Ken’s Turnaround: Buying Goettl in Crisis

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Join us for a deep-dive conversation between Ken Goodrich, the visionary who rescued the legendary Goettl brand from the brink of bankruptcy, and Jake Gress, the current CEO tasked with leading the company into its next era of growth.

In this episode, Ken and Jake discuss the rich 89-year history of Goettl—the company that pioneered residential air conditioning in the Southwest—and explore the transition from "brute force" entrepreneurial growth to a sophisticated, data-driven enterprise. Whether you are a home services professional or a business leader, this episode offers invaluable insights into technical craftsmanship, operational excellence, and the psychological journey of selling a "business baby"

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00:01:03 – The Invention of Habitability: How Goettl’s founders patented residential AC and made Phoenix livable

00:02:26 – The $500,000 Turnaround: Ken Goodrich recounts buying the company days away from bankruptcy in 2013.

00:03:30 – New Leadership, New Perspective: Jake Gress discusses transitioning from multi-billion dollar distribution to home services.

00:06:58 – The 100-Person Relay Race: Managing the complexity of daily handoffs in a dynamic service business.

00:09:03 – Operational "Leaks": Finding the blind spots and why Goettl returned to the "ServiceTitan" fundamentals

00:10:44 – The Data Unlock: How a "Data Lake" and measuring "on-time" arrivals transformed the customer experience

00:13:16 – Counterintuitive Growth: How Jake lowered prices while simultaneously increasing gross profit margins

00:15:46 – The Five Stages of Grief: Ken shares the psychological impact of selling a business that has become your identity.

00:22:05 – Freedom in a Framework: Designing systems that allow employees to act like entrepreneurs

00:29:18 – Refining Culture: Moving from brute force to servant leadership and the Gallup Q12.

00:33:55 – The Future of Goettl: Growth plans for the Southwest and expanding into colder "seasonality" markets

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