The Contractor Grow Show

Mark Lamberth

Are you a successful contractor, remodeler, or home service provider looking to elevate your business through smarter digital marketing? The Contractor Grow Show is your go-to resource for proven, actionable strategies to grow your business online. Hosted every two weeks, this podcast dives deep into the digital marketing techniques that can help home service providers like you reach new customers, optimize lead generation, and boost revenue. Each episode features exclusive interviews with industry-leading experts, digital marketing pros, and high-performing contractors who are sharing their real-world success stories and game-changing strategies. Whether you're already doing $1M in annual revenue or on your way, you'll learn how to leverage SEO, paid advertising, social media, and more to stand out in a competitive market. Get insights from entrepreneurs and contractors you’ve never heard from before—who are using digital marketing to push their business to the next level. If you're ready to take your business to the next level with the latest digital marketing techniques tailored specifically for remodelers and home service pros, the Contractor Grow Show is the podcast for you!

  1. High-performance HVAC growth story: Culture, service & complex institutional projects

    1d ago

    High-performance HVAC growth story: Culture, service & complex institutional projects

    Dynamic Air president Brad Carpenter shares how an employee-first culture, A‑player talent, and a “run to the fire” mindset helped DAC become a go‑to independent rep for complex institutional HVAC and energy recovery projects across labs, healthcare, and high-end commercial buildings in New England. How Dynamic Air grew from a founders’ vision into a leading Boston-based independent manufacturers’ rep for complex institutional HVAC systems.The employee-first, work–life balance culture that keeps elite sales engineers and technicians on the team in a highly competitive HVAC talent market.Why Brad organizes the company like a pro sports team so A players can do their best work and self-manage around shared standards and accountability.Real stories of going “all stops” for customers, from cross-border COVID supply chain workarounds to same-day site visits when critical projects are at risk.How DAC’s Local 537 pipefitters and Local 17 sheet metal service branches became the missing link between complex engineered systems and reliable field performance.Why owning service on high-spec, energy recovery and lab systems protects decades of brand equity and eliminates finger-pointing when something goes wrong.The unique “cradle to grave” sales-engineer model that keeps one accountable point of contact from design through installation, startup, and ongoing support.How large healthcare, lab, and institutional owners should engage their engineers and DAC together to get the right custom HVAC and energy recovery solution for their next project.

    26 min
  2. From 15 to 25 Lawn Clients: How Richard Built Nature’s Lawn Care in Denver

    Jun 15

    From 15 to 25 Lawn Clients: How Richard Built Nature’s Lawn Care in Denver

    In this episode of The Contractor Grow Show, Mark sits down with Richard Safo, founder of Nature’s Lawn Care in Lakewood, Colorado, to unpack how he turned a small COVID side hustle into a growing local lawn care business serving Denver, Lakewood, Littleton, and Aurora. You’ll hear how Richard quit his full-time job with just 15 clients, pushed through losing nearly half of them, and still managed to grow to about 25 recurring customers by focusing on relationships, word of mouth, and relentless hustle. We dig into his simple but effective sales process, why he insists on visiting every property in person, and how listening first (instead of talking over customers) has become his secret weapon. Richard also shares how he cobbles together marketing—Nextdoor ads, EDDM postcards, door hangers, and even putting cards on cars at the park—to keep his phone ringing. For lawn and landscape pros, his first winter going full time is a must-listen segment, from slow snow seasons to budgeting and saving enough in the busy months to make it through. If you’re a lawn care or landscaping contractor wondering when to go all in, how far to travel for jobs, or how to keep revenue coming in a seasonal business, this conversation will give you real-world insight from someone in the trenches right now. Bullet points: How Richard turned a COVID side hustle into Nature’s Lawn Care in Lakewood, COQuitting his full-time job with 15 clients, losing nearly half, and rebuilding to 25Simple, relationship-first sales process from first text or call to on-site estimateWhy in-person property visits and truly listening to customers set him apartGrassroots marketing mix: word of mouth, Nextdoor ads, EDDM, door hangers, and moreNavigating Colorado’s slow winter season with minimal snow work and smart savingDialing in service area to cut travel costs while still serving Denver, Lakewood, Littleton, and AuroraHow to contact Nature’s Lawn Care via phone, Instagram, and LinkedIn to book services

    14 min
  3. How a 100-Year-Old Builder Kills Change Orders with Pre-Construction Mastery

    Jun 3

    How a 100-Year-Old Builder Kills Change Orders with Pre-Construction Mastery

    Description In this episode of The Contractor Grow Show, Mark talks with Marc Heiman, President/CEO of New York–based builder Richter+Ratner, a 100+ year construction firm known for complex museums, schools, and civic projects—and for their bold promise of no fee on change orders. Marc unpacks how their T.E.A.R.™ (Technical Evaluation, Analysis, Recommendation) process transforms pre-construction from an afterthought into a profit-protecting advantage for owners, architects, and builders. You’ll learn how shifting from lump-sum bidding to cost-plus/GMP, leaning into fast-track and complex work, and obsessing over constructability and logistics has allowed Marc’s team to deliver high-profile projects with fewer surprises and stronger relationships. In this episode, we cover: Why Marc pivoted a legacy retail-focused firm into museums, schools, and civic workHow the T.E.A.R.™ method reduces change orders through deep pre-construction collaborationThe real difference between lump sum vs. cost-plus/GMP—and why some owners are misledWhy Richter+Ratner charges no fee on change orders and still protects marginsHow referrals from long-term relationships (including a rabbi client) drive $5B+ in workWhy chasing revenue without the right resources can destroy a referral-based businessHow Marc uses teaching, lecturing, and board work to influence the industryThe personal boundaries and mental-health habits that keep a CEO effective long term

    14 min
  4. How Bob Ray 5X’d Reviews & Grew a Fence Brand in Just a Few Years

    May 28

    How Bob Ray 5X’d Reviews & Grew a Fence Brand in Just a Few Years

    In this episode of The Contractor Grow Show, Mark talks with Bob Ray, owner of North Indy Fence Deck & Rail in Noblesville, Indiana. After selling his family office-supply business, Bob jumped into a completely new industry—buying a small fence company with no trade background, just years of experience running and growing businesses. Bob unpacks how he evaluated the business, turned it into a highly reviewed local brand, and built steady lead flow through reviews, relationships, and smart job selection—not by trying to be everything to everyone. If you’re thinking about buying a contracting business or leveling up the one you’ve got, this conversation is packed with practical, repeatable tactics. Key takeaways: Why Bob bought an existing fence company (and its building) instead of starting from scratchHow he went from knowing nothing about tools to confidently running a fence/deck operationThe simple “spiff for 5-stars” system that took them from ~50 reviews to nearly 250How crews are trained to ask for reviews without it feeling awkward or fakeBuilding upstream referral engines via HOAs, landscapers, concrete contractors, and GCsWhy he focuses on aluminum fencing and deck resurfacing instead of saying yes to everythingThe pros and cons of commercial work vs. residential (cash flow, payment delays, pricing)How North Indy uses online tools and instant quotes to pre-qualify and educate homeowners

    21 min
  5. How Capo Projects Wins Massive Institutional RFPs (Without Being the Cheapest)

    May 16

    How Capo Projects Wins Massive Institutional RFPs (Without Being the Cheapest)

    In this episode of The Contractor Grow Show, Mark sits down with Adam Trimm of Capo Projects Group, a 30-person construction consulting and project controls firm based in San Clemente, California. Adam shares how his four-partner team supports data centers, utilities, hospitals, schools, and major civil projects across the U.S.—and why they’re often chosen over bigger competitors even when they’re not the lowest bid. They dig into how Capo Projects pre-positions for multi-million and billion-dollar opportunities, builds deep relationships with both contractors and institutional owners, and uses tech (including their PlanGo platform and AI experiments) to streamline scheduling and de-risk complex jobs. If you’re serious about moving up-market or competing on more than just price, this conversation is a playbook. Key takeaways: How four ex–heavy civil pros built a 30-person consulting firm over 13–14 yearsThe evolution from GC-focused work to 50–60% of revenue coming directly from institutional ownersWhy pre-positioning off capital improvement plans (CIPs) is critical before an RFP ever dropsHow they win RFPs on value, resumes, and risk reduction—not just low feesThe role of face-to-face site visits and relationship-building in landing massive projectsHow their PlanGo scheduling platform was born from internal needs, then spun out as a productWhere AI can (and can’t yet) replace the “salty 40-year superintendent” in project schedulingWhy investing thousands in travel and pursuit work upfront can transform your hit rate at the top end

    22 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Are you a successful contractor, remodeler, or home service provider looking to elevate your business through smarter digital marketing? The Contractor Grow Show is your go-to resource for proven, actionable strategies to grow your business online. Hosted every two weeks, this podcast dives deep into the digital marketing techniques that can help home service providers like you reach new customers, optimize lead generation, and boost revenue. Each episode features exclusive interviews with industry-leading experts, digital marketing pros, and high-performing contractors who are sharing their real-world success stories and game-changing strategies. Whether you're already doing $1M in annual revenue or on your way, you'll learn how to leverage SEO, paid advertising, social media, and more to stand out in a competitive market. Get insights from entrepreneurs and contractors you’ve never heard from before—who are using digital marketing to push their business to the next level. If you're ready to take your business to the next level with the latest digital marketing techniques tailored specifically for remodelers and home service pros, the Contractor Grow Show is the podcast for you!