E1 Skilled Trades and a Humble Empire with Joel and Josh Zolin

E1 Skilled Trades and a Humble Empire with Joel and Josh Zolin

Joel and Josh Zolin are some of the most humble tycoons of small biz that you may ever meet. They are steadily building an empire and finding ways to elevate other members of the skilled trades, along the way. Listen in to hear them share their story and words of advice on choosing a career path and getting started as an entrepreneur.

If you own a business in the skilled trades, or you are considering starting one, you will get some great nuggets of wisdom from this episode of Tycoons of Small Biz. If you plan to, or  are just thinking about starting a small business, tune in to listen to how Joel & Josh are literally turning the perception of the skilled trades on its head.

Windy City Equipment specializes in Commercial Facilities Maintenance such as HVAC, Refrigeration, and Cooking Equipment. Founded in 2003 by Joel Zolin, they have been serving the Phoenix area for 17 years.

Joel’s son, Josh, took over as CEO in 2017 and has since expanded the company footprint to Tucson, AZ & Houston, TX. WCE also started a Youtube channel that offers how-to videos, podcasts, vlogs, and other industry-related information.

WCE has made the Inc 5000 list of fastest-growing companies in America the past two years running, 2018 & 2019.

Joel Zolin started his career in equipment repair at Imperial Baking Co in Chicago, IL. After years of working 80 hour weeks, he decided to take his talents elsewhere. So he went to HVAC/R school and decided to move to sunny Arizona. From there he spent a few months with a local company before his entrepreneurial spirit kicked in and he decided to open the doors to Windy City Equipment.

From 2004 to 2008 he ran the business by himself, knocking on doors, and making connections. His front room was his office, and his garage was his shop. Little did he know that he was building the foundation for what would soon become one of the fastest-growing companies in the US.

Josh Zolin came on with Windy City Equipment in 2008 as a service technician and worked his way through the ranks to eventually become CEO in 2017. His passion for the skilled trades spread through the company and enabled him to create a team of industry professionals that have exceeded the expectations of many.

Eventually, that passion manifested in the form of a book, Blue is the New White, which was published in May 2019. Josh has made it a personal mission to educate America’s youth on the opportunities that exist in the skilled trades in hopes of closing the skills gap, reducing student loan debt, and ultimately enabling the success of millions.

In addition to running WCE, Josh now speaks around the country to industry professionals and educational institutions about the trades. In the free time that he does have to spend, he enjoys the company of his wife and two daughters.

Connect with Josh on LinkedIn and follow Windy City on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About the Show

Tycoons of Small Biz spotlights the true backbone of the American economy, the true tycoons of business in America… the owners, founders and CEO’s of small businesses. Join hosts,  Austin L Peterson, Landon Mance and the featured tycoons LIVE every Tuesday at 1 pm, right here on Business RadioX and your favorite podcast platform.

About Your Hosts

Austin Peterson is a Comprehensive Financial Planner and owner of Backbone Financial in Scottsdale, AZ. Austin is a registered rep and investment advisor representative with Lincoln Financial Advisors. Prior to joining Lincoln Financial Advisors, Austin worked in a variety of roles in the financial services industry.

He began his career in financial services in the year 2000 as a personal financial advisor with Independent Capital Management in Santa Ana, CA. Austin then joined Pacific Life Insurance Company as an internal wholesaler for their variable annuity and mutual fund products. After Pacific Life, Austin formed his own financial planning company in Southern California that he built and ran for 6 years and eventually sold when he moved his family to Salt Lake City to pursue his MBA. After he completed his MBA, Austin joined Crump Life Insurance where he filled a couple of different sales roles and eventually a management role throughout the five years he was with Crump. Most recently before joining Lincoln Financial Advisors in February 2015, Austin spent 2 years as a life insurance field wholesaler with Symetra Life Insurance Company. Austin is a Certified Financial Planner Professional and Chartered Life Underwriter.

Austin and his wife of 21 years, Robin, have two children, AJ (19) and Ella (16) and they reside in Gilbert, Arizona. He is a graduate of California State University, Fullerton with a Bachelor of Arts in French and of Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Management with a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in sales and entrepreneurship.

Connect with Austin on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Landon Mance is a Financial Planner and founder of YourFuture Planning Partners out of Las Vegas, Nevada. His firm came to life in 2020 after operating as Mance Wealth Management since 2015 when Landon broke off from a major bank and started his own “shop.”

Landon comes from a family of successful entrepreneurs and has a passion and excitement for serving the business community. This passion is what brought about the growth of YourFuture Planning Partners to help business owners and their families. At YourFuture, we believe small business owners’ personal and business goals are intertwined, so we work with our clients to design a financial plan to support all aspects of their lives.

In 2019, Landon obtained the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) designation through the Exit Planning Institute. With this certification, YourFuture Planning Partners assists business owners through an ownership transition while focusing on a positive outcome for their employees and meeting the business owner’s goals. Landon is also a member of the Business Intelligence Institute (BII) which is a collaborative group that shares tools, resources and personnel, and offers advanced level training and technical support to specifically serve business owners.

Landon enjoys spending time with his beautiful wife, stepson, and new baby twins. He grew up in sunny San Diego and loves visiting his family, playing a round of golf with friends, and many other outdoor activities. Landon tries make a difference in the lives of children in Las Vegas as a part of the leadership team for a local non-profit. He regularly visits the children that we work with to remind himself of why it’s so important to, “be the change that you wish to see in the world.”

Landon received his B.S. from California State University Long Beach in business marketing and gets the rest of his education through the school of hard knocks via his business owner clients.

Connect with Landon on LinkedIn.

About The Tycoons of Small Biz Sponsors

Whether you’re an established local company, or a brand new start-up, you can count on GBS to be a part of your family.  We’re not just any benefits consulting firm, we’re GBS. We have nearly 30 years of experience in group benefits, a strong sense of purpose and it shows.

Paylocity is a leading provider of cloud-based HR and payroll software solutions headquartered in Schaumburg, IL.  Paylocity offers an intuitive, easy-to-use product suite that helps businesses tackle today’s challenges while moving them toward the promise of tomorrow.