Josh Sparks: To Infinity (Exteriors) and Beyond

As a child, Josh Sparks didn’t have it easy. He was 10 when his mother, who was addicted to heroin, went to prison and he entered foster care. After 17 different schools, the young Sparks landed in Milwaukee. It was there that his life changed when a friend offered him a job roofing. 

“It was incredibly hard work ... and at the end of the summer, I thought myself proficient enough to try to handle suppliers and sell my own job,” he says. “And so I did that.”

Today, Sparks is CEO of Infinity Home Services, formally Infinity Exteriors—one of the country’s top home improvement companies. Roofing taught Sparks what it meant to run a business built on integrity, but that didn’t come before meeting a woman named Betty in 2005.

At about 80 years old, “she was one of those great homeowners that invites you into their house, has coffee ready, and is really excited to get their roof done.” Betty’s home was modest, and the quick job cost $600 for materials and labor. Her bill was $12,000. 

“I was furious,” he recalls. “I quit and called my wife and I said, ‘Honey, this industry is full of these crazy folks and I’m sick of it. We got to do something about it.’”

I will not rest my head well on a pillow at night until we rid every corner of the world of these unscrupulous folks, and up-level this industry.

Doing Something

Sparks’ experience with Betty was the final impetus for what became his company’s vision: to rid the world of unscrupulous contractors. The couple spent their savings on marketing, and Infinity Roofing was born.

“That day in 2005 [we] decided to dedicate our lives to building a business predicated on the values of honesty, transparency, and fair pricing,” says Sparks.

The first year, the couple hit $1 million in revenue. Three years later, in 2008, Infinity Roofing changed its name to Infinity Exteriors, now offering siding and windows. 

By 2020, the company hit $50 million in revenue without “heavy, aggressive marketing and sales tactics,” Sparks says. Those methods were exactly what he hated about others in the industry.

Instead, Infinity paired customized internal technology with excellent customer service and a strong base of repeat and referral business. Then, private equity came knocking.

And Doing More

Once Infinity hit that leading reputation, Sparks received constant requests to buy his company.

“I didn’t want to subject my people to just profiteering,” he says. That meant finding a partner who would support Infinity’s culture, up-level the talent, and help deliver a better customer experience. 

After much consideration, Sparks selected North Branch Capital, a smaller firm. Together, they planned to take the $50 million company to new heights, with a projected annual revenue of $120 million in five years.

“We hit that in eight months,” says Sparks. “We grew like a weed.”

Looking for funds to further expand Infinity’s mission, Sparks partnered with two additional private equity firms and formed parent company Infinity Home Services (IHS).

IHS aims to acquire companies with passionate owners who hold similar values. The firm has 16 businesses and projects $300 million in revenue for 2024 with 600+ employees.

“I will not rest my head well on a pillow at night until we rid every corner of the world of these unscrupulous folks, and up-level this industry,” says Sparks. “It’s going to take a lot of hard work, [and] absolute integrity. So those kinds of values we stand behind, and the most recent companies we partner with fit that mold perfectly.”