Zak McMorrow is the founder and owner of Osceola Air in Florida. As is the case with many business start ups providing Residential Service, Osceola Air enjoyed growth, but lacked the business tools and organization to get to the next levels. In 2020 Zak and his team joined Service Nation Alliance and since then have created impressive growth: a compound annual growth rate of 51 percent! They won Service Nation's Level Up Award, Highest Growth Dollar Award, and Highest Growth Percentage Award. Ho...
Jun 17, 2025•15 min
Roy White is the founder and owner of Fixed Right and Guaranteed in Maryland. Fixed Right and Guaranteed was recently named "Contractor of the Year". Roy and his team have built incredible growth with a focus on team development, culture, and leadership. Roy is incredibly thoughtful about his and his company's impact on others and their legacy. This year Roy and team are on a mission — 'The 7-7-7 Mission." In this episode you will hear about that and: Super Tech University Creating an effective ...
Jun 03, 2025•19 min
Would you like to receive a FREE Marketing package worth $150,000? Crystal Williams is a creative innovator. Working with Lemon Seed Marketing, Service Nation, and an amazing team of top vendor-partners, Crystal created The Great American Brand Story Contest. Ready to take your marketing to the next level? The Great American Brand Story Contest is your opportunity to transform your HVAC, plumbing, or electrical company into an unforgettable brand. The winner will get a package worth $150,000. Li...
May 14, 2025•21 min
Saffer Plumbing is a 4th generation, 80 year old plumbing company in Baltimore. Chris Saffer is the president. He and his team have achieved amazing growth. In this episode you'll hear: History of the company. Getting certifications. Try and try again. Working with family. The different colored trucks for cobranded with local charities: SPCA, ARC of Baltimore, Joseph Groh Foundation, Women's Shelters and more. What they have done to grow. Why he likes Service Nation Alliance. Pollution insurance...
May 06, 2025•27 min
Joseph Garcia, Chief Technology Officer of LeadsNearby, discusses his company's role as a full-service digital marketing agency for service contractors, highlighting their focus on automation, AI integration, and client strategy. He reviews how their AI platform acts as a 24/7 smart assistant for contractors, handling various aspects of customer interaction and business operations. Joseph talks about their tools to evaluate market potential and growth. We also get Joseph's recommendations for co...
Apr 24, 2025•20 min
Would it be good if you could help your techs and service manager be more productive? If you could get 1 - 2 more service calls per week per tech, and reduce call backs... would that be good? Of course it would! Logan Marshall explains how Bluon is making huge productivity impacts in our industry. You need to hear this!
Apr 08, 2025•23 min
What do you have to do to improve your business? Learn from others! Attend industry events like... The Boston Summit. It's going to be a great event. Jim Hinshaw and Jazmine Colson tell us WHY successful contractors attend Service Nation events, and what you'll miss out on if you fail to come. BONUS: Jim's got some deals for you!
Mar 28, 2025•14 min
Four years later I get another chance to interview the amazing Lori Stickling! Lori and her husband Delayne own Covenant Plumbing in Bloomington, Illinois. Four years ago I interviewed Lori shortly after they joined Service Nation Alliance and were in the early stages of changing their business. So, what happened? I'm happy to report they've grown substantially. How did they do it? Listen and learn! Please note: the first interview with Lori is episode 70. It has a lot of the background informat...
Mar 11, 2025•31 min
Brian Carpenter is the Vice President of Mark Carpenter Plumbing, Heating, and Air in Clovis, New Mexico. The combined statistical area they serve is less than 70,000 - and yet they're thriving and enjoying strong growth. How do they do it? Brian is a very smart guy with great experience. In this episode Brian talks about: How Brian Carpenter joined our industry as an adult, without trade experience About Mark Carpenter Plumbing, Heating, and Air Adding new vertical markets Changing the service ...
Feb 25, 2025•23 min
Bailey McCormick is the General Manager of Air Bros in Saint Petersburg, Florida. Her career has been one of tremendous personal and professional growth. She's taking her experience and knowledge to a new company and doing great things there. How did she do it? What are her secrets for success? What career advice does she have? In this episode you'll hear: The accidental way Bailey McCormick joined our industry Initial responsibilities and a decision to grow Selling the business and moving forwa...
Feb 11, 2025•22 min
The great Dave Rothacker makes his 10th appearance on our podcast to tell us about his picks for the top business books for 2024. Dave reads more business books in a year than anyone I know. He has tremendous insight into our industry and so his recommendations are perfect for all of us. Plus, Dave provides a useful technique for getting creative ideas and resolving issues.
Jan 28, 2025•28 min
Here's something different. Normally we talk with HVAC and Plumbing companies and their supporting vendor-partners, but today we're talking with Nathan Nelson of Empire Fence. Empire Fence is a large, successful company serving the Residential, Residential New Construction, and Commercial markets. It's interesting and instructive to talk to people in similar but different industries; it's a wonderful learning and idea-generating opportunity. In this episode you'll find: How Empire Fence started ...
Jan 14, 2025•22 min
Lou Hobaica more than just a successful contractor. He is an original thinker, a superb coach, a marketing genius, a master motivator, and a kind community philanthropist. If you're in the industry, it's possible you've heard the phrase “You'll lika Hobaica.” That's the tagline for Phoenix-based Hobaica Services, which has been in business since 1952. Lou Hobaica, is an industry icon, a Service Nation mentor and coach, and one of the smartest and best business leaders in our industry. In this ep...
Dec 19, 2024•43 min
The old saying about advertising is that you know you're overspending by 50%, you just don't know which 50% to cut. Measures of opens and clicks are interesting, but they only give you limited information. What you need is a way to accurately measure which ads are working and be able to tie those ads directly to revenue. Enter Kevin LeSage and Searchlight. Kevin grew up in our industry helping his Plumber Father as a kid. After college Kevin worked in digital marketing and analytics. Then he ret...
Dec 03, 2024•19 min
Doug Jackson is the 31 year old General Manager of Jackson Services, a large, recently acquired residential services company. Doug was recently named to the elite 40 Under 40 group. He started in HVAC at a young age and by his mid 20's had done every job in the company. After becoming GM, he led the company to spectacular growth in just a few years. How did he do it? In this episode Doug talks with us about: Doug's career at Jackson Services Solving puzzles Growing from $4 to $23 million Growing...
Nov 19, 2024•18 min
David Heimer interviews Brandon Jacob and Matt Michel on stage at Service World Expo. Brandon and Matt are in the middle of a unique research project about the fears and emotions of selling your business; information people typically don't discuss, but you need to know. They've interviewed many business owners who sold businesses in a variety of industries. They discuss some of their findings and the upcoming book. The fear of selling The highs and lows of selling your business DIY versus profes...
Nov 05, 2024•29 min
Katy Higgins knows the pain of a failed partnership. After tremendous growth in a new HVAC company, she walked away from her partnership. She floundered for a while and then restarted powerfully, created a new company, and is experiencing a reaffirming growth. In this episode, Katy tells us about: Her start in the HVAC industry Winning the Western Regional Comfort Advisor contest 3 years in a row while being the only woman comfort advisor Rejecting a “roaming” sales rep job “Sometimes the only s...
Oct 15, 2024•21 min
David Heffner is the Director of Community Outreach for Winsupply of Indianapolis. Prior to that, David was a successful one-man plumbing company that was acquired. And before that he served in the US Marine Corps. David has a heart for service, is incredibly knowledgeable about our industry, and loves to teach and help others. His career, his introduction to plumbing, his experiences growing and then intentionally shrinking his company are fascinating and full of great lessons. In this episode ...
Oct 01, 2024•32 min
Bryan Baer grew up in our industry, drafted into it by his father and stepfather. He grew to love the industry, and eventually, with his wife, started a residential services company. They enjoyed modest success, but Bryan was working too hard, wearing too many hats, and felt like something was missing. He met a remodeler, they became friends, joined forces, and created a new company. They joined Service Nation Alliance, and with the help of a great coach, Lou Hobaica, they’re changing everything...
Sep 17, 2024•35 min
Sarah Blackhall is Vice President of Creative for Service Nation. She has many areas of responsibility at Service Nation, including Service Nation Events: Service World Expo and the International Roundtable. We could talk about a lot with Sarah, she's an expert in Design, she's a talented leader and communicator, but today we're going to focus on Service World Expo. Sarah gives us a peak behind the curtain to learn about the planning, the speakers, the breakouts, the AMAZING PARTIES, and how to ...
Sep 03, 2024•17 min
Jessica Young is the Operations Manager, and co-owner with her husband Doug, of Young Plumbing Services in South Carolina. Like many, Jessica entered the trades part-time to help her husband and then got sucked into a full-time job. Without a lot of business knowledge they struggled, but got growth and profitability after joining Service Nation Alliance. Jessica has become a knowledgeable, influential leader in the contracting world. She shares their inspiring story here, and gives us a preview ...
Aug 20, 2024•29 min
Isn't it fun to follow companies and people over time and find out what happened? I’ve been able to interview many interesting people since I started this podcast in 2016. In this episode we’re going to catch up with four people that I interviewed in the past: The amazing Jason Henderson, who started and grew a company faster than anyone I know. Liz Friesen, who with her husband, Mark, is growing a solid plumbing company in Colorado. Richard Flournoy, who turned his company into a powerhouse, so...
Aug 06, 2024•47 min
In this episode of Profiles in Prosperity, we sit down with Bill Henzler, President and Founder of Quality Degree, Inc., a leading multi-trade residential service company based in Royersford, Pennsylvania. Bill opens up about his experiences with Dyslexia and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and how these conditions have influenced his approach to managing and growing his company. This discussion is particularly relevant, considering the high number of individuals in our industry ...
Jul 23, 2024•21 min
How often do you get information and advice from a member of the Hall of Fame? Steve Miles joins us for a wide range of topics: Selling his company Is it a good idea to involve employees in a company sale? Working with Private Equity Current role post sale Recruiting – "kissing frogs" Great ideas for a digital billboard Artificial Intelligence Being a Service Nation Mentor and advisory boards The value of participating in industry events How Steve Miles learned from industry events, what to do M...
Jul 09, 2024•18 min
We welcome Eric Dutton back to the podcast. Eric is the founder, ex-owner, and ex-president of Dutton Plumbing, a large, wildly successful plumbing company. Eric is well known for his humor, but also for being a great leader and a very smart businessman. Eric's been on our podcast before. We learned about the creation and growth of Dutton Plumbing (episode 1), Five Business Rules (episode 39), Leadership in a Difficult Time (what Eric was doing with his company during COVID – episode 57). In thi...
Jun 25, 2024•30 min
Jeremy Lowe has done just about everything in our industry: Service Technician, Sales, Installation, Management, General Manager, and for the last 20+ years has been on the Flat-Rate Pricing side of the industry with Calahan-Roach, Profit Rhino, and Service Fusion. Along the way he's amassed tremendous experience and great insight into our industry. I have a lot of respect for Jeremy for his dedication to helping contractors and making our industry better. In this episode Jeremy tells us about h...
Jun 14, 2024•23 min
Chuck Worley is the owner, founder, and leader of Worley's Home Services in the Hampton Roads, Virginia area. Worley's Home Services is a full, whole home services company - HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical, Insulation, and Crawlspace Encapsulation. Worley's is a very successful company, but, as many know, the road to success can be very bumpy with difficult detours. Chuck's experienced all of that and it's a great story. Even better are his innovative ideas and inspirational contributions to his comm...
May 14, 2024•27 min
Chuck Worley is the owner, founder, and leader of Worley's Home Services in the Hampton Roads, Virginia area. Worley's Home Services is a full, whole home services company - HVAC, Plumbing, Electrical, Insulation, and Crawlspace Encapsulation. Worley's is a very successful company, but, as many know, the road to success can be very bumpy with difficult detours. Chuck's experienced all of that and it's a great story. Even better are his innovative ideas and inspirational contributions to his comm...
May 01, 2024•32 min
Ryan StMichel is the owner of Grove Mechanical in Crookston Minnesota. Grove Mechanical was founded in 1978 by Ryan's Grandfather and Ryan purchased the company from his uncle. Ryan created a unique consultative, no-pressure, sales process that results in high-quality, high-value systems installations, delighted customers, and a very high close rate. How does he do it? Listen and learn! Other interesting items discussed: Building relationships with customers: Finding points of commonality and ic...
Apr 16, 2024•17 min
Stephanie Postell is the Chief Operating Officer and owner (with her husband, David) of Anchor Heating and Air. Stephanie has enjoyed a diverse career prior to joining the HVAC industry. She started off as a Kindergarten teacher, owned and worked in different businesses before working for an HVAC company and eventually starting her own HVAC business. Stephanie has a wealth of experience, and vast expertise in operations. We talk with her about her background, her experiences in different HVAC co...
Apr 02, 2024•39 min
