior Leadership Teams Serving the Restoration Industry

While every search is unique, the following examples reflect the kinds of positions our Disaster Restoration practice can support. These include roles we have worked on directly, along with closely related positions commonly needed by restoration organizations as they grow, professionalize, expand, or respond to increasingly complex property-loss events.

Executive, Branch & Operations Leadership

• Director of Operations
• Assistant Director of Operations
• Field Operations Manager
• Operations Manager
• Regional Operations Manager
• Branch Manager
• Regional Business Consultant
• General Manager
• Vice President, Operations

Project Management, Estimating & Large Loss

• Restoration Project Manager
• Project Manager, Restoration Services
• Project Manager, Disaster Recovery
• Large Loss Project Manager
• Project Leader, Restoration
• Project Coordinator
• Construction and Remediation Estimator
• Restoration Estimator
• Project Manager / Estimator
• Xactimate Estimator

Emergency Response, Mitigation & Field Services

• Emergency Services Manager
• Mitigation Manager
• Water Damage Restoration Lead
• Fire and Smoke Restoration Lead
• Mould Remediation Lead
• Storm and Wind Damage Response Lead
• Lead Restoration Technician
• Contents Restoration Manager
• Emergency Response Coordinator

Reconstruction, Demolition & Remediation

• Project Manager, Demolition
• Reconstruction Project Manager
• Remediation Project Manager
• Site Supervisor
• Construction Supervisor
• Rebuild Coordinator
• Trade Coordinator
• Subcontractor Coordinator
• Quality and Site Completion Roles

Sales, Business Development & Client Relationships

• Business Development Manager
• Regional Sales Director
• National Sales Manager
• Vice President, Business Development
• Account Manager
• Insurance Relationship Manager
• Commercial Accounts Manager
• Strategic Partnerships Manager
• Regional Business Development Roles

Finance, Accounting & Administration

• Vice President of Finance
• Finance Manager
• Controller
• Accountant
• Intermediate Accountant
• Accounting Support Analyst
• Accounts Payable Clerk
• Accounts Receivable Roles
• Payroll Administrator
• Payroll Coordinator
• Project Administrator
• Operations Administrator

Technology, Systems & Process Improvement

• I.T. Operations Manager
• Restoration Systems Support Roles
• Digital Estimating and Scoping Support
• Claims Documentation and Workflow Support
• ERP / Job Management System Support
• Process Improvement Roles
• Reporting, Analytics and Operational Support Roles

Strong Disaster Restoration professionals are often already embedded in organizations where their field knowledge, insurance relationships, operational discipline, customer trust, and ability to manage difficult situations are highly valued. The best candidates may not be actively applying to job postings, making targeted search, market knowledge, and credible outreach especially important.

Our relationship-driven approach helps employers reach beyond the visible applicant market. By understanding the practical realities of the sector and the specific expectations of each role, we can engage candidates thoughtfully and present opportunities in a way that resonates with the professionals our clients most want to reach.

If you’re looking for a high degree of ethics, professionalism, and effectiveness, our Disaster Restoration practice offers the experience, specialization, and market access needed to support important hiring decisions. Whether your organization is filling a project management role, estimating search, large loss mandate, field operations position, business development need, finance leadership role, branch leadership opening, or senior executive search, we bring the search discipline and sector understanding required to deliver strong results.