Print edition: 
Jill Skaggs' cellphone is ringing, a good omen for any new business.
"When somebody calls, they get me or another live person," said Skaggs, who launched a Paul Davis Emergency Services franchise in Wichita this month.
The company fixes homes that have been damaged by fire, water, mold and storms.
Skaggs' franchise is one of about 260 nationwide, including two in the Kansas City-Lawrence area.
Skaggs is the owner of the franchise. Her husband, Jeff Keeny, will also be heavily involved in it. Skaggs had worked in human resources for the Wichita franchisee of a national restaurant chain.
"I learned a lot about operating a small business and a franchise," she said.
Keeny, who also has a job selling electrical utility supplies, said he is "a more hands-on mechanical guy."
Skaggs said she had been looking to become a small-business owner and found Paul Davis through a franchise consultant. Skaggs and the Paul Davis corporate office spent several months checking each other out to see whether the fit was right.
"It's a little bit recession proof," Skaggs said of the damage restoration industry. "When you have an emergency, you don't say, 'I'm going to wait to see what my Christmas bonus is before I fix it.' "
The advertising support and other services offered through a franchising arrangement appealed to the couple, as did the service aspect.
"We thought we could really help people," Keeny said.
Skaggs and Keeny visited the Paul Davis headquarters in Jacksonville, Fla., for training. The couple invested in a van and specialized equipment such as air movers and powerful vacuum cleaners.
At this point, much of Skaggs' work is making contact with insurance companies, apartment complex managers, plumbers and other people who have to deal with home emergencies ranging from full-fledged disasters to a flooded basement.
"It's not just about hurricanes and tornadoes," Skaggs said. "It's your everyday stuff we can help you with."
Perhaps not surprisingly, Skaggs and Keeny have become fans of the quirky 2008 movie "Sunshine Cleaning," about a fictional damage restoration business.
"We loved it," Skaggs said. "Jeff just bought it for me. That's us, except we have insurance."
