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ServiceMaster By Simons - North Shore
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What this listing says
Chicago North Shore and Skokie homeowners dealing with water, fire, or mold damage who want a ServiceMaster franchise with 40+ years of local experience and a named leadership team.
Best for
- North Shore and Skokie homeowners who need water damage restoration with same-day or next-day response.
- Property owners facing fire or smoke damage who want dedicated contents restoration — Mark Oh's team handles pack-out, cleaning, and inventory separately from the structural work.
- Homeowners who want insurance claim coordination handled in-house — Peter Ranke works directly with carriers and adjusters.
- Commercial property managers needing restoration without business interruption — reviewers confirm work completed around ongoing operations.
- Chicago-area residents dealing with sewage backups or biohazard situations in basements.
About this company
ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons operates out of Skokie, Illinois, serving Chicago's North Side, the North Shore suburbs, Lake County, and parts of DuPage County. Nasutsa Mabwa owns and runs the franchise. Sam Simon, an IICRC Master Fire & Water Restorer with credential #137718, leads the restoration side with 40+ years of experience in Chicagoland buildings.
The team roster is unusually deep for a local franchise. Shawn Ullenbrauck manages disaster restoration projects. Mark Oh runs fire cleaning and contents — pack-out, inventory, textile cleaning, electronics coordination. Pete Perez handles mitigation. Peter Ranke coordinates insurance claims. Yender Puentes leads on-site mitigation work. That kind of role specialization means you're not getting one person trying to do everything.
The ServiceMaster brand dates back to Chicago in 1929, and this franchise has operated locally for over four decades. Sam Simon and Nasutsa Mabwa co-authored a book called RESTORE about protecting homes from water and fire damage. The company holds a BBB Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics and maintains IICRC firm registration #163465.
A 5.0 rating across 143 Google reviews is extremely rare for a restoration company handling this volume of work. No reviewer in the last 18 months left fewer than 4 stars.
Services
Service area
Based in Skokie, Illinois with an additional office at 420 W. Huron St. in Chicago. Serves Chicago's North Side and Northwest Side, North Shore communities including Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, and Highland Park, plus Skokie, Lincolnwood, Niles, Morton Grove, Park Ridge, Glenview, Northbrook, Deerfield, Des Plaines, Lake Forest, and Oak Park. Also claims Lake County and parts of DuPage County.
Review consensus
Shawn Ullenbrauck appears in more reviews than any other staff member. Reviewers consistently describe his communication, organization, and project management during water damage and sewage cleanup jobs. Sam Simon draws repeated praise for honesty — multiple reviewers say he told them what did not need to be done, declined to push unnecessary work, and kept scopes tight. Mark Oh is named specifically in fire and smoke damage reviews for patience, clear process explanations, and contents handling. Sue is praised for phone responsiveness and scheduling. Neda gets credit for quick arrangements after emergency calls. Jackie (Jacqueline Enriquez) is noted for cleaning quality. Several reviewers mention the team's willingness to explain each step and avoid upselling.
0 found across 143 total reviews at 5.0★. No 1-star reviews found in the last 18 months. Across 143 total reviews at 5.0★, zero reviewers left a rating below 4 stars during the recency window.
The absence of negative reviews across 143 ratings is unusual for a restoration company. Two possible factors: the franchise has a large, specialized team with clear role separation (mitigation, contents, claims, cleaning each handled by different people), which reduces the communication breakdowns that generate complaints at other companies. Second, many reviewers mention being referred by their insurance company, which pre-filters for customers whose claims are covered — reducing billing disputes.
Shawn Ullenbrauck (Disaster Restoration Manager — consistently praised for communication, organization, and project management). Sam Simon (IICRC Master Restorer — praised for honesty, keeping scopes tight, and explaining what does not need work). Mark Oh (Fire Cleaning/Contents Manager — praised for patience, process explanation, and contents restoration). Sue (phone/scheduling — praised for responsiveness and follow-up). Neda Howell (Business Manager — praised for fast arrangements after emergencies). Jackie/Jacqueline Enriquez (Cleaning Supervisor — praised for cleaning quality and care). Yender Puentes (Lead Mitigation Technician — named in positive water damage reviews). Nasutsa Mabwa (CEO/Owner — praised for responsiveness). Armando (technician — praised for empathy and kindness). Edison and Brian (technicians — named positively in water damage work). Cande (cleaning crew — named in positive cleaning review).
Ask for Shawn if your project involves water damage or sewage — he's the most consistently praised project manager. For fire and smoke damage, ask for Mark Oh. If you want an honest assessment of whether you even need restoration work, request Sam for the initial visit. With zero negative reviews in the recency window, the main risk here is the testing-and-remediation conflict of interest — get an independent mold test if mold is your primary concern.
Keep in mind
- They do both mold testing and mold remediation. That creates a financial incentive to find problems they then get paid to fix. Ask who performs the testing, whether they use a third-party lab, and whether you can hire an independent inspector instead.
- This is a ServiceMaster franchise, not an independent company. Pricing, equipment, and processes follow the franchise system. If you're comparing quotes, make sure you're comparing the same scope of work.
- Their service area covers a wide swath — Chicago, North Shore, Lake County, DuPage County, and suburbs like Deerfield, Lake Forest, and Des Plaines. Response times may vary depending on how far you are from the Skokie base.
- Reviews skew heavily toward water and fire damage. If your issue is strictly mold with no water or fire component, ask specifically about their mold-only project experience and timeline.