Owned and Operated - A Plumbing, Electrical, and HVAC Business Growth Podcast #235 He built a $100M HVAC business, here’s how
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Aug 21, 2025 Chad Peterman, president of Peterman Brothers and a leader in home service scaling, dishes on transforming his company from $20M to $100M across the Midwest. He shares secrets of efficient labor pooling and streamlined processes that drive success. The conversation explores strategic location selection, crucial leadership tools, and innovative onboarding for technicians. Chad also hints at future ventures, including AI's role in enhancing operations. Get ready for a treasure trove of insights for anyone looking to level up their service business!
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Family HVAC Shop Scaled To Multi-Trade
- Peterman Brothers started as Chad's dad's HVAC shop in 1986 and shifted from commercial multifamily to residential service.
- Chad joined in 2011 and grew the business into HVAC, plumbing, and electrical across multiple Midwest markets.
Pay Technicians To Hold Licenses
- Incentivize employees to obtain licenses in other states and pay a stipend for company-use licenses.
- Build redundancy by holding multiple licenses per state to avoid single-point failures in coverage.
First Multi-Location Launch Was Messy
- The first out-of-town branch (Lafayette) was a greenfield opened in 2018 after an acquisition fell through and it was messy early on.
- That experience became a blueprint; most later expansions came via acquisition except Louisville which was greenfielded successfully.