Starting a business comes with uncertainty. You might have a great idea, but wonder: Is there enough demand? Will you find the right team? Can you handle the competition? These questions, and many others, stop many would-be business owners before they even begin. In Detroit 2014, Carlos Hesano and Ben Gergis faced these same doubts when looking at the restoration services landscape.

What started as one van serving Detroit homeowners has now expanded to 65 locations nationwide. Their company, DRYmedic Restoration Services, grew from helping local families recover from floods and fires to becoming a national presence in the restoration industry. The path wasn’t smooth—they battled worker shortages, managed rapid growth, and learned to balance technical expertise with emotional support for distressed customers.

Carlos and Ben’s experience shows how spotting a gap in the market, building the right team, and focusing on both people and technology can turn a small operation into something significant. Whether you’re thinking about starting your first business or your next one, their story offers honest insights from two entrepreneurs who built something lasting by putting both practicality and compassion at the center of their work.

Finding Opportunity

When Carlos and Ben looked at their hometown of Detroit in 2014, they saw something most people missed: a community that lacked truly compassionate restoration services for property damage.

“We saw the need for a full-service property restoration business in the community and decided we wanted to create a business model that not only excelled in providing top-notch restoration but also prioritized the human aspect of these unfortunate situations,” Carlos explains.

This wasn’t Carlos’s first business venture. As a serial entrepreneur throughout the 2000s, he had owned and operated over 30 businesses across home service, health and wellness, food, and wireless industries. His experience in franchising ran deep, having worked as both an area developer and in corporate franchise sales.

What made this opportunity different was timing. Climate data shows extreme weather events have increased in frequency and intensity over the past decade. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. experienced 28 weather disasters in 2023 that each caused over $1 billion in damage, more than double the average from the previous decade.

Meanwhile, public awareness about mold risks was growing. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that indoor exposure to mold can cause respiratory symptoms, allergic reactions, and asthma attacks in sensitive individuals. About 4.6 million cases of asthma in the U.S. are attributed to dampness and mold exposure in homes.

Carlos and Ben’s market research confirmed what they suspected: the restoration industry was poised for growth.

Testing and Building

DRYmedic Restoration Services launched with a simple focus—helping Detroit homeowners recover from floods, fires, storms, mold, and asbestos. Within a year, nature validated their business model.

“In January 2015—about a year after launching—we faced our first polar vortex in Detroit. The extreme cold led to a surge in service calls, further showing our business was not only in demand but also essential in helping homeowners recover from unexpected disasters,” Carlos recalls.

This event proved their concept worked. But expanding would mean solving difficult problems.

Despite Carlos’s extensive business background, challenges emerged as they grew.

“Truthfully, I didn’t have many fears when starting my business. With over a decade of experience in both business ownership and franchising, I felt confident in my business acumen. However, a constant struggle we faced was building a strong local network.”

Finding and keeping skilled workers proved especially difficult in an industry already facing labor shortages. According to the Associated Builders and Contractors, the construction industry faces a shortage of 500,000 workers, with restoration specialists being among the hardest positions to fill.

Their solution? Creating a strong workplace culture.

“We eventually overcame these fears by creating an amazing company culture, which has been pivotal in shaping our workplace. I believe culture starts at the top and trickles down to each one of our employees,” Carlos says.

This culture became a competitive advantage in hiring against companies lacking the same unity and purpose.

The Human Side of Restoration

Early experiences with customers quickly reinforced why Carlos and Ben started DRYmedic Restoration Services.

“Early experiences that really solidified why we started DRYmedic Restoration Services were when we spent time helping elderly homeowners. Many of them were overwhelmed with damage and struggled to handle the aftermath of major disasters.”

These moments showed them that restoration work goes beyond fixing physical damage. For many customers, especially older ones, the emotional toll is just as significant as the property damage.

“As a business, we wanted to be there to offer guidance and support throughout the entire restoration process. Our team stepped in to not only restore their homes, but also provide the extra assistance they needed to navigate insurance claims and cleanup.”

This approach required learning skills they hadn’t expected to need.

“One of the biggest learning curves was mastering the emotional side of restoration. Many of our clients are under tremendous stress, dealing with catastrophic events in their homes or businesses,” Carlos notes.

The team soon learned that technical skills were only part of the job.

“Learning how to communicate with empathy, stay calm under pressure, and guide customers through stressful experiences are just as important as the restoration work itself. Compassion and clear communication are key to our business model.”

For customers, they developed a unique method based on empathy.

“In the face of disaster, compassion is key. From day one, we’ve instructed our team to handle each project and property with the utmost care and attention to detail, as if it were their own.”

Growing with Technology

As demand grew, Carlos and Ben faced a common entrepreneurial dilemma: how to maintain quality while expanding. Their solution combined franchising with technology.

“One of the biggest challenges we faced early on was scaling our business while maintaining the same quality of service for customers,” Carlos explains.

Their experience influenced their advice for new business owners:

“I’d advise any entrepreneur—whether just starting out or already established—to build scalable infrastructure from day one. Your business needs to have the proper support to grow, including sufficient staff and the right technology.”

Technology became central to their expansion strategy. In 2022, Authority Brands acquired DRYmedic Restoration Services, providing resources to accelerate growth. By 2024, they had introduced AI-powered innovations to help franchise owners work more efficiently.

“We introduced geotagged marketing to help identify potential customers in need of service. Online searches—whether by computer or phone—for ‘mold remediation,’ ‘water damage,’ or other relevant restoration keywords can be tracked through AI, which then displays targeted ads for restoration services in the areas the searches are taking place in.”

Today, about 35% of their franchise owners use these AI-driven tools, reporting higher revenue and improved efficiency.

Their expansion beyond Detroit was strategic and responsive to market needs.

“Our ability to expand beyond Detroit stemmed from market demand and direct inquiries from prospective franchise owners,” Carlos explains.

The team took a data-driven approach to growth.

“Internally, we analyzed areas where there was a high need for restoration services but limited competition. When reached out to directly, we listened to entrepreneurs who were eager to bring our business model to their communities.”

Partners with Complementary Strengths

A key factor in DRYmedic Restoration Services’ success is how Carlos and Ben divide responsibilities to match their strengths.

“Ben focuses on front-end operations, which includes initial response efforts and overseeing customer interactions. I lead the back-end operations, including finance and overall business strategy,” Carlos explains.

This division creates a smooth workflow from start to finish.

“Once a job is assessed and assigned, my team hands it off to Ben’s. It doesn’t come back to my desk until it’s time to finalize financials and close out the job. This division allows us to leverage our individual strengths and help run the business efficiently.”

For Carlos, one of the hardest but most important lessons was learning to delegate.

“If I could go back, I’d tell myself to trust my team and to embrace delegating sooner. When Ben and I first started, it was natural to want to handle everything ourselves. The business was our baby!”

This lesson shaped how they support new franchise owners today. Their training program includes:

• Two weeks of in-person training at their facility
• Hands-on experience with actual restoration jobs
• Access to over 175 online courses
• Ongoing mentorship

“Training programs should also incorporate a mentorship component. Mentorship creates a culture that builds confidence in entrepreneurs and their team members,” Carlos advises.

Starting Your Own Success Story

The growth of DRYmedic Restoration Services—from a single van in Detroit to 65 franchises nationwide—shows what’s possible when you spot a market need and build a business that truly helps people. For those thinking about starting a business, Carlos shares several practical takeaways: build scalable systems from day one, master both the technical and emotional aspects of your field, and create a workplace culture that attracts and retains talent.

Perhaps most importantly, Carlos emphasizes the value of partnership and effective division of responsibilities. His partnership with Ben works because they clearly divided tasks based on their strengths—Carlos handling back-end operations and finances while Ben manages front-end operations and customer interactions. This division creates efficiency and allows each partner to focus on what they do best.

What began as a simple desire to serve their community better has grown into something neither Carlos nor Ben could have imagined in 2014. “Seeing their relief and gratitude reinforced our commitment to making a difference in our customers’ lives.” It’s this focus on making a difference, not just making money, that has fueled their growth from local operators to industry leaders.

To learn more about DRYmedic Restoration Services, visit drymedic.com or franchise opportunities at https://drymedicfranchise.com/.