Jeremy and Jason Julio interview Eric Triplett (“The Pond Digger”) about building and scaling a Southern California pond and aquatic business, surviving stage-four HPV-related tonsil cancer diagnosed in 2015, and the leadership lessons that followed. Triplett recounts noticing a swollen tonsil, facing seven surgeries over roughly three years, and temporarily shutting down his stressful construction division while setting longtime employees up with their own contractor licenses, then focusing on retail, service, and recurring maintenance. He explains how his fish obsession led from aquariums to ponds, the origin of the “Pond Digger” name, his patents (including the Helix Pond Skimmer), and a business model that includes substantial monthly and seasonal maintenance. He discusses podcasting and content creation (The Deep End, Pod House), using AI for marketing, studying DISC/Enneagram, and pursuing growth to $12M by aligning company goals with employee goals.

You'll learn about:

• Eric's Diagnosis And Mindset
• Business Pivot During Treatment
• Origin Of The Brand
• Scaling And Market Realities
• Recurring Revenue Maintenance
• Surviving 2008 And Learning Business
• Manufacturing Patents And Products
• Content Journey And Podcast Rebrand
• Pod House Rules
• Goals and Team Alignment
• Born to Teach
• Scaling Systems and Delegation
• Leadership Psychology Tools
• Cancer Mindset Shift
• Starting in a New Market
• Using AI for Marketing
• Legacy and Exit Strategy

Ready for boardroom-level help with your own business?

• Grow, sell, or exit your service company with Potomac: https://www.potomaccompany.com

Connect with the hosts:

• Blue Collar Twins – Jason & Jeremy Julio: https://bluecollartwins.com

Connect with Paul:

• Paul Giannamore – Managing Director & M&A advisor at Potomac: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulgiannamore

On The Boardroom Buzz, the Blue Collar Twins interview Chad Louk, founder of Prodigy Pest Control Solutions in Sarasota, Florida, about building a fast-growing, year-round pest control company and a separate Prodigy Marketing arm. Chad shares his start in door-to-door sales in 2015, launching and exiting an initial Naples partnership, then starting Prodigy with $7,000 and a used truck; he now runs three offices (opening a fourth near Jacksonville), 54 trucks, and expects ~100 sales reps with ~30% attrition. He explains shifting from heavy door-to-door (still ~65% of customers) toward inside sales and technician-led sales, emphasizing technical training, retention (14% churn vs ~25% industry), production-based tech pay, and review generation (3,500 reviews, 4.9 rating). Chad discusses growth pains from 50% annual expansion, no-debt scaling, hiring leaders including a CEO, community branding, and plans for PCT 100, multi-state growth, and sharing equity with key employees.

You'll learn:

• Door Knocking Roots
• Ethics And Retention
• Starting Prodigy From Scratch
• Scaling Offices And Marketing
• Rep Earnings Reality
• Training And Differentiation
• Beyond Door To Door
• Tech Pay And Reviews
• Community Presence
• Stress and Mindset
• Breaking Past One Million
• Mentors and Early Lessons
• Acquisitions and No Debt

Ready for boardroom-level help with your own business?

• Grow, sell, or exit your service company with Potomac: https://www.potomaccompany.com

Connect with the hosts:

• Blue Collar Twins – Jason & Jeremy Julio: https://bluecollartwins.com

Connect with Paul:

• Paul Giannamore – Managing Director & M&A advisor at Potomac: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulgiannamore

In this episode of The Boardroom Buzz, Jeremy and Jason Julio interview Craig McGraw, Vice President of Trans American Trucking and Warehouse, a New Jersey-based family business founded in 1976 that specializes in logistics, warehousing, and heavy/oversize freight transport. McGraw explains how the company evolved from port container work into moving massive machinery—up to 300,000 pounds on 19-axle trailers—serving industries like nuclear plants and fast-growing data center construction. He describes the relationship-driven nature of sales, frequent travel and industry conferences, and how projects are awarded and managed. The conversation covers scaling limits tied to equipment costs and lead times, operational headaches like high insurance, “nuclear verdicts,” staged accidents, permitting complexity, and the role of political advocacy for trucking infrastructure and permit harmonization. McGraw also discusses community involvement through Seton Hall programs, Team Walker, and the YMCA, and shares views on AI, autonomous trucks, and power demands for data centers.

Learn about:

• Oversize Freight Reality
• How Trans American Started
• What They Haul Today
• Oversize Road Challenges
• Family Roles and Team
• Breaking Into Heavy Haul
• Sales Built on Relationships
• Seton Hall and Mentoring
• Growth to $35M Revenue
• Warehousing and Real Estate
• Fleet Size and Industry Scale
• Insurance Politics and Risk
• Fraud Accidents and Cameras
• Community Boards and Volunteering
• Locations and Scaling Strategy
• Data Centers and Global Freight
• Customs Delays, AI Future and AI Permit Planning
• Family Legacy Leadership
• Service Reputation Culture
• Leading the Sales Team

Ready for boardroom-level help with your own business?

• Grow, sell, or exit your service company with Potomac: https://www.potomaccompany.com

Connect with the hosts:

• Blue Collar Twins – Jason & Jeremy Julio: https://bluecollartwins.com

Connect with Paul:

• Paul Giannamore – Managing Director & M&A advisor at Potomac: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulgiannamore

Building a Legacy Pest Control Brand in Charleston with Kevin Reif

Jeremy and Jason Julio (the Blue Collar Twins) host The Boardroom Buzz with guest Kevin Reif, owner of Reif Environmental, discussing his path from door-to-door pest control sales across multiple states to launching his own company in Charleston, South Carolina. Kevin shares how Reif Environmental has grown organically to roughly double its prior annual revenue (from about $360K) by emphasizing referrals, retention, strong branding, and community relationships rather than scaling large door-to-door teams. He describes building a fun, values-driven culture, hiring technicians through social media, paying top-of-market, pricing for quality service, and delegating to maintain work-life balance. The conversation also covers strategic local partnerships, use of Clicky and influencers, green product options, bee removal and hive relocation, leadership development through mentors, and his routine, faith, and low-stress approach to business growth.

You'll learn:

• Door to Door Origins
• Launching Reif Environmental
• Organic Growth Strategy
• Branding That Sticks
• Hiring Through Culture
• Balancing Routes and Pay
• Strategic Local Partnerships
• Organic Pest Approach
• Mentors and Leadership
• Faith and Stress Management
• Daily Routine and Branding
• Five Year Growth Vision
• Pest World House Networking
• Sales Roots and Ethics

In this episode of The Boardroom Buzz, the Blue Collar Twins sit down with Mat Rogers, the COO at Lizard Marketing.

Join us to learn about Mat's career evolution from pest control to marketing. The impact of AI and digital tools on business growth and the strategies for branding and online presence in the service industry.

You’ll learn:

• From Pest Control to Digital Marketing
• Navigating the Digital Marketing Landscape
• The Impact of AI on Marketing Strategies
• Building Strong Client Relationships
• Managing Client Expectations
• Growth Stages of Businesses
• The Role of AI in Business Growth
• The Future of AI in Marketing
• AI's Impact on Business Operations
• Optimism and Concerns About AI's Future
• The Power of Branding in Digital Marketing

Ready for boardroom-level help with your own business?

• Grow, sell, or exit your service company with Potomac: https://www.potomaccompany.com

Connect with the hosts:

• Blue Collar Twins – Jason & Jeremy Julio: https://bluecollartwins.com

Connect with Paul:

• Paul Giannamore – Managing Director & M&A advisor at Potomac: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulgiannamore

In this episode of The Boardroom Buzz, the Blue Collar Twins sit down with Jonas Olson, the founder and CEO of Pest Badger in Wisconsin and Michigan.

Join us as Jonas shares his inspiring journey from lawn care to building a multi-million dollar pest control empire. Discover his strategies for scaling, marketing, team building, and the importance of relentless execution in business growth.

You’ll learn:

• From Lawn Care to Pest Control: A Unique Transition
• Navigating Challenges: The Impact of COVID-19
• Scaling Success: The Growth of Pest Badgers
• Marketing Magic: Standing Out in a Competitive Industry
• Empowering Teams: The Role of Equity in Growth
• Business Models: Balancing Equity and Salaries
• Innovative Marketing Strategies for Customer Acquisition
• Market Research: Lessons Learned from Expansion
• The Journey of Writing a Book: Insights and Experiences
• Daily Routines: Balancing Work and Family Life
• Growth Mindset: Setting Ambitious Goals and Achieving Them
• The Role of Mentorship in Business Success
• Learning Through Failure
• Networking and Relationships
• Building a Strong Team
• The Role of Discipline in Success

Ready for boardroom-level help with your own business?

• Grow, sell, or exit your service company with Potomac: https://www.potomaccompany.com

Connect with the hosts:

• Blue Collar Twins – Jason & Jeremy Julio: https://bluecollartwins.com

Connect with Paul:

• Paul Giannamore – Managing Director & M&A advisor at Potomac: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulgiannamore

In this episode of The Boardroom Buzz, the Blue Collar Twins sit down with Gary Journeaux, founder of Competitive Pest Services (CPS) – the largest independent, 100% Australian‑owned pest company with national coverage and a 200% money‑back guarantee.

Gary bought a tiny one‑man pest business at 24, with zero experience on the tools, and grew it into a 200‑person operation with teams across Australia and Myanmar, national commercial portfolios, and technicians who are some of the best paid in the industry.

He did it without private equity, without big marketing budgets (zero AdWords for 5+ years), and without becoming “just another multinational.” Instead, he bet everything on customer experience, culture, and being the underdog that big clients actually like.

You’ll learn:

• How Gary went from ad-agency employee to buying a one‑man pest route at 24
• Why CPS is 95% commercial, 5% residential, and how that kills seasonality risk
• The 200% money-back guarantee that forced competitors to copy him
• How he scaled nationally (Australia + Myanmar) with no PE money and brutal cashflow constraints
• Why CPS pays techs top-of-market and still wins big national tenders
• How “one tech, one child” and free work for Ronald McDonald House became recruiting superpowers
• Why Gary is comfortable turning down multinationals and focused on doubling revenue by 2026

Ready for boardroom-level help with your own business?

• Grow, sell, or exit your service company with Potomac: https://www.potomaccompany.com

Connect with the hosts:

• Blue Collar Twins – Jason & Jeremy Julio: https://bluecollartwins.com

Connect with Paul:

• Paul Giannamore – Managing Director & M&A advisor at Potomac: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulgiannamore

In this episode of The Boardroom Buzz, the Blue Collar Twins sit down with Lenny Gray, the guy other Utah killers call “the godfather of door-to-door.”

Lenny started as an Orkin rep in the late 90s, built his own pest company from two dudes and a truck into the largest residential player in Utah, and went on to three separate exits across multiple branches. Today, he runs D2D Millionaire, helping 40+ home-service verticals build in-house door-to-door programs that grow fast without nuking retention or reputation.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you should build a door-to-door team, outsource to a marketing company, or avoid it completely, this is your playbook.

You’ll learn:

• How Lenny went from missionary door-knocking to three pest-control exits

• Why outsourced D2D vendors often charge 120% of first-year revenue and wreck your economics

• How he kept 80%+ retention on door-to-door accounts by selling and servicing differently

• A simple, low-risk way to start D2D: knocking neighbors of existing customers

• How A1 Garage Door uses a “sticker play” to print future demand with 42% conversion

• Why Lenny thinks we’ll see 1M+ reps knocking by 2030, and what that means for your edge

Ready for boardroom-level help with your own business?

• Grow, sell, or exit your service company with Potomac: https://www.potomaccompany.com

Connect with the hosts:

• Blue Collar Twins – Jason & Jeremy Julio: https://bluecollartwins.com

Connect with Paul:

• Paul Giannamore – Managing Director & M&A advisor at Potomac: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulgiannamore