Shannon Mahaffey – GM (Seattle) @ Paul Davis Restoration
Our Herd Freed Hartz executive search team was honored to partner with Paul Davis Restoration on a retained executive search to find their new General Manager (Seattle).
Paul Davis Restoration is a national leader in property damage restoration. Founded in 1966, the company operates a network of more than 300 independently owned and operated franchises across the U.S. and Canada. Paul Davis specializes in 24/7 emergency response and full-service cleanup, mitigation, reconstruction, and restoration for water, fire, mold, storm, and other disaster-related damage to residential, commercial, and institutional properties.
The company works extensively with insurance carriers and is known for its rapid response, IICRC-certified technicians, computerized estimating, and performance warranties. This combination enables Paul Davis to consistently deliver “like it never happened” results, helping customers recover from the disruption to their properties, jobs, and lives.
In the Northwest, the Paul Davis franchise serving Portland/Vancouver is owned by Justin Graham, Owner and CEO. Under his leadership over the past 12 years, the company has grown into a $40 million, 125-employee operation with a 100,000 sq. ft. warehouse and a strong reputation for quality service across both to residential and commercial projects. It is a highly recession-resistant business that generates more than 2,000 new leads annually and naturally pivots into reconstruction work and add-ons.
Paul Davis’s culture emphasizes genuine care and empathy for people, mentoring, coaching, and training team members to be their best. The team models being proactive, extreme ownership, servant leadership, and building trusted partnerships. There is no blame-shifting or big-company politics — just personal accountability and continuous improvement. The team also utilizes the EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) methodology to drive best practices, clear measurable goals, and transparency.
In 2025, the same ownership group acquired the Paul Davis franchise for the Greater Seattle area to expand its impact across the Northwest. Although the Portland/Vancouver operation is already a dominant player, the Seattle office — which had been rebuilt from a smaller base — currently generates approximately $7 million in revenue with a team of 18. The new ownership brings a much larger vision and a significant investment plan aimed at scaling the business to $30 million within five years, supported by the established headquarters team in Vancouver.
This retained executive search was led by Paul Freed/Managing Partner and Ryan Biancofiori/Partner.
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