Provider profile
Northwest Restoration
Provider snapshot
What this listing says
Portland-to-Salem corridor homeowners who need mold remediation handled alongside water or fire damage restoration through a single family-owned contractor with direct insurance billing.
Best for
- Homeowners between Salem and Ridgefield, WA who need mold remediation as part of a larger water or fire damage restoration project.
- Insurance-claim situations where you want one contractor to manage mitigation, contents, and reconstruction rather than coordinating three separate companies.
- Property owners with belongings that need cleaning or storage — they operate a dedicated contents facility in Tualatin.
- Spanish-speaking households who need restoration services with bilingual communication.
- Homeowners dealing with storm or tree damage who need same-day emergency tarping and mitigation.
About this company
Northwest Restoration operates out of Aurora, Oregon, serving the corridor from Salem to Ridgefield, Washington. They handle water damage, fire and smoke damage, storm damage, mold remediation, biohazard removal, and full reconstruction — positioning themselves as a one-call contractor who can take a property from emergency mitigation through finished rebuild. The company bills insurance directly and offers Spanish-language service.
What distinguishes them from mold-only companies is scale. They run three facilities: a corporate office in Aurora, a Vancouver, WA team location, and a dedicated mitigation and contents facility in Tualatin for cleaning, storing, and restoring belongings. The website claims IICRC certification and describes a multi-step mold remediation process that includes containment, treatment, demolition of unsalvageable surfaces, and post-remediation inspection. They also hold lead and asbestos abatement capabilities.
Jim Clarke serves as president, and the company describes itself as locally and family-owned. The management team claims over 35 years of combined construction experience. They belong to the Restoration Industry Association, IICRC, Oregon Home Builders Association, and Multifamily NW.
The 4.4-star Google rating across 198 reviews is decent but not exceptional for a restoration company. The positive reviews skew heavily toward individual project managers, while the negatives reveal a gap between those standout employees and the subcontractor crews they oversee.
Services
Service area
Headquartered in Aurora, Oregon, with a Vancouver, WA team office and a contents facility in Tualatin, OR. They serve the corridor from Salem, OR north through Portland to Ridgefield, WA and surrounding areas. Three offices suggest genuine coverage across this region, though the spread from Salem to Ridgefield is roughly 100 miles.
Review consensus
Shelby Proudfit dominates the positive reviews. She appears in at least 15 reviews spanning many months, with reviewers calling her communicative, organized, and dedicated. One reviewer called her their "restoration bestie." Randy Schierman noted Shelby completed more work in three months than the previous year's worth of progress. Michael McCleskey receives repeated praise for documentation, photo updates, and friendly communication. Alex Hillstead and Hunter each draw multiple five-star reviews for communication and problem-solving. Thomas earns praise for patience and thoroughness during mitigation. Cody Decker, Liz Reed, Lucas, Brandon, Christian, and Faith also receive individual positive mentions. The consistent theme: when a good PM runs your project, the experience is smooth.
7 found across 198 total reviews at 4.4★. Dread R described a bathroom water damage project that dragged on for months with workers showing up late or not at all, drywall work so poor it had to be redone by a different company, and weeks passing without updates from the project manager. The owner responded with a generic apology. Jennifer Affolter reported her water damage claim was done wrong and had to be restarted, and 1.5 years later discovered a crushed dishwasher hose causing new water damage — the owner response acknowledged frustration but offered no specifics. Kimberly Clark detailed a lengthy dispute over billing, alleging charges for work not performed including painting walls that were never painted and cabinet finishing on pre-made cabinets, eventually leading to a small claims court case. Two separate reviews (AuggieWuggie and Alex M) complained about reckless driving by company vehicles. Dean and Amber Fischbach left one-star ratings with no text.
The gap between this company's standout project managers and its subcontractor execution is the story here. Reviewers consistently single out individual PMs by name — Shelby, Michael, Alex, Hunter — for keeping projects on track. But when the PM layer falters or the assigned sub-crew underperforms, the experience deteriorates fast. The owner responses follow a pattern: polite, empathetic, but vague. They acknowledge frustration without engaging with the specific claims — no factual corrections, no concrete resolution offers. This suggests reputation management rather than active problem-solving on these complaints.
Shelby Proudfit (project manager — overwhelmingly positive across 15+ reviews). Michael McCleskey (project manager — positive, praised for documentation and communication). Alex Hillstead/Hillestad (project manager — positive). Hunter (contractor/PM — positive). Thomas (mitigation crew lead — positive). Cody Decker (positive). Liz Reed (project manager — positive). Lucas (estimator — positive). Brandon (positive, quick response). Christian (project manager — positive). Faith (project manager — positive). Michael/Mike Schwartz (positive, water mitigation). Doug (repair work — positive). Sergio (roof work — positive). Joe (interior repair — positive). Diego (contents/cleanout crew — positive). Linda (project manager — mentioned negatively by Kimberly Clark as first PM). Anthony (project manager — mentioned negatively by Kimberly Clark as second PM).
Ask for Shelby Proudfit, Michael McCleskey, or Alex Hillstead as your project manager — the reviews make clear that the PM assignment determines your experience. Get your scope of work and timeline in writing before the project starts, and establish a weekly check-in cadence so communication gaps don't stretch into weeks of silence.
Keep in mind
- Mold remediation is one of many services here, not the primary focus. The Google category is fire damage restoration, and most reviews reference water or fire projects. If you need a mold-only specialist, this may not be the right fit.
- Multiple negative reviews describe projects dragging on for months with subcontractor no-shows and slow progress. One reviewer reported a straightforward bathroom repair stretching across many months with crews arriving late or not at all.
- The company functions as a general contractor using subcontractors. Several reviewers noted the quality of work varied depending on which sub-crew was assigned. One reviewer described drywall work so poor it had to be redone by a different company.
- The 4.4-star rating across 198 reviews includes complaints about communication gaps — weeks without updates from project managers in some cases, even though other PMs receive glowing reviews for responsiveness.