Tommy Mello moved from Detroit, Michigan, to Phoenix in 1999 to begin a career painting garage doors. He launched his business, at the time called A1 Garage Door Specialists, in 2007 while earning his master’s degree in business from the University of Arizona.
The company grew from being $50,000 in debt to the largest independently owned garage door company in North America today. In the past two years alone, Mello has increased annual sales for the business, now called A1 Garage Door Service, from $40 million to more than $75 million. Based in Phoenix, A1 Garage Door Service employs more than 400 team members in more than 30 markets across the country.
Putting the team first is one of the keys to the company’s success, Mello’s team said.
“He puts making sure that his staff is taken care of and feels supported at the forefront of his mission as the owner and operator of A1 Garage Door Service,” Mello’s team said. “Tommy backs up his mission of caring by paying his staff 10% better than the standard for competitors in his industry and by providing continuous training and self-improvement resources for his technicians.”
A1 Garage Door Service aims to expand into more markets across the United States and break $151 million in profit by the end of 2022. The business is also entering into a new phase as it makes more acquisitions and mergers within the industry. Long-term, Mello is prioritizing his staff and technicians, and providing each with the resources to become financially free.
“We are going to make thousands of people in the company highly successful homeowners,” Mello said. “We want them to be great parents, spend time with their families, to succeed in their dreams. I have what I call a ‘dream manager,’ and the goal of this dream manager is to help every single employee accomplish their dreams and really have that work/life balance to where their goals at work equal their goals in their main life and their children and their significant others.”
Mello hosted nearly 200 home service industry professionals at the inaugural Vertical Track conference in Phoenix in November 2021, gathering professionals from across the garage door and home services industries to network with and learn from one another. He plans to host a second conference later this year. “Mello is most proud of this accomplishment because he used his skills and leadership to not just help his own business but to support others in his industry,” Mello’s team said.
Mello was previously named a top entrepreneur in the Valley under age 35 by The Arizona Republic. He authored the Amazon best-selling book “Home Service Millionaire” and created The Home Service Expert podcast. Mello also founded A1 Cares to give back to his community through nonprofit organizations and fundraisers. To date, A1 has donated thousands of dollars to local charities.
