Best of both worlds: A tale of two friends who make a great team
A lot of people might not know this but Carlos Lopez and Clayton Blount (Co-owner of H2O Drying Solutions) have maintained a close friendship for 25 years, way before the birth of H2O Drying Solutions. They met in 1994 when Carlos had just moved back to North Carolina from Connecticut and was on the hunt for a new job. Clayton actually interviewed Carlos for a position at a security system company and hired him. They continued to work together at the same company for a number of years until they both took different paths professionally. They spent the next few years excelling at their professional careers, until one day Carlos received a phone call from Clayton with a job offer to come work at his new company, H2O Drying Solutions! Even though this venture would be new to him, he trusted and respected Clayton, so he was fully committed to showing up and not only doing the job, but learning to do it well. He started at our company as a technician to learn the ins and outs of the industry. Later down he was introduced to the estimating aspect of the business and it turned out that he had a real knack for it.
Thirteen Years And Counting at H2O
Whether it be fire, water or mold damage, Carlos is responsible for visiting the job sites and managing the team while the job is in progress. While he’s onsite, it is also his duty to assess the losses and write the estimates for us to request payment from the insurance company. To be exceptionally good at his job, Carlos learned pretty early on the importance of attention to detail. Being able to sift through anywhere from 50 to 500 line items with guaranteed accuracy is something any estimator would be proud of. Over the last thirteen years, Carlos has made innumerable and significant contributions to the growth and success of H2O Drying solutions. We continue to benefit from his professionalism and proficiency in sales, relationship building, management and estimating. He plans to ensure our continued success by being committed to his daily tasks and doing them well. Every detail counts!
When asked what his favorite thing about working at H2O Drying Solutions was, without missing a beat, he answered “the people!” He added: “Our company is led by Clayton and Lorne and they treat us like one big family and we’re all looking out for each other. We share a common goal of offering the most effective drying methods available and exceeding client expectations and we’re all working together to achieve that. The work itself is very rewarding too. From being able to interact with our clients everyday and knowing that we’re helping them through a bad situation to getting creative in terms of how to dry a house in the most efficient way possible. We have fun and we love what we do. That makes a big difference.”
Most Trusted In The Industry
Some restoration companies intentionally do more work than necessary to make the insurance company pay them more. Carlos takes pride in knowing that he does his job with care and honesty. In fact, we’ve created such an impression on the insurance companies we work with, they call us in for a second opinion when they need it.
Away from work
Carlos went to high school in North Virginia then later attended Johnson C. Smith University in North Carolina. A man of many interests, he started out pursuing accounting but later switched to computer science before finally settling on business. Most of what Carlos knows about the restoration industry was all learned from having a very hands on approach to his work. Carlos has received all his certifications in water restoration and has also received training on indoor air quality.
FUN FACT! Carlos was an athlete, he played tennis for 5 years in the early 80s
He still practices tennis about once or twice a week and he runs 3 days of the week. Run Carlos Run! (for all our Forest Gump fans out there). Once he’s all done ensuring he has sufficient exercise, Carlos enjoys winding it down and watching some good ole TV. He loves movies! His preferred genre is action and here are some of his top picks: Star Wars, Die Hard, Fast & Furious, John Wick and Lethal Weapons. Over the years, he has also made a hobby of writing short stories and has a collection of them that he still works on when he has the time. We hope one day he shares them with us or even take the steps towards writing a book!
While growing up, he shared a special bond with his aunt and his grandparents, William and Mildred Selden. They all taught him to be loyal, honest, reliable and disciplined. He takes the lessons he learned so many years ago to create a life that is centered around these values.
FUN FACT! His favorite word is “Wow”
We hope you enjoyed getting to know Carlos as much as we enjoy working with him! Our employees reflect our high levels of integrity, fairness and honesty. We encourage you to learn more about our wonderful team here and know that you can count on our team of licensed, certified and insured restoration services specialists in the event of an emergency. Call us at +1 (877) 251-1751.
