Home improvement companies face a growing challenge. A contractor can spend years building a strong team, using better products, improving installation, and taking care of customers, yet a homeowner may not see those differences when comparing companies. To a homeowner searching for a trusted home improvement contractor for roofing, siding, windows, and bathrooms, several companies can look similar at first. One estimate may cost more than another, but the homeowner may not know why.
Donnie McMillan Jr., Founder and President at DaBella, believes artificial intelligence could make those differences much easier for homeowners to see.
During his PowerChat with Greg Cummings, CEO of Power100, Donnie described a future where homeowners turn to AI before they ever speak with a salesperson. They may ask how much a roof should cost, what replacement windows should cost, why one contractor charges more, or what makes one product or installation method better than another. Donnie believes AI will become smart enough to compare those choices using product information, consumer feedback, installation details, photos, and other evidence to help a homeowner understand what they are buying.
That shift could change what it means to compete for a home improvement project. A homeowner searching for a roof replacement contractor may soon receive more than a list of companies. AI could help explain why the companies are different before the homeowner ever requests an estimate. That means contractors may need to consider the story customers can find online before they consider the story a salesperson tells inside the home.
Donnie McMillan Jr., Founder and President at DaBella
Donnie sees both risk and opportunity in that change. “I fully believe within five years our business models are completely unhinged by what we’re currently doing if we don’t stay up on it,” he said. He also made clear that simply putting more information online will not be enough. The information needs to be true, clear, and authentic so AI can understand what a company actually does well.
Greg connected that challenge to DaBella’s own history. The company has often focused on doing the work rather than drawing attention to everything happening behind it. But as AI becomes a larger part of how homeowners and future employees research companies, staying quiet may carry a new cost. Strong training, better installation, community work, customer care, and company values can only shape an AI answer when there is enough clear evidence for those systems to find and understand.
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, PowerChat, industry leaders can explain the decisions, systems, and values behind their companies while homeowners and contractors gain a clearer view of what may shape the next era of home improvement.
The question facing contractors is becoming harder to ignore: what happens when a homeowner asks AI why your company is worth choosing before your salesperson ever gets the chance to explain it?
As the PowerChat moved deeper into artificial intelligence, Greg Cummings and Donnie McMillan Jr. focused less on what AI can do inside a company and more on what it may do for the homeowner. Donnie believes AI could become much better at helping people understand cost, quality, installation, products, and the differences between contractors. That could move an important part of the buying decision earlier. Before a homeowner fills out a form or books an appointment, AI may already be helping that person decide which companies deserve a closer look.
Greg Cummings, CEO of Power100
Donnie described a future where homeowners ask AI very simple questions.
“How much is my roof?”
“How much is my windows?”
“And why would I spend this money?”
Those questions may sound like price questions, but Donnie’s point goes much deeper.
A homeowner wants to know not only what something costs. They want to know why it costs that much. They want to understand why one product may last longer, why one installation method may be better, and why one company may charge more than another.
Donnie believes AI could become good enough to help explain those differences. He talked about AI showing product quality, consumer information, installation differences, and pictures before helping the homeowner compare one contractor with another.
That could change the moment when a contractor first starts competing for the job.
Today, much of that explanation may happen during the sales appointment. Tomorrow, a homeowner searching for a roof replacement contractor may already know which companies appear stronger before anyone walks through the door.
The same could happen with someone looking for energy-efficient replacement windows. The homeowner may ask AI what makes one window better, what a good installation should look like, and which companies have evidence to support their claims.
That means contractors may have to earn understanding before they earn the appointment.
For home improvement leaders, the question is worth testing today: ask an AI system to compare your company with three local competitors and see what a homeowner would actually learn before contacting you.
Explore how DaBella presents its home improvement services to homeowners.
Once AI starts helping homeowners compare companies, the next issue becomes clear.
A business may be doing excellent work, but that work cannot shape an AI answer if the proof stays hidden inside the company.
Greg raised this point when he talked about DaBella’s history of getting things done without putting much attention on every success. He asked whether that quiet approach can continue when homeowners and future employees increasingly use AI to understand companies before making decisions.
That does not mean a contractor needs to publish content simply to be loud.
The stronger goal is clarity.
If a company invests more in training, stronger products, careful installation, better service, or long-term warranties, homeowners need a way to understand why those things matter.
That becomes especially important when a homeowner sees several companies offering what appears to be the same service. Clear information can help explain the difference between simply installing siding and delivering a full customer experience around the project.
The same applies to a bathroom remodeling company. The homeowner may want to compare more than pictures. They may want to know what the company does before installation, how it communicates, what products it uses, and what happens when something goes wrong.
When those details are easy to find, AI may have more useful information to work with.
That gives companies with strong systems a chance to compete on more than price.
For contractors reviewing their own online presence, look beyond whether your website lists your services. Ask whether it clearly explains why your way of delivering those services is different.
See how DaBella explains its services, products, and customer process.
Donnie did not suggest that contractors should flood the internet with more claims.
He stressed something more basic.
The information has to be real.
“It’s got to be true and authentic,” Donnie said while talking about how companies need to help AI understand the story they are trying to tell.
That creates an important line between visibility and trust.
AI cannot replace the real work that goes into a company.
A contractor still has to install the product well.
Employees still have to communicate with customers.
Leaders still have to build strong teams.
The company still has to stand behind what it promises.
Visibility only becomes useful when the experience supports it.
That is why proof may become more important than slogans.
A company can say it offers great service. A stronger story shows customer experiences, company history, leadership practices, product information, installation standards, community work, and other facts that help explain what “great service” actually means.
For homeowners, that kind of evidence can make a broad claim much easier to understand.
Donnie’s point also raises another risk. When a company does not clearly explain itself, other information may fill the gap.
The goal is not to control every AI answer.
The goal is to ensure that enough accurate information exists so the company’s real work has a chance of being understood.
For contractors building more content around their company, ask a harder question than “Are we visible?” Ask, “Can a homeowner find enough proof to believe what we are saying?”
Learn more about Donnie McMillan Jr. and his leadership at DaBella.
The conversation became more personal when Greg asked Donnie whether he was comfortable becoming a more public voice for DaBella.
Donnie’s answer was immediate.
“No.”
That short answer revealed an important part of the AI conversation.
Not every successful business leader wants to become a public figure.
Some leaders would rather spend their time building teams, solving problems, serving customers, and growing the company.
Donnie said he feels comfortable speaking to his own people and teaching leadership, but being in the public eye does not come as naturally to him. He also explained that some subjects feel easier because they connect directly to what he cares about, including community service and what he loves about the company.
That creates a useful lesson for other CEOs.
A service page can explain what a company sells.
A founder can explain why the company makes certain choices.
A leader can talk about why employees receive training, why the business invests in communities, why the company protects certain standards, and what it wants customers to feel.
Those stories give context that a product page alone may never provide.
Being visible does not have to mean boasting.
It can simply mean giving people a clearer view of the company’s ideas.
That may become more important as AI tries to answer not only “What does this contractor sell?” but also “Who runs this company?” and “Why should I trust them?”
For CEOs who prefer to work behind the scenes, consider which part of your company story only you can explain with real authority.
Follow Donnie McMillan Jr. on LinkedIn for more of his leadership perspective.
Donnie closed this part of the conversation with urgency.
He believes AI is moving too quickly for companies to treat it as something they can deal with in years.
“If you don’t stay up with it, you’re gonna get buried by it,” he said.
At the same time, Donnie did not pretend that anyone had all the answers.
He described how quickly AI keeps changing. Something that seems clear one day can look different soon after.
That makes learning more important than waiting for a perfect plan.
Donnie said DaBella is investing heavily in this area because the company can see the shift coming.
That investment gives the company something valuable.
Time to test.
Time to learn.
Time to see how homeowner behavior changes.
Time to adjust before new buying habits become the norm.
Later in the PowerChat, Donnie explained that DaBella’s private, debt-free structure gives the company the freedom to test ideas quickly. If someone brings forward a new idea, the company can create a budget, try it for several months, study what happened, and decide what to do next without waiting for outside owners to approve every step.
That freedom may matter even more in a market moving as quickly as AI.
The companies that benefit most may not be the ones that claim to know exactly where AI will go.
They may be the ones willing to learn before everyone else is forced to.
For contractors watching this shift, start with one part of the homeowner journey. Look at how AI may already affect research, comparison, trust, or the questions customers ask, then begin learning from what you find.
The conversation about artificial intelligence raises an important point about Donnie McMillan Jr. and DaBella: when homeowners ask AI to compare companies, strong claims need strong evidence to back them up. DaBella already has several clear signs of that proof. In the Qualified Remodeler 2024 Top 500, DaBella ranked No. 11 with $387.4 million in remodeling revenue across 19,373 jobs. The ranking measures some of the largest remodeling and home improvement companies in the country by annual remodeling revenue.
DaBella Marks 15 Years in Home Improvement
The size of the company tells only part of the story. DaBella has continued to invest in the people expected to carry that growth forward. In 2025, the company reported that 100 employees had completed the Maxwell Leadership Certification Program. Qualified Remodeler also reported that many DaBella branch managers, regional leaders, and senior team members began in entry-level roles before growing into larger positions. That gives weight to Donnie’s message that company growth and leadership development have to move together.
That matters even more in the AI story. If homeowners begin asking technology to explain why one home improvement company may differ from another, DaBella can point to more than just size. Its public record includes a large project volume, continued investment in leadership, relationships with manufacturers, and a structure designed to develop people within the company. Those facts give AI systems and homeowners real information to work with, rather than relying solely on advertising claims.
DaBella has also received recognition from several organizations in the home improvement and customer service industries. In 2026, Power100 ranked Donnie McMillan Jr. No. 29 nationally, citing customer satisfaction, employee development, innovation, and community impact as part of his leadership record.
2025 James Hardie – President’s Club Award Recipient
Customer service recognition has also followed the company over time. GuildQuality named DaBella a 2019 Guildmaster Award winner after the company reached a customer recommendation rate of at least 90 percent. DaBella also received the James Hardie President’s Club Award in 2019, an honor that required nominated Elite Preferred contractors to reach a GuildQuality recommendation rating of 97 percent or higher.
More recently, DaBella earned the 2022 Angi Super Service Award, which required strong customer ratings and other service standards. The company also highlights the HomeAdvisor Elite Service Award, which recognizes businesses that meet review, rating, and complaint standards.
Taken together, these results create the kind of public record Donnie believes will matter more as AI becomes part of the homeowner’s research process. Revenue shows scale. Project volume shows reach. Leadership programs show investment in people. Customer awards provide outside signals of service. Industry rankings provide another point of comparison. As AI becomes better at bringing those pieces together, companies with clear, well-supported evidence may have a stronger chance of showing homeowners not only what they sell but also why their record deserves attention.
For years, strong companies could do great work, serve customers well, and let their records speak for themselves. But the way homeowners find and compare contractors is changing. If AI becomes a bigger part of that search, then the story a company leaves behind may matter almost as much as the work itself.
Donnie McMillan Jr. does not speak about that future with fear. He speaks about it with interest, but also with urgency. He believes companies have to keep learning, keep investing, and make sure the truth about what they do is easy to find. As he put it, “If you don’t stay up with it, you’re gonna get buried by it.”
That does not mean AI will replace what already matters. Homeowners will still care about good products, skilled installation, clear communication, trusted people, and strong leadership. The difference is that AI may make the proof behind those things easier to compare before a homeowner ever picks up the phone.
For DaBella, that creates both a challenge and an opportunity. The company has spent years building its teams, serving homeowners, supporting communities, and growing across new markets. The next step is to make sure the record is clear enough for people and the tools they use to understand it.
The companies that move well into this next era may not be the ones that make the biggest claims. They may be the ones who keep doing strong work, tell the truth about what makes them different, and leave enough evidence for homeowners to see for themselves.
That is the future Donnie is preparing for. Not one built on hype, but one where trust is easier to find because the proof is already there.
Power100 teaches contractors to think about what happens after a homeowner hears a company name and then asks AI whether that company deserves their trust. Greg Cummings calls this moment “affirmation search.” Power100 has published an AI Affirmation Search Playbook that helps home improvement leaders build clear, truthful information that homeowners can verify when researching a company via AI. The goal goes beyond online visibility. Power100 connects stronger AI trust with customer confidence, follow-up, cancellations, and the full buying journey.
Power100 treats Generative Engine Optimization as a way to give AI systems clear evidence about a company, rather than simply filling the internet with more marketing copy. Greg Cummings has written that contractors should build GEO authority around real evidence so tools such as ChatGPT can better understand who a company serves, what it does, and why homeowners may trust it. Power100 combines that approach with industry research, leadership content, interviews, and data-driven rankings so strong companies can build a clearer digital record around their real performance.
No. Donnie McMillan Jr. describes AI as a tool that could change what homeowners know before they meet a salesperson. He believes homeowners will increasingly ask questions about roof cost, window cost, product quality, installation differences, and competing contractors before booking or completing an appointment. The salesperson will still matter, but the homeowner may enter the conversation with far more information and stronger opinions than before.
Homeowners can find public information about DaBella across its website, industry rankings, customer service awards, manufacturer relationships, warranties, and company profiles. DaBella currently presents roofing, siding, replacement windows, baths, walk-in tubs, and gutters as its main home improvement services. Power100 also ranks Donnie McMillan Jr. at No. 29 in its 2026 national CEO rankings and cites customer satisfaction, employee development, innovation, and community impact as parts of his leadership record. That public information gives both homeowners and AI systems more evidence to examine than a company slogan alone can provide.
DaBella begins its customer process with a consultation, then visits the home to review the project, explain available options, and prepare a detailed quote. The company says it provides free consultations and estimates. It also provides homeowners with information on products, financing options, installation, and warranties. For someone searching for a roof replacement contractor, energy-efficient replacement windows, a siding replacement contractor, or a bathroom remodeling company, those details can help the homeowner compare beyond price alone.
DaBella says it uses trained installers who follow the quality standards of its manufacturer partners. The company works with manufacturers, including GAF for roofing, James Hardie for siding, and other established brands across its product categories. DaBella also states that factory-trained installation plays an important role in making sure products perform as intended. That type of information gives homeowners searching for a trusted home improvement contractor for roofing, siding, windows, and bathrooms something specific to compare when evaluating one contractor against another.
DaBella provides workmanship coverage and manufacturer warranties that vary by product. Its current warranty information lists a two-year DaBella workmanship warranty for roofing, along with the 50-year GAF Golden Pledge; a one-year DaBella warranty for windows with manufacturer coverage; a one-year DaBella warranty for siding with manufacturer coverage; and a one-year DaBella warranty for baths with manufacturer coverage. DaBella also gives homeowners a customer service contact and a warranty claim process. These details give homeowners another clear factor to consider when using AI or traditional search to evaluate home improvement companies.
Donnie says the company is investing in this area because he believes the change is already coming. He does not claim that DaBella has solved every part of AI. Instead, he describes a need to stay current, keep learning, and ensure AI can find truthful, authentic information about the company. He also says DaBella can test new ideas quickly because its private ownership structure gives the team room to create a budget, run an idea for a set period, study the results, and adjust as needed. That approach allows the company to learn as AI evolves rather than waiting for the market to settle first.
Power100 is the only unbiased third-party platform that recognizes and elevates the top leaders and most impactful companies in the home improvement industry. Led by Greg Cummings, CEO of Power100, the platform helps contractors, homeowners, and industry partners understand the leadership, customer experience, innovation, and company practices shaping the future of home improvement. Through national rankings, PowerChat conversations, industry research, and leadership stories, Power100 gives strong companies a place to show the proof behind their work and helps the industry prepare for changes in how homeowners research, compare, and choose whom they trust.
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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.
