Toolbox for the Trades

Achieving operational organization is often the difference between a business that barely survives and one that scales profitably. Colin Bemus , founder of Go2 Great, shares his journey from digging trenches in his family's landscaping business to navigating a massive economic boom and a devastating crash. After surviving the 2007 recession, Colin leveraged mentorship and software to transform his...

Effective change management is the difference between a software rollout that empowers your team and one that creates friction. David Helms , Control Operations Manager at Edd Helms Air Conditioning and Electric and Gulfstream Controls , joins the show to discuss how he balances two distinct roles: overseeing building controls operations while serving as the ServiceTitan administrator for the enti...

As we wind up for Pantheon 2026, we're bringing few great episodes back from the past to prep you for the big show and bring you new, amazing conversations. We'll be back on 10/20/2026 with this year's Pantheon breakdown and conversations. Originally Aired: 9/23/2025 In this episode, Rob Parker , managing director of residential and commercial services investment banking at Piper Sandler , shares...

In this episode, we talk with Ellen Rohr , Brand and Industry Marketing Lead at ServiceTitan , to discuss how to turn post-conference enthusiasm into tangible business results. She shares her practical, old-school strategies for managing big ideas, breaking down overwhelming projects, and effectively delegating tasks without micromanaging. Ellen redefines networking as genuine friendship-building...

We welcome back Josh Teekell, founder and CEO of Smart AC, to discuss their Gen-2 HVAC monitoring platform. Built to target the 80% of homeowners who reject traditional memberships, Gen 2 helps contractors drive rapid market expansion. Josh details how Gen 2 improves on their original model with a single sensor, 30-second setup, and non-Wi-Fi connectivity. He also shares insights on leveraging AI,...

Successful navigation around the complexities of family business ownership demands radical honesty and clear boundaries. Brittany Burgess , Senior Customer Advocacy Specialist at ServiceTitan , joins the show to share her candid experience starting and eventually closing a landscaping company with her husband. From the initial excitement of partnering with a spouse to the breaking point of operati...

Burnout in the trades is often a silent killer, a slow decay that catches business owners off guard after years of relentless grinding. Nate Agentis , VP of Plumbing at BDR , joins the show to share his raw, personal journey through the pressures of inheriting a family plumbing business, navigating a tragic stage four cancer diagnosis in his family, and facing a mental health breaking point during...

Renee Richardson, Director of Philanthropy at All Within My Hands Foundation , joins the show to share how heavy metal icons Metallica are helping close the skilled labor gap across North America. Renee details the origin story of the Metallica Scholars Initiative, sparked by frontman James Hetfield’s passion for supporting blue-collar trades and hands-on workforce education. What began in 2019 as...

Adrian Fadini , founder of TradesFormation and one of Australia and New Zealand's top trade business coaches, returns to the podcast to dissect the key findings of the Australian State of the Trades Report for 2026. Surveying over 1,000 senior decision-makers across Australian trade businesses, the report highlights a critical shift: while demand remains steady and over 40% of businesses continue...

Leila Rookstook , Senior Industry Advisor, and Evan Smith , Group Product Manager at ServiceTitan , join host Amanda Salvatore to unpack the transformation of the commercial trades from reactive maintenance to predictive service. Drawing from Leila’s four-generation trade legacy and Evan’s expertise in enterprise AI, the pair outlines how a central shared data foundation bridges sales and operatio...

Ryan Nelson , Senior Operations Manager of Integration at Visterra Landscape Group , joins the show to unpack how landscape businesses can scale by choosing simplicity over complex configuration. Drawing from a unique career path that spans construction, field management, branch operations, software implementation, and corporate leadership, Ryan shares the harsh realities of software adoption. He...

Chad Colony , CEO at TrussPoint Roofing & Exteriors , joins the podcast to unpack the operational leverage points that turn regional roofing contractors into national platforms. Drawing on his extensive background across 13 states and multiple trades, Chad details TrussPoint’s disciplined growth strategy across organic expansion, greenfield locations, and selective acquisitions. He shares why...

Growing a commercial landscaping business is one thing. Building a company that can scale without consuming your life requires a strategy. In this episode, Tony Lisa , CEO of CAM Partner Holdings , joins the show to discuss how he transformed a traditional landscaping company into a diversified property services business serving commercial real estate across New England. Tony shares how listening...

High season is heating up and this summer we're bringing you some of the best episodes from both our shows on the ServiceTitan Podcast Network. Between new episodes, ones from the past you might have missed, and conversations and checkins from over 5 years and 280 episodes - there's so much to learn about running your trades business better than ever. Originally Aired 1/20/2026 What if helping oth...

High season is heating up and this summer we're bringing you some of the best episodes from both our shows on the ServiceTitan Podcast Network. Between new episodes, ones from the past you might have missed, and conversations and checkins from over 5 years and 280 episodes - there's so much to learn about running your trades business better than ever. Original Air Date 05/20/2025 In this episode,...

Jon Gohl , Director of Client Experience at Aspire Software , and Travis Wills , Aspire’s Sr. Director of Client Success, join host Amanda Salvatore for a high-impact session on surviving and thriving during the mid-season grind. Broadcasting live, the trio addresses the immediate macroeconomic pressures landscape contractors are facing, from unexpected fuel and fertilizer volatility to late visa...

High season is heating up and this summer we're bringing you some of the best episodes from both our shows on the ServiceTitan Podcast Network. Between new episodes, ones from the past you might have missed, and conversations and checkins from over 5 years and 280 episodes - there's so much to learn about running your trades business better than ever. Original Air Date 11/12/2024 Alan O'Neill trul...

Property data is becoming one of the most powerful tools in the trades, but many contractors are only scratching the surface of what's possible. Brady Campbell , Vice President of Business Development at EagleView , discusses how contractors are using property intelligence to find better leads, target smarter markets, and make more informed business decisions. Brady shares how EagleView evolved fr...

High season is heating up and this summer we're bringing you some of the best episodes from both our shows on the ServiceTitan Podcast Network. Between new episodes, ones from the past you might have missed, and conversations and checkins from over 5 years and 280 episodes - there's so much to learn about running your trades business better than ever. Original Air Date 3/18/2025 How do you create...

What does it take to break through the $4-5 million ceiling that many landscaping companies face? In this episode, we talk with Emily Nickel, Director of Business Applications at Perennial Services Group, to discuss how technology and data can help companies scale smarter, improve profitability, and make better business decisions. Emily shares lessons from her career in landscaping and software, i...

High season is heating up and this summer we're bringing you some of the best episodes from both our shows on the ServiceTitan Podcast Network. Between new episodes, ones from the past you might have missed, and conversations and checkins from over 5 years and 280 episodes - there's so much to learn about running your trades business better than ever. Original Air Date - 7/24/2025 Job costing is e...

High season is heating up and this summer we're bringing you some of the best episodes from both our shows on the ServiceTitan Podcast Network. Between new episodes, ones from the past you might have missed, and conversations and checkins from over 5 years and 280 episodes - there's so much to learn about running your trades business better than ever. Episode originally Aired 3/26/2026. In this ep...

What does SEO look like in a world where AI is answering questions before customers ever click a website? In this episode, Amanda Salvatore sits down with William Haddad , SVP of Product and Optimization at Scorpion , to unpack how AI search is reshaping online visibility for home service businesses. They explore the shift from traditional SEO to AI-driven search experiences, why brand authority a...

In this episode, John Wilson returns to Toolbox for the Trades five years after his first appearance to share what it really took to scale the Wilson Companies from under $5 million to more than $40 million in revenue in under five years. John walks through the messy middle of rapid growth, from tripling his team in a single year to realizing they did not yet have the systems, leadership, or struc...

In this episode, we sit down with Caren Bueno , Service Division Coordinator, Corbett Irrigation , to talk about what it looks like to build a life and a business from the ground up. Caren shares her journey from arriving in the U.S. as an au pair to leading a service division, building systems, and turning day-to-day chaos into something that actually works. She talks about learning in real time,...