HASTINGS — Paul Davis Emergency Services of North Country NY, a restoration contractor franchise business owned by a local veteran, is settling into a new headquarters. It’s located at 22 Gildner Road in the town of Hastings, south of the village of Central Square. “We moved in here June 1 of this year,” says Scott […]
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HASTINGS — Paul Davis Emergency Services of North Country NY, a restoration contractor franchise business owned by a local veteran, is settling into a new headquarters.
It’s located at 22 Gildner Road in the town of Hastings, south of the village of Central Square.
“We moved in here June 1 of this year,” says Scott Colbert, owner and general manager, in a phone interview with CNYBJ on Sept. 26. Paul Davis Emergency Services is leasing the 7,000-square-foot building, he adds.
The business specializes in rapid-response, emergency-mitigation services including board-ups, water and fire damage restoration, and mold removal.
Colbert cites the local franchise’s growth for pursuing the new headquarters. “We just needed more room,” he says.
The company was previously based in a 3,300-square-foot space it leased at 9670 Brewerton Road in Cicero, which it has since vacated.
The firm also operates a 1,300-square-foot satellite office in Watertown and plans to add another satellite office in Potsdam in the next six months, says Colbert.
The business currently has 13 employees, besides Scott and his wife, Kim, who handles its human resources and accounting functions.
Colbert opened his Paul Davis franchise in 2010 as a veteran-owned, emergency services and restoration company to serve customers throughout Central New York and the North Country regions. Colbert served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1987 to 1993 with stops at Camp Pendleton, California; Mount Fuji, Japan; and Yuma, Arizona.
Alternate route
Colbert had been looking for a bigger headquarters in the area “for quite a while,” even as the firm operated in its space in Cicero.
While driving home back in May, Colbert had to take an alternate route because of some road construction on his normal route. He ended up traveling on a side road that he had used before. Colbert knew that the building that now houses his company’s headquarters was located along that road. The last time he had driven by the structure, it was occupied. But this time was different.
“I turned the corner and I saw a for-sale or rent [sign] and I thought, okay, maybe we’ve got an opportunity,” Colbert recalled thinking at the time.
A week later, he signed a lease for the building. Tony V. Senzarino LLC is listed as the property owner, according to the website of the Office of Oswego County Real Property Tax Services.
“The building fits our needs right now. We’re still looking to hire new people. We’ve got a lot of growth ahead of us,” says Colbert.
Open house fundraiser
Paul Davis Emergency Services of North Country NY hosted an open house at its new headquarters on Sept. 27.
At the event, the franchise business helped raise money for Clear Path for Veterans and the Central New York SPCA. Other activities included tours of the facility, raffles, giveaways, a prize wheel, and a “smooch -a- pooch” booth.
About Paul Davis
Paul Davis Emergency Services franchises restore residential and commercial properties damaged by fire, water, mold, storms and disasters, according to its release. Founded in 1966, Jacksonville, Florida–based Paul Davis Emergency Services has more than 375 independently owned franchises in the U.S. and Canada. Rich Wilson is the firm’s CEO.
Paul Davis requires an initial investment of between $64,000 and nearly $189,000, according to the website of Entrepreneur magazine. Other Paul Davis financial requirements include a net worth of $100,000 and a liquid-cash requirement of $55,000. The initial franchise fee is $39,000, but veterans receive a $5,000 discount off the franchise fee.