In this episode of Peter Lohmann’s Podcast, I sit down with Valeria (“Val”) Urcuyo - VP of Operations at Appliance Repair Professionals, a nationwide appliance repair company serving property managers in 40+ states.

Based in Nicaragua, Val runs the business remotely, coordinating hundreds of subcontractors and thousands of repair jobs each month. We talk about how she makes this model work without a U.S. office, the shortage of appliance techs, and why some vendors inflate diagnostic fees. Val also shares how her team vets technicians, the repair-vs-replace math, and her candid take on appliance obsolescence.

On leadership, Val explains how she earned the trust of the company’s owners, lessons from her mom’s Taco Bell career, and the hard calls that come with scaling a business nationwide.

If you’re in property management and juggling vendor relationships, repair costs, or company culture, Val’s story is packed with takeaways.

Episode Chapters

00:00 – Intro
02:03 – Val’s background and company overview
04:22 – Running a U.S. company from Nicaragua
09:20 – Challenges and strategies in appliance repair
16:46 – Sponsor: Utility Profit
18:21 – Expanding services and industry insights
22:01 – Pricing models and property management
35:41 – Factors influencing repair decisions
36:40 – Customer communication and empowerment
39:01 – Sponsor: Crane
40:29 – Planned obsolescence in appliances
43:38 – Val’s journey and leadership insights
52:38 – Scaling challenges and lessons
1:03:46 – Team building and company culture
1:06:24 – Conclusion and contact info

Learn more and connect with Valeria here:

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Zenobia – Krigardrottningen som utmanade imperiet