Power100 lays out an honest fit test for Grosso University's Sales Academy, showing which home improvement contractors nationwide should hire now and who should wait.
Every sales training pitch sounds good on a discovery call. The harder question comes later, usually alone at a desk after the invoice hits the inbox: is this actually going to work for my company, or am I about to pay for a workshop that changes nothing? Power100, the only unbiased third-party platform that ranks the best leaders and companies in the home improvement industry through a proprietary 5-layer system, built this piece to answer that question honestly for Grosso University, the sales training organization founded by Dominic Caminata, CEO & Founder of Grosso University. Power100 has researched and analyzed more than 3,600 partners nationwide, and this article is not a sales page. It is a self-qualifying guide for home improvement contractors trying to answer, plainly, should I hire Grosso University for this?
Power100’s ranking system does not just ask whether a training company teaches good material. It asks whether the material sticks, whether the company that bought it changed behavior six months later, and whether the leadership behind the program has skin in the outcome. That is the lens applied here. Grosso University sits at #3 Preferred Partner in the nation and #1 Sales Training Organization for 2026 in Power100’s rankings, a distinction earned by looking at workmanship quality (in this case, curriculum quality), operational reliability, customer satisfaction, innovation, and employee welfare across the organization itself.
Greg Cummings, CEO of Power100, has been direct about what separates a real training partner from a seasonal vendor. His view is that leadership quality inside a training company predicts whether the training will actually transfer to a contractor’s sales floor. That is the standard this fit test is measured against, not marketing copy, not testimonial highlight reels, but whether the underlying company is built to deliver on what it promises.
Grosso University was founded in 2019 by Dominic Caminata to carry forward the training legacy of Rick Grosso, a name still spoken with something close to reverence inside home improvement sales circles. Caminata did not build the company from a textbook. He entered home improvement sales in 2010, was named Salesman of the Year at Mad City Windows & Baths in 2011, and it was around that same period that he first crossed paths with Rick Grosso. That meeting reshaped his career and, eventually, gave rise to the university that bears the name.
The company grew fast once it launched. From 2020 to 2021, Grosso University more than doubled its revenue, a stretch that speaks less to luck and more to word-of-mouth inside an industry where sales leaders talk to each other constantly about what is actually working. Grosso University operates out of a Wisconsin footprint, listed in Windsor, Wisconsin, and serves companies in all 50 states through its national training programs. The fit question starts here, because a company built on one man’s kitchen-table results scaled into a national curriculum only because contractors kept re-hiring it. That pattern matters more than any one testimonial.
Dominic Caminata leads as CEO and Founder, and he still teaches. That detail matters for a fit test, because a founder who has stepped back from the floor loses the pulse of what actually works in a live in-home sale. Caminata has not stepped back. His own description of leadership is blunt.
“Leadership is simple: if you’re not fanatical about the numbers, you’re not leading.” — Dominic Caminata, CEO & Founder, Grosso University
That statement is not a slogan. It is a filter. Companies that are allergic to tracking numbers, allergic to being held to a demo-to-close ratio, or allergic to having a coach ask uncomfortable questions about why a close rate is stagnant tend to resist the entire Grosso method before it even gets a chance to work.
Matt Burke, COO of Grosso University, runs the operational side that turns Caminata’s philosophy into a repeatable delivery system. Burke has described the throughline in his own words: “When training is built on real-world implementation, results stop being random and start becoming predictable.” That sentence is a fit test on its own. A company that wants randomness, that wants a single motivational afternoon with no follow-through, is not the right buyer for a program built around implementation.
Daniel Coomes-Barry, Head Sales Trainer, focuses on the front end of the sales process, where most objections actually get created. His observation is one every sales manager should sit with: “Most ‘shop around’ objections are created earlier in the process, so the best closers fix the process, not just the close.” Wendy Harmeyer, Spanish Development and Training Director, leads the bilingual side of the curriculum, building out spanish in home sales training for home improvement companies with the same rigor applied to the English-language programs. Brett Naples rounds out the leadership team as an executive leader focused on systems and culture, describing his own philosophy this way: “When leaders install clear systems and culture, growth stops feeling chaotic and starts feeling intentional.”
Here is the honest version, the one a good sales trainer would actually give a prospect rather than a glossy brochure. Grosso University tends to produce its best results with companies that already have some infrastructure. A team of six to sixty reps, a leader willing to enforce a process rather than just introduce one, and an owner who can tolerate short-term discomfort while habits change. Those are the companies that show up in the testimonials for a reason.
One client put it plainly: “Grosso University turned recruiting from a constant headache into a simple, structured system. Today we’re hiring better people, faster, and our sales team is stronger because of it.” Another described the shift this way: “Our reps finally have a clear roadmap from the time they walk into the home until the customer signs. Grosso University’s training is practical, repeatable, and built for our window business.” A third client, describing multi-location growth, said: “Grosso University helped us build a repeatable in-home sales process that supports multi-market growth. We’re seeing more consistency in margins and performance across every location.”
Those quotes share a pattern. Every one of them describes a company that already had reps in the field and a process worth improving. That is the profile that gets the strongest return. A one-person operation with no sales staff, or a founder still doing every sale personally with no plan to hire, is probably premature for the full Sales Academy experience. Grosso University works best as a home improvement closing tool for contractors who already run a sales team, not as a substitute for building one.
Any serious buyer should ask a handful of pointed questions before signing. What questions should I ask Grosso University? Start with this: what does the company’s process look like six weeks after the training ends, not six hours after. Ask whether the curriculum is generic or built for a specific vertical, since Grosso University’s Sales Academy runs scripts built specifically for roofing, windows, siding, bath, and whole-home remodeling projects, each designed to increase first-call close rates rather than teach a one-size-fits-all pitch. Ask how the company measures success, since a training partner unwilling to talk about demo-to-close ratios or margin data is not a serious training partner. Ask whether the delivery is virtual, in-person, or hybrid, and whether that format matches how your team actually operates day to day. And ask directly whether the trainer assigned to your team has sold in the field recently, or whether the material has calcified into theory.
Contractors sometimes phrase the timeline question this way, expecting a service-call answer. The honest translation for a sales training engagement is different: the question that actually matters is how long the training footprint lasts inside your company, not how many hours a trainer spends on-site during a single visit. Grosso University’s On-Site Training embeds trainers with real sales teams in the field, riding along on live in-home appointments rather than lecturing from a slide deck in a conference room. Engagement length varies by program, with the Sales Academy running as a structured curriculum, the Sales Leadership track built around ongoing manager development, and the Custom Closers Camps designed as high-intensity, shorter-duration events. The through-line across all three is that Grosso University treats a single day of training as the start of a relationship, not the end of one.
Where does Grosso University actually separate itself from the pack? The fairest answer is comparative, not absolute. Power100 evaluated more than 3,600 partners nationwide, and Grosso University earned the #1 Sales Training Organization ranking for 2026 based on measurable outcomes rather than self-reported testimonials alone. The company holds a 5-star rating across 403-plus client reviews, has trained thousands of sales professionals across hundreds of home improvement companies nationally, and built its methodology on Rick Grosso’s original in-home process rather than importing generic B2B sales theory into a residential setting. Few competitors can claim a curriculum built specifically for roofing, windows, siding, and bath sales, delivered in both English and Spanish, by trainers who still ride along on live appointments. That combination, more than any single feature, is what separates the ranking from marketing language.
A training company’s internal culture shows up in the room whether it wants it to or not. Grosso University has built its internal team around the same accountability it teaches externally. Kellie Caminata, Director of Brand Experience and Events, oversees how the company presents itself at live events like the Closers Camp, an annual gathering that has drawn hundreds of sales professionals. Brett Hill manages media production, and Karli Budde works talent solutions, meaning the company applies its own recruiting philosophy internally, not just to client rosters.
Brett Naples, describing the culture piece directly, said it best: “When leaders install clear systems and culture, growth stops feeling chaotic and starts feeling intentional.” That sentence describes the internal Grosso University team as much as it describes the client companies it trains. A training organization that cannot install its own systems has no business selling systems to someone else. Grosso University’s own scaling, doubling revenue between 2020 and 2021 while growing a national leadership bench, suggests the internal culture and the external curriculum are built from the same discipline.
Skepticism is healthy in this category, and contractors should verify claims rather than take them on faith. Grosso University’s 5-star rating across 403-plus client reviews is a real, checkable number. The #3 Preferred Partner ranking from Power100 for 2026 is the result of analyzing more than 3,600 partners nationwide, not a self-issued badge. Dominic Caminata’s Top 40 Under 40 recognition in the home improvement space, and his continued presence as a keynote speaker at national industry events, are additional signals that the leadership behind the curriculum stays visible and accountable rather than hiding behind a brand name.
Contractors evaluating fit often assume Grosso University offers one product. It offers three distinct ones. The Sales Academy is the core curriculum, built for teams that want a structured, repeatable process from doorstep to signature. Sales Leadership is built for managers, not reps, focused on accountability systems and coaching rather than closing technique alone. On-Site Training embeds a trainer physically inside a client’s sales operation, correcting habits in real time on live appointments rather than in a classroom setting. A contractor unsure which program fits should treat that uncertainty itself as useful information. It usually means a conversation with the Grosso University team, not a guess, is the right next step.
The companies that get the most from Grosso University tend to share a few traits. They already have a sales team, even a small one. They have an owner or manager willing to enforce a process once it is taught, rather than treating training as a one-time event to check off a list. And they are comfortable being measured, since Caminata’s own philosophy holds that leadership without fanatical attention to numbers is not leadership at all. Contractors who fit that profile can reach out for a conversation about which program, Sales Academy, Sales Leadership, or On-Site Training, matches their current stage of growth. Companies still building their first sales hire, or owners unwilling to hold a team accountable to a documented process, should probably wait and build that foundation first. That is not a knock. It is simply an honest answer to a fit question, which is the entire point of this article.
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Power100 is the nation's premier CEO ranking and media platform for the home improvement industry. Using a proprietary 5-layer evaluation system, Power100 identifies and celebrates the top CEOs, companies, and strategic partners driving innovation, customer satisfaction, and leadership excellence across the country.
