The CEO of Neighborly is recognized for stepping into one of the hardest leadership transitions in franchising, taking the helm of the world’s largest home services company after the sudden death of its longtime CEO, for a franchise system that made history in 2025 by placing every eligible brand on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500, and for a career built entirely outside the trades before he ever arrived at Neighborly’s door.
HG HomeClub has named Mike Davis, CEO of Neighborly, to its list of the 25 Most Influential Leaders in Home Improvement, Home Services and Outdoor Living.
The list, published by HG HomeClub, recognizes 25 leaders who are shaping these three industries in the right way. It spans manufacturing, distribution, retail, technology, franchising, contracting, media, capital and the associations that convene the trades. It is presented alphabetically and carries no numerical ranking, because the leaders on it exercise influence in fundamentally different ways, and comparing a keynote stage to a distribution network, or a franchise system to a product platform, would flatten what makes each of them consequential.
Davis earns his place on it as the steward of what the company itself calls the world’s largest home services company, with more than 30 brands and 5,500 franchises collectively serving 14 million-plus customers across 19 service categories. He took over a company navigating profound loss, and within a year had positioned it for a historic first: every eligible Neighborly brand earning a spot on a major national franchise ranking simultaneously.
Those are the numbers. The story starts with a tragedy the company never saw coming.
A CEO Search Born Out of Sudden Loss
Neighborly’s president and CEO, Mike Bidwell, who had led the company for almost a decade and been part of the Neighborly family of brands for nearly 40 years, died suddenly and unexpectedly on September 7, 2023, at age 65. Chief Financial Officer Jon Shell stepped in as interim president and CEO in the aftermath, steadying the company through nearly ten months of transition before a permanent successor was found.
A Franchise Turnaround Specialist With No Home Services Background
Rather than promote from within the trades, Neighborly’s board looked to an executive whose career had been built almost entirely in other franchise categories. Davis brings more than two decades of leadership experience spanning multi-unit franchising, business-to-business, business-to-consumer and direct-to-consumer roles, eCommerce, third-party logistics, digital platforms and media. He began his career with 13 years at Universal Music Group, rising to Executive Vice President and General Manager of a major division during a prolonged era of digital disruption in the music industry, before moving into franchising.
Turning Valpak From a Printer Into a Marketing Organization
As CEO of Valpak, the direct mail and digital marketing franchise network, Davis helped transform the company from a best-in-class printer into a best-in-class sales and marketing organization, a repositioning that would foreshadow the kind of operational rebuild he would later bring to Neighborly’s own franchise network.
Growing Mathnasium Into 10 Countries
Immediately before Neighborly, Davis served as CEO of Mathnasium Learning Centers, the leading math-only supplemental education franchise, from 2022, growing the system to 1,200 centers across 10 countries and delivering double-digit systemwide sales and same-store sales growth, with press coverage of his departure specifically crediting his tenure with expanding the network into three new countries.
Named to Lead the World’s Largest Home Services Company
Neighborly announced Davis as its new CEO on June 24, 2024, effective July 8, with Jon Shell resuming his role as CFO. “Mike is a highly successful CEO with a phenomenal track record of success across various industries, including significantly growing franchise businesses,” said David Brandon, Executive Chairman of Neighborly’s Board of Directors. “Mike brings an aligned strategic vision and commitment to innovation, making him the ideal leader to build on the incredible achievements and growth Neighborly has experienced.” Neighborly board member and KKR partner Felix Gernburd added that Davis would “refine, enhance, and execute the company’s existing strategy and roadmap, with a commitment to expanding the footprint of Neighborly’s service brands.” “This opportunity to contribute to Neighborly’s legacy and growth is truly a privilege,” Davis said of taking the role.
Every Brand, on the List, for the First Time in Company History
Under Davis, Neighborly hit a milestone it had never reached before. In January 2025, all 19 of Neighborly’s North American brands were recognized among the top 500 franchises in Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500, the first time in company history that every eligible brand made the list, with seven brands, Real Property Management, Mr. Rooter Plumbing, Mr. Electric, Glass Doctor, Aire Serv, Precision Garage Door Service and Dryer Vent Wizard, earning the No. 1 spot in their respective categories. “What makes this achievement truly special is the collective success of all our brands earning this incredible recognition,” Davis said of the milestone. The company repeated the feat in 2026, marking the second consecutive year every eligible Neighborly brand made the list, again with seven brands ranked No. 1 in their categories.
Talking Habits to Thousands of Franchise Owners
Davis has cultivated a visible, franchise-facing leadership style rather than operating from behind a corporate desk. Speaking to thousands of franchise owners, vendor partners and associates at Neighborly’s 43rd Reunion within his first 95 days on the job, Davis challenged the room with a message that has since become closely associated with his tenure: “We don’t decide our future; we decide our habits, and our habits decide our future.”
A Career Story That Traces Back to a Car Wash Owner
Davis has continued to reference his earlier franchising career to explain his conviction in the model. Recalling his time as CEO of Valpak, Davis has described meeting a car wash owner who told him he had never missed a single mailing in decades, crediting Valpak with roughly 35 percent of his leads, leads that put two of his children through college and helped him buy a ranch. “That conversation has never left me,” Davis has said, a story he has continued to invoke as evidence of what durable franchise systems can do for the small business owners who run them.
A Board Seat Back Home in Irving
Beyond Neighborly, Davis is connected to the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce, the business community surrounding Neighborly’s Irving, Texas office, where Davis is based.
Why Does Mike Davis Belong Among the 25 Most Influential Leaders in These Industries?
Influence in these industries takes several forms. Some leaders influence through a keynote stage or a book. Some through a franchise system that creates business owners. Some through a distribution network, a software platform, or the price of a pallet.
Mike Davis influences through stewardship of the largest home services franchise system in the world, taken on at one of the most difficult moments in that system’s history. He arrived without a background in the trades, brought a career’s worth of franchise turnaround experience from Valpak and Mathnasium instead, and within his first two years had steered Neighborly’s roughly 5,500 franchises to a level of national recognition, every eligible brand on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500, that the company had never before achieved. That combination of crisis leadership and franchise-wide performance is exactly the kind of influence this list was created to recognize.
About HG HomeClub
HG HomeClub is a national media platform serving the home improvement, home services and outdoor living industries. Created to champion media back to its original purpose of informed transparency, HG HomeClub curates the top stories, headlines, rankings, videos, podcasts, webinars, events and professional recommendations across the industry and presents them in one consolidated, easily consumable destination, helping both homeowners and professionals make better-informed decisions. More information is available at hghomeclub.com.
About Neighborly
Neighborly, founded in 1981 in Waco, Texas, and based in Waco and Irving, Texas, is the world’s largest home services company, with more than 30 brands and 5,500 franchises collectively serving 14 million-plus customers across 19 service categories, including Molly Maid, Mr. Rooter Plumbing, Aire Serv, Mr. Electric, Glass Doctor and Precision Garage Door Service. Backed by KKR since 2021, the company is led by CEO Mike Davis. More information is available at neighborlybrands.com.
The 25 Most Influential Leaders in Home Improvement, Home Services and Outdoor Living
Presented alphabetically. There is no numerical ranking; each leader is recognized for influence exercised in a distinct way.
- Doug Black — Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, SiteOne Landscape Supply (Outdoor living)
- AJ Brown — Co-Chief Executive Officer, Apex Service Partners (Platforms)
- Paul Burleson — Senior Account Executive, Westlake Royal Building Products (Home improvement)
- Jenilee Common — Chief Executive Officer, Leaf Home and Erie Home (Home improvement)
- Greg Cummings — Chief Executive Officer, Power100 (Media)
- Bill Darcy — Global President and Chief Executive Officer, NKBA and KBIS (Associations)
- Mike Davis — Chief Executive Officer, Neighborly (Franchising)
- Ted Decker — Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Home Depot (Retail)
- Marvin R. Ellison — Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Lowe’s (Retail)
- Aaron Erter — Chief Executive Officer, James Hardie (Manufacturing)
- Daniel Gluck — Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Renuity (Home improvement)
- Ken Goodrich — Chairman; Founder, Goettl; The Goodrich Organization (Home services)
- Brian Gottlieb — Best-Selling Author and Speaker, Beyond the Hammer (Speaking and authorship)
- Maggie Hardy — Owner, President and Chief Executive Officer, 84 Lumber (Distribution)
- Brad Jacobs — Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, QXO (Distribution)
- Kurt Kane — President and Chief Executive Officer, TruGreen (Outdoor living)
- Ara Mahdessian — Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, ServiceTitan (Technology)
- Matt Malone — Founder and Executive Chairman, Groundworks (Home services)
- Tommy Mello — Founder and Chief Executive Officer, A1 Garage Door Service (Home services)
- Heidi G. Petz — Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer, Sherwin-Williams (Manufacturing)
- Asher Raphael — Co-Chief Executive Officer, Power Home Remodeling (Home improvement)
- Dave Regnery — Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Trane Technologies (Manufacturing)
- Marcus Sheridan — Founder, Marcus Sheridan International (Speaking and authorship)
- Dan Tinker — President and Chief Executive Officer, SRS Distribution (Distribution)
- James W. Tobin III — President and Chief Executive Officer, National Association of Home Builders (Associations)
Frequently Asked Questions About Mike Davis, Neighborly and This Recognition
- What is HG HomeClub, and what is this list?
HG HomeClub is a national media platform serving the home improvement, home services, and outdoor living industries. It was created to return media to its original purpose of informed transparency, curating the industry’s top stories, headlines, rankings, videos, podcasts, webinars, events and professional recommendations in one place for both homeowners and professionals. The 25 Most Influential Leaders in Home Improvement, Home Services and Outdoor Living is one of HG HomeClub’s editorial rankings, recognizing the people shaping these industries in the right way across manufacturing, distribution, retail, technology, franchising, contracting, media, capital and the associations that convene the trades.
- Is the list ranked from one to 25?
No. The list is presented alphabetically and carries no numerical order. The leaders recognized exercise influence in genuinely different ways, through enterprise scale, growth, product innovation, franchising, capital, authorship, keynote stages, advocacy and media, and HG HomeClub declined to impose a hierarchy on work that is not comparable. Every leader on the list is recognized equally.
- Who is Mike Davis?
Mike Davis is CEO of Neighborly, the world’s largest home services company, a role he assumed effective July 8, 2024. He began his career with 13 years at Universal Music Group, later served as CEO of Valpak and then CEO of Mathnasium Learning Centers, growing that franchise to 1,200 centers across 10 countries, before joining Neighborly. He is based in the company’s Irving, Texas office.
- Why was Mike Davis selected for this list?
Because he took over leadership of Neighborly’s roughly 5,500 franchises and more than 30 brands following the sudden death of predecessor Mike Bidwell, and within his first two years steered the company to a historic first: every eligible Neighborly brand earning a spot on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 in both 2025 and 2026, with seven brands ranking No. 1 in their categories each year.
- How did Mike Davis become CEO of Neighborly?
Neighborly’s previous CEO, Mike Bidwell, who had led the company for almost a decade, died suddenly on September 7, 2023, at age 65. Chief Financial Officer Jon Shell served as interim CEO for nearly ten months before Neighborly announced Davis as its new CEO on June 24, 2024, effective July 8, with Shell resuming his role as CFO.
- What did Mike Davis do before joining Neighborly?
Davis spent 13 years at Universal Music Group, rising to Executive Vice President and General Manager of a major division. He later served as CEO of Valpak, the direct mail and digital marketing franchise network, helping transform it from a printer into a sales and marketing organization, and then as CEO of Mathnasium Learning Centers from 2022, growing the math tutoring franchise to 1,200 centers across 10 countries with double-digit systemwide and same-store sales growth.
- What is the significance of Neighborly’s 2025 Franchise 500 achievement?
In January 2025, all 19 of Neighborly’s North American brands were recognized among the top 500 franchises in Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500, the first time in company history every eligible Neighborly brand made the list. Seven brands, Real Property Management, Mr. Rooter Plumbing, Mr. Electric, Glass Doctor, Aire Serv, Precision Garage Door Service and Dryer Vent Wizard, earned the No.1 spot in their respective categories. The company repeated the achievement in 2026.
- How large is Neighborly today?
Neighborly describes itself as the world’s largest home services company, with more than 30 brands and 5,500 franchises collectively serving more than 14 million customers across 19 service categories. The company has been backed by KKR since 2021.
- What is Mike Davis’s leadership philosophy?
Davis has emphasized a franchise-facing, relationship-driven leadership style. Speaking to thousands of franchise owners at Neighborly’s 43rd Reunion within his first 95 days as CEO, he delivered the message, “We don’t decide our future; we decide our habits, and our habits decide our future,” a line that has become closely associated with his tenure.
