2017 Women in Building Services: Deborah Rashti, EMS Restoration

Name: Deborah Rashti

Title: VP of Marketing & Sales

Company Name: EMS Restoration 

Years in real estate: 10

What real estate associations or organizations are you a member of? LIREG, IFMA, CREW

How have you navigated obstacles to achieve success in your career?

Hard work and determination are the secret to my being able to break into a mostly male dominated profession that is stacked with multi-levels of fierce competition. For some reason I took to this business from the start and gave it my everything. In time, people came to respect me, and with time, I developed a nice following. I am a stickler for making good on my word and in the emergency restoration business, this is a refreshing trait to have. I am far from perfect, but my standards are high and I love what I do.

How do you play your strengths to your advantage in your career?

My strengths are the years of experience that I have in the restoration business. There is a lot to learn and there is nothing like hands on learning. I also have been attending industry functions for many years and have developed a strong network of professionals that compliment what I do which puts me in a position to be able to orchestrate all aspects of a job. My passion for learning keeps me current and by offering educational opportunities, I stay top of mind to my client base. 

What trends are you seeing so far this year?

I see extreme weather as a natural trend, and terrorism as a man made one, which are both on the rise. This combined with rising sea levels and not taking climate change seriously, concerns me greatly. Being in the disaster business and being as busy as I am, I know the importance of being prepared and being properly insured. How well you recover from a disaster is directly correlated to how well you are prepared. I would like to see the pendulum move to anticipating this trend of more prevalent disasters and gear ourselves to emergency planning. 

What do you do for fun?

Exercise, gardening, entertaining, flower arranging, play bridge, read books, keep Sunday’s free, stay organized, and savor an occasional martini.