Acquiring MindsJun 4, 20261h 17m1.7K views

The Origin Story of a Compounder ($80m and Counting) | Greg Shapiro & Zach Cooper-Vastola Interview

Name: The Origin Story of a Compounder ($80m and Counting) | Greg Shapiro & Zach Cooper-Vastola Interview
Uploaded: 2026-06-04
Duration: 1 h 17 min 21 s
Description: Greg Shapiro and Zach Cooper-Vastola explain how Hickory grew into an HVAC compounder with about $80m to $125m in revenue, hundreds of employees, hundreds of vehicles, and 14 acquisitions. They discuss their first acquisition, operational challenges, technology implementation, raising external capital, competing with private equity, due diligence, and company values.

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Synopsis

Greg Shapiro and Zach Cooper-Vastola explain how Hickory grew into an HVAC compounder with about $80m to $125m in revenue, hundreds of employees, hundreds of vehicles, and 14 acquisitions. They discuss their first acquisition, operational challenges, technology implementation, raising external capital, competing with private equity, due diligence, and company values.

Ideas in this episode

Buy-and-build holding company
Greg Shapiro and Zach Cooper-Vastola explain how Hickory grew into an HVAC compounder with $80m to $125m in revenue through 14 acquisitions. They discuss operational challenges, technology, due diligence, and competing with private equity.