How Sewers Took this Plumbing Business from $6M to $25M

In this episode, John Wilson is on-site in Chicago with Aizik Zimerman, owner of J.Blanton Plumbing, to break down how one of the fastest-growing plumbing companies in the country built a sewer and drain growth engine. Since buying the $6M Jay Blanton business at the end of 2022, Aizik has scaled it to ~$25M this year and a $30M run rate — and nearly half that growth is coming from sewers. They unpack the investments, the operational build-out, and the marketing + sales system that turned trenchless lining into a repeatable, high-volume profit center. Aizik shares the exact playbook behind his “Unclogs for Dogs” offer, why they send salespeople with cameras first (no junior drain tech flip), and how they price lining as the cheaper alternative to excavation to beat inertia and win the market. If you’re trying to add $5–$10M of revenue through drains, improve close rates, or build a trenchless division that actually scales, this episode is a must-listen. What You’ll Learn The 2022 → 2025 growth story: $6M to $25M+ and what changed operationally Why Aizik bet big on sewers while competitors stayed HVAC-heavy The economics of lining vs. digging: pricing, margins, and why “cheaper lining” wins How a $1M+ CapEx investment (UV curing trailers, jetting, prep teams) unlocked volume 🔨Sponsored by WeSupplyTrades — Thousands of Plumbing, HVAC, and Hydronics parts shipped fast. Sign up free, save big, and get 20% off your first order with code OWNED20 at [https://www.wesupplytrades.com/owned-and-operated] Shout Out to FieldPulse 🚀 FieldPulse is an incredible Field Service Management platform that helps you save hours each week while keeping your operations running smoothly. If you're looking to streamline your processes, stay competitive, and focus on what truly matters, FieldPulse is a game-changer! 📅 Book your demo: [https://www.fieldpulse.com/book-demo?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=OwnedandOperated&_bhlid=adde1d4b7623ada1146dde2ba3cf7bd06624cb4a] 💼 Extra Special Thanks to Service Scalers! We’ve been partnering with Service Scalers to maximize our Local Service Ads (LSAs) and optimize our Google My Business profiles, and the results have been incredible. With hundreds of thousands in sales and 900+ calls in a single week, GMBs are now our top-performing organic lead channel. Want to learn how Service Scalers can do the same for you? 🔗Check Them Out Here [https://www.servicescalers.com/?utm_source=referral&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=john_wilson] 🎙️ Hosts & Guest Host John Wilson — x.com/@WilsonCompanies Guest Aizik Zimerman — https://www.linkedin.com/in/aizik-zimerman-7a758963/ Previous EP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ObK-FyaGKo ⏱️ Episode Timestamps 00:00 Introduction and Event Overview 01:13 Business Growth and Structural Changes 03:51 Innovative Sewer Solutions and Marketing Strategies 24:56 The Importance of Camera Inspections in Home Buying 26:30 Comparing HVAC and Drain Industries 30:30 Sales Strategies and Market Dynamics 🔍 Keywords Jay Blanton Plumbing, Aizik Zimerman, sewer lining, trenchless pipe replacement, drain business growth, plumbing scaling, direct mail home services, Unclogs for Dogs, sewer camera inspection, plumbing sales process, sewer division, UV curing liner, high margin drains, excavation vs lining, Nexstar plumbing, ServiceTitan sewers, plumbing acquisition growth, Chicago plumbing, Owned and Operated podcast 🏷️ Tags #HomeServiceGrowth #Plumbing #SewerLining #Trenchless #DrainBusiness #DirectMail #ServiceTitan #Nexstar #Trades #OwnedAndOperatedPodcast 📌 Disclaimer Some links include UTM tracking. This episode includes paid sponsors, but all opinions are our own. Always do your own due diligence before making business decisions.