In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson sits down with his good friend and fellow operator, Rich Jordan, to unpack how he scaled from $700K to over $30M in just five years — across three branches and two states.

Rich shares the unfiltered lessons from going multi-location, from the chaos of centralizing call centers too early, to re-decentralizing and finally recentralizing with the right infrastructure. He and John dive into the cultural challenges of acquisitions, how to win buy-in with frontline techs, why leadership development is the true bottleneck, and how “force of will” integrations differ from slow-play rollouts.

Rich also reveals how his team pushed margins up 10 points in just 60 days, why he cut a top producer to save culture, and what it takes to prepare for a Greenfield launch while still buying and integrating new branches.

Together, they unpack:

• The jump from $700K → $30M in five years through multi-location growth
• Centralize vs. decentralize — when to share services and when to split
• Driving culture post-acquisition with rapid feedback loops and frontline wins
• Leadership pipelines from the trades and the military
• Integration style: high-touch, high-speed, “bear hug” takeovers
• Preparing for Greenfielding — recruiting, training, and marketing from scratch

🎙️ Host
 John Wilson

🎙️ Guest
 Rich Jordan 

💼 Modernize is how smart contractors scale.

With inbound calls, live transfers, and branded programs, Modernize connects you to ready-to-buy homeowners. Over 9M leads delivered and $4B+ in revenue generated.

👉 Start growing NOW


💼 Extra Special Thanks to Service Scalers!

We’ve been partnering with Service Scalers to maximize our Local Service Ads (LSAs) and optimize our Google My Business profiles, and the results have been incredible. With hundreds of thousands in sales and 900+ calls in a single week, GMBs are now our top-performing organic lead channel.

 Want to learn how Service Scalers can do the same for you?

 🔗 Check Them Out Here  

Send Us Mail!

More Ways To Connect with O&O

• John's YouTube Channel
• Weekly Newsletter
• Owned and Operated

Leave a Review

John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Companies
Jack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC

📌 Disclaimer: Some links may include UTM parameters or affiliate relationships, meaning we may earn a commission if you make a purchase. Episodes may feature sponsors, but all opinions expressed are our own.