Howie Savage, a native of Jamaica who grew up close to the beach and now lives in Melbourne, refinished antique furniture for 14 years. His life changed five years ago when a friend who worked with Paul Davis referred Savage to the company. He hasn’t looked back. Today, he’s a Difference Maker™ who has won the hearts of customers and colleagues alike at Paul Davis of the Space Coast, Florida.
“I’m a lead technician,” Savage says. “Because I wanted to be perfect at my position, I practiced at night to master the technology we use. I’m now skilled in Matterport – a software application that digitally maps job sites – and MICA, which is a program that manages projects.”
Savage’s dedication, however, extends beyond tangible skills and capabilities. When a job seems impossible, Savage finds a way to not only accomplish it but to excel where others decline to try. It’s no exaggeration to say that he and four technician colleagues gave an older couple their home back recently.
“A broken pipe dumped 80,000 gallons of water under the couple’s home into a two-foot high crawl space, causing massive mold issues as well as a $12,000 water bill,” says Veronika Ward, Emergency Service Department Manager with Paul Davis. “The homeowners tried multiple contractors and all refused what seemed like a terrible project: soda blasting mold out of a very tight crawl space.”
It was a dirty job, shunned by anyone prone to claustrophobia, but Savage and the team completed the job during two hot weeks, mostly laying on their backs and always completely outfitted in head-to-toe personal protective equipment. When the assignment was complete, the ecstatic homeowners, free from the health hazards of mold, celebrated the team with a pizza party.
Ward described the project as one of their greatest accomplishments. “Howie is my go-to person and he excels at everything he does,” she says, noting that Savage has three certifications and is working toward others. “He willingly took on an extremely tough job that many thought couldn’t be done. He gives back, too, by helping others outside of work. He has done hurricane relief in Louisiana, for instance.”
“I started at Paul Davis by cleaning equipment but I wanted to grow here and I have grown,” Savage adds, noting that he loves his job and can’t imagine working anywhere else.
Clearly, Savage is a Difference Maker™ not only for customers but also to colleagues. As Ward nods enthusiastically, Savage predicts, “One day I’d like to supervise a team.” We have no doubt he’ll get there.
Are you a Difference Maker like Howie Savage? We fully support talented, dedicated self-starters as they grow fulfilling careers at our dynamic company. We invite you to join us. Check available positions on our career site at https://pauldavis.com/careers/.
