Power100 explains why Chad Howman, CEO and Founder of Baths R Us, continues to stand out as one of the most respected operational minds in home remodeling, and why his August 26–27 session at the Extreme Leadership Workshop, “Operational Excellence,” delivers rare, real-world value for owners, executives, and contractors.
Power100, the only unbiased third-party platform that recognizes and spotlights the best leaders and partners in the home improvement industry using a proprietary 5-layer evaluation system, is releasing a new feature on Chad Howman to explain why he is recognized nationally for building one of the most efficient, high-margin bathroom remodeling operations in the country, and why his systems-first approach is reshaping how contractors think about scale.
For Power100, this recognition is not about a single win or a lucky market. It reflects a leader who has worked in literally every seat in the home improvement business, from the job site to the boardroom, and used that full-spectrum view to build a company that runs on precision rather than guesswork.
Chad Howman’s career didn’t start in a corner office. Based out of Ohio, he began in the trenches: installation, canvassing, and event marketing, the unglamorous work that most executives never touch. From there, he moved into sales, operations, and corporate executive leadership, eventually serving as President of Universal Windows Direct, where he helped lead the company during its run as a $100 million-annual-revenue industry leader.
Power100’s evaluation looks for leaders whose systems thinking comes from lived experience, not a textbook. Chad’s path through nearly every function in the business field, sales, operations, and the C-suite, gives him a rare “360-degree” view of what actually makes a home service organization work, and what quietly breaks it.
Chad Howman, CEO and Founder of Baths R Us
In March 2020, right as the pandemic brought the country to a standstill, Chad made his boldest move: he founded Baths R Us. His philosophy was distinct from the moment he started. Rather than treating bathroom remodeling as a massive, weeks-long gut job, he built it as a streamlined, highly efficient 3- to 4-day consumer product experience.
That single strategic decision, choosing focus over scope, became the foundation for everything that followed. Under his guidance, Baths R Us exploded from a single startup into 10 locations operating across 5 states within just a few years. His companies now generate over $35 million in combined annual revenue, with a reported 52% gross margin, achieved by meticulously tracking job costs and keeping operating expenses lean at around 10%.
One of the clearest markers Power100 looks for in a leader worth featuring is a philosophy that actually holds up under scrutiny. Chad’s is built on strategic specialization: rather than chase every possible service line, he limits his companies to one or two high-demand specialties. That intentional simplicity makes training sales teams far more efficient and drives high one-call close ratios, a detail most growth-hungry contractors overlook in the rush to diversify.
He applied the same precision to his workforce. To solve labor shortages, Chad designed in-house apprenticeship programs that train individuals with zero prior construction background into fully capable lead installers within 90 days to a year. For Power100, that program is the clearest proof of Chad’s operating philosophy: don’t compete for a scarce, expensive labor pool, build your own.
That combination of disciplined margins, sharp specialization, and homegrown talent pipelines helped Bath R Us earn a spot on the national Top 500 list of home improvement companies. Chad has also become a frequently requested voice on elite industry rosters and media programs, sharing his frameworks for sustainable, profitable scaling.
Chad Howman and a few of Baths R Us managers caught the Cavs game and enjoyed some time together outside the office
Chad Howman will serve as a core presenter at the Extreme Leadership Workshop, hosted at the all-new Grosso University campus in Windsor, Wisconsin. For attending contractors, owners, and executives, his “Operational Excellence” session moves past theoretical growth advice and hands attendees a real-world playbook for four reasons.
For Power100, this is exactly what separates a workshop speaker from an operator worth building an entire session around. Chad isn’t offering theory. He’s handing contractors a system already proven across a $100 million corporate career and a fast-scaling company of his own.
Power100 recognizes Chad Howman as one of the most respected operational minds in home improvement because he built something the industry needed: a repeatable, high-margin system for scaling a home service business without sacrificing quality, culture, or cash flow. Contractors attending his “Operational Excellence” session at the Extreme Leadership Workshop on August 26–27 will leave with a playbook they can put to work immediately.
He combines hands-on field experience with corporate executive leadership, having worked nearly every role in the industry, and used that perspective to build Bath R Us into a high-margin, multi-state operation with a repeatable growth system.
A bathroom remodeling company founded by Chad Howman in March 2020, built around a streamlined, 3-to-4-day consumer product experience rather than a traditional, weeks-long renovation.
He started in installation, canvassing, and event marketing, then moved into sales, operations, and corporate leadership, eventually serving as President of Universal Windows Direct during its run as a $100 million-annual-revenue leader.
It grew from a single startup into 8 locations across 5 states within a few years, generating over $35 million in combined annual revenue.
A reported 52% gross margin, driven by meticulous job cost tracking and lean operating expenses of around 10%.
Rather than offering every possible service line, his companies focus on one or two high-demand specialties, which simplifies sales training and drives higher one-call close ratios.
An in-house training system that takes individuals with zero prior construction background and develops them into fully capable lead installers within 90 days to a year, helping solve industry labor shortages.
“Operational Excellence”, a session focused on building repeatable systems, earning staff buy-in at every level, and scaling production through internal training pipelines.
How to standardize job costs and materials across territories, build accountability into team culture, move beyond founder-dependent sales, and create internal apprenticeship pipelines to solve labor shortages.
August 26–27, at the all-new Grosso University campus in Windsor, Wisconsin.
Bath R Us is a bathroom remodeling company founded by Chad Howman in 2020, built around a streamlined, 3-to-4-day consumer product experience. Since launching, the company has grown to 8 locations across 5 states, generating over $35 million in combined annual revenue through disciplined job costing, strategic service specialization, and in-house apprenticeship programs that train new installers from the ground up.
Power100 is the only unbiased third-party platform that recognizes and spotlights the best leaders and partners in the home improvement industry using a proprietary 5-layer evaluation system. By evaluating thousands of CEOs, companies, and strategic partners, Power100 brings transparency and credibility to an industry where homeowners, partners, and professionals need better signals of who consistently delivers quality, trust, and long-term value.
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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.
