Podcast Summary: Owned and Operated – Episode #248

Title: Can AI Really Help Your Business Grow?
Date: October 7, 2025
Host: John Wilson
Guests: RJ McGee (Sierra), Tyson (Avoca)
Location: Live at Pantheon

Episode Overview

In this episode, John Wilson is joined by RJ McGee from Sierra and Tyson from Avoca, live at Pantheon, the annual gathering for the ServiceTitan home services community. The main theme explores the role of AI—particularly AI call center technology—in streamlining business operations and accelerating the growth of home service companies, such as those in plumbing, electrical, and HVAC. The discussion dives into practical experiences on multi-location scaling, technology implementation, and change management, sharing actionable insights for operators navigating the rise of AI in the trades.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Landscape: Live from Pantheon

• The hosts and guests reflect on the scale and energy at Pantheon, an industry event, and remark on the value of meeting peers and learning about disruptive technologies, especially AI.
• RJ: “Really, the AI conversation is going to be really interesting… there’s always going to be a lot of disruption. I think it’s going to be good disruption. We’re going to have to figure out how to adjust and adapt and overcome.” [01:44]

2. Company Backgrounds & Growth Strategies

• Sierra’s Story:

  • Started in 1987 by RJ’s father.
  • Shifted from new construction to home services in 2014, sold to private equity in 2020.
  • Now operates six companies across five states (Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Colorado, two in Tucson, AZ) with ~490 employees.
  • “Since then, we've acquired five additional companies.” [03:19]

• Expansion Philosophy:

  • Focus primarily on the Western Rockies but open to good companies in any geography.
  • Finds local market dynamics (e.g., traffic patterns, metro area sprawl) crucial for service radius and operational planning.
  • “Geography matters some, but it’s not the entire equation.” [04:30]
  • Importance of company fit and adding value through operational support, not gutting processes.

3. Shared Services, Centralization, and Change Management

• Centralizing vs. Local Autonomy:

  • Sierra centralizes resources (HR, marketing, tech), but leaves call centers and dispatch local to maintain ownership and accountability at each branch.
  • “If I bring the call center into one location, that’s going to be the first excuse that a GM…” [08:02]
  • Marketing and recruiting are collaborative, with centralized guidance and local execution.

• Change Management:

  • Emphasizes transparency and involving teams early to avoid resistance when introducing tech advancements.
  • “You need to be explaining like, these are the great technology advancements we’re going to help you make so they’re excited about it. If you just go in and just be like, oh by the way, here’s all this AI stuff now, it’ll never work.” [19:08]

4. Implementing AI & Technology Across Multiple Locations

• Adopting Avoca’s AI:

  • RJ discusses meeting Tyson and implementing Avoca’s AI call center solution after skepticism about AI agents.
  • Initial negative experiences with generic AI (“customers were screaming ‘human, human, human’” [00:00]) versus Avoca’s rapidly evolving, customizable approach.
  • “Met with Tyson and his team and I was really amazed at how far they had come, what they had built so far.” [00:07]

• Rollout Process:

  • Start with one location (Vegas), optimize, then scale to others in 2–3-week sprints.
  • Centralize tech stack after local accounting and banking integration (Sage Intacct, ADP, then ServiceTitan; Avoca layered on last).
  • “When we do technology on any other location, it's always accounting first... Then we'll do ServiceTitan after that and then once we get the three cores of our tech stack in place, that's when we start to add on the pieces like Avoca.” [10:35]

• Benefits of Avoca’s AI:

  • Reduces missed calls, especially after-hours and overflow.
  • Books calls directly in ServiceTitan for instant dispatch board integration.
  • Removes excuses around staffing shortages and productivity gaps.
  • “They answer 24/7, sound like a real human, and plug straight into your CRM to book jobs…” [07:47]
  • Avoca’s team is highly responsive to feedback, quickly implementing changes and improvements per client requests.

5. ServiceTitan Usage and Multi-location Nuances

• Single vs. Multiple Instances:

  • Most multi-location operators run multiple ServiceTitan instances due to differences in shop “language,” processes, and need to avoid cross-location data interference.
  • Standardization consultants (like Maury Christmas) help but local nuances persist.
  • “At the end of the day, each shop to some degree is going to have its own language… it's really hard to take one instance of ServiceTitan and get it to speak the languages of multiple shops.” [16:09]
  • Some operators with highly unified operations use a single instance, especially if they have a centralized call center.

• Change Management in Tech Adoption:

  • “You really have to have a culture of change management... as you're bringing on a new partner, you need to be explaining these are the great technology advancements we're going to help you make so that they're excited about it.” [18:48]

6. Looking Ahead: What’s Next for Sierra?

• Continued growth with focus on western states, but open to moving east.
• Maintains unique appeal as a group led by experienced operators with trade backgrounds.
• Aims for acquisitive growth with strong value-add processes and collaborative partnerships.
• “We like to think of ourselves as a little bit different than some of the other portfolio groups that are out there... I think we're just guys you want to go have a beer with and want to talk about trades and how to fix stuff and how to make customers happy.” [19:45]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• AI Pain Points & Breakthroughs:
  • RJ: “Half the time the customers were screaming, human, human, human. Like, get me off of this.” [00:00]
  • Tyson: “Part of what we now do is… help you standardize both at an operational level as well as from a technology perspective. So then it's like, okay, when we start the actual Avoca onboarding, you guys are ready.” [15:46]
• Centralization Resistance:
  • RJ: “If I bring the call center into one location, that’s going to be the first excuse that a GM…” [08:02]
• AI Implementation Success:
  • RJ: “I was really amazed at how far they had come, what they had built so far. He's got an amazing team over there… within like a day or two they were making changes to how the agent was responding.” [13:36]
• Technology Culture:
  • RJ: “We are becoming a technology company. We have to embrace it. Doesn't mean we're getting rid of everyone. We just need to figure out how we optimize for it.” [02:36]
• Why Multiple ServiceTitan Instances:
  • RJ: “At the end of the day, each shop to some degree is going to have its own language within that shop and it's really hard to take one instance of ServiceTitan and get it to speak the languages of multiple shops.” [16:09]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:00] – Frustrations with AI agents in call centers
• [01:44] – Excitement and disruption from AI at Pantheon
• [03:19] – RJ McGee details Sierra’s growth and acquisition journey
• [08:02] – Centralization of services and local accountability
• [09:12] – Using Avoca’s AI in call centers to improve efficiency
• [10:35] – The staged approach to tech stack rollout in new acquisitions
• [13:36] – Customizing Avoca’s AI to fit Sierra’s needs
• [16:09] – Challenges and rationale behind multiple ServiceTitan instances
• [18:48] – Importance of change management culture
• [19:45] – Sierra’s focus and philosophy for continued growth

Closing Details

• RJ welcomes networking and shop tours, best reached via LinkedIn or email (rjmcgee.com). [21:12]
• Tyson is accessible at tyson@avoca.ai or through the Avoca website. [21:49]
• The panel emphasizes a collaborative spirit in the trades, helping each other win by embracing technology and operational best practices.

To learn more or connect with the guests, visit ownedandoperated.com.