Provider profile
Kustom Disaster Restoration
Provider snapshot
What this listing says
Kalamazoo-area homeowners and businesses dealing with mold tied to water damage, where a national restoration company with in-house reconstruction can handle the full scope from drying through rebuild.
Best for
- Kalamazoo and southwest Michigan homeowners who need mold remediation tied to an existing water damage event, where one company can handle both.
- Commercial property managers who want a single restoration vendor with a pre-arranged disaster response plan (InstantAssist) for water, fire, and mold events.
- Homeowners whose mold problem requires structural demolition and rebuild — Kustom handles reconstruction in-house rather than subbing it out.
- Insurance-claim-driven projects where the restoration company needs to coordinate directly with adjusters and document the scope of loss.
- Buyers who want the backing of a national company (29 locations, 50+ years) with a local crew they can meet.
About this company
Kustom Disaster Restoration operates out of Portage, Michigan, serving the Kalamazoo area as one branch of a national, family-owned restoration company with 29 locations across the U.S. Mold remediation is one piece of a broader operation that covers water damage, fire damage, storm damage, and full structural reconstruction. The Kalamazoo office handles both residential and commercial work.
On the mold side, Kustom follows ANSI/IICRC S520 methods and handles everything from moisture mapping with thermal imaging through selective demolition and rebuild. They do not do mold testing — they focus on remediation and refer out for independent air quality assessment. The fact that they also do reconstruction means a single crew can take a mold job from tearout through finished walls, which reduces handoffs.
Kustom has been in business for over 50 years. The company is family-owned and operated, with corporate headquarters in Florida. The Kalamazoo branch also runs an "InstantAssist" program for commercial clients — a pre-arranged disaster response plan that kicks in within the first 12 to 48 hours after an event.
At 4.9 stars across 222 Google reviews, this location has an unusually strong rating for a restoration company. Most of the volume comes from water damage and reconstruction work rather than mold-specific jobs, but the same crews handle both.
Services
Service area
Kustom's Kalamazoo branch operates out of Portage, Michigan, at 6287 American Ave. The branch serves the Kalamazoo area and surrounding southwest Michigan communities, including Sturgis based on review evidence. Kustom is a national company with 29 locations and says it operates in 48 states, but this listing covers the local Michigan branch.
Review consensus
Ben Martin is the standout name in this location's reviews, appearing in at least 15 separate 5-star reviews for drywall, siding, trim, concrete, and mortar work. Reviewers consistently describe him as detail-oriented, neat, and fast. Anthony Ernest draws praise for basement work, siding, and window repairs. Zach gets repeated mentions for quick initial response on water mitigation and damage assessment. Other named staff — Skylar, Caleb, Josh, Craig, and Jalen — each appear in individual positive reviews. Dan Poole and Dan Villarreal are praised for the sales and mitigation planning side. Several reviewers specifically note that Kustom helped them navigate insurance claims.
2 found across 222 total reviews at 4.9★. Angie Harker (April 2026) describes a tree-damage repair in Sturgis where Kustom cut electrical wires without permission, creating additional costs beyond the $40,000 original scope. When the city came for inspection, items remained unfinished. Kustom then asked for an additional $22,000. The homeowner reports being out of their home since March 2025 and pursuing legal action. The owner response states the electrical cut was structurally necessary and communicated throughout the project, that an engineer signed off on all repairs, and that insurance coverage limitations were outside Kustom's control. Olivia Hope Cain (August 2025) left a 1-star rating with no text — a Local Guide with 15 reviews. The owner asked her to email for follow-up.
Gary Brundige left a 5-star review praising Ben Martin, Josh, and Alice individually while calling the company overall "inept" and "deceitful," warning others to get everything in writing and supervise all work. This split — field technicians earn trust while the office or management side frustrates — is a pattern worth watching in a national restoration company where the people doing the work are not the people managing the contract. The owner responds to 100% of negative reviews with detailed, personalized replies that engage with the specific facts rather than using template language.
Ben Martin (reconstruction/repair — overwhelmingly positive, 15+ mentions). Anthony Ernest (reconstruction/repair — positive, multiple mentions). Zach (mitigation/assessment — positive, multiple mentions). Skylar (mitigation — positive). Caleb (repair/mitigation — positive). Josh (repair — positive). Craig (skylight repair — positive). Jalen (drywall — positive). Dan Poole (mitigation planning — positive). Dan Villarreal/Dan V (sales/assessment — positive). Kyle McKnight (management — positive mention). Jeremy Verhage (sales/assessment — positive). Wesley Dube (assessment — positive). Will (repair — positive). Matt (repair — positive). Tyler (mitigation — positive). Tokala (mitigation — positive). Tarqua (mitigation — positive). Eric (assessment — positive). Manny (assessment — positive). Patrick (mitigation — positive). David (project coordination — positive). Alice (repair — positive). Mike (repair — positive). Junice (admin — positive).
The field crews at this Kalamazoo branch — especially Ben Martin — earn consistently strong reviews for hands-on repair work. Ask for Ben or Anthony by name if your mold job involves reconstruction. The one detailed negative review involves a large-scope structural project with insurance complications, not a routine mold job, but it flags a real risk: make sure the contract spells out exactly what is included, what triggers additional charges, and what happens if scope changes.
Keep in mind
- Kustom does not do mold testing or inspection. You will need a separate company to do air quality sampling before and after remediation. This is actually a good thing — it avoids the conflict of interest where the same company finds the problem and sells the fix.
- This is a national company with a local branch, not a locally owned small business. Your project manager and the people making decisions about your job may change during the project.
- One recent 1-star review describes a tree damage repair in Sturgis where the homeowner says costs escalated from $40,000 to $62,000 and the project remained unfinished at inspection. The owner responded with factual context about structural necessity and engineer sign-off, but the dispute went to legal action.
- Mold remediation is a secondary service here — the core business is water and fire damage restoration. Most of the Google reviews reference water damage or reconstruction, not mold specifically.
- The company says it operates in 48 states, but this Google listing covers the Kalamazoo/Portage branch. Confirm that the local crew, not a remote team, will handle your mold job.