By Hank Russell
Phil DePaul is a busy man: in addition to running his property restoration business, he is preparing the next generation of business leaders for success in the home services industry. And when he is not running his company or mentoring young professionals, he looks to get involved in the community.
DePaul is the owner of United Water Restoration Group (UWRG) of Long Island in Islandia, which has helped thousands of home and business owners restore properties to pre-loss condition. DePaul instills in the company a philosophy of hiring the best staff to provide professional restoration services.
After working in the plumbing supply industry, DePaul acquired a restoration franchise in 2019 and has since expanded to oversee all UWRG territories across Long Island, serving a market of more than 2 million residents while growing BoomZeal Enterprises into a multi-brand home services organization. Since 2008, UWRG has grown to more than 50 locations throughout the United States.
Although UWRG assists those experiencing disasters, this growing, recession-proof industry is also supported by fundamental infrastructure issues like aging systems and reconstruction. Other services include decontamination and disinfection, trauma cleanup services (such as crime scene or hoarding scene cleanup), and reconstruction and remodeling partnerships.
UWRG also has a wide network of vetted contractors that are licensed, insured and bonded and works with insurance companies on billing and claims. UWRG covers Long Island, namely Islip, Smithtown, Commack, Brentwood and Centereach.
“Through a commitment to excellence and a focus on personal attention, clients’ expectations are exceeded every time, without exception,” DePaul said. “I oversee vision, culture, and leadership development, while our home-grown GM leads the day-to-day operations — my focus is on fostering the conditions that empower the business and its operators to scale sustainably.”
DePaul also holds a franchise advisory board position for UWRG and on 1-TOM-PLUMBER in Farmingdale, which provides emergency plumbing services around the clock.
In addition, DePaul heads up BoomZeal Enterprises, Inc., whose mission is to empower growth in service-driven business leaders through higher standards of ownership and impact. DePaul regularly speaks at high school career day events, motivating and inspiring students to think bigger and pursue paths they may not have considered. DePaul also supports local community groups and serves on The Workforce Partnership, representing Oyster Bay, North Hempstead, and Glen Cove — helping young professionals discover their strengths and potential career paths.
DePaul said he built BoomZeal based on “a simple belief: businesses only grow as fast as the leaders inside them. I develop leaders and operators using a values-based operating system, building teams that can run and grow a valuable, sustainable business without me being the bottleneck.”
He has emphasized the importance of giving back and UWRG has done that by engaging in events throughout the year with organizations such as the Alzheimer’s Association, Toys For Tots, Habitat For Humanity and others.
His hard work and community service have resulted in DePaul being named a recipient of the Impact Award at the company’s national conference. It is the highest recognition given to a franchise owner who demonstrates exceptional leadership and serves as a mentor to fellow operators across the country. It was the second time that DePaul has received this award.
“Receiving my second Inspire Award for Brand Leadership means a lot to me — not because of the recognition itself, but because of what it represents: the chance to help raise the standard in disaster recovery, an industry too often centered on property damage and profit instead of people,” DePaul said.
“Leadership, to me, has never been about being the loudest voice in the room. It’s about developing people who can lead without you, while delivering a level of service to their community that’s second to none,” DePaul continued. “If this award says anything, I hope it says that the people I work with are stepping up and owning their roles in a way that makes a better future possible for all stakeholders. That’s the whole point of the work.”