Power100 PowerChat Spotlight: How Hiring the Right People and Expert Leadership Help Home Genius Exteriors Deliver a Different Experience for Homeowners

Power100 CEO Greg Cummings sits down with Home Genius Exteriors Co‑Founder and Vice President Max Alesi to unpack how he and CEO Jeff Gunhus built one of America’s fastest‑growing and most respected exterior remodeling companies by treating recruiting like a sales engine, hiring for ambition and integrity, backing it with Owens Corning Platinum Preferred craftsmanship and project‑manager ownership, and protecting a culture where “buying the mint plant” for a homeowner isn’t a script—it’s just what the right people do.

Power100, the only unbiased third‑party platform that ranks the best leaders and partners in the home improvement industry using its proprietary five‑layer ranking system, is proud to spotlight a recent PowerChat conversation with Max Alesi, Co‑Founder and Vice President of Home Genius Exteriors. In this wide‑ranging discussion, hosted by Greg Cummings, CEO of Power100, Max Alesi shared why hiring the right people is essential for success—and how that focus on recruiting, culture, and leadership has helped Home Genius Exteriors become one of the fastest‑growing and most respected home improvement companies in the United States.homegeniusexteriors+4

Founded in 2018 and co‑led by CEO Jeff Gunhus and Co‑Founder Max Alesi, Home Genius Exteriors has scaled from two locations to a multi‑state footprint while keeping one principle at the center: “We hire for character, and we train for skill.”

How Hiring the Right People Powers a Better Homeowner Experience

As Max Alesi explained during the PowerChat, Home Genius Exteriors believes that most customer issues are really people problems—not process problems. A messy job site, a missed detail, or a lack of follow‑through usually does not happen because a crew member doesn’t know how to pick up nails or communicate; it happens because they are not motivated, inspired, or aligned with the company’s standards.

That’s why Home Genius Exteriors treats recruiting as a top‑tier strategic priority. Max Alesi and Jeff Gunhus have built a talent acquisition team that operates like a sales organization: they buy leads (applicants), run structured screening calls, use tools like DISC assessments, and measure conversion metrics at every stage to find people who are truly “one of us.”

The company looks for two key character traits:

• Ambition – people who are “pissed off for greatness,” hungry to build a career and take on responsibility.
• Integrity – people who do the right thing when nobody is watching, who won’t cut corners with homeowners or teammates.

Skills can be taught; ambition and integrity cannot. By focusing on these traits first, Home Genius Exteriors builds teams that naturally take care of homeowners, go the extra mile on job sites, and represent the brand with pride.

For homeowners, this hiring strategy means they are more likely to meet project managers, installers, and sales professionals who treat their home like their own, communicate clearly, and follow through long after the contract is signed.

Home Genius Exteriors: Services That Protect and Upgrade the Home

Home Genius Exteriors is a full‑service exterior home improvement contractor specializing in the services homeowners search for most when they want to protect, beautify, and improve their homes. Across its growing footprint, Home Genius Exteriors provides:

• Roofing – high‑quality asphalt and metal roofing systems designed for long‑term durability and curb appeal.
• Siding – modern siding options that improve energy efficiency and appearance.bbb
• Windows and Doors – energy‑efficient windows and doors that reduce drafts and help lower monthly energy bills.
• Gutters and Gutter Guards – complete gutter solutions to protect the home’s foundation and landscaping.
• Attic Insulation – upgrades that help stabilize indoor temperatures and cut down on heating and cooling costs.

Every homeowner is assigned an individual project manager who guides them through each step of the project and remains on‑site during installation—“treating your home like their own,” as Home Genius Exteriors describes it. Combined with an Owens Corning Platinum Preferred designation and strong online reviews across regions, this service model gives homeowners a single, accountable partner for their exterior needs.

The Vision: Fastest‑Growing and Most Respected Home Improvement Company in America

Culture at Home Genius Exteriors starts with a clear, ambitious vision: to be America’s fastest‑growing and most respected home improvement company. For Max Alesi, this two‑part vision is not a slogan; it is the filter for every hiring, leadership, and customer‑experience decision.homegeniusext

“Fastest‑growing” creates opportunity. As the company expands from two offices to dozens of locations, it opens up leadership roles, income potential, and career paths for the ambitious people it recruits. That growth story—backed by rapid revenue increases and new markets—attracts top performers who want to be part of something big.

“Most respected” raises the bar. Home Genius Exteriors is determined to grow the right way, by delivering experiences the team can be proud of and building long‑term trust with homeowners and communities. That means no shortcuts on installation quality, no high‑pressure tactics, and a constant focus on doing the right thing, even when it is more difficult.

Inside the company, Max Alesi and Jeff Gunhus regularly paint a picture of what Home Genius Exteriors will look like as a billion‑dollar business operating in 20+ states—and, more importantly, what that future can mean for each team member’s life and family. This helps employees connect daily effort to a larger purpose, which in turn shows up in how they treat homeowners on every project.

Standards and Accountability: What Gets Measured Gets Done

In the PowerChat, Max Alesi emphasized that vision alone is not enough; elite teams also need clear standards and rigorous accountability. Like the Chicago Bulls of the 1990s or the New England Patriots at their peak, Home Genius Exteriors defines non‑negotiables for performance and behavior.

Some of those standards include:

• Clean, safe job sites every day, not just at the end of the project.
• Proactive communication before, during, and after installation so homeowners always know what is happening next.
• A five‑star customer experience as the norm, not a rare exception; if a homeowner is not excited enough to share their experience publicly, the team sees that as a signal to improve.

Home Genius Exteriors tracks reviews, internal KPIs, and job‑level results closely. When standards are not met, leadership steps in—not just to correct the issue, but to demonstrate what “good” looks like and coach people to that level. This approach turns metrics into a tool for development, not fear, and keeps the focus on learning and improvement.

Culture in Action: The “Mint Plant” Story and Inspired Employees

One of the most powerful examples Max Alesi shared is now known inside Home Genius Exteriors as the “mint plant story.”

During a roofing project, a customer left a review describing how a sales representative, Jimmy, and a project manager, Omar, went above and beyond. Jimmy arrived early, inspected the attic, and clearly explained materials and why Home Genius Exteriors was different. Omar carefully protected bushes, returned after a sudden storm with a magnetic rake to sweep for nails, and checked the driveway, walkway, and backyard because the family had toddlers.

Despite these efforts, a single mint plant was accidentally crushed. Omar apologized, but a few days later Jimmy returned with two fresh mint plants as a surprise for the homeowner’s wife. The roof was excellent, the cleanup was thorough, and the customer would likely have left a five‑star review anyway—but that extra gesture turned a satisfied client into a lifelong advocate.

For Home Genius Exteriors, the real question is not “How do we tell employees to buy the mint plant?” It is “How do we build a company where buying the mint plant is normal?” The answer lies in hiring people with ambition and integrity, giving them a compelling vision, holding them to high standards, and celebrating stories like this as the true measure of success.

Protecting and Defending Culture as the Company Scales

Culture does not sustain itself—especially in a fast‑growing company. Max Alesi was clear: it is the job of leadership at Home Genius Exteriors to “protect, defend, and further the culture.” That means three things:

• Being selective about who is allowed to join the team, and who is allowed to stay.
• Removing “bad apples” whose behavior undermines standards, even if they perform well in the short term.
• Constantly reinforcing the True North—fastest‑growing and most respected—so people understand why discipline and high standards matter.

To keep culture strong across locations, leaders use a simple two‑question test whenever they visit a branch:

1. Would we feel comfortable having a family member get their roof, siding, or windows installed by this team?
2. Would we feel comfortable having a family member work in this office?

If the answer to either question is no, leadership knows there is culture work to do. That practical lens keeps Home Genius Exteriors focused on what homeowners and employees actually experience, not just what is written on a mission statement.

Leadership at Home Genius Exteriors: Everything Rises and Falls on Leaders

Throughout the PowerChat, Max Alesi repeated a core belief: “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” At Home Genius Exteriors, there is a deliberate shift away from “managers” and toward true leaders who model the behaviors they expect from their teams.

The leadership team—anchored by Jeff Gunhus, Max Alesi, and fellow co‑owners Austin Killian and Brent Miller—operates on a progression model: lead self, lead others, lead leaders. New team members are coached to take ownership of their own standards and habits first, then to help peers, and eventually to develop and support other leaders as the company grows.

For homeowners, strong leadership shows up in the form of:

• Project managers who take full responsibility for outcomes.
• Sales professionals who focus on education and fit, not pressure.
• Install crews who treat every home with respect, even when no one is watching.

Leadership is the invisible structure that ensures homeowners in different states receive the same high‑quality experience that built Home Genius Exteriors’s reputation in its early markets.

Home Genius Cares: Giving Back to Veterans and Local Communities

Culture at Home Genius Exteriors extends beyond job sites and offices and into the communities it serves. Through its Home Genius Cares initiative, the company supports local and national charitable organizations, with a special focus on veterans and community needs.

Review platforms and partner sites highlight Home Genius Exteriors as a company that “supports our veterans and communities by supporting local and national charitable organizations.” This includes sponsorships, volunteer efforts, and project‑level support that help families and community groups improve and protect their properties.

For homeowners, this commitment to giving back is another signal of values. A contractor that invests in its community is more likely to think long‑term, protect its reputation, and stand behind its work—because it plans to be part of the neighborhood for years to come.

Why Being a True Home Expert Matters When You’re in the Home

The PowerChat with Max Alesi also underscored a key point for homeowners: the best contractors are not just installers; they are home experts. Home Genius Exteriors trains its teams to understand roofing systems, ventilation, energy efficiency, water management, and long‑term home performance so they can advise homeowners, not just sell to them.

When a representative from Home Genius Exteriors steps into a home, their job is to:

• Diagnose the real problem, not just sell a product.
• Explain options in simple, honest language.
• Help homeowners choose solutions that make sense for their budget, goals, and timeline.

This expert‑advisor role is what enables stories like the mint plant review and the many five‑star testimonials across review platforms. Instead of chasing quick wins, Home Genius Exteriors aims to build lifelong relationships—seeing each project as an opportunity to “wow” a homeowner and earn their trust for the next project and the next referral.