Most-Read: September

A roundup of our five most-read stories from September

Most-Read: September

Image: Homepros

Morgan Stanley exploring $1.5 billion Sila Services sale

Morgan Stanley is exploring a sale of Sila Services that could value the company at “about” $1.5 billion, Reuters reported. 

  • Why it matters: The potential sales price implies a roughly 15x multiple of the company’s near-$100 million EBITDA, according to Reuters. 

Full story

An inside look at Genz-Ryan’s tech stack

Travel about 20 minutes south of Minneapolis and you’ll find Genz-Ryan, an HVAC, plumbing, and electrical company serving the Twin Cities for almost 75 years. 

  • The big picture: Seven core pieces of software keep Genz-Ryan running: ServiceTitan (including Phones Pro), Avoca, Faraday, measureQuick, Rilla, Buck.ai, and Hatch. 

Full story

The Amazon effect hits the HVAC industry

Plenty of industries resist change — until they don’t. 

Sure, the HVAC industry has been slow to adopt technology compared to others, but the influx of software companies suggests it’s coming around. 

  • A 2022 report, for example, shows 18 field service management vendors serving the HVAC and plumbing industries, with ServiceTitan last valued at over $9 billion.

Full story

How Paschal Air, Plumbing & Electric built a winning culture

I recently saw a video tour of Paschal Air, Plumbing & Electric’s headquarters in Northwest Arkansas, and it took me two minutes to remember that I wasn’t looking at one of Google’s offices. 

  • I wanted to know the logic behind the office investment, so I reached out to Jake Winchell, Paschal’s Sales and Marketing Director, and it turns out there’s a lot more than meets the eye.

Full story

Quilt plots its future in the HVAC industry

Quilt, the two-year-old HVAC startup, recently announced that its flagship heat pump achieved a 25 SEER2 rating, as certified by AHRI, making it the “most efficient 2-zone heat pump on the market.”

  • The intrigue: The company has gained lots of attention since launching, so we caught up with CEO Paul Lambert to better understand its strategy and how contractors fit in.

Full story

 

Keep reading

Google was ruled a monopoly, but it won’t affect contractors — yet

Google was ruled a monopoly, but it won’t affect contractors — yet

A judge concluded on Monday that Google holds an illegal monopoly in the online search market

Hatch, Genz-Ryan CEOs on growth challenges, nurturing leads, and AI

Hatch, Genz-Ryan CEOs on growth challenges, nurturing leads, and AI

Last week, on an hour-long webinar, I caught up with the CEOs of Hatch and Genz-Ryan

Reddit is considering Google-like search ads

Reddit is considering Google-like search ads

The move would add available real estate for contractors to reach customers