Bought 4 Businesses & Built a $10M HVAC Business With Brendon Aldridge

My conversation with Brendan Eldridge, Owner of Dr. HVAC

On this episode, I sat down with someone who has quietly built one of the most systemized, acquisition-driven home-service companies in the Greater Toronto Area: Brendan Eldridge, owner of Dr. HVAC LTD.

What I love about Brendan’s story is that he didn’t come into the industry with a grand vision or business plan. He “failed into the trades,” learned every lesson the hard way, and eventually grew a one-man shop into a 45-person HVAC and plumbing organization known for its leadership, systems, and community focus.

This conversation is packed with insights that every home-service operator can borrow, whether you’re doing $1M or $30M.

The Systems Shift: Nexstar, ServiceTitan & Choosing Residential

Brendan’s turning point came in 2017 when he joined Nexstar, giving him structure, systems, and the blueprint he didn’t know he needed.

He also rolled out ServiceTitan, something many companies struggle to implement.
In his case, his CSR took ownership and got it deployed. (She later left, leaving him to figure out the rest a classic home-service moment.)

This year, Brendan made another bold decision:
he sold his commercial division and went all-in on residential.
That meant rebuilding the team, reworking operations, and essentially relaunching the company from the inside out.

Scaling Through Acquisition: Dr. HVAC’s Growth Engine

While many owners try to scale through pure organic growth, Brendan took a different route.

Between 2020 and 2023, he completed four acquisitions each with a different backstory:

• One owner had been talking about selling for years.
• One shut down during COVID panic.
• One came through word-of-mouth.
• The biggest (a plumbing company) came through a broker and was already a Nexstar member.

It was like scaling two companies at the same time… and things just took off.

The surprise win? Boilers.
Toronto is full of them, and the plumbing acquisition opened the floodgates.
Suddenly, 40–50% of winter revenue came from boilers, something he hadn’t even planned for.

What He Actually Buys in a Small Acquisition

I see so many owners overcomplicate acquisitions. Brendan keeps it simple:
He’s usually buying:

• The phone number
• The customer list
• The website
• Light inventory (rarely meaningful)
  In his words, he’s buying a warm marketing channel with built-in trust. That’s the real value.

Database Monetization: The Most Underused Asset in Home Services

After four acquisitions, Brendan had a massive combined database, and he works it relentlessly.

Here’s his process:

• Every customer not serviced in 6 months goes into a reactivation bucket.
• CSRs outbound call with a promo.
• ServiceTitan Marketing Pro sends automated emails & texts.
• Customers get tagged by system age, revealing daily replacement opportunities.

We can find leads easier than we can find technicians right now.
That’s the power of treating your database like an asset not a list.

Building the Team: From Tech to Manager to Actual Leader

Today Dr. HVAC has 45 people, including:

• 4 managers
• 5 comfort advisors
• A plumbing division
• A new controller
• A growing training department

Brendan admits he skipped levels of growth by acquiring a big company too early but it forced him to mature as a leader.

Like many of us, he eventually realized he was the bottleneck.
If we had an integrator earlier, we’d be so much farther ahead.

He now works with an EOS-focused coach to build the right structure, accountability, and leadership layers.

Sales Structure: Why Comfort Advisors Win

One thing Brendan is clear on:
selling technicians limit your growth.

His comfort advisors:

• Close more
• Present whole-home solutions
• Sell IAQ naturally

Techs still get 1–2% on replacements they flip, keeping everyone aligned.And he made a great point that every owner should hear:

Whatever the techs say is usually what the customers believe.
Soft-skills training matters.

The Role of Coaching: Avoiding the “Ignorance Tax”

Brendan didn’t sugarcoat this:
He would NOT be where he is without coaching.

He’s invested heavily in:

• Nexstar
• Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO)
• Strategic Coach

I probably would’ve gone out of business without coaches. The ignorance tax is way more expensive than coaching.
Every home-service owner learns this eventually, usually the hard way.

Community Impact: The Bigger Mission

Like many strong home-service leaders, he sees the business not just as a company, but as a vehicle for community impact.
When you employ dozens of families, you change a community.

Final Thoughts

Brendan’s journey from fired technician to multi-division operator is loaded with lessons:

• Shift your mindset early
• Build systems before you’re forced to
• Don’t fear acquisitions, they’re a growth shortcut
• Build a real leadership team
• Train your techs on communication
• Monetize your database
• Get coaching before you think you need it

If you want to connect with Brendan or learn more about Dr. HVAC:

• Website: drhvac.ca
• LinkedIn: Brendan Eldridge
• Instagram: @TheRealDrHVAC