Meet the Team

Rusty Amarante

President of BELFOR Franchise Group

Rusty Amarante, CR, has over 40 years of experience in the restoration industry. He is the President of BELFOR Franchise Group and the Director of Operations for BELFOR Property Restoration, the global leader in disaster recovery.

Whether handling a loss that affected a family of three or a major catastrophe requiring teams of 3,000+, he knows every situation is its own unique challenge. Rusty is responsible for coordinating the BELFOR National Catastrophe Team’s logistics, manpower, equipment, and resources in the aftermath of national disasters on a daily basis.

Rusty was past-President of the Restoration Industry Association (RIA) and served as Vice Chair to the development of the IICRC S500 Standard for Professional Water Damage Restoration. He is a sought-after speaker in the restoration industry and has conducted hundreds of training classes throughout his career to encourage passionate restorers for the future.

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Blake Gordon

President of JUNKCO+

With extensive experience in the home services industry, Blake has successfully owned and operated a lawn care and landscaping business for over seventeen years. In 2020, recognizing the untapped potential in the Junk Removal industry, he founded JUNKCO+. Within a span of three years, Blake and his team transformed JUNKCO+ into a premier Junk Removal and Demolition services provider in Louisville, KY, and its neighboring areas.

Driven by his passion for helping others, Blake envisioned evolving his company into a franchise model. Following discussions with the leadership and support teams at BELFOR Franchise Group, he became convinced that aligning with this reputable family of residential and commercial services brands would enable his dream of nationwide expansion to materialize. Blake is excited to offer aspiring entrepreneurs across the nation an accessible franchise opportunity designed for scalability.

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Doug Smith

Senior Vice President, Franchise Development, BELFOR Franchise Group

Doug Smith, Senior Vice President of Franchise Development at BELFOR Franchise Group, has decades of experience in the industry. He has a strong track record working in franchise sales and development leadership roles to help franchise systems grow their footprint.

Doug has been an integral part of BELFOR Franchise Group’s acquisition of HRI and the expansion of the group’s strong community of residential and commercial service brands. He leads an experienced franchise development team focused on helping aspiring entrepreneurs take control of their future through franchise business ownership.