Two remodeling legends shared the stage at Pro Remodeler’s Pinnacle Experience in June when Mark Richardson presented Brian Gottlieb with the inaugural lifetime “Remodeling Mastery Award.” Richardson conceived of the award to recognize industry professionals who have exhibited innovation in business, served as an inspiration to their peers, and have had an extraordinary impact on the profession.
“Remodeling mastery is something that I've always been passionate about, and I want to acknowledge individuals who have had a big influence on the field,” Richardson said. “I didn’t want this award to just be about who grew their business to a giant size. I want to recognize people who have cracked the code in terms of doing interesting, innovative things.”
Richardson, a renowned remodeling industry veteran, author, columnist, business growth strategist, and host of the Remodeling Mastery podcast supported by Pro Remodeler, said he selected Gottlieb because he has more than accomplished the mastery of innovation, mastery of inspiration, and mastery of industry impact.
Gottlieb is the founder of a family of home improvement businesses, including Tundraland Home Improvement, Renewal by Andersen of Greater Wisconsin, and Jacuzzi Bath Remodel of Arizona. He has served as an advisor and advocate to many working in home improvement. His first book, Beyond the Hammer: A Fresh Approach to Leadership, Culture, and Building High Performance Teams, comes out in September.
Richardson says that Gottlieb changed the paradigm when he realized that the success of his window installation business was about making it more of a sales and marketing business than a remodeling business. The windows were just the product. That concept was then iterated on when Gotllieb added team training and development as an integral part of his business mission. “First and foremost, we’re a training organization,” he told Pro Remodeler in 2023. “We’re in the business of training and developing people, talent, and capabilities throughout our company and whoever it touches.”
This mindset is critical to growing people, business, and influence, Richardson said.
Another byproduct of Gottlieb’s success in window installation: creativity and giving back to the community. For example, instead of sending old windows to a landfill, Tundraland donated them to artists who created work that was auctioned with the proceeds donated to veterans.
“That was a really inspiring thing—taking something that’s bad for the environment and turning it into a positive. It’s really cool that that is the way Brian thinks,” Richardson said.
Another big impact Gottlieb had on business came from his process for speeding up install after first meeting a client. “He took what was historically a process that had a four- to six-week lead time and squeezed it down to basically four days.” Richardson said. That efficiency led to increased client satisfaction and ultimately higher profit margins.
Gottlieb has sold all three of his businesses. Tundraland Home Improvement went to a private equity firm, Renewal by Anderson of Greater Wisconsin to the leadership team, and Jacuzzi Bath Remodel of Arizona to the Jacuzzi corporation.
“He learned the good, the bad, and the ugly about private equity and he learned about the difference in how manufacturers look at things versus entrepreneurs. The real essence of the business is the leadership team. They're the ones who should carry on the success and ultimately the legacy of the business,” Richardson said.
In accepting his award, Gottlieb thanked Richardson and gave a brief speech, telling the audience, “When you're growing a business, you debate whether you want to be successful or whether you want to be kind. I don't think it's a choice. It's about being successful and being kind. When you can make a positive impact in the life of just one individual, that's how you take part in changing the world.”
The Pinnacle Experience was a three-day event hosted by Pro Remodeler June 26-28 in Baltimore. It brought together the best and brightest in remodeling and home improvement.
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