Kyle Erdmann and Greg Cummings discuss how sharing knowledge, challenging limiting beliefs, and creating room for people to rise can help build stronger leaders and a better future for the home improvement industry...
Kyle Erdmann of Erdmann Exterior Designs joins Greg Cummings to discuss leadership, mindset, coaching, and growth in the home improvement industry. Learn how the Arlington Heights exterior remodeling contractor is helping teams overcome limiting beliefs, create new opportunities, and build a stronger future across the Chicago suburbs through leadership, culture, and shared success.
Across the home improvement industry, many skilled people work hard every day to serve homeowners, lead teams, and improve their companies. Yet many of those same people may still believe their future is limited to the position they hold today. Some have never been shown what is possible beyond the role they currently have. Others have spent years surrounded by narrow thinking, old industry habits, or the belief that growth is only meant for a small group of people.
Kyle Erdmann believes that is one of the biggest missed opportunities in home improvement today.
As President of Erdmann Exterior Designs, a trusted exterior remodeling contractor in Arlington Heights serving homeowners across the Greater Chicago suburbs, Kyle believes the industry is filled with talented people who are capable of much more than they currently see in themselves. Through leadership, coaching, communication, and opportunity, he believes companies can help employees, managers, and future leaders think bigger about what their future could become.
During the recent PowerChat conversation with Greg Cummings, Kyle explained that growth should not stop with one leader or one company. Instead, the lessons, systems, mindset shifts, and opportunities gained through experience should be passed forward to help more people rise throughout the industry. That belief has become part of the leadership culture helping shape Erdmann Exterior Designs as it continues growing through exterior remodeling, James Hardie siding installation, energy efficient replacement windows, custom doors, and luxury outdoor living projects across Arlington Heights and the Chicago suburbs.
“There’s so many great people in the industry that are just misled.” Kyle Erdmann, President, Erdmann Exterior Designs
The conversation between Greg Cummings and Kyle Erdmann explored a growing shift happening across home improvement leadership. More business owners are beginning to realize that strong companies are not built only through sales, production, or expansion. They are built by developing people, challenging limiting beliefs, and helping teams grow into larger opportunities.
Kyle shared that many people in the industry carry self limiting beliefs about what they can become. Some do not believe they can lead teams, enter new markets, build systems, or create larger businesses because they have never had someone help them see beyond their current situation. Through coaching, leadership development, and internal growth opportunities, Kyle believes those barriers can change.
“We feel it’s part of our obligation to make sure we can open people’s mind that it could be bigger and better than what they ever thought it could be.” Kyle Erdmann, President, Erdmann Exterior Designs
Power100 is the only unbiased third party platform that recognizes and elevates the top leaders and most impactful companies in the home improvement industry.
Through conversations like this, leaders across the industry are able to share real experiences around growth, mindset, leadership development, customer experience, and company culture. The discussion with Kyle Erdmann highlighted how the future of home improvement may depend less on protecting information and more on helping more people learn, grow, and rise together.
Kyle’s message throughout the conversation remained clear. When leaders help good people think bigger, create stronger opportunities, and share what they have learned, the entire industry becomes stronger.
As Greg Cummings guided the conversation toward leadership and the future of the home improvement industry, Kyle Erdmann pointed to a problem that is easy to miss. He does not believe the industry lacks smart, skilled, or hardworking people. He believes many of those people have never been shown how far they can go.
“There’s so many great people in the industry that are just misled.” Kyle Erdmann, President, Erdmann Exterior Designs
Kyle explained that old ideas can shape how people see themselves. A skilled installer may believe that field work is the only path open to them. A sales professional may never picture themselves leading a team. A manager may not think they are ready to open a new market, train future leaders, or help grow a national company.
Those limits do not always come from a lack of talent. They often come from what people have seen around them. When someone has never watched a person like them move into leadership, it can be hard to picture that future. This is why Kyle sees mindset as a much larger issue than personal confidence. When good people think their path is smaller than it truly is, the industry also loses future managers, trainers, business owners, and new ideas.
His message asks leaders to look more closely at the people already inside their companies. The next strong leader may already be on the team, waiting for someone to notice their ability and give them a reason to believe that more is possible.
For a design-build exterior remodeling contractor in Arlington Heights serving many communities across the Chicago suburbs, that belief has real value. As the business grows, it creates room for people to take on more trust, more skill, and more responsibility.
Kyle’s next point moved the discussion from identifying the problem to accepting responsibility for changing it. He believes leaders who have gained useful knowledge have a duty to help other people see what they may not yet see in themselves.
“We feel it’s part of our obligation to make sure we can open people’s mind that it could be bigger and better than what they ever thought it could be.” Kyle Erdmann, President, Erdmann Exterior Designs
That type of leadership goes beyond setting sales goals or asking employees to work harder. It means helping people build a new picture of their future. A strong leader can show an employee how today’s work may lead to a larger role tomorrow. They can connect daily effort to a clear career path and help someone understand which skills they need to build next.
Kyle’s view also brings hope to people who may feel stuck. Employees do not always need to become different people before they can grow. In many cases, they need coaching, honest feedback, clear standards, and a leader who sees ability in them before they see it in themselves.
This belief shapes how Kyle and Becca think about the future of the company. Whether the team is helping with James Hardie siding installation, replacement windows, custom doors, or luxury outdoor living projects in the Chicago suburbs, every job also gives employees a chance to learn, improve, and prepare for greater responsibility.
By helping people see a larger future, leaders do more than fill jobs. They create belief, and that belief can change the path of a person, a family, and the company around them.
The conversation then turned toward the reason Kyle and Becca continue pushing the company forward. For Kyle, growth is not only about entering new markets, completing more projects, or building a larger brand. It matters because growth creates new chances for the people who helped build the company.
“What fun is it being on top when you’re at the mountain top by yourself?” Kyle Erdmann, President, Erdmann Exterior Designs
Kyle shared examples that bring this belief to life. One sales professional showed strong leadership ability and later moved into a sales leadership role. Another team member began as a framer and worked his way into construction management after years of learning, serving, and growing with the business.
These stories show that internal growth is not only something the company talks about. It is something leaders are working to create in real roles. Instead of always looking outside the business when a leadership position opens, Kyle and Becca first consider the people who already understand the standards, culture, and customer promise.
That approach gives employees a clear reason to invest in their work. They can see that strong performance may lead somewhere. They are not only helping build exterior transformations or custom outdoor living spaces. They are also building their own careers.
As Erdmann Exterior Designs grows across the Greater Chicago suburbs and into new markets, Kyle wants the people inside the company to rise with it. That makes business growth more meaningful because the progress is shared by the team rather than held by a small group at the top.
Kyle also explained that his belief in giving back was shaped by leaders who gave freely to him and Becca. One of those leaders was Brian Gottlieb, who spent time walking them through the lessons, systems, and choices that had helped him succeed.
When Kyle asked what they owed him for the support, Brian did not name a price. Instead, he asked them to do well and one day pass the lessons forward.
“He said, ‘I just hope that you guys do well and pass on this information that I teach you and that you learn to the next generation when the time comes.’” Kyle Erdmann, President, Erdmann Exterior Designs
That answer changed how Kyle viewed knowledge. The lessons were not meant to stay inside one meeting or benefit only one company. They came with a duty to share, teach, and help the next group of leaders avoid mistakes that others had already learned from.
This is how mentorship can spread far beyond the first person who receives it. One leader helps another make better choices. That person then improves a company, develops employees, and shares the same wisdom with future managers and business owners. What begins as one honest conversation can shape many teams and markets over time.
Kyle’s story also shows why open leadership matters in home improvement. The industry becomes stronger when proven leaders share what works instead of guarding every lesson as a private advantage. Better knowledge can lead to better companies, stronger employees, and more trusted service for homeowners.
For a family owned exterior remodeling company founded in 1982, passing knowledge forward also connects the company’s history with its future. Each generation can learn from the last while building something stronger for the people who come next.
The role of mindset came up again as Kyle discussed the coaching he and Becca have received. He explained that working with Sean helped them think beyond current limits, seek larger goals, and understand that greater growth can also create a greater ability to serve others.
“Working with Sean has really pushed us from a mental standpoint to grow, be bigger, to want more, and to want to give back more too.” Kyle Erdmann, President, Erdmann Exterior Designs
In this part of the conversation, mindset was not presented as simple positive thinking. It was tied to clear action. Thinking bigger may mean entering a new market, improving a weak system, asking for help, hiring a stronger leader, or building a service the company once thought was out of reach.
It also means leaders must challenge their own limits before asking employees to challenge theirs. Kyle and Becca continue to seek coaching because they expect themselves to grow alongside the team. That example helps create a culture where learning is seen as strength rather than weakness.
A larger mindset also changes the meaning of success. It is no longer measured only by how much the company earns or how many projects it completes. It includes the number of people given a better career path, the homeowners served well, and the lessons shared with other leaders.
That outlook supports the company’s work as a luxury outdoor living contractor in Arlington Heights and the Chicago suburbs. As the business expands its ability to create pergolas, decks, outdoor kitchens, and complete backyard spaces, it can also create more jobs, more leaders, and more chances for people to build fulfilling careers.
Near the end of the conversation, Kyle described the kind of leadership legacy he hopes to leave. He compared it to a coaching tree in sports, where the impact of one coach can be seen in the leaders who later build successful teams of their own.
“It’s the success of the team members after you’re done.” Kyle Erdmann, President, Erdmann Exterior Designs
Kyle pointed to respected leaders whose former team members went on to lead, build companies, and make a wider mark on the industry. Their success did not stop when one company changed hands or one chapter ended. It continued through the people they had trained and trusted.
That is the kind of effect Kyle wants to create. He wants team members to become more capable, confident, and successful than they once believed possible. Some may lead future markets within the company. Others may one day build something of their own. In either case, their progress becomes part of the larger impact of his leadership.
This view gives the company’s growth a deeper purpose. Exterior transformations, customer experience, and market expansion all matter, but Kyle does not want the story to end with the number of projects completed. He wants it to continue through the people who learned how to lead, think bigger, and create new opportunities for others.
That is how a rising tide truly raises all ships. One person grows, then helps another. One leader shares a lesson, then watches that lesson shape a new team. Over time, the industry becomes stronger because more people have been given the belief and support needed to rise.
Kyle Erdmann’s belief that a rising tide raises all ships is reflected not only in the way he speaks about leadership, but also in the standards Erdmann Exterior Designs has built over time.
The company’s record of recognition shows what can happen when a business chooses to grow through strong service, careful work, and steady trust. From national customer service honors to local community recognition, Erdmann Exterior Designs has earned praise at many levels for the way it serves homeowners and represents the remodeling industry.
One of the clearest examples is the company’s long history with the Guildmaster Award for Service Excellence. The honor is given by GuildQuality to home improvement companies that deliver strong customer care based on real homeowner surveys.
Erdmann Exterior Designs earned the award in 2014, 2017, 2018, 2021, and again in 2024 with Distinction. Five Guildmaster Awards across ten years show more than one strong season. They show a lasting habit of listening to homeowners, keeping promises, and working to make each project experience better.
That record supports the larger message Kyle shared during the PowerChat. Strong leadership is not only about reaching new goals. It is about setting a standard that other people can learn from and carry forward. When one company proves that customer care can stay strong through years of change and growth, it gives other contractors a clearer example of what is possible.
The company has also earned several Best of Houzz Service Awards. These honors are based on high ratings and strong reviews from verified homeowners using one of the world’s largest home design and remodeling platforms.
Because the awards come from real customer feedback, they offer a clear view of how homeowners feel after working with the team. For families searching for a trusted exterior remodeling contractor in Arlington Heights or a design build company serving the Chicago suburbs, that kind of public trust can help make a hard choice easier.
The Best of Houzz recognition also shows how a company’s influence can spread beyond one project or one town. A homeowner’s review can help another family choose a better contractor. A strong project can raise what customers expect from the whole industry. Over time, service excellence becomes more than a company result. It helps lift the standard for everyone.
Erdmann Exterior Designs has also been recognized as a finalist for the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year. This local honor reflects the company’s place within the community where it has built its name and served homeowners for decades.
Being named a finalist shows that the company’s impact reaches beyond siding, windows, doors, and outdoor living projects. It reflects the trust Erdmann Exterior Designs has built as a local employer, business partner, and member of the greater Arlington Heights community.
Together, these honors tell one clear story. The company is doing more than growing. It is building a record of trust that other people can see, measure, and learn from.
That is where Kyle’s rising tide message becomes real. When a company shares strong values, develops its people, and proves that great service can last, its success does not have to stop at its own doors. It can help homeowners expect more, help employees aim higher, and help other leaders see that the whole industry can become better together.
As the conversation came to a close, one message continued to stand above the rest. Kyle Erdmann believes the future of home improvement will not be shaped only by the companies that grow the fastest or enter the most markets. It will be shaped by the leaders who choose to help other people grow along the way.
Throughout the discussion, Kyle shared that the industry already has many talented people working inside it. The challenge is not a lack of ability. The challenge is helping more people believe they are capable of becoming stronger leaders, building larger opportunities, and creating a bigger future than they once imagined for themselves.
That is why Kyle’s “rising tide” mindset matters far beyond one company. When lessons stay locked inside a small group of successful leaders, growth slows down. But when knowledge is shared, employees are developed, and people are encouraged to think beyond the role they hold today, progress spreads much further across the industry.
Erdmann Exterior Designs continues building stronger systems, clearer leadership, and trusted customer experiences across Arlington Heights and the Chicago suburbs through exterior remodeling, James Hardie siding installation, replacement windows, custom doors, and luxury outdoor living projects. But Kyle’s larger goal reaches beyond business growth alone. He wants the people around him to rise with the company, grow into leadership, and carry stronger ideas into the future of home improvement.
The conversation also served as a reminder that leadership is not measured only by what a person builds for themselves. It is measured by the opportunities they create for others and the confidence they help unlock in the people around them.
For Kyle Erdmann, a stronger industry begins when leaders stop seeing another person’s growth as a threat and start seeing it as progress. When knowledge is shared, limiting beliefs are challenged, and good people are given room to rise, success no longer belongs to one company or one leader. It lifts the entire industry.
That belief continues shaping the direction of Erdmann Exterior Designs and the people helping build its future every day.
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