Owned and Operated - A Plumbing, Electrical, and HVAC Business Growth Podcast

Remote Staffing for Contractors: How to Hire Offshore for Recruiting, Dispatch & Ops

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Dec 16, 2025

In this discussion, Aizik Zimerman, a contractor from Jay Blanton Plumbing, shares his journey to scaling from zero to 140 employees using a remote-first staffing approach. He reveals how offshore roles, particularly in recruiting and dispatch, unlocked significant growth. Aizik introduces the hub-and-spoke model, emphasizing strategic U.S. leadership with specialized offshore execution. He discusses creative offshore roles and successful training techniques, illustrating how businesses can act quickly to expand their operational capabilities.

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ANECDOTE

Yard Sign Blitz Backfired

Aizik tested yard signs by printing 500 and deploying 190 quickly, which immediately generated jobs.
The blitz caused local blowback so he plans to redeploy more covertly and track sign retention.

INSIGHT

Hub-And-Spoke Drives Scalable Execution

Offshoring enabled Jay Blanton to scale to 140 employees with 50+ overseas, unlocking specialized functions.
A US leader sets strategy while offshore teams provide focused execution across accounting, install coordination, and marketing.

ADVICE

Default To Remote First

If a role can be done remote, hire remote by default and prove why it must be onshore otherwise.
Start remote hiring early; even small businesses gain access to functions like CSRs and purchasing immediately.

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In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson sits down with Aizik Zimerman of Jay Blanton Plumbing (Chicago) to break down the remote staffing playbook that most home service operators still aren’t using.

John and Aizik start with a real-world story from a contractor event—how one company allegedly went from $0 to $6M using yard signs, and how Aizik tested it immediately (including the “don’t put them on every corner” lesson).

Then they go deep on what actually drives scale: building a remote-first, offshore-heavy team that works in the real world. Aizik shares how his business grew to 140 employees with 50+ overseas team members, and how he structures offshore hiring across accounting, install coordination, marketing, recruiting, dispatch, and fleet coordination.

They break down the “hub and spoke” model: keep your US leaders focused on thinking and decision-making, then build specialized offshore roles to handle execution—so your business moves faster without bloating payroll.

If you’re trying to expand coverage, build specialization early, or you’ve wondered whether recruiting + dispatch + ops coordination can really be offshored, this episode is the blueprint.

What You’ll Learn

Why “if it can be done remote, it can be done from anywhere”
The hub & spoke model: US leaders + offshore execution pods
How Aizik offshores technician recruiting (and why it’s a massive unlock)
Which roles are easiest vs hardest to offshore (CSR vs dispatch/install coordination)
How to reduce “overemployment” risk with real systems (Zoom rooms, accountability layers)
Why you should default to remote-first hiring at any size—even at $500K/year

🎙️ Hosts & Guest

Host: John Wilson
Guest: Aizik Zimerman

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

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