About

The Blue Collar
Success Group®

What We Do

Clients seek us out for freedom. Freedom from things they no longer want to do in their business and freedom to do what they want in business.

Our brand Blue Collar is often imitated, but never duplicated, because of our approach in training and coaching.

We are not a one size fits all “best practices” group. We coach businesses based on their unique market and their unique business.  

Regardless of your size, budget or goals, we want to help you build a home service business that will run itself and not you!

The Blue Collar Success Group offers live and online training & events designed to instill confidence and competence for you and your entire team.

You’ll also discover a toolbox loaded with templates and tools. Whether you are looking or systems/processes, marketing, pricing, recruiting resources or Instant Meeting Makers, you’ll find it in our ever-growing toolbox resource.

Not to mention fully customizable coaching groups designed to fit any size business. We don’t believe in one-size fits all approach. We’ll help you design a program that will work for you and your team’s needs.

Our team of business coaches, marketing experts, entrepreneurs, leaders and innovators help you network with people who have the same mindset and understanding, so you’re never the smartest person in the room.

And, between our members, partners and Blue Collar Success Group team, you’ll never be left alone. Above all else, we guarantee you’ll be so excited about everything we offer – and rediscover the fun and passion you once had for your business.

Who We Serve

Our clients and members are progressive in-home service contractors who understand life and business are better when they aren’t navigating it alone. The blue-collar people we serve…

  • Want supportive, fun and friendly group of experienced coaches that recognize what it takes to thrive.
  • Are open-minded, can let go of an ego and realize their way isn’t always best.
  • Commit to team and individual development.
  • Desire a strategic investment in their company’s future.
  • Understand that technology is changing and there’s a need to constantly adapt.
  • Want freedom from things they no longer want to do in their business and freedom to do what they want in business.
  • Looking for a customized and personalized approach in training and coaching.
  • Want to provide a better life for their families and team members.
  • They are looking for a best practices group based on their unique market and business.

what-we-do-red-truck

Commitment

To Families & Our Industry

We’ve positively impacted thousands of clients across the in-home services sector because our organization was built to provide financial freedom for businesses and a worry-free life for your family.

Our award-winning coaches and trainers personally saw that success within their in-home service companies, and are committed to sharing their expertise within a niche industry they know best.

Explore why The Blue Collar Success Group truly is your business’ answer to offering world-class customer service and all-encompassing growth that influences owners to office staff!

Interested in Customized

One-on-One Coaching?

See how we help you succeed

Meet Our Founder

Kenny Chapman founded The Blue Collar Success Group with the focus of providing guidance that the in-home industry severely lacked – consistent ethical technician training and retention, on-site consulting, personalized marketing and business strategies to boost the bottom line for owners and entrepreneurs.

He noticed a need after hearing complaints from his industry peers and experiencing that frustration on his own, back in 1994 when he bought a plumbing company in Colorado and only took in $1,000 a month in revenue.

Kenny, now an award-winning industry trainer who later built that business into a multi-million dollar company, used his expertise to fill a void with the ever-changing Blue Collar Success Group designed for electricians, plumbers and HVAC services.

The team provides:

  • expert coaching for each individual trade needs
  • training for owners, technicians and office team members
  • multiple membership levels catered to the specific needs of each client
  • networking among businesses near and far who may experience similar issues
  • web-based schools
  • live events
  • and more to grow your business and have a better quality of life.

 

The Blue Collar Success Group and its premier, industry-proven programs have been featured in USA TODAY, Contracting Business, Plumbing & Mechanical, and on Fox News, NBC and ABC News.

Meet the

Chelsea Crew

Finance & Operations Director

Ashley McCarthy

Technology Manager

Natalie Tougas

Client Relations Specialist

Janet Wopinski

Vendor Partner Manager

Kim Hansum

Content Marketing Specialist

Troy Pettry

Success Consultant

Blue Background

Marla Moran

Success Consultant

John Janzen

Training and Event Specialist

Testimonials

“As an owner of an HVAC/plumbing company, I’ve attended many training seminars and this one was easily the best ever. I brought a couple of people from my team and I feel it was life-changing for them. Kenny, Chris and Kelly are great at painting a picture, at keeping you engaged and at challenging you to be the best version of yourself. Thanks a lot guys!”
Jason Henderson
“Kenny, Chris and all the amazing people that make up the BCSG team really know how to make you and your team fell supported. All their tools, trainings, events, etc. are practical and really pivot your company to stand out from your competitors. If you haven’t made time to learn more about The Blue Collar Success Group… YOU SHOULD!”
CPI Plumbing & Heating
“The Blue Collar Success Group is a great option for any business that is looking for help with training. They do a great job, very helpful and are passionate about helping businesses succeed!”
Tony Blanca
“Always fabulous content as it pertains to running our business as well as getting personal development. Just a great team of individuals who really care about making ourselves and our business better. Thank you.”
Joe Gerolami

Chris Crew

President

Chris joined The Blue Collar Success Group in early 2018 as a success coach, and has since offered extensive knowledge about every facet of the in-home services – pricing, planning, budgeting marketing, recruiting, training, and showing clients how they can transform their businesses into revenue generators. His journey through the industry began at age 16 as an apprentice electrician and, after just eight months, was promoted to lead technician. It was the tipping point for what would be his vast resume as a successful owner, supervisor and business coach.

Chris in 2005 joined a residential electrical company in Atlanta, and was quickly promoted to a supervisor responsible for 18 trucks and producing more than $4 million in revenue. He moved to Sarasota, Fla. in 2008 and served as a business coach for a large electrical company helping franchisees achieve success, like the “Million Dollar Award” he won in Georgia for producing $1.4 million in revenue. Chris, from 2010 to 2012, coached various plumbing, electrical and HVAC businesses for the franchisor and eventually oversaw the coaching team for more than 90 locations nationwide.

He then shifted to owning an electrical business, growing the company in a four-year span from 10 trucks to 60, five locations and generating $18 million. Chris ultimately sold his shares of the company to join The Blue Collar Success Group.

Chelsea Crew

Finance & Operations Director

Chelsea brings innovative strategies to The Blue Collar Success Group through her experience in event coordination, classroom and online training. She also helped create a sponsorship program partnering with technical colleges across the country to bring qualified specialists into trades.

Chelsea brings more than a decade of experience in training and development for in-home service companies across North America. She has past expertise as a call center supervisor for American Home Shield, corporate relocation specialist for residential moves with United Van Lines and spent the last eight years with the training and development arm of Direct Energy. Chelsea, while working with business owners and front-line employees across North America, helped grow Direct Energy’s training for franchisors in plumbing, electrical and HVAC.

Jeremy Self

Coaching Manager

Jeremy is masterful at creating systems that produce immediate results and was one of the creators of what’s known as “call-by-call” management. He found his passion for helping businesses – managers to everyone in between – achieve personal and professional growth after speaking at a Blue Collar Success Group event in 2018.

Jeremy forged an in-home services career in 2003 and, in two years, became one of the youngest top-producing high-ticket salespeople in the country. He’s held nearly every high-level role, including sales manager to general manager, in an in-home services company. Jeremy has been instrumental for the growth of franchises and start-up business, in addition to adding millions in revenue to existing privately held companies.  

Callen Kusmik

Business Coach & Trainer

Callen Kusmik was “born in the trades” being consumed in his family’s HVAC and Plumbing business for much of his life. For the last 10 years, he’s operated the business as Business Operations and General Manager. His industry experience and training span all aspects of the trades, including service, installation, dispatch, sales, marketing, and management.

With a degree in Business Management from Colorado State University coupled with his experience in the trades, Callen discovered a passion for effective business strategy and is now eager to serve home service businesses.  His unique ability leverages different skills and experiences to help other businesses achieve their goals. Callen’s dedication to personal and professional growth resulted in many industry specific certifications and licenses as well as his Kaizen Leader certification and is currently working toward Black Belt Lean Six Sigma and PMP education.

Born and raised in Colorado, Callen and his fiancé love spending time with their two German Shepherds.

Jesse Hancock

Trainer

Beginning his career in the electrical services, Jesse’s impressive skills got him fast-tracked from the field into management, where he successfully grew his team.  The department as a whole doubled its goal for average tickets and had the highest customer satisfaction rating out of all three trades within the company.  Once he was again promoted to department manager, Jesse discovered a passion for training, helping his techs hone skills to become excellent customer service representatives.  This ultimately led him to the Blue Collar team in search of providing the best solutions for tech earnings, business growth, and customer satisfaction.

 

Jesse’s passion for elevating the sales and customer satisfaction experience helped him earn a Gold Club membership for top earners in the field.  He also served as Safety Advisor with extremely high career closing percentages and is currently cross-training for HVAC, working towards becoming an ambassador for all trades.  

 

With a strong, solution-based approach to the client experience, Jesse is committed to ensuring that every class exceeds expectations.

Jamie Estep

Business Coach

Jamie has an impressive 26 years of experience in the trades, beginning in residential construction and transitioning to sales, service, repair, and field supervisor.  During the recession, he embraced the challenging role of service manager for a company on the verge of closing its doors.  By implementing SOPs and introducing CRM software, Jamie was able to change the culture and turn the situation around.  That same company eventually sold for $14 million.  A licensed plumber, Jamie then took a management position with a new plumbing company, helping it grow from $600K gross sales to $4.3 million, eventually adding HVAC and mechanical to its list of services.

 

Despite succeeding in various roles, Jamie’s passion has always been for coaching and teaching those in the home services industry.  When not helping to change lives, Jamie loves spending time with family and friends on the lake.

Jacob O'Keefe

Business Coach

Jacob joined the home services industry in 2011, amassing a variety of experience in the HVAC field.  With a Master Mechanical A License under his belt, Jacob continued to succeed in various roles, including Service Manager, Senior Technician, Technical Trainer, and System Administrator.

 

Jacob’s approach throughout his career has been to build trust through communication and respect. Known for his excellent strategic and troubleshooting skills, Jacob has followed his passion for supporting others in the trades by pursuing a career in coaching.

 

Outside of his professional life, Jacob enjoys spending time with his wife (and high school sweetheart) and their four children. The family enjoys fishing and trips to the beach.

Tim Cotten

Business Coach

The trades have been part of Tim’s life since the beginning.  Growing up building and remodeling homes with his family, Tim pursued a career in plumbing, HVAC, and electrical right out of high school.  After working his way up to project manager, Tim earned his license as a Master Plumber and, later, Certified Water Specialist.

 

Eventually, Tim became the owner and operator of two franchised and one independent plumbing service companies.  He served in every role personally in order to fully understand all processes.  Ever a student of growth, Tim has participated in peer group workshops throughout the country and graduated from numerous business development programs.

 

Since selling his companies, Tim has dedicated himself to becoming a strong advocate for improving business systems that elevate the customer experience and better the lives of owners and their teams.  As a Blue Collar Coach, Tim utilizes his unique ability of strategic analysis and problem-solving to assist his clients in optimizing their business structures and inspire the team to live their best lives. 

 

If you catch Tim after work, he will likely be tending his smoker and making some fresh sides for dinner, or peddling his bike on nearby country roads.  Otherwise, he will be completely occupied playing with his eight grandkids.

 

Christy Chapman

Strategic Advisor

When Christy and Kenny founded the Blue Collar Success Group in 2011, Christy was excited to put her business development skills to work in the home services industry. With a bachelor’s degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology and experience developing marketing campaigns for national and international brands, she discovered a passion for helping independent businesses grow and thrive.

Christy now applies this knowledge and ambition to her role as Strategic Advisor for The Blue Collar Success Group, guiding creative aspects of key projects, consulting with managers about tactical and long-term goal execution, and providing input regarding prioritization of company plans and objectives.

Ashley McCarthy

Technology Manager

As the program development director, Ashley uses her vast knowledge of consumer behavior, technology and business to streamline the design content of The Blue Collar Success Group’s internal and external systems. Her goals include curating live event and video recordings, increasing online marketing and expanding the user-friendliness of client products.

Ashley’s past academic success makes her an asset for implementing programs for our members. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology, before pursuing two master’s degrees in industrial/organizational psychology and business administration.

Natalie Tougas

Client Relations Specialist

Natalie proved to be a highly-sought resource by leaders across several industries for her knowledge of how to effectively build teams. Now she utilizes her experience, helping clients’ companies grow through teaching how to make the most of their employees, with The Blue Collar Success Group.

Natalie, since 2009, has excelled working with human resources, managing teams and developing effective hiring processes for finding and training the ideal candidates for businesses. She’s previously served as a human resources and executive assistant, I.T. manager, campaign coordinator, executive recruitment coordinator, accounting manager and human capital coordinator. Natalie, who earned a degree in business administration from the University of Southern Maine, has also spent more than a decade rising and developing her skills in customer service, project management and business coordination.

Janet Wopinski

Vendor Partner Manager

Janet’s experience in partner program management for the HVAC, plumbing, and electrical trades began in 2006 and has been evolving ever since. Her success is rooted in an innate ability to develop strong relationships while seeking the most advanced and beneficial solutions for members. Known for her innovation in strategic partnerships, Janet’s proven track record helps The Blue Collar Success group add an extra dimension of service for our members. Janet and her husband Joe live in Florida and enjoy traveling, going to the beach, and spending time with their three daughters and two grandsons.

Laurie Richard

Marketing Manager

As an English major, Laurie graduated with the desire to pursue her first passion; writing. Eventually, she added graphic design to her wheelhouse, landing her the role of Creative Director for a national flooring company. Before joining The Blue Collar Success Group team, Laurie utilized her writing and design skills across several industries and media platforms, including magazine columnist, blogger, UI & UX designer, and Editor.

As Marketing Specialist, Laurie’s superpower is in problem-solving, messaging, and brand strategy. Her strong desire to continue learning and growing has led her to pursue education in digital mediums such as database and website development.

Though Laurie lives in Sarasota, she and her husband are always on the lookout for hiking destinations to “road trip” to (bonus if they can bring their rescue)!

Kim Hansum

Content Marketing Specialist

Kim’s past professional and academic accomplishments make her an asset as Strategist to Blue Collar’s social media presence. Though already possessing a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, Kim’s love of learning has her pursuing a master’s degree, with a focus on social media.

Since 2014, Kim has excelled in a variety of fields, including marketing, customer service, and office management, all of which have added to her extensive skill set. She is dedicated to producing educational and entertaining social media content for the Blue Collar membership community. Kim’s unique ability to be a creative and strategic thinker while also being detail-oriented will vastly contribute to The Blue Collar Success Group’s presence across all social media platforms.

Kim lives in Sarasota and is always exploring new outdoor restaurants to take her rescue cat to.

Troy Pettry

Success Consultant

Troy spent several years developing strong communication and customer service skills in the entertainment industry. After graduating from a major corporation’s sales college, he became a top sales performer in various industries. Always growing and challenging himself, Troy went on to excel in multiple roles in business management.

Troy began his own residential remodeling company, which he successfully ran for over 20 years. Troy looks forward to using his communication skills, sales experience, and out-of-the-box thinking to benefit the members of The Blue Collar Success Group.

Marla Moran

Success Consultant

Marla Moran joins The Blue Collar Success Group team with a wealth of experience as an entrepreneur and home services expert.

Marla’s passion for the industry has enabled her to help thousands of professionals start, grow, and exit their businesses successfully. She excels at assisting HVAC, plumbing, and electrical contractors with world-class programs & training. In addition to her expertise, Marla is a self-motivated leader with strong relationship building skills. Her impressive interpersonal and communication skills have helped her create and implement effective training curriculum and reporting methodologies. 

A GE Performance Hall of Fame and DE Winners Circle award winner, Marla looks forward to helping Blue Collar members accelerate their growth, gain freedom, and build their empire!

John Janzen

Training and Event Specialist

John brings a wealth of experience in operations and leadership to his role as Training and Event Specialist.   Quickly rising through the ranks in the hospitality industry, John’s success as General Manager for the prominent hotel chain earned him a Marriott Silver Award for Guest Satisfaction two years in a row.  Not surprising, as John successfully managed all group sales, oversaw customer service, and helped increase room revenue by a staggering 30%.  Known for his strong work ethic and creative problem-solving skills, John looks forward to ensuring that Blue Collar Members have exceptional event experiences.  

Based out of Florida, John and his wife enjoy attending Tampa Bay Rays games, visiting Orlando’s theme parks, and relaxing at the beach.