Paul Davis Restoration of Greater Lafayette Named April Small Business of the Month
Small Business if the Month is sponsored by Lafayette Savings Bank
Selling night crawlers as an eight-year-old foretold Bob Corbin’s future as an entrepreneur, he says. “I was destined to be in business.”
Growing up along the river on
Cleanup, Construction, Restoration Services
Today, people are buying Corbin’s remodeling, home repair, carpet cleaning, painting, drywall repair, janitorial, trauma cleanup and fire-and-water restoration services because of his reputation, dependability and adherence to an early lesson: Treat every job as though it was your grandmother’s home. “Everyone has endearing feelings toward their grandma,” he says.
His business, Paul Davis Restoration of Greater Lafayette (742-9200), headquartered in a building he owns at
“We stay busy because we are so diversified,” Corbin says. “We work across the board.”
And work they do, says frequent client John Basham, Basham Rentals. “When you need him, he’s good. He gets in and he gets out. They don’t drag their feet,” he says. “What he says he’ll do, he’ll do.”
ISU Graduate
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However, reading remains an interest, even when time limits how much. “I read some Eckhart Tolle and occasionally a little James Joyce, but too many years of paint fumes have slowed the neurons,” he jokes.
Always an Entrepreneur
He launched Corbin Industries Inc. right out of college in 1993.
“I started out with residential and commercial painting, then industries in 2003,” he says. “I used to tell people I would take their trash out for $5. I did it all.”
There’s no secret to what it takes, he says. “You get in there and roll up your sleeves and do it. The jobs come in.”
Bought Franchise 4 Years Ago
In 2006, he signed on as a franchisee with Paul Davis Restoration. And this month, Corbin and his brother-in-law, Mike Rayman, are opening a second franchise in
“Being a member of the franchise, I have hundreds of people I can rely on,” he says. “We now supplement what we used to do with fire and water restoration.”
The business employs 13 year round, and as many as 32 in the summer, when painting apartments is at its peak. “We have one month of crunch time. We’ve turned upwards of 1,500 apartments in a month,” he says.
Every job is unique, he says. “That’s the fun side of the business. You never know what you’re walking into. Someone might call and say they have a flood in their living room, and it’s a drop. Or they might say they have a water issue, and the whole house is flooded.”
Remembers His Roots
A commitment to the community that brought him where he is today also drives the business, Corbin says.
Some of the organizations supported include the VFW, American Cancer Society, Habit for Humanity, Wea girls’ softball, McCutcheon girls' basketball, Lafayette Jeff golf outing, Children’s Wish Foundation, American Heart Association, 4-H and countless more.
When Corbin isn’t running his business, he enjoys golf, fishing and “hanging with the family,” which includes his wife, Adriana, and eight-year-old daughter, Mia.
Celebrate with him as he accepts the Small Business of the Month Award for April at a reception tomorrow at 5 p.m., LSB Annex.
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Criteria for Small Business Winners
Businesses nominated for the Small Business of the Month award must be:
§ Privately owned
§ In business under current ownership at least three years
§ A Greater Lafayette Commerce member
§ Staffed by 50 or fewer employees
§ Involved in the community
The Small Business of the Month is sponsored by Lafayette Savings Bank
