SERVPRO of Downtown Kansas City Employee Photos
![SERVPRO employee in front of green background](/FranchiseContent/CrewPhotos/19042-075fa5a9-4b01-4a6d-924f-a635a4854488.png)
Cory Bates
Cory, the owner of our 11 franchises, has been with SERVPRO for 21 years. He began his professional career in the United States Navy aboard the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63), operating throughout the Pacific and Indian Oceans and completing two tours in the Arabian Gulf. As an Aircraft Director on the ship’s flight deck, Cory was responsible for the safe and efficient launch and recovery of aircraft, managing the movement of people and equipment, and ensuring their combined safety.
After his honorable discharge, Cory returned home to study East Asian Language and Culture at the University of Kansas. He then embarked on a career in property restoration. Drawing from his training and experience in the high-stakes environment of an aircraft carrier’s flight deck, Cory has successfully built his business and managed complex projects. He takes pride in his team and their achievements, as the company has grown to become one of the largest and most respected operators in the SERVPRO system.
“Our goal has never been to be the biggest, but it has always been to be the very best,” Cory says. He is grateful that SERVPRO has given him the opportunity to engage with the community through various charities and local outreach programs, including Ronald McDonald House, Big Brothers Big Sisters KC, Kids TLC, Variety KC, and the Maranatha Family Worship Center.
![Servpro General Manager and owner stands in front of Green Vehicle](/FranchiseContent/CrewPhotos/19042-664e28f1-d348-48f5-99c6-40978456869b.png)
Mike Hogan
Mike Hogan is our General Manager and part owner of SERVPRO® Team Bates/Hogan.
What he enjoys most about his job is building relationships with his co-workers and watching them reach their full potential. In his free time he likes to be outdoors with his wife and children.
![SERVPRO employee in front of green background](/FranchiseContent/CrewPhotos/19042-6d53a5bf-96ec-4ba3-b15a-7eb734b9339d.png)
Matthew Minshall
Matthew our Director of Operations at SERVPRO of Olathe/Lenexa. Matthew oversees the company's operational activities to ensure efficiency, productivity, and adherence to industry standards. This role involves managing daily operations, coordinating between different departments, and ensuring that projects, particularly in restoration and cleanup, are completed on time and within budget. They are responsible for developing and implementing operational policies and procedures, overseeing quality control, and ensuring compliance with safety regulations. He enjoys the people and customers that he works with. Matthew has four children and enjoys fishing and doing art with them.
![Woman standing in front of SERVPRO Fleet](/FranchiseContent/CrewPhotos/19042-eac93216-c774-4af0-a198-e2f4e77b64f0.jpeg)
Kolbie Jacoby
Kolbie is our Director of Sales and Marketing and has been a dedicated member of the SERVPRO team since 2017, combining her passion for helping people with her expertise in restoring buildings and preventing business interruptions. With a background in hospitality management and a degree from Kansas State University, she brings a unique perspective to her role. Before joining SERVPRO, Kolbie spent five years as an event coordinator, where she developed a strong sense of empathy for her clients' needs. Starting as a Business Development Representative, she quickly advanced to Commercial Account Manager, and in 2022, she was promoted to Director of Sales and Marketing. Now, she leads a team of 10 across four markets—Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, and Oklahoma—driving growth and scalability for the company. Outside of work, Kolbie is a proud wife to her husband John a financial advisor with Edward Jones and mom to their two year old daughter Collins.
![Project Manager Standing in front of Servpro Fleet](/FranchiseContent/CrewPhotos/19042-d6e571c5-fde3-4dd7-9015-46d69e949db9.jpg)
Michael Tuite
Michael is one of our Commercial Project Managers and Trainer's here at SERVPRO® of Olathe/Lenexa. He organizes and coordinates with large teams and diverse companies to resolve what are often the largest disasters--commercial losses. He has a passion for establishing open communication channels so that customers are confident in the knowledge of their resolution time frames. He believes it is important to build trust and openness with his customers by relaying his expertise and keeping them informed and updated on the loss and our processes, steps, and time frames.
His greatest professional satisfaction is seeing our teams come together through cooperation and teamwork to accomplish the extraordinary feat of restoring flooded, multi-level buildings to their prior state. He facilitates this by guiding the many intervolving parts of large loss mitigation. When not coordinating, he is often at home with his kids and dogs or out with them fishing on the lake.
![Project Manager Standing in front of Servpro Fleet](/FranchiseContent/CrewPhotos/19042-ffff803e-4500-4b68-b784-60bd630d8610.jpg)
Joe Fife
Joe is one of our Commercial Project Managers. He utilizes loss research to optimize response strategies and routines. By overseeing projects and commercial losses through their completion, he is able to continuously research, train, and implement best remediation practices among our trained employees.
He loves what he does because he knows the value of a routine and enjoys helping people and companies return to theirs.
![Project Manager Standing in front of Servpro Fleet](/FranchiseContent/CrewPhotos/19042-8dce0a1e-9b9c-4b3b-839d-4a75eb138259.jpg)
Eric Secrist
Eric is one of our Project Managers with over 26 years of experience in the construction and restoration industry, Eric has risen from entry-level positions to senior management. Beginning with cleaning up construction sites and using early flood extraction methods, he has witnessed significant technological advancements and gained extensive management skills. He emphasize's the importance of motivating employees and ensuring their safety to achieve efficient and profitable operations. Eric's career achievements include owning and significantly growing a family construction business, starting and expanding a restoration franchise, and managing large-scale disaster recovery projects across the country. Highly qualified with numerous certifications, he has consistently improved gross profits in various divisions and has a strong understanding of building science and drying processes. Eric's military background and extensive professional affiliations further underscore's his leadership capabilities and commitment to excellence in the industry.
![Woman standing in front of SERVPRO Fleet](/FranchiseContent/CrewPhotos/19042-47a09017-f596-4cdc-b816-f3ebcf35ee40.jpg)
Heather Bates
Heather joined the company as a volunteer. Her high engagement and ingenuity landed her in the role of HR Representative in flexing her interpersonal muscle, she facilitates communication and collaboration between the experts in our various departmental fields. In her high-impact role, she problem solves to create clear, positive solutions that affect employees and customers.
She promotes employee engagement and advancement by keeping the various departments current on new processes and events. We consider her the axel that keeps all of us spokes together and the wheel rolling towards our collective goals. When not here, she is often involved in some active and outdoorsy activities such as swimming, volleyball, and walking the dog.