Jackie Aubel and Amanda Salvatore‘s executive-interview program, produced within ServiceTitan‘s home-service technology platform, is recognized among the trades’ most influential business programs for connecting contractor experience with operational and technology insight.
TAMPA, Fla. – August 28, 2026, HG HomeClub, a national media platform dedicated to curating the most valuable stories, rankings and resources for the home improvement, home services and outdoor living industries, today announced that Toolbox for the Trades, the home-service leadership, technology and operations podcast hosted by Jackie Aubel and Amanda Salvatore, has been named the No. 5 most influential podcast serving home improvement, home services and outdoor living professionals. The recognition places Toolbox for the Trades alongside operator-led programs, contractor education platforms and independent industry media, and identifies it as the highest-ranked show in the top five produced by a field-service software company.
A curated media platform built on “informed transparency” chooses the podcasts that actually move the trades forward
HG HomeClub was created to address a gap its founders identified in home improvement media: too much noise, not enough signal. According to the organization’s own description of its mission, HG HomeClub was “created from identifying a need in the home improvement media space to champion media back to its original purpose of ‘informed transparency.’” The platform pursues that mission by curating the top stories, headlines and “can’t miss” information across the home improvement, home services and outdoor living industries, spanning articles, videos, podcasts, webinars, events and product recommendations from working professionals, in one easily consumable destination for homeowners and contractors alike.
That editorial purpose matters in an industry where the volume of business content has increased rapidly, while the time available to owners and managers has not. Contractors need material that acknowledges the connected pressures of recruiting, marketing, dispatch, job costing, customer experience, leadership and technology. HG HomeClub developed the ranking to recognize the programs that offer useful perspective on those pressures rather than simply adding more noise to the conversation.
The criteria behind the list: practical value over download counts, and why contractor access carried the show to No. 5
That mission extends to original editorial rankings, including HG HomeClub’s list of the 25 most influential podcasts serving contractors and home-service business owners. Rather than ranking shows purely by download counts, figures that are inconsistently reported and rarely independently verified across the podcast industry, HG HomeClub’s editorial team evaluated each show on practical value to contractors, industry influence and recognition, the credibility of hosts and guests, depth and originality, consistency and longevity, and reach across audio, video, social media and industry events.
For Toolbox for the Trades, the criteria favor a program built with access to a broad field-service ecosystem. Produced by ServiceTitan, the show can convene contractor owners, chief executives, technology leaders and operating specialists who address the decisions shaping home-service companies in real time. The No. 5 placement reflects that access, the program’s sustained run since 2020, its broad relevance across service categories and its ability to translate complex operational questions into conversations that owners and managers can use.
The position also recognizes an important distinction. Toolbox for the Trades is produced by a software provider with a clear commercial presence in the industry, and ServiceTitan customers and technology issues naturally appear in its content. HG HomeClub’s editorial assessment weighs that context openly. The show’s placement rests not on a claim of separation from its sponsor, but on the caliber of its guests, the consistency of its coverage and the practical value of the conversations it brings to the broader trade.
Why a software-platform podcast earned a place beside shows built by operators and coaches
The strongest industry podcasts are often rooted in a particular vantage point. An active contractor may report from inside a growing company. A coach may organize advice around a defined operating system. A technical educator may teach the craft itself. Toolbox for the Trades begins from a different position: it sits inside ServiceTitan, a technology company that works across home and commercial service businesses and sees the operational issues that recur across HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, garage doors, restoration, landscaping and other field-service categories.
That platform position gives Jackie Aubel and Amanda Salvatore a wide field of inquiry. The show addresses the work that happens before, during and after a service call: attracting a customer, converting the opportunity, scheduling and dispatching work, supporting technicians, managing financial visibility, improving the customer experience and developing leaders. The result is a program that treats technology as one part of a wider operating system, not as an isolated answer to every contractor problem.
For a contractor audience, that approach is useful because the most significant performance gaps rarely belong to one department. A lead-generation problem may actually be a booking problem. A low close rate may be a training, pricing or customer-experience problem. Weak margins may reflect labor allocation, callbacks, job costing or inconsistent processes. Toolbox for the Trades earns its place in the ranking by using executive and operator interviews to map those connections across the business.
From 2020 to a deep interview library: how the show turned business problems into durable conversations
Toolbox for the Trades launched in 2020 and has remained active through 2026, developing an archive of nearly 300 episodes. The program is available through its official Apple Podcasts page, on Spotify, through ServiceTitan’s YouTube channel, and on ServiceTitan’s Toolbox for the Trades page. Its multi-platform distribution gives owners, office teams and field leaders different ways to access the material, on a commute, between calls, in a leadership meeting or as part of internal training.
The format is built primarily around interviews, but its subject matter is deliberately wide. Episodes examine business growth and expansion, leadership, culture, recruiting, employee retention, marketing, sales, operations, customer experience, artificial intelligence, automation and the broader forces changing the trades. Jackie Aubel and Amanda Salvatore use those conversations to move from high-level stories into the decisions underneath them: how a company structures accountability, makes better use of data, trains its people or creates a more reliable service experience.
The archive is especially useful because it does not assume every listener holds the same role. A founder can hear an operator explain a growth decision. A general manager can compare leadership habits with peers in other markets. A marketing leader can examine how a customer-acquisition strategy connects to call handling and conversion. A service manager can find ideas about technician experience, performance and process. HG HomeClub regarded that cross-functional usefulness as a central part of the program’s value.
A professional audience with video scale, and a reach that extends beyond a single podcast feed
ServiceTitan’s YouTube channel lists approximately 20,000 subscribers, 1,131 videos and more than 6.9 million views. Those figures reflect the scale of the wider ServiceTitan content operation, not a standalone download count for Toolbox for the Trades. The available podcast indicators nevertheless show strong listener response: the show’s Apple Podcasts listing carries a 4.9-out-of-5 rating.
No comprehensive independently audited audience figure for Toolbox for the Trades is used in this ranking. HG HomeClub did not treat downloads, subscribers or ratings as a substitute for influence, because comparable measurements are not consistently published across industry programs. Instead, the ranking considered the reach created by the show’s presence within ServiceTitan’s broader contractor ecosystem and by its ability to place operators and experts in front of a professional audience that is already engaged with business improvement.
This kind of reach is concentrated rather than mass-market. Toolbox for the Trades is not made for general business listeners; it is designed for people who manage field-service teams, customer demand, dispatch, sales, finances and growth. That focus can make an episode more useful to a contractor than a much larger business podcast whose examples do not account for the realities of a service call, a technician shortage or a customer who needs help today.
Built inside ServiceTitan: how a technology company’s perspective shapes the editorial frame
ServiceTitan is the company behind Toolbox for the Trades, and that relationship is essential to understanding the show. Jackie Aubel and Amanda Salvatore are ServiceTitan content and media professionals who bring industry leaders’ experiences into an accessible interview format for contractors. Their perspective reflects the company’s place at the intersection of field operations, business management and technology.
That connection creates both strengths and boundaries. The strength is access: ServiceTitan operates in a professional network that includes contractors, executives, technology specialists and industry partners across multiple trades. It can surface conversations about the systems and data that increasingly shape how service companies are run. The boundary is equally clear: ServiceTitan has commercial interests, and the show may feature customers, technology themes and subjects that are relevant to its platform.
HG HomeClub’s methodology does not require every show to be organizationally independent from the businesses that produce it. It asks whether the program offers practical value, credible guests, original depth, consistent publishing and meaningful industry reach. Toolbox for the Trades met those standards by delivering conversations that are useful even when listeners evaluate the show’s context and commercial relationship with ServiceTitan for themselves.
A guest list spanning operators, networks and technology leaders shows where the trade’s decisions are made
Toolbox for the Trades has featured leaders from the operating, network and technology sides of home services. Guests and collaborators include John Wilson, chief executive of The Wilson Companies; Julian Scadden, chief executive of Nexstar Network; Carrie Kelsch, chief executive and founder of A Plus Garage Doors; William Haddad, senior vice president of product and optimization at Scorpion; and Eduard Mirzoian, owner of Sources: RESTORERZ Emergency Services.
The pattern in that guest mix is more important than any individual appearance. John Wilson and The Wilson Companies bring an operator’s view of multi-trade home services. Julian Scadden and Nexstar Network represent the peer-network and business-development perspective. Carrie Kelsch and A Plus Garage Doors bring a garage-door business owner’s lens. William Haddad and Scorpion connect the conversation to marketing technology and optimization, while Eduard Mirzoian and RESTORERZ Emergency Services bring the stakes of emergency-service operations into focus.
Together, those perspectives mirror how home-service businesses actually make decisions. Contractors do not solve operational challenges in isolation; they work with technology providers, marketing partners, peer groups, advisors, managers and employees while balancing the demands of customers and field teams. Toolbox for the Trades provides a forum where those connected viewpoints can be compared rather than kept in separate silos.
Technology becomes useful only when it improves the work around it: the operating argument beneath the interviews
Technology is a recurring theme in Toolbox for the Trades, but its relevance is not limited to software adoption. The deeper question is operational: whether a company has the processes, leadership habits and data discipline needed to turn a platform or tool into better service for customers and better conditions for its people. A system can make scheduling more visible, for example, but it cannot by itself create a clear dispatch strategy, train a call center or resolve weak accountability.
This is where Jackie Aubel and Amanda Salvatore create value for the trade. Their interviews repeatedly put technology alongside the other conditions of business performance: leadership, recruiting, culture, sales process, operational efficiency and customer trust. That broader framing prevents the conversation from becoming a product demonstration. It encourages listeners to ask what must change in the company around a new tool if that tool is going to produce a result.
The same principle applies to artificial intelligence and automation, two topics of growing interest across home and commercial service businesses. The question is not simply whether a contractor should use new technology. It is whether the business understands its customer journey, operating standards, data and decision rights well enough to use technology responsibly. Toolbox for the Trades deserves recognition for keeping that business context visible.
Why the methodology rewards access, editorial consistency and practical business range
The No. 5 placement recognizes Toolbox for the Trades as a broad, professionally produced interview program with sustained relevance to the home-service industry. Its practical value comes from coverage of the business functions contractors must coordinate every day. Its influence comes from its position inside ServiceTitan’s large industry network. Its guests represent operators, executives, technology leaders and service-business specialists. Its content extends across audio and video, giving the show a durable multi-platform presence.
The program ranks below the four shows above it because those programs hold distinct advantages under the same criteria, including active-operator immediacy, singular systems focus and different forms of executive access. But Toolbox for the Trades ranks above much of the field because few programs combine its production consistency, trade breadth, guest access and command of the operational questions facing modern service companies.
Its limitations are part of the assessment, not an omission from it. Listeners should recognize ServiceTitan’s role as producer and view the program alongside other independent, operator-led and trade-specific resources. Yet that context does not diminish the usefulness of a strong conversation with a working leader. It makes informed listening more important, which is consistent with HG HomeClub’s emphasis on transparent, practical media.
What the recognition means for a trade where operations, people and data now have to work together
The home improvement, home services and outdoor living industries are becoming more operationally complex. Contractors are expected to recruit and retain skilled people, respond quickly to customers, protect margins, manage rising expectations, adopt new technology and develop leaders who can make sound decisions without constant owner intervention. No single podcast can resolve all of those demands, but the industry benefits when its media makes the connections between them more visible.
Toolbox for the Trades represents the kind of program built for that convergence. Through Jackie Aubel and Amanda Salvatore, the show uses interviews to examine how companies grow, how leaders learn, how technology supports operations and how customer experience is created across an entire organization. Its No. 5 recognition reflects the contribution of that approach to the industry’s professional conversation.
The larger implication reaches beyond one show. As the trades face new pressures, contractor education will need to remain practical, transparent and connected to the real work of running a company. The programs with lasting influence will be those that help owners and managers see the whole system: the people, processes, technology, financial decisions and customer commitments that together determine whether a service business can grow responsibly.
The complete ranking: HG HomeClub’s 25 most influential podcasts serving home improvement, home services and outdoor living
The full list of shows recognized by HG HomeClub, in ranked order:
- The Home Service Expert – hosted by Tommy Mello
- Owned and Operated – hosted by John Wilson and Jack Carr
- PowerChat – hosted by Greg Cummings
- Contractor Evolution – hosted by Danny Kerr
- Toolbox for the Trades – hosted by Jackie Aubel and Amanda Salvatore
- To The Point: Home Services Podcast – hosted by Chris Yano and Chad Peterman
- Waste No Day – hosted by Brian Burton and Nate Minnich
- Service Business Mastery – hosted by Tersh Blissett and Josh Crouch
- The Wealthy Contractor – hosted by Brian Kaskavalciyan
- HVAC School – hosted by Bryan Orr
- Roofing Success – hosted by Jim Ahlin
- The Strong Roofer – hosted by Adam Bensman
- Remodelers on the Rise – hosted by Kyle Hunt
- Can’t Stop the Growth – hosted by Chad Peterman
- PowerTips Unscripted – hosted by Victoria Downing and Mark Harari
- Contractor Growth Network – hosted by Logan Shinholser
- Hammer & Grind – hosted by Brad Huebner
- Roofing Road Trips – hosted by Heidi J. Ellsworth
- The Green Industry Podcast – hosted by Brian Fullerton
- Contractor Fight TV – hosted by Tom Reber
- Pest Control Legends – hosted by Dan Leibrandt
- Profits for Sanity Podcast – hosted by Dominic Caminata
- The Construction Leading Edge – hosted by Todd Dawalt
- The Build Show Podcast – hosted by Matt Risinger
- Modern Craftsman – hosted by Tyler Grace, Nick Schiffer and Johnny Hourihan
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 Sources: hghomeclub.com.
About Toolbox for the Trades
Toolbox for the Trades is a business and educational podcast for home and commercial service professionals. Launched in 2020 and hosted by Jackie Aubel and Amanda Salvatore, the program features contractor owners, executives and industry experts discussing leadership, growth, technology, marketing, operations, hiring, customer experience and the changing business of the trades. Toolbox for the Trades is produced by ServiceTitan and is available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify and ServiceTitan’s YouTube channel. More information is available at Sources: servicetitan.com/podcasts/toolbox-for-the-trades.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who is HG HomeClub?
HG HomeClub is a national media platform focused on the home improvement, home services and outdoor living industries. It was built to curate the most valuable stories, rankings, videos, podcasts and events across those industries in one place, with a stated mission of restoring “informed transparency” to home improvement media, helping both homeowners and professionals make better decisions. More detail on its mission is available on the Sources: HG HomeClub About page.
2. Why did Toolbox for the Trades rank No. 5 rather than higher or lower on the list?
Toolbox for the Trades earned No. 5 because HG HomeClub’s editorial assessment found strong practical value in its coverage of home-service leadership, technology and operations. The show benefits from a sustained run since 2020, nearly 300 episodes, a broad trade audience, multi-platform distribution and access to operators and industry leaders through ServiceTitan. Shows placed above it hold different advantages under the same criteria, including active-operator perspective, executive access or a more singular systems focus. Toolbox for the Trades ranks highly for breadth, production consistency and contractor-relevant conversations, while its ServiceTitan relationship remains important context for listeners.
3. Who hosts Toolbox for the Trades, and what is their background?
Toolbox for the Trades is hosted by Jackie Aubel and Amanda Salvatore, content and media professionals at ServiceTitan. They interview contractor owners, chief executives, service-business leaders and technology specialists about the decisions that affect home and commercial service companies. Their role within ServiceTitan gives the program access to a wide professional network across field services, while the show’s conversational format helps translate that expertise into topics relevant to owners, managers, office teams and field leaders.
4. What kind of content does Toolbox for the Trades produce?
Toolbox for the Trades produces contractor and chief executive interviews focused on business growth, expansion, profitability, leadership, company culture, employee retention, recruiting, marketing, sales, operations, scheduling, job costing, productivity, technology, artificial intelligence, automation, customer experience and industry trends. Jackie Aubel and Amanda Salvatore bring together leaders such as John Wilson of The Wilson Companies, Julian Scadden of Nexstar Network and Carrie Kelsch of Sources: A Plus Garage Doors.
5. How large is Toolbox for the Trades’ audience?
Toolbox for the Trades has not published a comprehensive, independently audited download figure. Public platform indicators show that ServiceTitan’s YouTube channel, where related video content is distributed, lists approximately 20,000 subscribers, 1,131 videos and more than 6.9 million views; these are channel-wide figures and should not be treated as stand-alone totals for Toolbox for the Trades. The program has been active since 2020, has nearly 300 episodes and holds a 4.9-out-of-5 rating on Apple Podcasts. HG HomeClub ranked influence editorially, not by raw audience volume.
6. What makes Toolbox for the Trades different from other podcasts in its category?
Toolbox for the Trades is distinctive for combining contractor and executive interviews with the operating and technology perspective of ServiceTitan. The program covers several linked business functions – lead generation, sales, scheduling, operations, leadership, customer experience, data and automation – rather than isolating one specialty. Jackie Aubel and Amanda Salvatore use their interviews to show how those functions affect one another within a field-service business. That breadth makes the show particularly useful to owners and managers who must coordinate people, processes and systems across a growing company.
7. Has Toolbox for the Trades received other industry recognition?
No major external award specifically for Toolbox for the Trades was reliably verified for this release. The program’s industry standing is reflected in its continuous presence since 2020, nearly 300 episodes, a 4.9-out-of-5 rating on Apple Podcasts, distribution through Spotify and ServiceTitan’s YouTube channel, and interviews with industry leaders including John Wilson of The Wilson Companies and Julian Scadden of Nexstar Network. Its No. 5 position from HG HomeClub is an editorial recognition, not an award based on download volume.
8. What role does ServiceTitan play in Toolbox for the Trades’ credibility?
ServiceTitan produces Toolbox for the Trades, and Jackie Aubel and Amanda Salvatore are ServiceTitan media professionals. This gives the show access to contractors, executives, technology specialists and home-service business discussions across a wide field-service network. It also provides important context: ServiceTitan is a commercial software company, so its customers, platform and technology themes naturally appear in the show’s ecosystem. HG HomeClub considered both facts in its evaluation, recognizing the program’s access and practical range without treating organizational affiliation as a replacement for independent judgment.
9. Where can people listen to or watch Toolbox for the Trades?
Listeners can access Toolbox for the Trades through its official Apple Podcasts page, on Spotify, on ServiceTitan’s YouTube channel, and through ServiceTitan’s Toolbox for the Trades page. Apple Podcasts and Spotify provide audio listening options, while ServiceTitan’s YouTube channel provides video access. The official Toolbox for the Trades page serves as the central destination for current program information.
