Latest news with #HomeServe
Business Wire
5 days ago
- Climate
- Business Wire
HomeServe Survey: Get Ready for the Season Ahead - Wildfires, Hurricanes and Flooding … Oh My!
NORWALK, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Think you're prepared for a major weather event? If you said yes, you're probably wrong. In a recent HomeServe survey, respondents expressed a high degree of confidence in their preparedness for extreme weather events, including summer storms, yet most came up short when asked about specific preparations. Americans generally believe they are well-prepared for storm season, with an average preparedness self-assessment score of four out of five. Yet when probed about actual actions taken, most came up woefully short. Share Americans think they're ready for storm season, but most are unprepared. The first finding of the HomeServe survey is that Americans generally believe they are well-prepared for storm season, with an average preparedness self-assessment score of four out of five. Yet when probed about actual actions taken, most came up woefully short even though more than 90% said they've lived through an extreme weather event before. On the positive side, 72% of respondents said they receive local emergency alerts, a good start. However, less than half of respondents said they had key components that should be included in any emergency preparedness kit like bottled water or nonperishable food and almost 15% reported having no emergency supplies on hand at all. Less than half (49%) said they know where their local emergency shelter is and only 42% said they have a fully informed emergency evacuation plan. Summer is predicted to be filled with extreme weather. The findings in HomeServe's emergency preparedness survey are especially concerning as experts predict an extra stormy summer season ahead. An above-average number of named storms is expected; wildfire risk is even higher than usual due to hotter than average temperatures; drought is predicted for much of the Great Plains and parts of the West; and increased thunderstorms and tropical activity, with the potential for derechos, and even monsoons in the West are predicted. Prepare now to keep your home and family safe. HomeServe offers these helpful tips to prepare your home and family for extreme weather events this summer and beyond. Create an Emergency Plan: Identify safe shelter areas, establish communication plans, back up important documents, learn utility shutoffs, and plan evacuation routes. Assemble an Emergency Kit: Gather essential supplies for people and pets, including water, food, medications, flashlights, and backup power sources. Review Insurance Coverage: Document belongings and ensure your policy covers rebuilding costs and weather-related damages like floods or wildfires. Secure Your Home: Trim trees, secure outdoor items, inspect roofs and gutters, and have tools ready for emergency repairs. Stay Informed: Monitor trusted weather updates, invest in a NOAA radio, and sign up for local emergency alerts. Prepare for Power Outages: Stock portable chargers, consider a generator, and keep refrigerators closed to preserve food. Immediately Before a Weather Event: Charge devices, test emergency equipment, fill bathtubs with water, and refuel vehicles and generators. By taking these important steps, homeowners can be truly confident they are prepared to keep themselves and their families safe and reduce property damage risks in the face of the challenges and uncertainties that come from extreme weather events this summer and beyond. To learn more, visit these helpful links from HomeServe: About HomeServe
Business Wire
11-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
HomeServe Launches Strategic Partnerships to Support the Future of Skilled Trades
NORWALK, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HomeServe is proud to announce strategic partnerships with three leading professional organizations with a focus on bolstering the skilled trades: Women in HVACR, Plumbing Heating-Cooling Contractors Association (PHCC) and Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA). The partnerships are a central component of HomeServe's broader Skilled Trades Initiative and reflect the company's strong commitment to fostering workforce development, diversity and innovation within the HVAC, plumbing and electrical trades. "The shortage of skilled tradespeople is impacting homeowners across the country, and HomeServe is committed to being part of the solution," said HomeServe CEO Tom Rusin. The skilled trades face a significant labor shortage, with the Department of Labor reporting nearly 250,000 positions going unfilled as of the end of April 2025, a trend that is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. Factors such as an aging workforce, reduced vocational programs, and waning interest from younger generations have exacerbated this issue, resulting in project delays and rising costs. Recognizing the urgency of this challenge, HomeServe is committed to investing in training, education and workforce development through its Skilled Trades Initiative to ensure the future vitality of these essential professions. "The shortage of skilled tradespeople is impacting homeowners across the country, and HomeServe is committed to being part of the solution," said HomeServe CEO Tom Rusin. 'By partnering with organizations like Women in HVACR, PHCC and ACCA, we're not only investing in the future of these industries and supporting the development of a skilled workforce but also ensuring that individuals from all backgrounds have access to rewarding careers in the skilled trades.' Through its partnerships with these three industry-leading organizations, HomeServe is providing crucial support for scholarships, mentorship programs and professional development initiatives to strengthen the skilled trades pipeline. Key highlights of these partnerships include: Women in HVACR: As an 'Inspiration' sponsor, HomeServe will fund scholarships for women pursuing careers in the skilled trades and facilitate leadership development through mentorship programs. Plumbing Heating-Cooling Contractors Association (PHCC): With its sponsorship, HomeServe will fund five scholarships for contractors pursuing training and career growth, while also supporting PHCC's advocacy and workforce development efforts. Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA): HomeServe's sponsorship with ACCA underscores its commitment to advancing HVAC industry standards and contractor education and will provide valuable resources and training to its members, including technical resources and advocacy programs. These partnerships are one facet of HomeServe's larger Skilled Trades Initiative, which includes a Grant Program to support vocational training programs and apprenticeships for contractor companies in the HomeServe service network. Earlier this year, HomeServe announced the first round of 20 grant winners. The funds are being used by each winning company to invest in apprentice training and employee upskilling programs during the year. Together, these efforts aim to inspire the next generation of skilled trades professionals while addressing the immediate challenges posed by the labor shortage. About HomeServe USA HomeServe USA Corp. (HomeServe), a leading residential infrastructure home repair solutions company with more than 4.5 million customers across North America, offers protection plans that help protect homeowners against the expense and inconvenience of plumbing, electrical, HVAC and other home repair emergencies. HomeServe empowers over 1,350 leading municipal and utility partners to educate and advocate for their customers who are faced with home repair emergencies. HomeServe has an exceptional customer satisfaction rating, is accredited by the Better Business Bureau and is endorsed by the National League of Cities. For more information about HomeServe and to get the latest home repair advice and customer stories, please go to Connect with HomeServe on Facebook and Twitter @HomeServeUSA, Instagram @HomeServe_USA and on LinkedIn @HomeServe-USA. For company news, follow on X @HomeServeUSNews.
The Independent
08-04-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Badenoch does not deny key Tory donor has pulled funding
Kemi Badenoch did not deny that a key donor to the Conservatives has pulled his funding and said her party is fundraising and 'using that money wisely'. Richard Harpin, the founder of repairs business HomeServe and review website Checkatrade, has paused donations to the party, The Guardian reported. The newspaper said the loss of his backing could lead to the closure of the party's northern headquarters in Leeds. Mr Harpin has been a long-time donor to the Conservatives and provided the party with more than £270,000 in cash and non-cash donations in the last quarter of 2024. Mrs Badenoch said she would not discuss 'any specific individuals' when asked about the report during a visit to a business near Salisbury ahead of the local elections on May 1. She said there were 'many factual inaccuracies' in the story but did not outline what they were. 'So right now, what I'm doing is making sure that we keep our costs down and that we build an organisation that is actually serving the British public,' she said. ' People will donate to us when they see that we are delivering for the country and that we are following our principles and our values. 'But I'm not going to make specific comments about individuals. I don't think that is right.' Pressed again about whether Mr Harpin had stopped his donations, she said: 'As I said, I'm not discussing any specific individuals. 'The Conservative Party is fundraising and we're making sure that we're using that money wisely in the service of the British public.' The Conservatives raised nearly £2 million in donations in the last three months of last year, while Labour raised just over £1 million and Reform UK accepted around £280,000. The Tories suffered a crushing general election defeat last summer. Mrs Badenoch acknowledged on Tuesday that the May local elections are going to be 'so challenging'. She added: 'We have to also look at the context of what happened four years ago, the last time we fought these seats, when we were polling at a high, winning seats that had never been Conservative before, like Hartlepool. 'We had two-thirds of the votes during the vaccine bounce. 'So we know that this is a challenging set of elections.'
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Badenoch does not deny key Tory donor has pulled funding
Kemi Badenoch did not deny that a key donor to the Conservatives has pulled his funding and said her party is fundraising and 'using that money wisely'. Richard Harpin, the founder of repairs business HomeServe and review website Checkatrade, has paused donations to the party, The Guardian reported. The newspaper said the loss of his backing could lead to the closure of the party's northern headquarters in Leeds. Mr Harpin has been a long-time donor to the Conservatives and provided the party with more than £270,000 in cash and non-cash donations in the last quarter of 2024. Mrs Badenoch said she would not discuss 'any specific individuals' when asked about the report during a visit to a business near Salisbury ahead of the local elections on May 1. She said there were 'many factual inaccuracies' in the story but did not outline what they were. 'So right now, what I'm doing is making sure that we keep our costs down and that we build an organisation that is actually serving the British public,' she said. 'People will donate to us when they see that we are delivering for the country and that we are following our principles and our values. 'But I'm not going to make specific comments about individuals. I don't think that is right.' Pressed again about whether Mr Harpin had stopped his donations, she said: 'As I said, I'm not discussing any specific individuals. 'The Conservative Party is fundraising and we're making sure that we're using that money wisely in the service of the British public.' The Conservatives raised nearly £2 million in donations in the last three months of last year, while Labour raised just over £1 million and Reform UK accepted around £280,000. The Tories suffered a crushing general election defeat last summer. Mrs Badenoch acknowledged on Tuesday that the May local elections are going to be 'so challenging'. She added: 'We have to also look at the context of what happened four years ago, the last time we fought these seats, when we were polling at a high, winning seats that had never been Conservative before, like Hartlepool. 'We had two-thirds of the votes during the vaccine bounce. 'So we know that this is a challenging set of elections.'
Telegraph
07-04-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Tories lose major donor in latest blow to Badenoch
The Conservative Party has lost one of its largest donors in the latest blow to its funding. Richard Harpin, the founder of the home repairs company HomeServe, has ended his donations to Kemi Badenoch 's party. The move could mean the Tories' northern HQ, which has until now been funded by Mr Harpin's donations, has to close. The Guardian, which first reported the move, quoted two Tory sources who confirmed Mr Harpin had paused his donations, as well as a source close to the businessman who said he remained a strong supporter of the party. A party spokesman did not deny the reports when contacted by The Telegraph. It comes as the Tories face a funding crisis in the wake of the 2024 election defeat with some donors defecting to Reform UK. In December, Nick Candy, a billionaire property tycoon, renounced his Conservative Party membership over what he described as 'too many broken promises'. He would later become Reform UK's treasurer, saying he would give a 'seven-figure' sum for Nigel Farage 's party and that he hoped to raise more than £40 million in donations for it before the next general election. Mr Harpin has donated more than £3.5 million to the Conservatives since 2010, according to the website DonationWatch, and gave nearly £850,000 in 2024. He was ranked as the Tories' 10th biggest donor in 2023, according to the Electoral Commission. A self-described 'northerner to the core', Mr Harpin started his first venture at the age of six, breeding and selling rabbits, but his earliest breakthrough was converting fishing flies named 'hookers' into fashion accessories in 1982. The feather earrings were sold in hair salons and promoted with the slogan 'Hookers set to hit the high street' in national and regional newspapers in 1982. He founded HomeServe in 1993 and served as the chief executive for nearly three decades before the company was sold in 2022 to Canadian investment outfit Brookfield Asset Management for £4.1 billion. He and his wife Kate are said to have pocketed £500 million from the deal. Until recently, Mr Harpin is said to have made a £33,000 cash donation to the party each month, which paid for its northern HQ on the outskirts of Leeds. The HQ was first announced in October 2020 as the party looked to consolidate support in the North following its 2019 election victory. It was opened by Oliver Dowden, then party chairman, in 2022. Sources quoted by The Guardian said it was now likely to close. Following its collapse in funding, Conservative Party Headquarters has carried out two rounds of job cuts. After the last cuts in February, party sources insisted that the redundancies were unrelated to any financial pressures, but rather done in a bid to make the headquarters a more 'agile' campaigning vehicle.
