Trade Secrets: From the Ground Up | Stories of Operators Who've Seen it All

From Two-Way Radios to AI Agents | Golden Rule

Tyson Chen sits down with Mark Paup, President of Golden Rule Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical to trace one of the most compelling origin stories in the trades. Mark bought a struggling Iowa plumbing company for $120K at 24 years old with no real plan and nearly lost everything in the first six months. He shares how early financial discipline, a timely pivot away from new construction before 2008, and a commitment to building systems over just building revenue helped him weather every downturn since. Now running a $40M operation with locations in Des Moines, Salt Lake City, and Omaha, Mark opens up about expanding into new markets, why he sees AI as the biggest opportunity in the trades right now, and how he is getting his entire team on board.

The First Unregulated 'Utility' | Granite Comfort

What if you could take HVAC off your customers' minds forever? Alex Black, Chairman and CEO of Granite Comfort, did exactly that, by replacing one-time installs with a simple monthly subscription covering equipment, service, and maintenance. In this episode, Alex breaks down how he built the world's first unregulated 'utility,' why most PE firms couldn't see the vision, and what it takes to flip the traditional contractor model on its head.

70 Years and Still Rebuilding | Genz-Ryan

Jon Ryan of Genz-Ryan, took over his family's HVAC, plumbing, and electrical business fresh out of college. He would spend the next two decades rebuilding it from scratch. Twice. In this episode, he shares what it really takes to survive a housing crash, ditch your dad's business model, and come out the other side stronger.

The HVAC Math No One Tells You | Rescue Air TX

Very few companies ever cross $10M in revenue. In this episode, Rescue Air founders, Michael Hirsh and Josh Campbell, sit down with Tyson Chen to break down how they built one of Texas' premier HVAC and plumbing businesses. They talk glass ceilings, equity deals, and technology.

Best Decisions Over Beer

First episode launches Thursday, May 7. Avoca AI's Tyson Chen sits down with Rescue Air TX's Josh Campbell and Michael Hirsh on the discipline that separates the 1 in 1000 service businesses that actually scale and the tech bets that keep them ahead.