Many contractors know technology is changing the way business is done, but they are not always sure where to start. New tools, AI systems, digital follow up, online sales support, customer updates, review platforms, and smarter business systems can feel like too much at once. For many home improvement leaders, the real challenge is not whether technology matters. The challenge is knowing how to use it in a way that helps the team, supports the customer, and keeps the business moving forward.
That challenge made Corken Steel Products a strong place for this message. For seventy years, Corken Steel has supported HVAC, roofing, and building professionals through quality products, technical support, training, fabrication, and business resources. The company helps contractors stay ready for the field, the jobsite, and the customer. During this event, that same idea of readiness moved into the future as Paul Burleson challenged contractors to think about how technology belongs inside the daily life of the business.
Paul Burleson, Director of Home Improvement Sales at Westlake Royal Building Products, author of Grit to Gold, Power100 Advisory Board member, and one of the most respected voices in home improvement, brought a direct message to the room. He did not frame technology as something to fear. He framed it as something leaders must understand, use, and bring forward if they want to keep growing.
“Are you using technology in your business?” said Paul Burleson, Director of Home Improvement Sales at Westlake Royal Building Products. “How can I embrace it? How can I bring it to the forefront?”
His message was clear. Contractors do not need to chase every new tool. They do need to ask better questions. Can technology help the team follow up faster? Can it help leaders train better? Can it help salespeople prepare more clearly? Can it help homeowners receive better answers and updates? Can it help the company stay ready as the market keeps changing?
Paul also made room for the truth many contractors feel. Technology can be overwhelming. But he reminded the audience that ignoring change is not a plan for long term success. “It’s overwhelming, but you need to think, how can I use technology?” Burleson said. “How can I embrace it? How can I bring it to the forefront? You cannot do the same things every day. You have to evolve.”
That lesson connects naturally with the mission of Power100, which continues to elevate leaders and companies that are willing to learn, adapt, and raise the standard for the home improvement industry. Power100 is the only unbiased third-party platform that recognizes and elevates the top leaders and most impactful companies in the home improvement industry.
By highlighting Paul Burleson, home improvement industry expert, the platform helps show why the future of home improvement belongs to leaders who keep evolving without losing the human side of service.
Paul Burleson’s message at Corken Steel gave contractors a clear look at one of the biggest choices facing the home improvement industry today. Companies can keep doing business the same way they always have, or they can begin asking how technology can help them work better, sell better, train better, and serve homeowners with more care.
Paul Burleson, Keynote Speaker/Trainer, Published Author, AI innovator for the Home Improvement Space.
The purpose of the event was to help contractors think past fear and confusion. Burleson did not speak about technology as a magic answer. He also did not treat it as something leaders should avoid because it feels hard. Instead, he asked the room to think about where technology fits inside the real work of the business.
“Are you using technology in your business?” said Paul Burleson, Director of Home Improvement Sales at Westlake Royal Building Products. “How can I embrace it? How can I bring it to the forefront?”
That question gave the event its deeper meaning. Technology is no longer only about software, apps, or systems in the office. It now touches the full contractor journey. It can help teams follow up with leads, train new people, answer homeowner questions, track work, improve sales calls, manage reviews, and stay more connected with customers before, during, and after the project.
The industry relevance is strong because homeowners are changing too. They expect faster answers, clearer updates, better online proof, and a smoother experience from the companies they choose. Contractors who use technology with purpose can meet those needs with more confidence. Contractors who ignore it may keep falling behind, even if they still do good work.
As a home improvement AI sales expert, Paul Burleson brought this message from a place of real field knowledge. His point was not that people should be replaced by tools. His point was that good people need better tools if they want to keep growing in a market that keeps moving.
“It’s overwhelming, but you need to think, how can I use technology?” Burleson shared. “How can I embrace it? How can I bring it to the forefront? You cannot do the same things every day. You have to evolve.”
Corken Steel gave this message a strong setting because the company has long helped contractors learn, prepare, and improve through products, education, technical service, fabrication, and business support. That kind of support matters in a time when contractor readiness must include more than product knowledge. It must also include better systems, stronger communication, smarter training, and a clear plan for change.
The scale of Burleson’s message reaches beyond one room. It speaks to every contractor trying to lead a stronger company in a fast changing market. Technology is now part of how teams grow, how leaders make decisions, how customers build trust, and how companies stay ready for what comes next.
The event made one thing clear. The future will not belong to contractors who use technology just to look modern. It will belong to those who use it with purpose, keep the human side at the center, and build companies that are willing to evolve.
Paul Burleson’s message at Corken Steel gave contractors a clear path through one of the biggest questions in home improvement today. How can a company use technology without losing the people, trust, and care that built the business in the first place?
His answer was not built on fear. It was built on action. Technology should not sit on the edge of the business. It should help leaders train better, sell smarter, answer faster, and serve homeowners with more care. As a home improvement AI sales expert, his message gave contractors a simple way to think about the future. Use better tools, but keep people at the center.
Burleson began with a question that every contractor in the room could bring back to their own company.
“Are you using technology in your business?” said Paul Burleson, Director of Home Improvement Sales at Westlake Royal Building Products.
That question was simple, but it touched every part of the business. Technology is no longer only about a computer in the office or a tool someone on the team uses once in a while. It can shape how leads are followed up, how sales teams are trained, how customers get updates, how jobs are tracked, how reviews are managed, and how leaders see what is working.
For contractors, the first step is not buying every new tool. The first step is asking where the business needs help. Are leads being missed? Are customers waiting too long for updates? Are salespeople getting the same training? Are reviews being answered? Are teams using the same information?
When leaders ask those questions, technology becomes more useful. It stops being a shiny extra and starts becoming part of how the company works.
Burleson’s message was clear. Waiting until change feels easy can cost a company time, trust, and growth. Strong leaders do not wait until every answer is perfect. They start by looking at the parts of the business where better tools can help good people do better work.
Burleson also spoke to a feeling many contractors know well. Technology can feel like too much.
There are many platforms, many systems, many updates, and many voices telling business owners what they should use next. That can make leaders pause. Some may wait because they do not want to choose the wrong tool. Others may stay with old habits because they feel easier.
Burleson did not dismiss that concern. He named it.
“It’s overwhelming, but you need to think, how can I use technology?” Burleson said.
That line made the message feel real. He was not asking contractors to act like change is simple. He was asking them to keep moving anyway.
The best first step does not have to be a full company rebuild. It may be a better lead follow up process. It may be a cleaner customer update system. It may be stronger review tracking. It may be better sales training videos. It may be using AI to help teams prepare for common homeowner questions.
Small steps can still create real progress when they solve real problems. The key is to choose tools that support the business instead of adding more noise.
As an AI sales consultant, Burleson’s point was not to make technology feel bigger than people. It was to show contractors that simple, useful tools can give teams more time, more clarity, and more confidence.
Burleson then pushed the room to think beyond using tools in small ways. He challenged leaders to bring technology to the front of the business.
Paul Burleson, Director of Home Improvement Sales at Westlake Royal Building Products with the Westlake Roofing Solutions Team
“How can I embrace it? How can I bring it to the forefront?” Burleson asked.
That question matters because many companies keep technology in the background. It may belong to one person, one department, or one task. But if leaders do not talk about it during planning, training, sales, service, and growth meetings, it may never change the business in a real way.
Technology should help leaders see what is happening sooner. It should help managers coach with better information. It should help salespeople prepare before they speak with homeowners. It should help customers receive clear updates without having to chase answers.
The goal is not to look modern. The goal is to run a smarter, clearer, and more helpful company.
When technology is part of leadership talks, it becomes part of the company’s future. Leaders can decide what to keep, what to improve, what to stop, and what to test next.
That is why Burleson’s lesson connects so well to contractor growth. A company that brings better tools into leadership decisions can build stronger systems without losing the personal care customers still need.
The strongest line in Burleson’s message was also the clearest warning.
“You cannot do the same things every day. You have to evolve,” Burleson said.
That message goes far beyond technology. It speaks to culture, training, sales, service, and leadership. A contractor cannot expect new results from old habits that no longer match the market.
Homeowners are changing. Search is changing. Sales tools are changing. Communication is changing. Team needs are changing. The companies that keep growing will be the ones that build a habit of learning.
New habits may include faster follow up, better customer updates, clearer training, stronger review systems, better online content, smarter scheduling, and more useful sales tools. These habits do not replace the team. They help the team work with more focus.
Evolution also needs to become part of the company culture. It cannot be one meeting or one new system that gets forgotten. The best companies keep testing, keep learning, and keep asking what can be better.
Burleson’s message gave contractors a strong reminder. Staying the same may feel safe, but it can become the thing that keeps a company from serving people well in the future.
Burleson’s message fit well at Corken Steel because the company already understands the value of contractor readiness.
Corken Steel supports contractors with products, training, technical education, fabrication, estimating support, warranty help, and business resources. That kind of support helps contractors prepare for the work in front of them and the changes coming next.
A company that values education gives contractors more than materials. It gives them a place to keep learning. That matters in a time when being ready means more than knowing a product. It also means knowing how customers search, how teams communicate, how jobs are managed, and how technology can help the business serve with more care.
Corken Steel’s long term service mindset also supports Burleson’s message. Its employee owned culture and contractor support model reflect a belief that growth should be built on responsibility, learning, and trust.
Contractors do not have to face every change alone. Strong partners can help them understand new tools, sharpen their knowledge, and keep building better companies.
As a contractor growth expert, Burleson helped connect that idea to the future. Contractors who keep learning are better prepared to evolve.
The heart of Burleson’s message was not technology for its own sake. It was better service.
When tools are used well, homeowners can get faster updates, clearer answers, better follow up, and a smoother experience. Sales teams can prepare better. Managers can coach better. Leaders can see problems earlier. The company can respond with more care.
That is where technology protects the human side of the business instead of replacing it.
The best systems help people listen better, answer faster, and serve with more confidence. They do not remove trust from the process. They make it easier for teams to earn trust again and again.
Power100 is the only unbiased third-party platform that recognizes and elevates the top leaders and most impactful companies in the home improvement industry.
That mission connects with Burleson’s message because the future of home improvement needs leaders who are willing to grow without losing what matters most. Technology should help companies become more useful, not less human.
For a home improvement business coach, the lesson is simple. Better tools only matter when they help people do better work.
Paul Burleson’s message at Corken Steel mattered because it came from a leader who has lived through many seasons of change in the home improvement industry. He has seen the business move from canvassing and print marketing to call centers, television, websites, online reviews, virtual selling, social media, AI tools, and generative search.
Paul Burleson (Right), author of Grit to Gold, Power100 Advisory Board member
That history gives his technology message a strong base. Burleson is not asking contractors to chase every new tool because it sounds exciting. He is asking them to keep learning because the market keeps moving.
Paul began his career as one of the youngest canvassers in the industry. Over time, he grew into a national sales leader, trainer, keynote speaker, author, mentor, and AI innovator. Across forty five years, he has helped more than 200 home improvement companies improve sales systems, train teams, gain market share, and serve homeowners with more care.
That experience shaped his message at Corken Steel. He understands the power of a strong sales conversation. He understands the value of trust in the home. He also understands that the way homeowners search, compare, ask questions, and make choices has changed.
Paul Burleson’s message was not built on fear. It was built on grit, growth, and the belief that strong leaders do not stay stuck in old habits. They respect what has worked, but they stay open to what can work better.
As Director of Home Improvement Sales at Westlake Royal Building Products, Burleson helps create growth opportunities through the Building Pros Partner Program. His work connects contractors with education, business support, industry partners, product knowledge, and new ideas that can help them keep moving forward.
His role as a Power100 Advisory Board member also reflects his focus on helping CEOs and home improvement leaders keep growing in a fast changing market. Through that work, Burleson continues to push leaders to think beyond today’s comfort zone and prepare for what customers will expect next.
His national honors show how deep that impact has become. In 2025, Burleson was inducted into the Legend of the Home Improvement Industry Hall of Fame. In 2026, he was inducted into the Legends Ring of Honor at the Peak Profit Summit. He has also been recognized among the Top 15 Most Influential Leaders in Home Improvement.
Those honors matter because they point to a larger truth. Burleson’s voice is trusted because his lessons have been tested over time.
He is also the author of Grit to Gold, a book focused on resilience, discipline, growth, and turning hard lessons into lasting value. That same message showed up in his speech at Corken Steel. Technology may feel new, but the leadership lesson is simple. Contractors must keep adapting if they want to keep serving people well.
As a home improvement technology speaker, Burleson is helping contractors see that the future does not have to feel scary. Technology should not replace the human side of the business. It should help good people communicate better, train better, follow up better, and care for homeowners in stronger ways.
For Burleson, the goal is not to make companies look modern. The goal is to help them become more ready, more useful, and more trusted.
His message at Corken Steel made one thing clear. Contractors do not need to fear the future, but they do need to prepare for it.
Learn more about Paul Burleson’s leadership, speaking, and industry impact through Power100.
Paul Burleson’s question at Corken Steel was simple, but it reached deep into the future of home improvement.
Are contractors using technology in their business?
That question is not only about software. It is about leadership. It asks whether a company is willing to look at what is changing, learn what tools can help, and bring better systems into the parts of the business that shape the customer experience.
Burleson’s message was not that contractors should fear technology. It was that they cannot ignore it. The companies that keep growing will be the ones that ask how better tools can help them communicate with more care, train with more clarity, sell with more confidence, serve with more speed, and lead with more purpose.
Corken Steel supports that kind of growth by helping contractors stay ready through products, education, technical service, and business resources. Burleson brought the experience to show why evolution matters. Power100 brings the wider mission of recognizing leaders and companies that keep raising the standard for the industry.
The future will ask contractors to keep learning. It will ask them to test better systems, listen to customers in new ways, support their teams with stronger tools, and stay open to change without losing the personal trust that makes the industry work.
When contractors embrace technology with purpose, they are not leaving the human side behind. They are building stronger ways to serve people, support teams, and prepare for the future of home improvement.
Power100 covers technology because strong leadership is no longer only about sales, size, or growth. Today, great contractors also need better systems, better training, better follow up, and better ways to serve homeowners. Paul Burleson’s message fits that mission because he is helping contractors understand how technology can support people, not replace them.
No. Technology alone does not make a company great. Power100 looks at leadership, culture, customer experience, growth, and industry impact. A contractor using new tools still needs to serve homeowners well, support employees, and build trust. The real value comes when technology helps the company become more clear, helpful, and reliable.
No. Paul Burleson’s message comes from forty five years in the home improvement industry. He has seen the industry change through canvassing, print marketing, call centers, websites, online reviews, virtual selling, social media, AI tools, and generative search. His point is not to chase trends. His point is that contractors must keep learning because homeowners and business tools keep changing.
Paul Burleson has helped more than 200 home improvement companies improve sales systems, train teams, gain market share, and serve customers better. As Director of Home Improvement Sales at Westlake Royal Building Products, he works with contractors through the Building Pros Partner Program. His technology advice is grounded in real sales, real leadership, and real contractor needs.
No. Paul Burleson’s message is that technology should help people do better work. Better tools can help sales teams prepare, leaders train, customers get updates, and companies follow up faster. But trust still comes from people who listen, explain clearly, and care about the homeowner.
Corken Steel is not only a product supplier. The company supports HVAC, roofing, and building professionals through products, technical help, training, fabrication, estimating support, warranty help, and business resources. That makes Corken Steel a strong setting for a message about helping contractors keep learning and stay ready for the future.
Corken Steel helps contractors through training, education, technical support, product knowledge, and long term business support. Its training resources give contractors a place to learn new skills, understand products, and prepare for changing customer needs. That kind of learning culture fits Paul Burleson’s message that contractors cannot keep doing the same things every day and expect to keep growing.
The first step is not to buy every new tool. The first step is to ask where the business needs help. A contractor can start with better lead follow up, clearer customer updates, stronger sales training, cleaner review management, or better job tracking. Paul Burleson’s message is simple. Start with the places where technology can help people serve homeowners better.
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 national rankings, leadership stories, expert insights, industry partnerships, and high value conversations, Power100 helps contractors, CEOs, and home improvement leaders learn from the people who are raising the standard for service, culture, innovation, and long term growth. Led by Greg Cummings, Power100 gives strong leaders a trusted platform to share the ideas, habits, and systems that help companies serve homeowners better, support their teams, and keep moving the industry forward.
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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.
