To The Point – Home Services Podcast

Episode: Ken Goodrich Interviews Current Goettl CEO Jake Gress at RYNOx (March 17, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this candid and insightful conversation recorded live at RYNOx, industry legend Ken Goodrich interviews Jake Gress, the current CEO of Goettl. The two leaders swap perspectives on steering Goettl—a company with a storied 89-year history—through modern challenges, operational reinvention, competition, and technological transformation. Listeners get a unique “operator-to-operator” view of what it’s like to inherit, build, and continually evolve one of the most recognized brands in home services.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Legacy and Evolution of Goettl

• Goettl’s Roots: Founded by Gust and Adam Goettl, the company not only invented the residential air conditioner but essentially made Phoenix habitable with its innovations. (Ken Goodrich, 01:00)
• Rich History: Ken underscores that Goettl, at 89 years old, has seen many reinventions, with Ken himself serving as the sixth CEO and Jake as the seventh.
• Personal Connection: Ken recalls his first experience with a Goettl unit as a boy, holding a flashlight for his father. (Ken Goodrich, 03:00)

“The first air conditioner I ever lit up with my flashlight was a Goettl… I’ve been around this business for 50-plus years. To get my arms around it and take it to the next phase of growth was a huge opportunity.”
—Ken Goodrich [03:02]

2. Jake’s Non-Traditional Path to Leadership

• Jake began outside home services, building his career in consumer products and large-scale distribution, scaling LNW Supply from $1B to $4B.
• He draws strong parallels between distribution and home services: focus on branch operations, common processes, operating systems, accountability, and controls. (Jake Gress, 04:12)

“There’s a lot of similarities… You got branches out in the field, you’re trying to figure out the processes… And then you’ve got a lot of back office stuff you gotta figure out.”
—Jake Gress [04:12]

3. Transition & First Impressions as CEO

• Jake joined Goettl at a turbulent time—right after Ken’s successful exit and in the midst of industry headwinds: supply chain chaos, fierce competition, aggressive talent poaching, and margin pressure.
• He focused his first 90 days on observing, asking questions, doing field ride-alongs, and understanding operational blind spots. (Jake Gress, 09:31)

“I just took the first 90 days and I just observed… Where are the blind spots? Where are the areas we’ve really got to pay attention to?”
—Jake Gress [09:31]

4. Modernizing Operations & Unlocking Data

• Jake prioritized standardizing operational systems, especially across branches, and scrutinizing ServiceTitan configurations to ensure accurate, actionable KPIs.
• Introduction of a data lake allowed Goettl to mine actionable operational insights, like tracking on-time arrival for first appointments—a direct driver of customer satisfaction and job efficiency. (Jake Gress, 09:31 and 13:29)

“I didn’t think a contractor firm would need a data lake, but it was a big unlock… Even measuring on-time is not something that’s super easy within ServiceTitan. But I wanted to know, how on-time are we on the first out? …That is better service.”
—Jake Gress [09:31]

• Documenting “tribal” processes made it possible to scale training and enforce consistency across a multi-location operation.

5. Fixing Foundational Systems—The Price Book Story

• Ken admits that though revenue appeared high, something was off with margins—Jake’s diagnosis? The price book was fundamentally misconfigured.
• By revamping the price book (even lowering some prices), Jake drove both higher gross margins and gross profit dollars—counterintuitive, but highly effective. (Ken Goodrich, 13:56)

“He was able to actually lower the prices and increase the gross profit margin… by fixing the system, making everything much more efficient.”
—Ken Goodrich [13:56]

6. Culture, Leadership, and ‘Selling the Baby’

• Ken shares the emotional reality of selling a business built with passion; he likens it to “the five stages of grief,” even after receiving generous payouts.

“I felt better about myself when I had zero dollars and I was sweating payroll. But it was mine and it was my creation…”
—Ken Goodrich [17:24]

• Jake acknowledges how deeply Ken’s story and personality are tied to the Goettl brand—an asset and a challenge for a new CEO stepping in. (Jake Gress, 21:34)

7. Fundamentals Over Flashy Tactics

• Ken asks Jake about his methodical, fundamentals-first improvements (data, system design, process), rather than trade- or sales-focused innovations.
• Jake credits his experience fixing “broke” businesses for his comfort with experimentation and structural reinvention. (Jake Gress, 24:41)

“The price book in this business is really the heart and soul… It’s your script. So it’s really critical that that is really tight within the business.”
—Jake Gress [24:41]

• Jake’s “Freedom in a Framework” motto: Balance branch-level autonomy with operational consistency, and empower staff with actionable data, not just spreadsheets. (Jake Gress, 26:21)

8. Industry Evolution & Competitive Landscape

• Both agree: the home services industry has become far more competitive and data-driven since 2017–2018.
• Market is still highly fragmented despite some huge M&A deals: most business remains in single-location operations. (Ken Goodrich, 31:21)
• Sophisticated players are now “playing chess,” while others still “play checkers” with undisciplined marketing spend and lost margin. (Jake Gress, 32:47)

9. People, Culture, and Building the Best Place to Work

• Jake: “This is a people business.” Engagement is measured rigorously (Gallup Q12), with a servant leadership mindset and relentless focus on culture, core values, and training.
• Talent development—from new apprenticeship programs to continuous skill-building—forms a key pillar of Goettl’s growth plan. (Jake Gress, 33:52)

10. The Future: Technology, AI, and Opportunity

• In the next five years, Jake predicts:
  • Accelerated industry consolidation
  • AI-driven automation may lower the barrier to scaling up, letting more $1–5M companies become $10–15M
  • Alternatively, AI could polarize the industry, deepening the divide between giants and “mom-and-pop” shops (Jake Gress, 35:09)
  • “The trades are cool again,” with younger generations flocking to apprenticeship opportunities

“Our latest version of our apprenticeship program, we had 1,500 resumes come through for 30 positions…so there’s a lot of interest to be in this space.” —Jake Gress [37:01]

• Goettl’s own growth is focused on the Southwest, but with ambitions to add colder climate markets to moderate seasonality. (Jake Gress, 38:28)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “What got us to here ain’t going to get us to there.”
  —Ken Goodrich [08:37]

• “A lot of what we’ve tried to do is create the dashboards and the visualizations for these guys to be able to see the insight so they can drive the action…”
  —Jake Gress [15:53]

• “If everybody’s going to play checkers, we got to figure out how to play chess at the end of the day.”
  —Jake Gress [32:47]

• “Be the best place to work in the industry… People want to feel like they belong.”
  —Jake Gress [33:52]

• “This is the greatest time for opportunity for like the Gen Ys… Who would ever think that $100 million HVAC company would be fairly common?”
  —Ken Goodrich [36:08]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Goettl History & Ken’s Backstory – [01:00] to [04:04]
• Jake’s Career Path & Early Impressions – [04:12] to [06:33]
• First 90 Days as CEO; Operations Focus – [09:31] to [13:29]
• Price Book, Margin Discovery, & System Fixing – [13:56] to [15:53]
• Emotional Reality of Selling the Business – [17:08] to [19:20]
• Culture & Leadership Transition – [21:10] to [24:41]
• Data, Technology & Scaling Lessons – [26:21] to [29:51]
• Industry Fragmentation & Competition – [31:21] to [33:52]
• People & Culture Focus – [33:52] to [35:00]
• The Future: AI, Consolidation, and Trades Talent – [35:09] to [38:28]
• Goettl’s Growth Strategy – [38:12] to [38:56]

Summary

This high-level, practical episode highlights the power of combining time-tested fundamentals with new data and technological advances in home services. Whether you’re building, turning around, or scaling your business, Jake and Ken’s stories and back-and-forths provide valuable lessons on culture, leadership, and adaptation in a quickly evolving industry.