ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons team consulting with insurance agent on property damage claim

Why Chicagoland Insurance Agents Trust ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons — And How We Make You Look Good to Your Clients

Sam Simon

July 24, 2025

When disaster strikes, your policyholders turn to you—and you need a restoration partner who makes you look good. For over 40 years, insurance agents across Chicago and the North Shore have trusted ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons for rapid response, industry-certified service, and seamless claims support. As a QRV-approved vendor for all major carriers, we protect your reputation while restoring your clients’ peace of mind.

When one of your policyholders calls in a fire, flood, or mold claim, they’re not just counting on you. They’re trusting that the contractor you refer will show up, solve problems, and preserve their home or business.

For over 40 years, insurance agents across Chicago, the North Shore, and surrounding suburbs have referred their clients to ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons because we help them do exactly that—with professionalism, speed, and deep expertise.

We don’t just serve policyholders. We serve you, the agent, by making sure every job reflects positively on your office and keeps your clients calm, safe, and satisfied.

What Insurance Agents Look For in a Restoration Partner

Let’s face it—restoration can make or break the claims experience. When you refer a contractor, you're staking your name and your client's trust on that decision. Here's what great agents need:

1. Rapid Response 24/7

We arrive within 90 minutes or less, no matter the hour. Whether it’s a flooded basement in Evanston or fire damage in Oak Park, we get there fast and start mitigation immediately.

2. Insurance-Savvy Documentation

Our crews are trained to document everything: moisture maps, photos, scope details, and drying logs—all aligned with industry standards and claim requirements. No guesswork. No pushback.

3. Licensed, Insured, and Certified

We hold the highest IICRC designations:

Master Fire & Smoke Restorer
Master Water Restorer
Master Textile Cleaner

Plus, we’re members of the Restoration Industry Association (RIA), fully bonded and insured, and listed in the IICRC Certified Firm directory.

4. Clear Communication

You stay in the loop. We communicate directly with you and the policyholder throughout the job—with updates, timelines, and realistic expectations.

5. Respectful, Professional Service

Our uniformed, background-checked technicians are trained to work in high-stress environments. We enter with care and exit with dignity. We know how to represent you well.

What Makes ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons Different

Preferred by Top Insurance Carriers Nationwide

As a designated Quality Restoration Vendor (QRV) for ServiceMaster Restore, our franchise meets the highest performance standards required by the industry’s leading insurance providers. The QRV program is exclusive to elite ServiceMaster franchises that uphold superior customer satisfaction, technical skill, and rapid response capabilities.

This means:

We’re pre-approved to work with all major insurance companies across the U.S.
Our documentation, estimates, and restoration practices align seamlessly with carrier expectations.
Claims are handled faster, cleaner, and with fewer callbacks or complaints.

When you refer ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons, you’re not just sending a contractor—you’re sending a verified restoration partner trusted by the insurance industry nationwide.

Trusted by the Nation’s Leading Insurance Providers

As part of the QRV network, we’re proud to work with nearly every major carrier, including:

State Farm®
Allstate®
Farmers® Insurance
Liberty Mutual®
USAA®
American Family Insurance®
Nationwide®
Travelers®
Chubb®
The Hartford®
Erie®
MetLife®
and many more

Whether your agency is independent or captive, we speak your language — and we’re already approved to serve your policyholders.

With so many contractors vying for referrals, what makes us the trusted choice?

Chicago Roots. National Power.

Founded in 1929 right here in Chicago, ServiceMaster is the nation’s oldest and most respected name in disaster recovery. Our franchise is family-owned and has served Chicagoland for over 40 years.

We Wrote the Book on It

Literally. Our owner Sam Simon is co-author of RESTORE: A Complete Guide To Protecting Your Home As Your Most Valuable Asset — a practical resource for homeowners facing fire and water disasters.

Award-Winning Reputation

Our work has been recognized by:

2024 Chicago Star Award
BBB Torch Award
SB100 Best of Small Business
Stevie® Award for Business Excellence

Multiple Locations for Fast Dispatch

We operate full-service branches in:

Downtown Chicago (River North)
Skokie (North Shore)
Glenview
Oak Park / River Forest
Lake County (Deerfield)

We can be on-site across Cook, Lake, and DuPage Counties within 90 minutes.

We Make You Look Good

Your client is nervous. Their home or business is at risk. When they meet us, they meet calm, confident professionals who solve problems and keep them informed every step of the way. That reflects directly on you.

Common Claims We Handle Smoothly

Frozen or burst pipes
Sewer backups
Basement floods
Fire and smoke damage
Mold contamination
Content pack-out and cleaning
Vandalism and trauma cleanup

Whether it’s a small condo or a luxury home in Highland Park, we treat each claim with urgency and respect.

How to Start Referring With Confidence

We make it easy to get started. Whether you’re a State Farm agent in Lincoln Park or a Farmers agent in Northbrook:

Here’s how we support your referral:

Dedicated account manager for agent relations
Custom job status reports emailed directly to your office
Fast response time = fewer follow-up calls from clients
No hard upsell or insurance billing conflicts

Agents: Ready to Partner With Chicago’s Most Trusted Restoration Firm?

Your clients trust you. You can trust us.

We’re here to:

Support your reputation
Simplify the claims experience
Protect your policyholder relationships

Whether you refer once a year or once a week, you deserve a partner who shows up, gets it right, and makes you look good in the process.

Call (773) 376-1110 or contact us online to get started.

About ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons

ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons is Chicago’s premier disaster restoration firm, serving residential and commercial properties throughout Chicago, the North Shore, and surrounding suburbs. With IICRC Master Certifications, 40+ years of service, and recognition from the BBB, Chicago Star Awards, and more, we proudly help clients recover from fire, water, mold, and trauma disasters—quickly and professionally.

Learn more about our services:

Read our book:RESTORE: A Complete Guide To Protecting Your Home As Your Most Valuable Asset

Service Areas: Chicago, Evanston, Skokie, Wilmette, Glenview, Northbrook, Highland Park, Lake Forest, Oak Park, River Forest, Deerfield, and more. Lake County, Cook County, and DuPage County, Illinois.

Sam Simon

Sam Simon is the Co-Owner and Managing Director of ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons, a certified MBE/WBE disaster restoration and specialty cleaning firm proudly serving Cook, Lake, and DuPage Counties in Illinois. With over 30 years of experience in restoration project management, field operations, and emergency response, Sam plays a vital leadership role in overseeing service execution, technician development, reconstruction, and subcontractor coordination.

He holds the IICRC’s highest technical designation as a Master Fire & Water Restorer, a distinction achieved by fewer than 1% of professionals in the restoration industry. His technical scope includes water and flood damage restoration, fire and smoke recovery, mold remediation, and post-disaster reconstruction across both residential and commercial sectors.

Sam has demonstrated a long-standing commitment to helping communities in crisis. He has participated in large-scale disaster recovery efforts across the U.S., providing boots-on-the-ground leadership during Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy, and Harvey, as well as catastrophic floods, wildfires, and deep freeze events throughout Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, Texas, and beyond. His dedication to serving distressed families and businesses in the wake of national catastrophes reflects both his personal values and ServiceMaster’s mission of restoring peace of mind.

In 2019, Sam was selected for the HACIA Contractor Training Program, a competitive six-month construction management cohort offered by the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association. The program delivers intensive instruction in blueprint reading, estimating, project management, and construction law—skills that support the company’s continued growth in emergency build-back and general contracting services.

Before co-founding ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons, Sam built a successful creative career, contributing to notable film and television productions including Chicago Fire (2012), Juvies (2007), and Image Union (1978). His media and videography background continues to shape ServiceMaster’s marketing strategy, digital training resources, and brand storytelling.
→ IMDb Profile

Sam is also the co-author of RESTORE: A Complete Guide to Protecting Your Home As Your Most Valuable Asset—a practical guidebook for homeowners navigating the challenges of water, fire, and mold damage.

Under the direction of majority owner and President & CEO Nasutsa Mabwa, and with Sam’s operational leadership, ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons has earned numerous regional and national accolades, including:

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