Industry Leaders Celebrate Paul Burleson

The Legends Award ceremony brought together some of the most respected names in home improvement, all gathered to celebrate Paul’s induction. Their testimonials paint a picture of a man whose influence extends far beyond sales numbers and training sessions.

Daniel DeMatteo, Founding Account Executive at Revin, attended the event to support Paul. Dustin Kirby, Director of Business Development at gFour Marketing Group, noted, “Paul Burleson brings a different unique kind of energy than everyone else”.

Tim Musch, Business Development Specialist at Paradigm and fellow Power100 Advisory Board Member (himself honored as a Legend of the Home Improvement Industry in 2022), declared, “Paul Burleson is the most hardworking person in the home improvement industry”.

Brock Crabtree, VP Sales and Business Development at Think Unlimited, and Charley Goldberg, Senior Executive at Ingage, praised Paul as “a matchmaker and a really great person”.

Dustin Rhoades, Senior Vice President of Sales at Great Day Improvements, explained what makes legends like Paul special: “It’s work ethic. It’s being forward thinking and putting themselves in a situation knowing how to win”.

Vic Sun, CEO of Channel Automation, offered simple but powerful words: “Congratulations, Paul. You deserve all the success”.

Rich Harshaw, CEO of Level 10 Contractor, spoke about his company’s mission during the event, while Brian Elias, CEO of Refloor, said, “Paul truly deserves the award because he has worked with many people and made them successful”.

Chris Counahan, President at LeafFilter Gutter Protection, congratulated Paul: “Well deserved, sir. You have done so much for the industry”. Danielle Romack, CEO of Kitchens Today, shared, “Paul taught me how to sell siding way back in the day”.

Abby Binder, CEO of Abby Home, expressed her pride: “I am super proud of Paul Burleson, and hearing his stories makes you love him even more”.

Cody Carnes, Account Executive at Ingage, offered perhaps the most telling observation: “Paul Burleson is a unique individual in the sense that he cares more about other people’s well-being and them doing great things, versus being self-absorbed”.

James Dobyne, Founder of EcoView America, testified to Paul’s reliability: “Paul Burleson has always been there for me. I can’t think of a single time I asked for his help and he didn’t show up right away”.

Paul Brogan, Director of Sales, Mid-Atlantic Region at Westlake Royal Building Products, called Paul “a unique person” who is “fantastic to work with”. Brad Yoho, CEO at Dave Yoho Associates, added, “Paul Burleson is one of my mentors. He has contributed so much to Dave Yoho Associates”.

Chris Rice, Enterprise Sales at Rize, shared, “Paul Burleson is always inspiring, and I love the motivation that he brings”.

Buck Rasmussen, Territory Sales Manager at Westlake Royal Roofing Solutions, spoke to Paul’s mentorship: “What a good coach does is teach, and that’s what Paul has done to me”.

Michael Castellanos, Co-Founder & Chief Data Scientist at Rilla, offered stunning testimony: “Paul Burleson is the only partner we’ve ever had who brought in over a million dollars in revenue and never asked for anything in return”.

Jimmy Hammond, Partnerships Manager at Destination Motivation, summed up Paul’s character: “Paul Burleson is the kind of mentor who gives without expecting anything in return. He’s always ready and willing to offer guidance”.

The PowerChat Podcast: Jim Ziminski and Mike Turek on Paul Burleson

In a special PowerChat episode dedicated to Paul’s Legends Award, Greg Cummings hosted two home improvement legends—Jim Ziminski and Mike Turek—to discuss Paul’s impact on the industry.

Jim Ziminski, now Chairman of the Board of Omnia Exterior Solutions with 40 years in the industry, shared the story of Paul’s first interview with Crane Performance Siding. “I’ll never forget it. I’ve never heard anyone in my career say this to me other than Bones,” Jim recalled. When asked about his goals, Paul looked Jim straight in the eye and said, “I want to be the greatest vinyl siding salesman in the history of vinyl siding”.

Jim continued, “Paul starts telling this story about living in Tennessee with his mom, a single mom with a checkered past. He’s in his room, his mom’s out doing her thing, and he’s literally holding this cardboard door back so the rats don’t get in his room. He’s shaking, scared to death, and he’s like, ‘I’m never going to live like this when I get older'”.

Paul’s story at that sales meeting left everyone speechless. “Nobody said anything close to what Bones just said. Everybody’s telling a normal story, and Bones is just as passionate as can be,” Jim shared. “It really helped us build an even greater culture of like we can do anything. If this guy can do it, we can do it. And he never lost that energy or momentum or authenticity ever.”

Mike Turek, with 31 years in the industry and currently working with a wholesale distribution company out of Alabama, first met Paul in January 2003. “His very first meeting he walked into literally was being told that he was the first guy who was going to be thrown out of a national company that used Alcoa as their primary, unprecedented. And we had 90 days to turn it around or his behind was going to be out the door”.

Paul looked like he’d been hit by a truck, Mike recalled. But Paul wrapped his hands around the challenge, and over the next six months, they added a million dollars of new business in one location. “Obviously we’re here in this conversation—he obviously never lost it,” Mike said.

Mike shared deeply personal reflections on their friendship: “He helped me when I was going through cancer treatment. He was a dear friend. It’s not the siding business—he’s family to us”. “My kids grew up with Uncle Bones because he was in my house every month.”

“The guy genuinely cares about people,” Mike emphasized. “I know what he does on the side to help people and charitable situations. The guy’s so much more than what you see, and sometimes people don’t give him the time to really get to know him like you could.”

Paul Burleson at the Richards Building Supply Business Growth Expo

At the Richards Building Supply Business Growth Expo in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, Paul joined fellow industry leaders Andy Knapp, Sydney Goepferich, Anthony Ingrao, and Clint Klepp to share insights on contractor success.

The event, organized by Ron Guzior and the Richards Building Supply team, focused on three key pillars: Insight, Incentives, and Innovation. These themes aligned perfectly with Paul’s expertise in helping contractors adapt to changing market conditions.

During his rapid-fire interview, Paul explained his presence at the event: “Richards Building Supply is committed to the people. They want to make a difference, and that’s why I am here”. His presentation emphasized practical strategies contractors could implement immediately to grow their businesses and improve their competitive positioning.

Ron Guzior captured the spirit of the event perfectly: “Put people with big ideas in the same room, and they will create the future of your business”. Paul’s contribution ensured that those big ideas included both time-tested sales fundamentals and cutting-edge technology adoption.

Paul Burleson at the AGOGE Summit 2024

The AGOGE Summit 2024, held at the prestigious OMNI Amelia Island Resort in Florida and hosted by Grosso University, brought together top experts in the home improvement industry. Paul Burleson delivered a high-energy presentation that earned him a standing ovation.

Immediately after his presentation, Greg Cummings caught up with Paul for a rapid-fire interview. “Paul, awesome job, man,” Greg said. “How was it in there?”

“Dude, it was great, you know. I love Grosso University. That’s why I come here for the industry and all these different people here and people embracing it,” Paul responded. “The energy’s got me fired up, and I just—I got the energy now to get me all the way home on the plane. I love what he’s doing here, and I love what Power100 is doing to bring this to the people.”

Greg asked Paul about his natural ability to adapt to every changing situation. Paul’s answer revealed his philosophy: “I think the credibility to be able to read changes in the industry and networking and understand where the growth is and who the people are leading that charge and embrace them. Don’t push them away. If you don’t understand it, understand it. If you fear it, understand it. But that’s the key to growing and having knowledge and sharing it with other people is being that person that is willing to make that step forward and to learn and educate others”.

The AGOGE event featured numerous technology and service providers, and Paul’s presentation tied together how contractors could leverage these partnerships to scale their businesses effectively. His message resonated with attendees who were hungry for practical guidance on navigating industry disruption.

Paul Burleson at The Pinnacle Experience

In November 2024, Paul Burleson took the stage at The Pinnacle Experience, held at the Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland. The event, organized by Pro Remodeler, brought together contractors, remodelers, and industry partners for intensive education and networking.

During a PowerChat interview with Greg Cummings and Erica Mosse, Director of Content for Pro Remodeler, Paul’s expertise and presentation style received high praise. “I have a lot of personal and professional regard for Paul,” Erica shared. “As a speaker, he is extremely dynamic, high energy, super entertaining, and he combines wit with a lot of knowledge and a lot of industry experience. So you don’t feel like you’re sitting there in class having to learn something. You feel like you’re being—it’s entertainment and education, right? It’s edutainment”.

Erica continued, “He’s just a really trusted industry resource. He’s not just coming in out of nowhere, talking a bunch of stuff. Since he was 12 years old, he’s been in this industry. So he is an absolute authority, absolute expert. You could not find somebody with more knowledge. He’s got a foot in the future, he’s got a foot in the past, and he’s firmly rooted in the present. He’s just in that sweet spot of industry knowledge”.

Paul’s presentation at The Pinnacle Experience focused on his “Blueprint for Success”. He addressed fundamental challenges facing sales professionals: lack of planning, poor preparation, no commitment objectives, inadequate product knowledge, failure to demonstrate value, and inability to listen to customer needs.

“We got to understand something. We have to quit selling and we have to help people buy. We got to be consultative selling experts,” Paul explained. “The house is sick. Let me write a prescription to make it healthy again. We have to listen to the needs. The customer will tell you how to solve the problems, but if you don’t take a second and ask those questions, you don’t get the answers.”

Paul also addressed AI adoption head-on. “We are in the most disruptive point of our entire industry that we’ve ever been at,” he emphasized. “The evolution of AI every single week, if you don’t make a commitment to adapt, you will not survive. And I say that with no pun intended.”

Using an analogy that resonated with the audience, Paul compared AI to the microwave. “You remember when we had a stove and the old TV dinner? We’d put it in the stove for 45 minutes. Then the microwave comes along. AI could be the microwave. Now we can put things in microwave bowls, it’s quicker, it’s faster, we can get more room in the freezer and store things and have it when we want it. So we evolved to the microwave, but we didn’t get rid of the stove, did we? The point I’m making is, even though AI is going to evolve, it’s not going to replace the human element, but what it’s going to do is make you more productive, more efficient”.

During his rapid-fire interview at the event, Paul shared his enthusiasm for attending: “There’s so many great speakers. Greg, I know we’ve got several board members here. We’ve got some of your top CEOs that we rank here. If you’re not here, if you’re watching this, obviously you’re not here, but you still have an opportunity to be here maybe next year. So we’re having fun. We wish you were here with us. You should have been here with us”.

“Grit to Gold”: Paul Burleson’s Book Launch

In November 2025, Paul Burleson released his debut book, “Grit to Gold,” at an exclusive celebration in Las Vegas. The book launch brought together many of the industry’s top minds, technology innovators, and long-time collaborators who have witnessed Paul’s journey from underdog to industry icon.

“Grit to Gold” is far more than a biography—it is the story of a kid who was told he would never walk again and went on to transform an entire industry. In his own words, the book is written “for anyone who wants to overcome obstacles, change where they are today, and write their own narrative—especially those tired of hearing non-believers tell them what they cannot do”.

Paul describes “Grit to Gold” as a roadmap for people who have been knocked down but refuse to stay down, echoing the “go the distance” spirit that inspired him from films like “Rocky”. The book speaks to home improvement professionals, entrepreneurs, salespeople, and leaders—but also to any person who feels like an underdog fighting for a chance.

The book gives readers a candid, behind-the-scenes look at the home improvement business—from the wild early days of high-pressure closes and questionable tactics to the modern era of technology-driven, customer-centric selling. Paul shares unforgettable stories, including door-to-door canvassing, “Tin Man” sales strategies, and unbelievable closing techniques that illustrate how far the industry has come.

At its core, “Grit to Gold” is about the mindset required to turn hardship into momentum. Paul breaks down how he reinvented himself repeatedly—embracing the first generation of websites in the mid-1990s, creating some of the earliest YouTube testimonial strategies in 2005, adopting remote virtual measurement before it was mainstream, and partnering with AI innovators long before the rest of the industry caught up.