Building Materials Clash Of The Titans | Todd Tomalak On Paradigm Industry Insiders The Grit Blueprint podcast

Building Materials Clash of The Titans | Todd Tomalak on Paradigm Industry Insiders

6d ago 41:51

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The market may be down in Q3 2025, but the data tells a different story about what's coming in 2026.

Stefanie and Todd unpack why home‑equity access is up 38% this year, why that capital hasn’t hit jobsites yet, and how a surge in windows and doors could create a 2021-style scramble as early as next year. If you sell to or through pros, this is the map for what’s about to move.
Stefanie shares her five-part BLEND playbook for independents to stay relevant, which you won't want to miss.
Topics we cover:
• Market softness set against rising home-equity extraction
• Deferred demand building in windows and doors through 2027
• Pros as channel kingmakers and the labor bottleneck
• Independents’ path: brand, leverage, experience, niche, digital
• E‑commerce up despite softer orders; research shifts online
• Decentralization vs scale in post-acquisition execution
• QXO vendor simplification, price leadership, AI investment
• Lowe’s marketplace, builder focus, and footprint advantage
• Measure pro digital draw rate and close the loop with AI search
• Training to de-risk complex, high-margin installs
Be sure to subscribe to your favorite podcast platforms or YouTube and follow the Grit Blueprint podcast to catch more stories and insights from the building industry.

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Chapters

1. Setting The Stakes: Digital And AI (00:00:00)

2. Market Snapshot: Softness And Deferral (00:01:29)

3. Home Equity And The Coming Unlock (00:03:50)

4. Windows & Doors Supercycle Math (00:05:04)

5. Pros Rule The Channel (00:07:00)

6. HELOC-Funded Spillover Spend (00:09:50)

7. Independents: Adapt Or Get Niche (00:11:47)

8. BLEND: Brand, Leverage, Experience, Niche, Digital (00:13:39)

9. Pandemic Lessons And Omnichannel Habits (00:15:46)

10. Training The Next Gen Counter Pro (00:17:25)

11. Vertical Integration Risk And Reward (00:19:35)

12. Clash Of Titans: HD, Lowe’s, QXO (00:21:37)

13. Price Leadership, AI, And Vendor Focus (00:24:27)

14. Centralize vs Decentralize: What Wins? (00:26:30)

15. Lowe’s Marketplace And Footprint Edge (00:28:30)

16. Follow The Pro Online Draw Rate (00:30:45)

17. Search Shifts To AI Assistants (00:32:33)

18. Picking A Winner: Jury Still Out (00:34:24)

19. Closing And Calls To Subscribe (00:36:10)

71 episodes