Meet the Team
1-800 WATER DAMAGE is led by a visionary executive team that is passionate about your success
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.
Tim Fagan, CR, WLS
President of 1-800 WATER DAMAGE
Mr. Fagan has been in the restoration industry for over 25 years, having been the CEO of a predecessor water mitigation/contents company, which became part of the BELFOR family of companies in 2010. He has managed emergency losses in residential, hospital, university, business, manufacturing, multi-family and K-12 school facilities. In 2018, Mr. Fagan took over duties as President of 1-800-Water Damage and in 2019, he also took over as President of Blue Kangaroo Packoutz.
Mr. Fagan graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Science degree in education and holds two post-graduate degrees in educational leadership from Eastern Michigan University. Mr. Fagan is the principal instructor for BELFOR’s continuing education courses for insurance agents and real estate licensees. He also manages the internal “BELFOR Boot Camp” training program for BELFOR Estimators, Project Managers and General Managers from around the US and Canada. Mr. Fagan is a licensed builder as well as a Restoration Industry Association Certified Restorer (CR) and Water Loss Specialist (WLS) – the highest level of training and certification available in the restoration industry.
Ken Osness
Vice President of Franchise Development
Mr. Osness has served as Director of Franchise Development for BELFOR Franchise Group, LLC, whose main offices are located in Ann Arbor, MI from December 2015 to the present. Mr. Osness also served as Director of Franchise Development for 1 800 WATER DAMAGE International, LLC, located in Ann Arbor, MI, from September 2015 to the present. Prior to that, Mr. Osness served as Franchise Development Manager for HOODZ International, LLC, from June 2006 to December 2015. Mr. Osness also served as the Franchise Development Manager of DUCTZ International, LLC, from June 2006 to January 2015.
