STOP HIDING BEHIND YOUR LOGO: SPEAKING AT RIA 2026

On April 27-29, 2026, I will be speaking at the International Restoration Convention and Industry Expo in Savannah, Georgia. My session is called "Stop Hiding Behind Your Logo: Personal Branding That Wins Referrals and TPA Trust."

The talk is built around one core thesis: invisible owners create invisible companies. And in the restoration industry, the data shows that problem is worse than anywhere else.

WHY RESTORATION OWNERS NEED TO HEAR THIS

The Business Visibility Index, a study I led at Thrive Internet Marketing Agency, analyzed 400 companies across five industries using 2,400 AI queries. Restoration had the worst results of any vertical we studied. 60% of restoration companies lost website traffic year over year. The owner-company visibility gap was -7.6 points, meaning AI knows the brand but has no idea who runs it.

For a restoration company doing $7.5 million in revenue, the three-year gap between staying invisible and building full visibility is $5.6 million. And $2.8 million of that is specifically the value of the owner stepping out from behind the logo.

WHAT THE SESSION COVERS

The session walks restoration owners through three things:

The mindset shift. Why the buyer's journey has changed. 60% of searches end without a click. Even referrals get verified through AI before the phone rings. TPAs look you up before adding you to a program. The game moved, and most restoration owners do not know it yet.

The Five Finger Framework. A tool for discovering what makes you worth recommending. Five fingers, five dimensions of your story. Promise, Passion, Villain, Direction, and Thumbprint. By the time we get through all five, every owner in the room will know exactly what to say.

The 30-day plan. Framed in language restoration owners already understand: site inspection, cleanup, rooms you control, and subcontractors. Three levels of action they can start on Monday.

ABOUT THE RIA CONFERENCE

The 2026 International Restoration Convention is the restoration industry's premier event, hosted by the Restoration Industry Association. It brings together restoration company owners, insurance professionals, and industry leaders for three days of education, networking, and the industry expo.

My speaker profile is on the RIA website.

GET THE DATA BEFORE THE SESSION

If you are attending the RIA Conference and want to come prepared, download the full Business Visibility Index report. It has every number I will reference in the session, plus the methodology, industry breakdowns, and revenue projections. The report is free at jimi-gibson.kit.com/visibility.

IF YOU CANNOT MAKE IT TO SAVANNAH

Here is the one thing I want you to walk away with: AI does not recommend companies. It recommends people.

When someone asks ChatGPT or Perplexity "who should I hire for water damage restoration in my city," the answer starts with a person, not a logo. If AI cannot find you, it cannot recommend you. And if it cannot recommend you, the lead goes to whoever it can find.

The data proves it. In the Business Visibility Index, companies where both the owner and the brand are visible to AI are growing at 2.5% per year. Companies where neither is visible are declining at 28.1%. That is a 30-point gap. And $2.8 million of the three-year revenue difference comes specifically from the owner stepping out.

You do not need to become a content machine. You do not need to be a speaker or an author. You need to exist in the places AI checks before it makes a recommendation. Start with one thing: open ChatGPT tonight and type your name. See what comes back. That is your baseline. Everything starts there.

See you in Savannah.