Watch the EPIC2026 Breakouts You Missed or Have to See Again

Anderson Plumbing, Heating & Air is among the top 1% of HVAC and plumbing companies in the US – number one among women-owned companies. But how did it reach that level? How did it go from zero to $60 million in annual revenue? How did it achieve double-digit profitability? Exceptional customer service.

Mary Jean Anderson, former owner of Anderson Plumbing, Heating & Air, pulls back the curtain on exactly what steps she took to build Anderson Plumbing, Heating & Air’s service business into what it is today – one of the most successful in the country.

Tailored for HVAC contractors, business owners, and other industry professionals, this breakout will share strategies to drive growth and success by harnessing repeat business and ongoing referrals from your customers by embracing her simple philosophy: “Nobody wows clients like we do.”

In this session, you’ll learn:

• The service secrets of one of the industry’s most successful operators, with over 45 years’ experience in customer relations
• A tailored roadmap to success that fits your business needs and challenges
• Enhanced communication skills to build rapport with customers
• Effective problem-solving techniques to handle difficult situations
• How to boost customer satisfaction and loyalty
• Keys to increasing team morale and performance

Every contracting business hits plateaus — and breaking through them requires more than just hard work. Scaling your company into a true wealth-generating enterprise takes intentional strategy, discipline, and a culture that empowers your team to execute.

Industry veteran Gary Elekes will walk you through the real-world frameworks, workflows, and priorities that separate growing businesses from those that stall.

Using examples from contractors currently in scaling mode, Gary will explore the roadblocks, wins, and foundational systems that allow companies to operate like a machine and think like a franchise — whether you’re looking to sell or simply build long-term wealth for you and your team.

In this session, you’ll learn:

• Common traps that keep owners stuck at the same level
• How to develop a scalable business model with franchise-level structure
• Cultural practices that foster accountability and trust
• The key priorities that drive sustainable growth
• Real-world lessons from contractors actively scaling right now

Most contractors overlook small commercial work—not because it’s not profitable, but because they don’t have a simple, repeatable way to sell it. And when you’re not offering the right purchase experience, your local small businesses either delay buying or go with someone else who does.

There’s a better way—and it can unlock a whole new revenue stream for your company.

In this session, Matthew Bratsis, VP at EGIA and creator of OPTIMUS, shares how a proven sales process and tailored payment solutions can make small commercial jobs easier to close and more profitable to complete. Whether you’re a contractor looking to grow your business or a distributor aiming to help your dealers do the same, this breakout will show you the power of meeting your market where it’s at.

In this session, you’ll learn:

• How to simplify your sales process for small commercial jobs
• Ways to create an attractive purchase experience for local business owners
• How to leverage EGIA and OPTIMUS’s industry-leading small commercial product to grow revenue
• What it takes to implement a scalable internal process for long-term success
• How distribution can support dealers using this model to drive more sales

Is your team or agency actually doing the work it takes to grow your business?

In this session Shawn Byrne, CEO & Founder of My Biz Niche marketing agency, shows you how to spot red flags, ask the right questions, and check key fundamentals to ensure your marketing efforts are getting the attention they deserve. This is not about blame. It’s about taking ownership, creating accountability, and making sure your investment is driving real results.

In this session, you’ll learn:

• Understand how to create accountability without micromanaging — with your internal marketing team or external agency partner
• Spot early warning signs that your advertising efforts are being overlooked
• Discover simple checks to validate the work being done behind the scenes
• Gain tools to confidently assess ROI and take control of your marketing strategy

What does it really take to grow from a single-trade operation to a multi-trade powerhouse—without relying on acquisitions or outside investors?

In this dynamic panel breakout, you’ll hear directly from Brad Barron, fourth-generation CEO of Barron Heating AC Electrical & Plumbing, as he shares the real story behind the company’s journey from a local HVAC shop to a $45 million multi-trade leader.

Joined by HGTV’s Dave Marrs (Fixer to Fabulous) and WholeHome Media’s Josh Burdick, this session will explore how contractors can expand services, train teams from within, and use authentic video storytelling to drive serious growth.

Regardless of the trade(s) you work in, this conversation will give you a roadmap for growing smart—with the right people, systems, and creative content behind you.

In this session, you’ll learn:

• How Barron Heating AC Electrical & Plumbing scaled from one trade to three without acquisitions or outside investment
• How to test and add a new trade the right way
• The training systems that turn green hires into future leaders
• How video marketing builds trust, drives leads, and supports recruiting
• Authentic storytelling that can help homeowners buy into high-performance solutions
• A real-world growth journey—and leave with strategies you can implement now

Most contractors neutralize their sales process by limiting options to only some of the things, not everything, you offer in a proposal. Lacking choices to get the experiences and outcomes they desire causes customers to commodify and comparison shop “competitive quotes” on the few things you do offer. The result? Your sales performance suffers.

Transparent menu-pricing lets your conversation connect with the customer’s story and their focus to consider your people, processes, problems you resolve, impacts, experiences, and performance to your story – not the equipment.

Join home services sales experts Russ Horrocks and Drew Cameron in this breakout to discover why proposals are the wrong tool for teaching customers how to buy, how to get the most value for their investment, and for guiding them to make an educated affirmative buying decision promptly.

When your homeowner buying experience allows consumers to freely explore all the possibilities, ways to pay, and peace of mind protections in a familiar trusted format, they become motivated customers who buy.

In this session, you’ll learn:

• How using the same CRM/FSM pricing software as other contractors is killing your sales
• Why using proposals that are similar looking to other contractors destroys credibility
• How leading with payment options can increase average ticket and number of people who buy
• Menu pricing that creates collaborative conversations and points of connection
• How to thrill customers with how they buy, so that they buy!

Quick fixes are killing your growth — and they’re happening in every department.

From a CSR who books a call without exploring a maintenance plan, to a dispatcher who misses a cross-service opportunity, to a technician who swaps a part without explaining the “why,” your business is losing revenue, trust, and long-term customers.

When the same problem comes back weeks later, the homeowner isn’t frustrated with the equipment — they’re frustrated with your company. Why? Because no one took ownership of the customer relationship at any stage. No one educated them. No one gave them clear choices.

In this breakout, Brigham Dickinson, founder of Power Selling Pros, reveals how pairing recording technology with twice-a-month, one-on-one coaching creates a culture of accountability across your entire customer journey — CSRs, dispatchers, coordinators, technicians, and comfort advisors.

In this session, you’ll learn:

• Spot and fix revenue leaks before they cost you thousands
• Empower customers with informed choices instead of “one-and-done” fixes
• Turn every role into a revenue and trust builder
• Create consistent, high-value experiences from the first ring to the final handshake

There is a lot of noise and activity surrounding acquisitions in Home Services – some of it true, some of it misunderstood. Join Austen Radke, Head of M&A at The SEER Group, who has evaluated hundreds of opportunities, to learn what he and his team actually care about when looking to partner with a new company.

Austen will walk through the entire sale process from start to finish and share his unique insights as a buyer in today’s market. You’ll learn how to prepare your business and team before speaking with buyers, what really matters in the lead-up to a formal offer, and what it takes to manage the diligence process effectively.

The session will wrap with Austen opening the floor to address your curiosity and answer questions.

In this session, you’ll learn:

• How to be prepared both emotionally and organizationally before speaking with buyers, including how and when to include your team
• The questions and concerns buyers focus on leading up to a formal offer
• How to successfully navigate the diligence period between signing the letter and closing, avoiding pitfalls that can derail deals
• What happens after close and how to set yourself up for long-term success

Has your business taken the plunge and adopted some form of “pay for performance,” – but you haven’t seen the jump in performance you were counting on? Or maybe you’re looking to finally move to pay-for-performance for the first time? Productivity pay does work, and it can be a major catalyst to sending your profitability sky-high – if you have the right framework.

Paul Kelly, bestselling author of Tricks of the Trade to Success and one of the true GOATs in the industry, grew his company in Phoenix, AZ to $250 million in annual revenue! Paul pulls back the curtain on performance-based pay – how to design it, roll it out, sell it, and how to use it as a weapon to help propel your business.

“Pay to Play” is not just a sports term; it’s a way for you to reward your team (and you) for being exceptional.

In this session, you’ll learn:

• The advantages of hourly vs. commission vs. pay for performance
• How to convince new prospects and current employees to move to pay for performance
• Three promises that are critical to your success
• Designing compensation programs at every level – from technician up to management, and everyone in between
• Attracting and retaining the best team members – ultimately, your biggest advantage or disadvantage
• How pay programs can help drive near-unlimited growth in your business

Why do some contracting businesses struggle to break even while others seemingly have cracked the code to printing profit? Why do some fail to connect and engage – with their customers and with their employees – while others lead the industry in customer loyalty and employee retention? It all comes down to differentiation.

Jason Walker knows all about it. As the owner of Royalty Heating & Air in California, as well as the HVAC Masters of the Hustle coaching group, he has firsthand experience guiding HVAC organizations with an approach that stands out in the marketplace, driving profits and never struggling to find employees. And he’s done it based on a simple playbook. In this presentation, he’s opening up that playbook for you and sharing proven strategies for differentiation, both internal and external.

In this session, you’ll learn how to:

• Build an unforgettable brand – the kind prospective customers think of in their moments of need
• Execute creative marketing strategies that will receive more attention from prospective customers compared to your competition
• Deliver a unique customer experience that will turn customers into raving fans who give you a consistent stream of referrals
• Establish an organizational culture that ensures your whole team is bought in and aligned toward a successful future
• Become the employer of choice in your area – and a place your employees never want to leave

Quick fixes are killing your growth — and they’re happening in every department.

Jack Nagy, founder of MTA360, reveals how AI alongside cutting-edge SEO is reshaping the future of search and creating unprecedented opportunities for home services businesses. You’ll discover how to position your company as a top recommendation when homeowners turn to AI for answers, and how to proactively capture sales through hyper-personalized offers and strategic digital presence.

In this session, you’ll learn how to:

• How conversational AI is changing the way homeowners find businesses
• Why reputation management and expertise influence AI-driven recommendations
• How marketers can adopt a scientific, SEO and AI-focused approach to ensure business visibility
• Strategies for hyperlocal SEO to optimize multiple locations and Google Business Profiles

Leveraging seven years of recruitment data, this session breaks down essential strategies to attract and retain talent across different roles and regions.

Kelly Presgrave, President & CEO of Work With Your Handz, an industry recruiting firm, gives an insightful breakout session where attendees will leave with actionable insights on benefits, schedules, advancement opportunities, and company culture proven to boost candidate engagement and retention.

In this session, you’ll learn:

• Proven recruitment strategies tailored to home and commercial service businesses
• How to adjust hiring tactics based on company size and stage of growth
• Ways to stand out in a competitive labor market — even without the highest wages or biggest brand
• Practical tips for improving candidate engagement and speeding up time-to-hire

Your call center is often the first interaction a customer has with your business—and that first impression can make or break the relationship. But it’s more than just answering phones; it’s a powerful tool for driving growth, building loyalty, and uncovering new revenue opportunities.

Join Chad Peterman, President and CEO of Peterman Brothers, in this session where we’ll look beyond the basics to explore how your call center can become a strategic asset. From improving the customer journey to strengthening operational performance, you’ll gain insights and strategies that deliver measurable impact.

As the leader of one of the nation’s most successful heating, cooling & plumbing companies, Chad has first-hand experience in improving his call center to increase revenue.

In this session, you’ll learn:

• Explore the connection between your call center operations and sales performance —focusing on how customer experience impacts revenue and why first impressions matter
• Highlight opportunities for customer retention and upselling, backed by real-world examples of success
• Dive into strategic dispatching and discuss the key metrics your team should be monitoring to drive performance
• Share practical steps you can take to optimize your call center and boost your bottom line

What do HVAC contractors across North America really think about the year ahead? What are their biggest challenges, priorities, and opportunities? Join marketing research experts Julie Trujillo and Hillary Semmelman from Decision Analyst, along with David Holt from Contractor University, for an eye-opening look at the key takeaways and new findings uncovered in EGIA’s 2026 HVAC Contractor Survey Report.

This session will pull back the curtain on what participating contractors reported during EGIA’s latest survey of HVAC business leaders, identifying the most urgent topics, pressing challenges, and biggest opportunities facing home services business right now – including revenue trends, staffing struggles, lead generation, training needs, marketing spend, technology adoption, and much more. You’ll leave with clear insights into how companies like yours are navigating the evolving landscape – and what separates the most successful from the rest.

In this session, you’ll learn:

• The most valuable opportunities contractors are identifying
• The biggest challenges and pitfalls – and how industry-leading businesses are avoiding them
• Need-to-know info on AI, cutting-edge software, automation, and other technology trends
• Actionable data and expert interpretation across countless other topics