Global Leader, Reliable Partner

…Global CEO
…Unconventional Executive
…Undercover Boss

Sheldon Yellen is the Chief Executive Officer of BELFOR Holdings, Inc., which operates a number of companies including BELFOR Property Restoration, the world’s largest disaster recovery and restoration company headquartered in Birmingham, Michigan.

Yellen joined the company in 1984 and has since led BELFOR from a family-owned business established in 1946, to a $3 billion entity operating in 34 countries and employing more than 14,000 men and women – or as Sheldon says, “the most passionate people on Earth!”.

His management style has been labeled “”ALL THE TIME KINDNESS”” and this CEO hates corporate meetings – therefore he doesn’t allow any to go beyond 25 minutes! He loves people and encourages folks from ALL WALKS OF LIFE into “his world” and just loves mentoring those he can…”TO BE BETTER THAN THEIR BEST”.

When he isn’t responding to fires, floods, hurricanes or wildfires, you can find him filming on set of ABC’s award-winning tv series “Hearts of Heroes” where he travels around the country shining the spotlight on heroic first responders. Yellen received an Emmy Award nomination for his emotional appearance on CBS’ hit series “Undercover Boss”.

Michael Yellen joined Inrecon, LLC, the predecessor company of BELFOR USA Group, Inc., in 1990 as a salesman in Michigan. Utilizing his savvy business sense, he successfully opened the Macomb, Michigan office in 1994 where he served as the General Manager. Mike was a Regional Manager for the Midwest and was then promoted to COO.

Michael is an active member in several industry associations including the Risk Insurance Management Society (RIMS) and Property Loss Research Bureau (PLRB). An active member in the community, Michael volunteers with the local American Red Cross, Holiday Meals on Wheels, JARC – one of the nation’s largest providers of community-based Jewish residential services and JVS – which helps people build skills and find jobs to achieve self-sufficiency.

Prior to his career with BELFOR, he earned the No. 1 position in the International Racquetball Tour for five consecutive years beginning in 1982. In 1997, Michael was inducted into the United States Racquetball Association (USRA) Hall of Fame – an honor maintained to recognize athletes who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in competition or in the development, leadership and advancement of the sport.

Rusty Amarante, CR, brings 40+ years of expertise to the property restoration industry and is widely recognized for his unwavering commitment to excellence. Rusty currently serves as the Director of Operations for BELFOR Property Restoration, the global leader in disaster recovery, and as President of BELFOR Franchise Group (BFG), the world’s largest residential and commercial services franchise group based on geographic footprint and number of units. Today, BFG is comprised of 14 of the strongest service-based franchises for home and commercial cleaning, restoration, and renovation: 1-800-BOARDUP, 1-800 WATER DAMAGE, Blue Kangaroo Packoutz, Chem-Dry Upholstery Cleaning, COOL-BINZ, DUCTZ International, HOODZ International, JUNKCO+, N-Hance Wood Refinishing, The Patch Boys, redbox+ Dumpsters, Safer Home Services, WINMAR, and Z PLUMBERZ.

In his role with BELFOR Property Restoration, Rusty spearheads operational strategies that ensure swift, efficient, and top-tier restoration solutions for clients worldwide. His dynamic leadership style and keen strategic vision have been instrumental in driving BELFOR’s continuous growth and solidifying its position as an industry leader. As the President of BELFOR Franchise Group, Rusty orchestrates collaborative efforts among franchise partners, fostering a culture of innovation, excellence, and mutual support within the BELFOR family of brands.

Additionally, Rusty was President of the Restoration Industry Association (RIA) and served as Vice Chair to the development of the IICRC S500 Standard for Professional Water Damage Restoration. He has conducted hundreds of training classes throughout his career. Rusty Amarante maintains a profound dedication to providing and inspiring service excellence.

Theresa Williams is Executive Vice President of National Sales and Marketing at BELFOR.  With 35 years of experience, Williams is recognized as an industry leader in commercial loss mitigation and business contingency planning.

Throughout her career, Williams has been focused on delivering programs, services and tailored customer solutions. Her career began as a Project Manager. From owning her own property restoration business to directing the disaster recovery efforts of some of the world’s largest corporations, Williams has approached every business challenge and every phase of the disaster recovery process with innovative thinking, creative problem-solving and goal-driven momentum to “get things done.”

Williams has directed numerous commercial disaster restoration projects following catastrophic events including most major domestic hurricanes, tornados, hailstorms and floods across the continent. She played a pivotal leadership role in recovery projects such as the Northridge Earthquake in Los Angeles, 9/11 in New York City, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ike, and Superstorm Sandy, as well as catastrophes in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Chile and Australia.  Her leadership, persistence and unwavering support during the 2017 unprecedented season of major hurricanes – Hurricanes Harvey, Maria and Irma – helped others rise above challenges and difficult issues during high pressure situations.

As the company’s global liaison with insurance markets and top corporate risk managers, she has been instrumental in developing and growing the company’s international business and presence in London, Germany and many other countries.

She has been the driving force behind the company’s highly successful RED ALERT® Priority Response Program which now provides premier disaster recovery services to some of the world’s largest corporations and institutions. She regularly directs and participates in disaster recovery planning tests for companies in all industry segments.

Williams is often sought out to share her expertise through speaking engagements and loss mitigation training seminars for a broad range of industries, corporations and insurance companies including:

• Lloyds of London
• Loss Executives Association (LEA)
• Property Loss Research Bureau (PLRB)
• Property Claims Services (PCS)

Williams served for five years on the PLRB Claims Conference Committee and is a member of the PLRB Affiliate Advisory Board. She is also a member of Women in Insurance, Risk Management Society (RIMS), Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA), State Risk and Insurance Management Association (STRIMA), International Facility Management Association (IFMA), Worldwide Broker Network (WBN), Public Risk Management Association (PRIMA), Community Associations Institute (CAI), Professional Retail Store Maintenance Association (PRSM), Association of Physical Plant Administrators (APPA), and University Risk Management & Insurance Association (URIMA).

Williams is passionate about community service, mission trips and volunteers for organizations such as The First Tee, Habitat for Humanity, and Special Olympics. She is based out of the BELFOR National Technical Service Center in Fort Worth, Texas, USA.