Dave Demos – Chief Executive Officer
Dave Demos joined FirstOnSite in July 2009 as a member of the Board of Directors. He was appointed Chief Executive Officer in August 2010.
Dave has extensive expertise in organizational management, with a focus on the integration of entrepreneurial businesses. He has held senior leadership positions in the property and furniture restoration industry for over 30 years.
In 1989, he founded Action Fire Restoration, later a subsidiary of InStar Services Group, Inc., a United States-based disaster restoration company. Prior to joining FirstOnSite, Dave was President and Chief Executive Officer of InStar. Under Dave’s leadership, from 2003 to 2009 the business was integrated from four separate entities with 15 branches into a single, multi-platform company with expertise in commercial restoration and large-loss catastrophe work. With offices in 12 states, Dave was instrumental in expanding the company’s operations into 38 states through services offered by his dedicated Catastrophe Team.
While with InStar Services, Dave led hundreds of team members in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike in Texas and Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana, undertaking critical restoration and rebuilding projects.
Dave sold InStar Services Group in 2006 to ServiceMaster, at the time a Fortune 500 company. He became part of ServiceMaster senior management and worked closely with the company’s largest commercial franchises.
As an active participant with industry associations, Dave was a founder of the northeast division of Disaster Kleenup International, the restoration industry’s largest trade association, serving as Vice President from 1992 to 1995. He has also served as a member of the Association of Cleaning and Restoration Specialists and of the National Institute of Disaster Restoration.
Dave currently serves on the Board of Directors for AAA Pioneer Valley and is a lecturer for the Connecticut Valley Historical Museum. He previously served on the Director’s Group for Shriners Hospitals for Children®—Springfield, and as Chairman of the Board for the YMCA of Greater Springfield, Massachusetts.
Dave earned his Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Economics from the College of the Holy Cross.
He can be reached at ddemos(at)firstonsite.ca
Al Sutherland – Senior Vice President & Chief Administrative Officer
Al is responsible for developing and implementing short and long-term tactical and strategic plans for FirstOnSite, ensuring that our operational teams and internal functional teams have clear common purpose as we continue to grow our company.
He also directs the overall daily office operations of the company including finance, technology, marketing, human resources, and administration.
Al has more than 20 years’ senior experience that includes financial expertise, business management, information technology and mergers & acquisitions, including previous experience in the disaster restoration industry.
Al also played a driving role in the implementation of our mobileCT initiative, acted as interim CFO/Controller, and contributed to our functional integration efforts earlier in our history. He understands our business, our industry, our aspirations and our commitment to creating the best customer experience possible.
Al has an MA in Applied Technology and a BBA in accounting. He is a Chartered Global Management Accountant as well as a Certified Public Accountant.
He can be reached at asutherland(at)firstonsite.ca
Barry J. Ross – Executive Vice President & Lloyd’s of London Liaison, North America
Barry is responsible for the development of new business in the commercial and large loss marketplace nationwide. He has been with FirstOnSite since its inception, and until recently was President of PremiereAction, FirstOnSite’s operating business in Quebec and the National Capital Region (formerly known as the Rosco Group).
Barry has been in the restoration industry for over 30 years, and he and his brother Robert co-founded the Rosco Group in 1979. They led the company through its evolution from a specialized cleaning group to a full-service insurance restoration company and solidified its place in the insurance restoration market. Following the disastrous Quebec ice storm of 1998 and the resulting pressure on the province’s insurance providers, the company expanded its restoration services into the field of construction.
In 1983, after significant investments in research and development, they opened a sister company specializing in document salvaging and restoration using leading-edge technology, providing specialized service in Canada and the United States. Both companies now operate as FirstOnSite.
Barry studied management at McGill University in Montreal, and brings over 30 years of experience to FirstOnSite Restoration.
He can be reached at bjross(at)firstonsite.ca
Billy Short II – EVP Large Loss Operations, North America
Our Large Loss Operations are led by Billy Short II. Billy is a respected veteran of the commercial and large loss restoration business, and has led restoration responses across North America for more then 20 years: to every major hurricane in the U.S. in the past decade, including Hurricanes Katrina and Ike, in addition to Canadian disaster event responses that include the Fort McMurray wildfires in 2016 and the Goderich, Ontario F3 tornado in 2011.
