Provider profile
Revive Restoration
Provider snapshot
What this listing says
Madison-area homeowners dealing with water damage or mold that followed a leak, especially those who want a restoration company that handles mitigation through rebuild under one roof.
Best for
- Madison and southern Wisconsin homeowners who need water damage mitigation and restoration handled by the same company, from emergency drying through drywall and paint.
- Commercial property managers dealing with multi-unit water events who need a crew that can respond the same day and scale up quickly.
- Homeowners who want to track their project remotely through a real-time dashboard rather than waiting for phone calls.
- Mold remediation jobs in the Madison area where you want a company that coordinates with independent environmental professionals for post-remediation testing.
- After-hours and weekend emergencies anywhere in the Madison-to-Janesville corridor, based on documented response times of under an hour.
About this company
Revive Restoration is a Madison, Wisconsin-based restoration company that handles water damage, mold remediation, fire damage, storm damage, and reconstruction. They operate 24/7 from their headquarters on Applegate Road and recently opened a second office in Plymouth, Minnesota. Josh Duggan runs the company as president, with Pat Simonett as vice president and Delosse Fussell as COO.
What stands out is their real-time project tracking. They give clients access to a dashboard through Albi software so you can see notes from estimators and technicians as the job progresses. For water damage specifically, they use a program called DASH that lets you monitor drying progress remotely. They also use ThermaStor drying equipment, thermal imaging, and hygrometers, and they track moisture mapping with documented goals. On the mold side, their website describes source, local, and full-scale containment setups, and they work with independent indoor environmental professionals for post-remediation verification.
The company has been in the Madison area for over a decade and won an InBusiness 2020 Small Business Award. They hold IICRC certification for water and mold work, EPA Lead-Safe certification, and are BBB-listed. The leadership team shares direct phone numbers with clients, which is unusual for a company this size.
4.8 stars across 387 Google reviews is a strong number for a restoration company, where unhappy customers are common because the work starts during a crisis. The volume suggests they handle a high number of jobs, and the rating holds up despite a visible cluster of negative reviews around billing and project management.
Services
Service area
Headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin with a second office in Plymouth, Minnesota. Reviewers confirm work across southern Wisconsin including Janesville. The company claims to serve the broader Midwest, but the review history is concentrated in the Madison metro area and Dane County.
Review consensus
Speed of emergency response is the most consistent theme. Reviewers describe crews arriving within an hour, including on Sunday evenings and after-hours calls. Rod Israeli draws repeated praise as a project manager who provides daily check-ins and follows through to completion. Brian is named in more reviews than any other employee, praised for water mitigation, mold removal, and customer communication across dozens of jobs. Carson, Hector, Luis Gimenez, Freddy Adan, and Thadius are all named multiple times for hands-on work quality. Cory in the office gets called out for going the extra mile on coordination. Several reviewers specifically mention the containment setup quality and the crew explaining what they were doing and why.
15 found across 387 total reviews at 4.8★. The clearest pattern is a disconnect between the mitigation team and the restoration team. Sid Bhat waited two months between mitigation and restoration start, then received mismatched flooring that splintered and caused injuries. Josephine C and Owen Cox both describe workers removing materials from areas that were not water-damaged, then facing months of billing disputes and lien threats. Megan Revello experienced similar delays and discovered mold during a drawn-out mitigation process. Paige Maxcy was billed $1,500 for equipment rental that was never disclosed as a charge. Jack Arnston's yearlong project included belongings left outside, missing personal items, and a storm door incident where Revive initially tried to push the repair cost onto his insurance. Steven Heller received a quote ten times higher than what he paid another company. The owner responses vary in quality: Josh Duggan's response to Sid Bhat is detailed and cites specific records, while the response to Megan Revello is a brief acknowledgment. Three 1-star reviews (Tony Harper, CVC Red, Kyle Hanson) received owner responses stating no record of service exists.
The company runs two distinct operations under one name: an emergency mitigation team that responds fast and earns high praise, and a restoration and rebuild operation that relies on subcontractors and project managers who appear stretched thin. Nearly every detailed negative review follows the same arc — great mitigation, then weeks or months of delays, poor communication, and billing surprises during restoration. Owner response quality also varies: some responses from Josh Duggan are detailed with specific records and legal references, while others are brief and generic. The 67% response rate on negative reviews is moderate. Three negative reviews appear to be from non-customers based on owner responses.
Rod Israeli (project manager — consistently praised for daily check-ins and follow-through). Brian (technician and project manager — named in the most reviews, praised across water and mold jobs). Carson (technician — frequently praised for speed and friendliness). Hector (technician — praised for diligence). Luis Gimenez (technician — praised for skill). Freddy Adan (technician — praised for speed). Thadius (technician — praised for reassurance and hard work). Mike (technician — praised across multiple jobs). Reese (technician — praised for mitigation work). Devan (technician — praised for water removal). Cory (office staff — praised for coordination). Andrea (project manager — praised). Jesse B (project manager — praised for turning around a troubled project). Jon (carpenter — praised for attention to detail). Paulino (technician — praised for mold and mitigation work). Gaston (technician — praised for mold remediation). Jorge (technician — praised). Sergio and Manny (technicians — praised). Cole (technician — praised). Natalie (technician — praised). Chris (project manager — praised). Joaquin Rodriguez (reconstruction — praised for attention to detail). Nathan Maharaj (trim and reconstruction — praised). David Papp (program manager — praised). Kyle (restoration — praised). Cedar (technician — praised for mold removal). Chase (technician — praised for after-hours callback). Logan and Alex (leads — praised for fire restoration). Denise (office — praised for responsiveness, but one reviewer noted aggressive payment follow-up). Steven Kukasky (operations manager — named in a negative for going unresponsive). Michelle (former employee — named in a negative for communication issues with insurance).
Ask for Rod Israeli or Brian as your project manager if you can. The mitigation crews earn their 4.8-star rating, but the restoration phase is where this company stumbles. Get the full scope, timeline, and cost in writing before signing a restoration contract, and do not rely on verbal commitments about what will be charged.
Keep in mind
- Multiple reviewers describe a sharp drop in communication and quality once their project moves from the mitigation phase to the restoration and rebuild phase. The technicians who show up for the emergency get high marks, but the handoff to project management and subcontractors is where problems surface.
- Billing disputes appear in several negative reviews. At least two customers report being threatened with liens while actively disputing charges, and others describe incorrect invoices that took months to resolve. Get a detailed written scope and cost estimate before signing a restoration contract.
- Emergency contracts authorize Revive to do whatever they judge necessary. Two reviewers report the company removed materials or worked in areas that were not water-damaged, then billed for that work. Read the contract carefully before signing and document the damage yourself with photos.
- Their service area spans Madison and now Plymouth, Minnesota. The Minnesota office is new, so most of their track record and review history is Wisconsin-based.
- As an emergency-first business, non-emergency projects get rescheduled when new emergencies come in. One reviewer noted ETAs shift and you should expect flexibility on timing.