Community Involvement
Platinum Pro-claim Restoration
“We do so much stuff, it's ridiculous,” says Tony Scott. And somehow, that doesn't seem to come from a place of ego or bravado. Rather, the founder and CEO of Richmondbased property restoration biz Platinum Pro-claim is simply trying to recall all of the community initiatives his company has embarked on since he launched it at age 26 back in 1991.
“When we're hiring people, we always ask, If your neighbour had a flood, what would be your response?” Scott says of his 165-employee team. “And what we're looking for is, I'd jump right over there and help them. If they have to think about it, or say, Well I'd shut my curtains and hide—and believe me, we've had that before—it's not going to work.”
Scott believes that approach is necessary for a business that stakes its reputation on being the “restoration company that cares.” Its efforts in the community take that mission statement further.
There was the heavily covered Conquer COVID-19 program, which saw Platinum partner with celebrities Haley Wickenheiser and Ryan Reynolds to co-ordinate donation drives for personal protective equipment (PPE) in four cities from Vancouver Island to Alberta. Scott and his team also encouraged two competitors—barclay Restorations and Canstar Restoration—to help out with that. “It wasn't a hard sell when they heard that Wickenheiser and Reynolds were involved,” he says with a chuckle.
There's the less publicized stuff, too, like Platinum's backing of the Chill Foundation, which helps at-risk youth stay active, its biannual cleanup of Richmond's Triangle Beach (more than 16,000 pounds of debris have been removed since 2016), its help in building sets and other materials for Mcnair Secondary School's drama program, and its partnership in the Richmond Cares, Richmond Gives campaign.
“We give them $10,000 to help support families in need during the holidays,” Scott says of the latter. “Sometimes people talk about these things and donate money, and that's it. But we also do all the logistics, help receive all the toys for the drive and, in COVID, clean and store all the items in a safe, secure way.”
Platinum was part of the second-ever cohort to be recognized by United Way of the Lower Mainland as social purpose organizations, and Scott takes pride in that designation, especially in an industry that can viewed in an unforgiving light.
“Sometimes we're looked at as companies that come in and make money off people's misfortune,” he says. “All the things we do are opportunities to show people we care and that we want to give back to the community.”