Bridging the Gap

There are few things as important in any professional or creative pursuit as having a more experienced person — one whom you respect — advise you. Countless books, articles, seminars, conferences, you name it, have centered on the topic of mentorship and what it means to be a good mentor.

The restoration industry, like many industries, has evolved significantly over time, creating multiple generations of restorers with different — yet equally valuable — backgrounds and skill sets. Breaching those gaps and coming together to learn and grow from each other is essential to propel the industry forward.

The Spark of an Idea

Last year, RIA member Gregory Neil had the idea to create a mentorship program that would advance this concept of multi-generation collaboration. The program is in its infancy (it likely will not launch until late 2018 or early 2019), but its ambitions are noteworthy.

“I’d been on the Membership Committee … [but] I just really wanted to do a better job of feeling like I was contributing something, so I had the idea of having this mentor program,” Neil says. “I mentioned it to somebody, and it was just sort of like throwing gas on a fire.”

The person Neil approached about the idea was the chairperson of RIA’s Young Professional Restorers Committee, Christopher Yanker. He loved it. “We’ve been hearing a need for new people coming into the industry to have an opportunity to learn from the experience of the people who have been doing this for a long time,” Yanker says. “We also see the opportunity to have the communications go both ways — teaching the business owners more about the younger generation, as well.”

Yanker sees this as a mutually beneficial program, not just for the younger and older generations, but for the industry as a whole. “I say we’re either polishing the industry or tarnishing it when we’re out doing our work. We want to make sure that we continue to polish it, and we think hooking up mentors and mentees will do that,” he says.

Facing Challenges

Regardless of which generation you belong to, you’re bound to run into challenges in your restoration business. For Yanker, his biggest frustration is “contractors who aren’t in it for the long run.” He’s focused on making sure fellow restorers are operating with integrity so the industry is sustainable.

Neil posits that the biggest challenge and most important aspect of the business is watching your financials. “The most functional companies I see, the leaders of the company have strong financial prowess,” he says. He adds that there also “isn’t a very strong voice in the industry for learning how to sell and developing your own relationships.”

Matt Hensley, chairperson of the RIA Marketing Committee, agrees. “One of the most important things we can do as an industry is continue to develop and push the relationship end of the business. When things start to go sideways, and in the restoration world they often do, the relationship part of that is what can carry you through.”

What these challenges have in common is that networking and collaboration can alleviate them. Working together and sharing challenges — as well as possible solutions — is how an organization moves forward.

“This is why I think the mentorship program could be a positive addition to the association,” Hensley says. “It’s an easy way to get you plugged in to likeminded people that can help sharpen each other with their tools and knowledge. A program like this can make it easy for a young restorer to get plugged in to a network of people very easily.”

Goals of the Program

Ultimately, this collaboration and “plugging in” is the goal of the Mentorship Program. The format, although not set yet, will likely change with the needs of its members. Yanker suggests it might look something like a Big Brothers Big Sisters program where the group matches applicants based on needs.

“As we start to go and actually do some work with people, we’ll see what actually is wanted and needed,” Neil says. “We’re going to tweak things. There’s going to be some invention and design and reinvention.”

It’s clear that the format of the program isn’t as important to this group as the collection of minds within it. “We’re all trying to do the same thing for the most part,” Yanker says. “Some people are doing it well, some people are struggling, and just having that opportunity to come together and support each other and the industry as a whole is what’s important. We’re trying to keep the legacy of restoration intact.”

RIA board member Joe Gillette agrees wholeheartedly with the concept of the program and how quickly it’s taken off.

“It’s exciting to see Greg’s vision and the hard work he, Chris and Matt have put forth coming to fruition,” he says. “The mentorship program embodies RIA’s core belief in knowledge sharing and collaboration between restorers of all disciplines in restoration.”

Alexa Schlosser is the managing editor of C&R Magazine. She can be reached at aschlosser@restorationindustry.org.