How ServPro – Team Chestnas found a shared purpose in Beyond Housing’s Community Chamber
The newly established Beyond Housing Community Chamber is an innovative network of trusted partners from the trades and related industries who share a deep commitment to community, service, and collaboration.
Together, these companies are building a network that strengthens businesses by strengthening the community itself.
Unlike the many existing business networks that focus on lead generation for their members, the Community Chamber is a purpose-driven alliance for those who believe in doing well by doing good—companies that measure success not only in profit, but in the positive impact they make on their employees, customers, and community.
At their three SERVPRO franchises in the St. Louis area, Jeff and Sandy Chestnas extend those values during crisis situations and catastrophic events. Along with their son Kurt and the employees known as Team Chestnas, they restore properties after natural disasters, fires, water damage, or other calamities.
In addition to mitigation and remediation, they also provide construction, reconstruction, remodeling, and cleaning services. “We can do anything from clean a house to build a house,” Jeff said. “We leave people and places better than we found them.”
This perspective aligns with Beyond Housing’s holistic approach to community development. “Our work is bigger than just doing a job and leaving,” Sandy explained. “We’re helping people get their life back together and put the pieces back into place—and that really attracted us to the mission of Beyond Housing. They are also about helping people over the long term and leaving them better than they found them.”
Steadfast service amid chaos and confusion
The Chestnas family first came into contact with the restoration industry through the insurance side. After a career in construction and carpentry, Jeff worked as a catastrophe and daily claims adjuster. Eventually he realized he wanted to do more to help clients, and that’s when he looked into restoration franchises, settling on SERVPRO because it most closely matched his and Sandy’s values.
“We find out their biggest concerns, which become our priorities.”
While there is plenty of satisfaction and joy in the completion of a project, nearly every customer’s first contact with Team Chestnas happens during a time of stress and worry.
“If there’s a problem with your building or your house, we are who you call,” said Kurt, who serves as general manager. “We’re often speaking with people on the worst day of their lives, when they don’t know what to do. We put ourselves in the customer’s shoes. We find out their biggest concerns, which become our priorities.”
Extending collaboration from the family to the community
Jeff recognizes and appreciates the sacrifices the members of Team Chestnas—and their families—make on a day-to-day basis. “If we didn’t have these people that go out at night, at one o’clock in the morning, and work all day, our company couldn’t fulfill its mission,” he said.
“It’s our employees who represent us,” Sandy agreed. “We recently received an award from the Southwest Area Chamber of Commerce as the Business of the Year, but it’s not an award for Jeff and me, it’s for our amazing team that is so dedicated.”
The unpredictable nature of the job means family members must be comfortable with their loved one’s decision to join Team Chestnas’ operation, Kurt added. In his own case, for example, he was recently away for nearly four weeks while his wife held down the home front with their four children ages 10, 7, 5, and 4.
In fact, when Jeff first decided to explore SERVPRO franchise ownership in 2004, he and Sandy learned that if the spouse is not on board initially, they would soon be drawn into the business. And that is exactly what happened: Sandy started dropping in after her work in speech pathology, and before long she was in charge of the accounting software. “Six months later, I resigned from my job and started learning the SERVPRO process,” she said.
“We truly love helping our communities in whichever way it may be—volunteering or sponsoring or serving.”
Their first franchise was in West Kirkwood and Sunset Hills. They added a second in Fenton and South Ballwin in 2008 and a third during COVID in Overland and Cool Valley. That location brought Team Chestnas into contact with the small communities in North St. Louis County, including the 24:1 footprint served by Beyond Housing.
Jeff, Sandy, and Kurt look forward to future opportunities to connect with their fellow entrepreneurs within the Beyond Housing Community Chamber. “We truly love helping our communities in whichever way it may be—volunteering or sponsoring or serving,” Sandy said.
