Some guests walk in with a good story. JR Litehiser walked in with one of the most unbelievable stories we've ever heard on this show, and he made us laugh through the entire thing.

JR is the owner of Pacific Northwest Epoxy Coatings and Supplies, PNW ECS, but before that he was a high school teacher, a police officer, and a decorative concrete contractor. In 2008, right as he was launching a materials distribution business, a chemical explosion left him with burns over 80 percent of his body. Eight weeks in a coma, eight months in the hospital, over 40 reconstructive surgeries, and he lost his right hand. He built the company anyway, from a hospital bed, with a laptop and a phone. First year, 60 grand in sales. Today PNW ECS runs two locations, more than a dozen employees, and is closing in on 6.5 million a year. We get into all of it: the accident itself, the group meeting that reframed his whole perspective, hiring family versus hiring strangers, the founder's syndrome of learning to let go, and the leadership style he now calls momentum buildup, his words, not ours. Fair warning, he's got a mouth on him and it is glorious. This conversation earns every bit of its runtime.

Enjoy the show- Chris & Brandon

Why You Should Listen:

• [2:12] The accident: a freak explosion, 80 percent burns, and the checklist he only half remembered
• [8:06] The group meeting that changed everything: sitting in a room with people who had it worse
• [19:23] The Ritz Carlton story that reframes what customer service actually means
• [24:02] Hiring family: the built-in trust, the blurred lines, and what he'd do differently
• [29:17] Founder's syndrome: the leadership retreat where his whole team told him his job no longer exists
• [45:32] The leadership style that built the business and nearly cost him everything else
• [55:54] The vision for PNW 4.0: a multi-jurisdictional brand, and the one thing standing in his own way

About the Show

Head, Heart, & Boots is for the men and women who build things for a living. Restoration, roofing, HVAC, plumbing, landscaping, and every blue collar trade in between. Hosts Brandon Reece and Chris Nordyke built and scaled real companies in the restoration industry, and they have carried those hard-won lessons into every blue collar trade they work with today. Every week they dig into the head (strategy), the heart (culture and people), and the boots (execution) of running a business worth owning.

This show is the front door to Floodlight Consulting Group, where Brandon, Chris, and the team help trades businesses find the money already sitting inside them and build companies worth far more than the day they started. Same people, same mission, whether you are listening or working with us directly.

Ready to see what that looks like in your business? Start Here!

Owning a business in the trades can be the loneliest job there is. Head, Heart, & Boots exists to change that, because the best leaders don't go it alone, and neither should you.