107: Third-Generation Owner Reveals His $140M Growth Strategy with Trey McWilliams

In this episode of the Turnaround Boardroom, host Paul Maskill sits down with Trey McWilliams, third-generation owner of McWilliams Heating, Cooling, and Plumbing and founder of Blue Cardinal Home Services Group . Trey shares the real, unfiltered story of taking his family's Lufkin, Texas business from just over $1M in revenue in 2010 to $28M by 2018, and now overseeing a platform pushing $140M+ in revenue with 400+ employees across Texas, Arizona, Kansas City, Birmingham, and Augusta. He opens up about the hard conversations with his dad, the massive team turnover that came with changing the culture, betting on marketing dollars he didn't have, and why community involvement built his brand faster than any ad spend. If you're a home service business owner trying to move from a lifestyle business to a real, scalable company — this episode is packed with lessons on culture, marketing, hiring, and leadership. In today's briefing, Paul and Trey dig into: Why "pain and fear" pushed Trey to take the family business in a new direction Building a "brand ambassador" program to scale culture across locations Why he turned down early private equity offers to build his own platform instead The leadership shift from "doer" to "coach" that unlocked real scale His approach to identifying and betting on people before they bet on themselves If your business looks successful on the outside—but feels tight, stressful, or unclear underneath—this podcast is for you. If you want to be interviewed on the podcast email me at [email protected]