What Friendly Group does

Friendly Group is a private, Westlake, Texas-based holding company that operates as a roll-up platform in the highly fragmented US home services industry. Founded in 2020, the company acquires and partners with established HVAC, plumbing, and (per its website) electrical services businesses across the Western United States, retaining each acquired company's local brand, leadership, and operating identity under a 'Power in the Pack' umbrella. The portfolio comprises 20+ operating subsidiaries — including platform investment Friendly Home Services (Salt Lake City, 2020), Ambient Edge (Arizona/Nevada, 2021), Just Right Heating & Cooling (Utah, 2021), Western Heating, Air & Plumbing (Utah, 2021), Day & Night (Phoenix, 2022), Nytech (Colorado, 2022), and a steady cadence of tuck-ins through 2026 — each providing residential and small-commercial installation, repair, maintenance, and replacement services. The company serves homeowners and small commercial customers in Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado, with stated intent to expand nationally and reach a target of 20-25 portfolio companies.

Underlying technology is intentionally minimal at the holding-company level: Friendly Group does not disclose proprietary technology and operates instead as a capital and management platform layered on top of legacy small-business operators. The most material technology dependency is third-party — ServiceTitan, the dominant operating system for trades businesses, which is referenced across partnerships, podcast appearances, and operational integrations. The technology footprint also includes external training partnerships (Nexstar) and connected-home strategic guidance from a Google-affiliated board director, but no AI, ML, or proprietary software products are evidenced in the source material.

Friendly Group's business model is a classic PE-backed acquisition roll-up. The company generates revenue through the operating activities of its portfolio OpCos — service calls, equipment installations, and recurring maintenance contracts priced on a per-job basis (specific consumer pricing is not publicly disclosed). The model emphasizes preserving local brands and owner-operator autonomy while providing centralized capital, mentorship, training, and back-office support. Capital is sourced from institutional investors including Alchemy Capital Partners (Founder/CEO Bill Coughlin is also Managing Partner of Alchemy) and RFE Investment Partners (Managing Director Michael Rubel on the board). Go-to-market is twofold: (1) consumer-facing service delivery via local OpCo field technicians, and (2) deal-sourcing via industry conferences, content marketing, peer referrals from existing owner-operators, and community engagement (e.g., Habitat for Humanity) to attract the next wave of sellers.

Name

Friendly Group

Legal name

Friendly Group

Website

https://friendlygroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Friendly Group is a private, Texas-based holding company that acquires and operates a network of 20+ locally branded HVAC and plumbing service businesses across the Western United States. It serves residential homeowners and small commercial customers through operating subsidiaries in Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

West Lake Hills

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Home Services Revenue: Friendly Group operates a network of home services companies (HVAC, plumbing) that generate revenue through residential and small commercial service, repair, maintenance, and replacement work. Revenue comes from individual service calls, installations, and recurring maintenance contracts/service agreements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Friendly Group is a private equity-backed roll-up platform that acquires and partners with established residential home services companies (HVAC, plumbing, and electrical) across the Western United States. It provides acquired operators with capital, operational resources, mentorship, and a 'Power in the Pack' network, while preserving each company's local brand identity and culture. Through its network of more than 20 operating subsidiaries, Friendly Group delivers residential and small commercial installation, repair, maintenance, and replacement services for heating, cooling, and plumbing systems.

Product overview

Friendly Group is a private equity firm that acquires and partners with home services companies in the HVAC, plumbing, and electrical sectors. The company operates a network of acquired brands (referred to as OpCos or Operating Companies) that provide residential and commercial installation, replacement, service, and maintenance for heating, cooling, and plumbing systems. The portfolio includes brands like Ambient Edge (serving Arizona and Nevada), Just Right Heating & Cooling (serving Utah), Western Heating, Air & Plumbing (serving Utah), Day & Night (serving Arizona), Nytech Heating, Cooling & Plumbing (serving Colorado), and numerous other regional brands. Each acquired company continues to operate under its own brand while benefiting from Friendly Group's mentorship, resources, and capital. The company emphasizes a 'Power in the Pack' philosophy, positioning itself as a network of like-minded home services companies focused on employee-first culture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Friendly Home Services Residential and commercial installation, replacement, service, and maintenance for plumbing and heating and cooling systems in the Salt Lake City, Utah market.
• Ambient Edge Heating, Cooling & Refrigeration HVAC, refrigeration, and plumbing services provider serving Northwestern Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada markets, offering installation, replacement, service, and maintenance of heating and cooling systems.
• Just Right Heating & Cooling HVAC services company serving Salt Lake City, Layton, and Sandy, Utah with installation, repair, service, and maintenance of air conditioning systems, furnaces, heat pumps, ductless systems, and smart thermostats.
• Western Heating, Air & Plumbing HVAC and plumbing company with branches in Orem and Lehi, Utah, serving homeowners across the Wasatch Front with heating, cooling, and plumbing services.
• Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing HVAC and plumbing services company serving the greater Phoenix, Arizona area, providing installation, repair, and maintenance for residential and commercial customers.
• Nytech Heating, Cooling & Plumbing HVAC and plumbing services company serving Castle Rock, Larkspur, Parker, and surrounding Colorado communities since 1999.

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Habitat for HumanityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFriendly Group companies partner with Habitat for Humanity. Just Right Heating & Cooling has been installing HVAC systems in Habitat homes for over a decade, and Dan Dearden received Habitat's Golden Hammer award in 2023.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Comfort Systems USA: Public mechanical and HVAC services contractor. Provides a scaled reference point for the HVAC services sector, though more commercial-focused; relevant as an incumbent consolidating the same underlying trade.
• Chemed Corporation (Roto-Rooter, VITAS): Public company whose Roto-Rooter subsidiary is one of the largest plumbing and drain services platforms in the US. Same end customer (residential homeowners) and plumbing service category as Friendly Group's plumbing opcos.
• Neighborly (formerly Dwyer Group): Franchisor of home services brands across HVAC, plumbing, electrical, and more. Operates a much broader portfolio at the franchise-system level but is highly comparable in targeting the same fragmented residential services end market.
• Authority Brands: Holds franchise brands such as Benjamin Franklin Plumbing and Mister Sparky Electric. Same residential home-services vertical with brand-led consolidation strategy, though at a larger scale and franchise-driven model.

Emerging players

• BDP Holdings (Blue Dot, One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning): PE-backed residential services platform with HVAC, plumbing, and drain-cleaning brands. Closely comparable tuck-in acquirer of regional home services operators, though with less disclosed scale than Friendly Group.

Regional players

• Horizon Services: PE-backed residential HVAC, plumbing, and electrical services company concentrated on the US East Coast. Comparable service mix and owner-operator-friendly acquisition model, but does not compete in Friendly Group's Western US geography.

Direct peers

• Goettl Air Conditioning & Plumbing: PE-backed residential HVAC and plumbing brand in the Southwestern US. Overlaps directly with Friendly Group's Arizona/Nevada footprint and serves an identical residential customer base with the same services.
• Apex Service Partners: PE-backed residential HVAC, plumbing, and electrical services platform executing a multi-state roll-up. Same owner-operator-friendly acquisition thesis and brand-retention model as Friendly Group, making it a primary head-to-head peer for tuck-in opportunities.
• Heartland Home Services: PE-backed roll-up platform of residential HVAC, plumbing, and electrical companies. Closely comparable business model: acquires local owner-operated home services businesses, retains brands, and provides capital and operational support — direct competitor for acquisition targets in the Western US.

Others

• ServiceTitan: Operating system for the home services industry and named partner of Friendly Group. Not a competitor but the dominant software layer across the trade; relevant because tech-forward roll-ups built natively on ServiceTitan could outpace Friendly Group operationally.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries22 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Friendly Group