Talking TOP 500

Today's discussion is with a well-known leader in the home improvement industry, Adam Kaliner co-founder of Power Home Remodeling.

Power, as many industry observers know, is one of the largest companies in the industry. In 2023, they billed $1.25 billion in sales. That's billion with a capital B. And the company has a total of 3,500 employees.

Kaliner co-founded the company with his cousin in their 2-bedroom Delaware apartment back in 1992. He attributes much of the company's success to the longtime leadership of its energetic duo of co-CEOs Corey Shiller and Asher Raphael.

With locations nearly coast to coast, Power, based in Philadelphia, is today a technology organization as well as a people and training organization. Through technology, they've been able to very effectively scale their business. QR

Episode No. 18 is a discussion with one of the brightest rising stars in the home improvement industry—Abby Binder—owner of Abby Windows & Doors, located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

This is a businessperson with a growth mindset. She's always looking for new ways to improve her people and upgrade her processes. She's always ready to take the next step up in revenue and profit. So far, she's been successful every step of the way.

Fresh out of college with the goal of becoming a teacher, Binder started doing home improvements with an uncle. Then in 2010, she struck out on her own, launching her company from scratch.

Today Abby Windows and Doors is billing $12 million annually on 600 jobs.

Professional roundtable groups—comprised of industry peers and led by business consultants—are a familiar feature of the home improvement and remodeling industries.

There are peer groups that focus insurance restoration. Others are focused on full-service and design-build remodeling. For home improvement pros a handful of groups come to mind. One of them is Certified Contractors Network, which was founded by roofing contractor Richard Kaller back in the late 1960s.

Today the group is led by Scott Siegal and is home to over 400 member companies and hosts dozens oftraining events for its members each year. But leading CCN is only part of the story for Siegal who also owns Maggio Roofing in Takoma Park, Maryland.

In Episode No. 17 of Talking TOP 500 we talk with Siegal about how he got his start in the business, his early days as a member of CCN and how he eventually assumed leadership of the organization. We also get Siegal's take on the opportunities and challenges facing contractors in the year ahead.

About Talking TOP 500

Talking TOP 500 refers to the long-running annual ranking of large home improvement firms, the Qualified Remodeler TOP 500, which was just released for the 45th time in August 2023.

Each episode we interview leaders in the home improvement and remodeling industry to get their perspective on all aspects of growth and profitability.

The hosts of Talking TOP 500 are Patrick O'Toole of SOLA Group Inc. and Qualified Remodeler magazine and Tim Musch, a former window company owner who wrote the industry's first dedicated CRM software, MarketSharp. He was recently named a Legend of the Home Improvement Industry by his peers. Today he is with Paradigm Vendo.

Beth Biron is a rising star in the home improvement industry. She is the chief marketing and sales officer at Reborn Home Solutions, a leading provider of cabinet refacing, one-day baths and windows based in California. Beth has nearly 20 years of direct sales and marketing experience in the energy, solar power and home remodeling industries, with an expertise in performance marketing and process automation. Reborn is part of the Renovo group of companies based in Dallas. And Beth has also onboarded responsibility for generating leads for the massive Dreamstyle Remodeling based in Albuquerque.

To give you a sense of the size of the Renovo operation, in 2022 the group of companies ranked No. 8 on the Qualified Remodeler TOP 500 list, posting $653 million in installed sales on 44,275 jobs.

In our discussion with Biron, we hear how the company is managing to adapt and change its lead sources in the wake of the COVID-19 boom in home improvement leads. The conversation illustrates how today's technology and real-time reporting give marketers more tools than ever to drive leads efficiently. But as we also hear, it is fast changing and requires constant monitoring.

About Talking TOP 500

Talking TOP 500 refers to the long-running annual ranking of large home improvement firms, the Qualified Remodeler TOP 500, which was just released for the 45th in August 2023.

Each episode we interview leaders in the home improvement and remodeling industry to get their perspective on all aspects of growth and profitability.

The hosts of Talking TOP 500 are Patrick O'Toole of SOLA Group Inc. and Qualified Remodeler magazine and Tim Musch, a former window company owner who wrote the industry's first dedicated CRM software, MarketSharp. He was recently named a Legend of the Home Improvement Industry by his peers. Today his is with Paradigm Vendo.

Episode No. 15 is with John Anglis, founder of CareFree Home Pros of Avon, Connecticut. CareFree is a Bath Replacement business that generated $9.5 million in revenue in 2022, the last year that Anglis owned the company. This past February, Anglis sold CareFree to Sage Home for an undisclosed cash amount.

Anglis is not afraid to tell you about the many bumps in the road he encountered before some of the lessons learned all fit in place beginning about nine years ago. Anglis frequently makes the observation that the success of Care Free took hold the more he "got out of the way".

About Talking TOP 500

Talking TOP 500 refers to the long-running annual ranking of large home improvement firms, the Qualified Remodeler TOP 500, which was just released for the 45th in August.

Each episode we interview leaders in the home improvement and remodeling industry to get their perspective on all aspects of growth and profitability.

Patrick O'Toole of SOLA Group Inc. and Qualified Remodeler magazine and Tim Musch, a "Legend" of the home improvement industry co-host the podcast.

Among the handful of truly fast-growing home improvement companies—those with plans to grow to be national in scope—Great Day Improvements offers a different path. The company is growing with a ground level, entrepreneurial strategy, and with a deep appreciation for what it takes to run a successful home improvement firm. To that end, companies that have been acquired by Great Day are operated by their prior owners, who are kept in place and who continue their respective visions for growth.

Last year Great Day generated $1.1 billion in revenue on 70,099 jobs and ranked No. 5 on the most recent TOP 500. They go to market as Champion Windows, Universal Windows Direct, Stanek, Your Home Improvement Company among others.

Their two top executives joined the podcast to talk about the evolution of Great Day into a fast growing powerhouse and its plans for the future.

Michael Hoy is Chief Executive Officer. He Joined Great Day as CEO in 2015 and has driven the of growth at the Company for the past 8 years. Previously he served in a variety of leadership positions at Renewal by Andersen, Pella, BMC/Stock Building Supply, and 84 Lumber, and he was recently recognized as a Home Improvement Industry "Legend" by the HIMs peer group that is part of Dave Yoho Associates.

Ed Weinfurtner is Executive Chairman and Lead investor/owner at Great Day. He led acquisition of Great Day in 2014 and is actively involved in building the business, and leading Great Day's mergers and acquisitions. Ed is a Harvard graduate and a career entrepreneur who has owned and operated several privately held businesses in variety of industries in addition to Great Day over the past 45 years.

---- About the Podcast

"Talking TOP 500" is a reference to Qualified Remodeler's long-running annual ranking of the largest remodelers and home improvement companies, the TOP 500. You can see our latest ranking at our website www.QualifiedRemodeler.com.

Qualified Remodeler media is owned by SOLA Group Inc., which also operates a conference for remodelers and home improvement pros TOP 500 LIVE. The next conference is scheduled for Oct. 17 and Oct. 18, 2023 and will be held at the M Resort Spa and Casino in Henderson, Nevada.

To learn more and register, go to www.TOP500live.com.

Patrick O'Toole and Tim Musch talk with Jason Couto of Couto Construction in New Bedford, Mass. in Episode No. 13 of the Talking TOP 500 podcast.

Jason learned the business from his father, who was a Portuguese immigrant to the United States and who founded the company when Jason was very young.

Since taking over the firm in 2008, Jason has grown the company to over $20 million in revenue and completed a merger with Infinity Home Services, which billed $176.8 million on 10,500 jobs in 2022.

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You're Invited: Make plans to join us October 16-18, 2023 at the M Resort Spa Casino in Las Vegas for Top500 Live. We would love to see you there!

In Episode No. 12 of the Talking TOP 500 podcast, we speak with a couple who is widely admired in the home improvement industry. They are Emily and Kevin Lindus, owners of Lindus Construction in Baldwin, Wisconsin. They started the company in 1981 out of their kitchen and last year the company generated $43.2 million in revenue on gutters, decks and a number of other home improvements. A few years ago, they sold the business to their sons Andy, Alex and Adam, but they remain on as consultants at the firm.

Kevin and Emily are so much like thousands of other husband and wife teams in the home improvement industry, and they have truly thrived. Over the years, they've consistently looked for ways to learn and grow. Their story is truly remarkable.

Emily Lindus is a consultant to home improvement companies and she will be speaking at TOP 500 LIVE 2023, which will be held Oct. 17 and Oct. 18, 2023 in Las Vegas. To learn more go to www.TOP500LIVE.com.

Episode No. 11 features a conversation with one of the rising startsin home improvement, Rich Begalla,executive vice president of Window Depot's national network of 82 dealers. He's also the owner and managerof one of those 82 branches—Window Depot of Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania.

In 2022 the Window Depot network was ranked No. 17 on the Qualified Remodeler TOP 500 list, posting$127.7 million on 21,283 jobs.

Begalla began his career while still in college and hasbecome at age 38 one of the most respected managers inhome improvement today.

About this Podcast

Talking TOP 500 is a reference to Qualified Remodeler magazine's long-running annual ranking of the largestremodelers and home improvement pros by revenue. Co-hosted by Patrick O'Toole and Tim Musch, thepodcast focuses on issues facing entrepreneurs in this space. To learn more, go to QualifiedRemodeler.com or subscribe to the podcast on Apple iTunes, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform. To subscribe to QualifiedRemodeler magazine or one of its newslettersgo to qualifiedremodeler.com/subscribe.

Join us face-to-face at TOP 500 LIVE 2023, which is set for Oct. 17 and 18 at the M-Resort in Las Vegas,Nevada. It features two days of the top speakers in the home improvement and remodeling industries. To learn more and register go to www.TOP500LIVE.com. QR

Charlie Gindele is a hugely successful home improvement entrepreneur who, in 2019, sold Renewal by Anderson of Orange County—to Renewal by Andersen corporation. It was the capstone to a 38-year career in the industry.

After the sale Gindele agreed to continue as general manager of the business until the end of 2021, when he retired and wrote a business book to help younger home improvement entrepreneurs. That book—Lessons Learned – My Journey from Contractor to Businessman—is available on Amazon.com.

A Philadelphia native, he moved to California in 1984 to launch a roofing company and later a window division. He then launched a residential door distribution firm. And in 1993 all three of his businesses were merged into Dial One as a franchise unit. After phasing out the roofing business in 2000 to focus on windows and doors, in 2005 he signed on as a Renewal by Andersen affiliate. He took on fellow home improvement entrepreneur David Moore as a business partner in 2013 and they expanded their territory from Orange County into Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

QR estimates that by 2021 Gindele's RBA affiliate billed in excess of $45 million in sales annually. RBA does not disclose its financial figures.

Our conversation with Gindele covers lead generation, attracting high-quality talent, and the lessons he learned during his career.

The Talking TOP 500 podcast takes its name from Qualified Remodeler's annual ranking of the largest remodeling and home improvement companies. It features interviews with leading remodelers from around the United States and focuses on all aspects of growing and succeeding in home improvement and remodeling. Qualified Remodeler co-owner and publisher Patrick O'Toole as well as industry veteran Tim Musch, recently named a Legend of the Home Improvement industry serve as hosts of the podcast.

Qualified Remodeler is a leading business-to-business media brand serving remodelers since 1975. To learn more and subscribe go to www.QualifiedRemodeler.com/subscribe.