Every restoration contractor knows this moment:
a homeowner has a flood or a fire, they call three companies back to back, and whoever answers first and answers well usually wins the job.
On this episode, Ben talks with Nick D’Urbano, Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Distance, an AI platform already trusted by brands like SERVPRO and Green State Restoration to answer calls, texts, and chats around the clock. Nick spent over 15 years in investment banking and venture backed growth, scaling companies from startup to eight and nine figures across the US, Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Africa before building Distance.
He breaks down real numbers, including how missing just two recon leads a month on a $12,000 average job can quietly cost a company six figures a year, and shares results from actual clients: Green State Restoration converted two of six AI handled calls in their first month into five figures of revenue, and one Alabama client caught a $100,000 fire job with reconstruction built in on just the second call after switching on the system. Nick also explains new capabilities like emotion detection, where the AI adjusts its tone based on how upset a caller sounds, and why some customers now call back asking for the AI agent by name without realizing it wasn’t a person.
🔗 Learn more: distance.so
00:00 Introduction
00:35 Introduction to Nick D’Urbano
03:21 What Distance Does for Business
15:09 The Evolution of Speed to Lead
19:42 Overcoming AI Skepticism and Objections
26:20 Real-World Results and ROI Case Studies
34:24 Future Features and Contact Info
Don’t forget to get 30 minutes with James Hatfield from LiveSwitch – no obligation: https://join.liveswitch.com/hzl6jpv6328r
Are you ready to dominate your Digital Presence and make your Restoration Company confidently shine online?

Benjamin Ricciardi is the founder of Ironclad Restoration Marketing, A digital marketing agency that specializes in the Restoration and Cleaning industry based in South Florida. Benjamin is the author of The No Bulls**t Guide to Internet Marketing for Restoration Contractors and hosts The Restoration Rundown Podcast, a podcast that is focused on everything related to marketing and owning a Restoration and Cleaning Business. Connect with Benjamin and Ironclad Restoration Marketing on social media for the latest tips and tricks on how to grow your Restoration Business.
