About Diana

Diana Rodriguez-Zaba, President of ServiceMaster Restoration by Zaba, stands as a pillar of strength for her staff, clients, family and community. In the middle of the 2008 recession, she launched two ServiceMaster brands. Her business has grown to become one of Illinois’ most successful franchises, proudly serving one of the largest territories in the Chicagoland area and Suburbs.

With an extensive background in real estate rehabbing, human resource development, business management and franchising, Diana brings a unique perspective to running her company. Most recently, she quickly shifted gears and focused on helping area businesses through the COVID-19 pandemic. Her re-opening strategies have also targeted much-needed restoration work in minority neighborhoods impacted by waves of riots and protests.

Growing the franchise into a profitable disaster restoration business is one of Diana’s proudest achievements. She continually develops marketing initiatives and builds solid relationships with local and national insurance carriers.

Diana understands the importance of adapting to change so that she can continue to provide the highest levels of service. By working closely with commercial property owners, facility managers and local leaders, ServiceMaster by Zaba has been privileged to assist small and large businesses across Chicago. She and her teams also travel nationwide to help with natural disaster cleanup and restoration.

Diana is truly passionate about reaching out and helping new entrepreneurs grow their own success. She especially enjoys sharing her experiences with other women in business, listening to their plans for the future and providing real-world insight.

She constantly looks for ways to give back to the community that’s given so much to her. Diana remains committed to donating her time and resources to supporting local companies. Currently, she works with Step Up Chicago, the Miracle Center and the Niles Food Pantry. Diana is also a member of the Forbes Chicago Business Council where she shares her expertise as an established leader in her industry.

Diana focuses heavily on her online presence, and is a regular contributor to Huffington Post, Forbes and numerous other national publications. Her topics of special interest to women include running a small company, succeeding in a male-dominated field and innovating restoration industry operations. Her tips and advice have been published in USA Today, O Magazine, Martha Stewart, NY Mag, Healthline, InStyle Magazine and many more.

Diana is a graduate of Crain’s Leadership Academy and an alumnus of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program. She recently completed the Latino Entrepreneurship Certification Program at Stanford University School of Business. Diana is also a member of the Illinois State Comptrollers Advisory Collective.

One of her biggest accomplishments to date is her position as one of 40 founders of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Institute (WEI) in the Coleman Center at DePaul University. This remarkable institute is the nation’s first to integrate academic learning, research, incubation, funding and public policy studies specifically for women.

In her capacity at the WEI, she focuses on academic research and program development as well as initiatives that enable the success and sustainability of women-owned businesses. Diana is very excited to see the impact this will have on the future of women entrepreneurs across Chicago.