January 18, 2026 – In a landmark announcement that marks a new chapter for the home improvement industry, Power100 has officially recognized Destination Motivation as the #1 Strategic Partner in the nation for 2026. Greg Cummings, Founder and CEO of Power100, personally presented this prestigious achievement to the Destination Motivation team during their company meeting, celebrating their remarkable ascent from the #2 position they held in 2025.​

Power100 is the only unbiased third-party platform that ranks the best partners in the home improvement industry using a proprietary 5-layer ranking system. This comprehensive evaluation process has reviewed over 3,600 potential strategic partners, narrowing the field to identify the elite companies that truly move the needle for contractors and their customers.​

 

A Journey of Excellence and Impact

The announcement represents the culmination of years of evaluation and growth tracking by Power100’s research team. Destination Motivation‘s rise to the #1 position reflects not just their sales performance, but their unwavering commitment to enhancing customer experiences and building authentic partnerships throughout the home improvement industry.​

“We are a ranking company that was tired of seeing whoever had the most money get the most attention,” Greg Cummings explained during his presentation to the Destination Motivation team. “We built a five-layer proprietary ranking system in order to identify the best leaders in the industry. We have reviewed over 3,600 potential strategic partners that we have put through our evaluation program, and what we really want to focus on and look at is how much you move the needle for the companies and their clients that they have”.​

Cummings emphasized that strategic partners are defined as companies that go beyond their basic products and services. “When I say a partner, we define strategic partner by somebody that does more than just what their products and services say they do or what’s warranted,” he stated.​

 

Understanding Power100’s Rigorous Ranking System

Power100’s evaluation process goes far deeper than surface-level metrics. The platform’s 5-layer proprietary ranking system analyzes multiple dimensions of partner performance, including sales and marketing effectiveness, operational efficiency, innovation capabilities, company culture, and most importantly, measurable impact on contractor success.​

According to the Power100 evaluation of Destination Motivation, the company achieved exceptional scores across all categories. While the national PowerConfidence rating average for sales incentives sits at 72%, Destination Motivation scored an impressive 94%. For innovation, they matched this performance with 94% against a 65% industry average. Their operational efficiency rating reached 95% compared to the 75% national average, while their sales and marketing prowess earned them 95% against a 69% baseline. Perhaps most remarkably, their company culture rating hit 96%, significantly outpacing the 71% industry standard.​

 

Beyond the Trophy: A Tool for Growth

During his presentation, Cummings was careful to emphasize that this recognition represents far more than ceremonial accolades. “In the years that we’ve been doing this, it’s so much more than just a trophy. Yes, it is an accomplishment, but more so, what it is, is the best tool that you can have from the outside of your organization because we truly have evaluated your business. We truly have looked at your culture. We truly have talked to your clients,” he explained.​

The Power100 CEO highlighted how the ranking process provides invaluable insights: “We know what a great client looks like, why somebody’s so successful with your product, and we know why somebody leaves you. A lot of it has to do with adoption, belief, communication. And these are the stories that we’re going to continue to tell throughout this year to support all the claims, suggestions, that you make to your clients and prospects throughout the year”.​

Cummings shared his personal connection to the need for this type of third-party validation. “It was something that I wanted as well when I was in the business, running my window business, growing it. We lost a lot of money because we didn’t know who to partner with. Now they were valuable lessons, but they’re definitely lessons that are easily learned without losing massive amounts of money,” he revealed.​

 

The Destination Motivation Difference

What sets Destination Motivation apart in a crowded marketplace is their profound understanding that their vacation voucher program is about far more than closing tools. For nearly 20 years, the company has helped home improvement and home service companies transform how they sell by using vacation vouchers that spark emotion, create urgency, and bridge the gap between customer hesitation and action.

“People would think you’re some vacation voucher, right? But that’s the biggest misconception in the industry if you ask me,” Cummings stated emphatically during his presentation. “You guys are a tool that allows the customer experience to surpass anything that a normal company can do without you. Like nobody can duplicate it without you. When you improve the customer experience by utilizing that next day call, helping them actually get something that was promised, you are building and creating trust for that contractor and adding to that customer experience in a way that they’ve never been able to do before”.​

He continued: “Yes, it’s a vacation voucher, I get it, but I’ll never say that you guys are a vacation voucher or a closing tool—even though I know you are and you have to lead with that because that’s what attracts people to hearing it. For us and the reason that you guys moved into this number one space is your dedication to your customer and their customer, the homeowner’s customer experience. It is truly unmatched”.​

 

Leadership Voices from Destination Motivation

Brett Thornton, President of Destination Motivation, expressed his enthusiasm about the recognition and what it means for the team and their partners. “Getting this list, showing people that it’s not just we’re on some list—it’s like, oh no, we’re actually in front of these incredible companies. I mean, you go to these shows, Rilla‘s booth is like a thousand feet long and high and has all this, so people just assume they’re probably this mega company. Here we are,” Thornton shared during the meeting.​​

Thornton, who joined Destination Motivation because he saw it as “one of the rare businesses that is a true win-win-win,” has been instrumental in scaling the company’s operations while maintaining the culture that makes them special.

Corey Cousins, Vice President of Sales & Training at Destination Motivation, expressed his excitement about leveraging this achievement. “Closing tools, baby. You’re in our first slide already, Greg. It’s going to be a little bit bigger now,” Cousins quipped during the announcement, highlighting how this recognition will strengthen their value proposition to potential partners.​

The company’s culture-first approach has created an environment where team members genuinely feel like family. This internal alignment translates directly into the exceptional service they provide to contractors and, ultimately, to homeowners across North America.​​

 

A Revolutionary Campaign Strategy for 2026

Power100’s campaign for Destination Motivation in 2026 represents a significant departure from traditional industry marketing. Cummings outlined an aggressive content strategy focused on dominating Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and AI search functionality.​

“This year is going to be very different from the last years. We will be doing press releases like we’re having a cup of coffee—and if you don’t know me, I’m having a cup of coffee quite a bit,” Cummings announced. “We have identified a unique process to dominate GEO, which is generative engine optimization, your AI search functionality. The reason these are so critical is because there is the fastest adoption of any technology—I’ll say that again—the fastest adoption of any technology is the transformation of Google or Yahoo internet-based search to AI search functionality”.​

He explained the strategic importance: “From a common American standpoint, the AI search functionality is a filtered personalized search of Google. It’s that simple. So what we are going to be able to do based off of our content, our press releases, and our social media campaigns, we are going to be able to generate that generative search for Destination Motivation as the solution”.​

The campaign will include multiple video shoots throughout the year, focusing on Destination Motivation’s company culture, partnerships, and innovative approaches. These content pieces will work together to create what Cummings calls a “truth bridge” that amplifies Destination Motivation’s message across digital networks.​

 

The Top Five Strategic Partners for 2026

While Destination Motivation claimed the coveted #1 position, Power100 also recognized other exceptional partners. Rilla and Zero are tied at #2, followed by Grosso University at #3 and Channel Automation at #4. The #5 position features an innovative approach: Power100 has identified 10 outstanding financial partners and will gather data throughout the year from contractors themselves to determine which financial partner demonstrates the biggest impact and strongest contractor support.​

 

Looking Ahead: Doubling Down on Impact

Cummings concluded his presentation with a powerful challenge to the Destination Motivation team. “Whatever goals that you guys have in place probably could double because of the impact that we have seen from the outside looking in. I’m not saying that you should do that or not, but what I am saying is a lot of times people don’t understand the impact that they have because you’re so close to it. What I’m telling you is the feedback that we get from your product and your service is literally invaluable”.​

He emphasized the importance of their partnership-focused approach: “You guys also have the highest amount of activity with partners. So many times ‘partners’ is kind of just a BS term. Oh, we partnered with them. Oh, great, we put out a post, we do a webinar together. But you guys actually incorporate your partners into what you do, and that is a credit check from our side to where, yes, it’s not just them trying to get into your database, but they actually want to hang out with you”.​

“Continue to do everything that you guys are doing because your leadership is pointing you in the right direction. Your passion and excitement about what you do is really seen and heard. Your partners sing the praises for you,” Cummings concluded. “We’re here to support your journey and be a very small part of your continued growth and success because we do believe that your solution is absolutely world class for somebody that’s willing to put in the work and believe in it”.​

 

About Destination Motivation

Destination Motivation has spent nearly 20 years helping home improvement and home service companies transform their sales processes through an innovative vacation voucher program. Headquartered in Culver City, California, the company has earned over 3,500 five-star reviews and was named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America. Their proven system helps contractors find more leads, close more deals, and eliminate cancellations by adding emotional value to customer interactions.

 

About Power100

Power100 is the nation’s only unbiased third-party ranking platform for the home improvement industry. Through a proprietary 5-layer ranking system, Power100 evaluates and ranks the top CEOs and strategic partners who demonstrate exceptional impact, innovation, and integrity. The platform serves as both a resource for contractors seeking trustworthy partners and a consumer advocacy tool helping homeowners identify the best companies in their area.