Why Julia Spitz of Savarino Properties Uses SERVPRO of The Southtowns

2/19/2021 (Permalink)

Thanks so much for talking to us, Julia!

Julia Spitz, the executive vice president over at Savarino Properties in downtown Buffalo, NY, is one of our favorite customers.

Well, all of our customers are our favorite customers. But you get the point.

Julia was kind enough to sit down with us to talk about how she learned about SERVPRO of The Southtowns and why she keeps calling us back, time and time again. She even explains why SERVPRO is worth the sometimes sizable price tag.

Thanks so much, Julia! You’re the best!

Check out her testimonial here. Would you rather read it? Here’s the transcript:

Intro

Every emergency you can think of actually does happen!

I work at Savarino Properties and I'm their executive vice president. My name is Julia Spitz. I am in charge of overall operations of our property management team and I also am responsible for day-to-day management of several of the properties in our portfolio.

Our properties are a variety. Most of our properties are located in the city of Buffalo. We have charter schools, mixed-use office buildings like the one we're in right now, multi-family residential buildings and retail or commercial buildings.

The First Time She Called SERVPRO

The first time I ever called SERVPRO was early in my career. I entered one of our buildings one day and the smell of sewage was overwhelming. It was very clear after about a minute of inspection that it was coming from a small basement under the building and to be honest, I didn't know what to do.

We knew how to call a plumber and solve the problem. We didn't know who was going to clean that up.

I didn't feel confident asking my own staff to deal with such sensitive material as sewage. We didn't, I didn't feel we had the safety measures in place and I Googled. I didn't know what else to do. SERVPRO came up and the very same day, I mean maybe hours later, they showed up they started cleaning it up.

Men were wearing full hazmat gear and these giant boots and by the end of the day it smelled clean and I have never been more grateful.

What She Values in SERVPRO

When I call SERVPRO, I value lots of things. But I think the thing I value the most is the peace of mind I’m given. I know that my team won't have to deal with matters that maybe they're not trained to deal with, toxic situations. I'm also given peace of mind that our tenants won't have to interact with a toxic matter. It'll be cleaned up professionally and properly by people who know what they're doing.

How SERVPRO Prevents Long-Term Mold & Water Issues

In this building, actually, part of the building is under grade and we have our fitness center there and a couple other parts of the building. Early on, when we first moved into the building, the first time we were really deluged with rain we learned that that rain poured right into the parts of the building that were under grade and again this time we knew to call SERVPRO.

We panicked and we called SERVPRO right away and you guys responded immediately and you brought in equipment to suck up the water and then you also brought in equipment to dry it out to make sure no mold formed.

So it's not just the emergency response that was helpful for us in that situation but also the proactive prevention work that you guys did to make sure that we don't have any problems in the future.

Is SERVPRO worth the money?

The first time I got a SERVPRO estimate, it was a lot, but to be quite honest, the first time I was dealing with SERVPRO it was a raw sewage situation so I was very happy for someone to come and do that work and I think you can't put a price on that kind of work.

When I've been dealing with other situations that don't seem as toxic, like a flood, it's harder, honestly, to swallow the big price tag. But once you see the outcome, you understand why it costs so much. You see the equipment involved, you see how many people are involved, you see the long-term benefit of it. So I think the first time might be hard but time after time it gets easier because you see the outcome.

Why She Likes Working with SERVPRO

I like working with SERVPRO because everyone I've ever come in contact with within the company is easy to deal with and makes my life easier, not harder. When you're really busy and you're running around all the time, the last thing you need is someone who's going to make your life harder. Nice, friendly people who are going to take your call and respond quickly and make your life better are exactly what I need in my day, which is part of the reason why we just keep going back to SERVPRO.