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Recapping the 2024 InVision Home Inspection Conference

RECAPPING THE 2024 INVISION HOME INSPECTION CONFERENCE
 December 3, 2024 |  Franchise |  inspection industry, small business, business growth, entrepreneur

It’s a wrap!

2024 was another memorable year, and we’re so thankful for all of our franchisees, both the new ones who are just starting their businesses, and those who have partnered with us for decades! With the many new memories and relationships we’ve developed throughout 2024, we wanted to find a fitting way to bid the year adieu, and we could think of no better way than to ask our franchisees.

One of our favorite memories from 2024 was definitely the InVision conference! Annually, we gather in Omaha from throughout the US and Canada to talk shop, reconnect with old friends, and celebrate the new milestones and accomplishments from the previous year. To recap our conference and our year as a whole, let’s take a look at what our franchisees had to say about their takeaways from this year’s InVision conference:

Kirk Anderson from NPI Greater Omaha
“I really enjoyed the diverse offerings and insights provided by the various people. I think the shift in teaching us to be better business owners has been very beneficial. It’s nice to hear the business side of ideas. How to maintain clients and add new ones by never quitting the process.

I enjoy the one on one time with fellow franchisees and sharing successes and struggles. That’s always my favorite time. That and seeing corporate in a less business situation and chat at a more personal level.

As always, I’m glad to share what I know but it’s equally important to listen to others. Everyone’s different ideas pooled together and you find the ones that work for you.”

Kelly Evans from NPI Fort Wayne
“How do I pick just one?! Honestly, my favorite is just getting the opportunity to be in community with everyone for a few days. Sure, it is impactful to learn in the sessions of course, but nothing beats getting to be in person with the corporate staff and other franchisee owners that we email and interact with on Facebook, or zoom calls over the prior year. I also meet someone new (to me) every year. This year I had the pleasure of getting to know Tony Marino.

I also loved the impromptu session with Kimberly and the other wives and marketers where we could just be open and honest about the struggles we face and how to overcome them and support our franchisee owners. It was nice to walk away and know that I could literally call over a dozen other people for advice on a situation.

We love NPI and the conference!”

Tony Marino from NPI St. Petersburg
“My trip to Omaha for the conference was my first time back since Covid. Many of the inspectors and most of the Omaha team that became not only great resources but even better friends have moved on. It was great to spend time with the holdovers and plant the seeds for new friendships. We have some amazing people doing incredible things. I am always surprised at just how far the inspection business has evolved in my years. So after 22 of them, these are really the things I cherish most when I head Midwest.

But…the speakers were great, the hotel was the best I’ve attended a conference at, the team put together an A-1 show and the weather was the same as when I left Florida. So, once again, it was a great experience.

I attended [the conference] my first 18 years. Then came Covid and my wife’s care. So, I‘m hoping this year was the start of a new streak.”

Chris Harr from NPI Columbus
“I had a great conversation with Brian Shabino and Kirk Anderson about flipping and renting homes at breakfast one morning. Lots of new ideas from different parts of the country

It's always beneficial to be in the same room as like-minded people. I normally have a page of takeaways to implement or consider to make myself or our business better.”

Mark Crowley from NPI Quad Cities
“I have been to 20+ conferences so in some ways they start to blend. I remember in the beginning it was all about being a better inspector. Lots of round tables and talking about the trade or trades. The past 6-10 years it's been more about being an owner. That is great for the bigger guys and the franchise but I miss talking with trades guys.

This year one of my favorite moments was the spaghetti dinner with Kimberly, Tony Marino and a group of others. I also really enjoyed the Golf place although I never swung a club. I sat and had a long conversation with Jay Heckert and (President and CFO) David Stamper. I get more out of the conference in that way at my age.”

Steve Anderson from NPI Little Rock
“I enjoyed a lot of the meeting and thought it was good. I think my favorite talk was about commercial inspections, really interesting how he uses equipment to bring value, but it is really just great to see everyone and catch up.”

Sam Redden from NPI Greater Cincinnati
“Thanks for reaching out. The conference was incredible! If I had to pick specific highlights from the conference, I would say I got a lot out of Jim's energy audit presentation and the new construction techniques presentation. They were both informative and I got a lot out of them. I appreciated the fact that the Omaha team understands it’s a tough market and continually presented new ways of generating income. The guy who had all of the cool gadgets was a fun presentation as well. I wish I had his engineering prowess.

I've gone to the conference both years I've been a part of the organization. What I love most is the camaraderie and friendships I've made as a result of attending. Last year I was a wallflower about it but this year I really got to talk to some other franchisees and meet some people. You all really helped me break the ice by asking me to present Friday afternoon. Getting to chat with you all casually is pretty nice as well.”

Jay Heckart from NPI Iowa City
“The conference is always a must attend for me each year. The speakers and meetings that we attend throughout the weekend are just a part of the great information that I walk away with each year. More importantly, the conversations that go on between the sessions and during the evenings is where I really get a lot of the take away from.

Each franchisee discussing what has worked and what hasn’t to improve their individual franchises is always a great benefit and inspiring. I would always push any franchisee to take part in the conference.”

Brian Nygaard from NPI St. Cloud
“The thing I enjoy most about the conference is catching up with my friends and sharing advice about running a business. I learn a lot and share a lot of information when I'm shooting the breeze with others. One small thing that was shared with me that was very helpful was how to resize my photos from my phone. Most of us know that Inform runs very slow when using larger photos.”

Beth Oezer from NPI Wisconsin
“I polled several of the wives and they all said the ladies’ meet-up was the favorite! During this time it was good to hear from many new faces and discover ways we could connect due to our varying backgrounds.

Krista and I liked mini golf, of course, and meeting several Canadians during the game time.”

David Schilling from NPI Detroit Metro West
“This year's conference was especially valuable for me and my business. Each of the sessions complemented the session prior and provided a comprehensive, executable guide that I can use to improve, diversify and grow my business.

The first session with Jim Oezer on growing your business through energy audits allowed me to think about other opportunities like energy audits that may be available outside of residential and commercial inspection. This may provide a more reliable income source through contracts rather than relying on a fluctuating real estate market.

That session was followed by David Boyer providing concrete ways to expand our offerings through drone work, and utilizing technology with the goal of going after bigger jobs that we may not have considered. Those morning sessions were then followed up with methods to assist in that growth such as tax and bookkeeping tips and then a session on smart hiring. All of these provided some key dos and don’ts to ensure we stay on the right track.

The first day ended with more add-on services to consider that would increase our revenue and number of inspections. Day 2 continued with its focus on business growth and how to manage if that growth slows down.

Definitely a highlight for me was Jeremy Pressgrove's presentation. As a new franchisee like myself, his willingness to persevere and keep executing his plan whether it resulted in more inspections or not was inspiring. His message that short term pain/effort will lead to long term gain gave me a new perspective that I have inculcated into my own processes. His mantra of “some will, some won't, so what, someone's waiting”, is something I hear in my head every day now.

Finally, the session with Travis Brungardt was a great learning opportunity to hear about new innovations in high performance home construction. It also gave me the opportunity to learn more about just the basics of home construction that have already served me and helped me to be a better inspector.

Peter Hopkins’ course on thermography opened up many new possibilities that I had not considered previously on how to make the most from my infrared camera. Outside of the formal sessions, just having the opportunity to talk to other franchisees, hear their stories, learn about their businesses, what is working for them and just making connections was invaluable to me as I work to grow my own business.

I know that I can call NPI superstars like Jim Oezer, Ron Schenk, Chris Harr or Dave Faber to name a few, with questions and they are willing to take the time to help. This is incredibly generous and only happens because of the connections we make at the conference. This brand is only as strong as its independent owners, and we succeed as a national brand.

The annual conference serves as a mechanism to bring us together and be that adhesive that helps us grow and be successful and achieve our individual goals. On a personal note, it was great to meet Mike Lancaster from South Carolina in person. We had been in the PowerUp sessions together, but had an opportunity to get better acquainted during the conference.

As military veterans we bonded over a common background and were both surprised to learn that our path to NPI was very similar. We have since been in regular contact by phone and text and I had the privilege of joining his VFW Post of which he is the commander. That only happens in a face-to-face setting like the conference!”

Thanks again to everyone for taking the time to share your thoughts! We’re already looking forward to the 2025 conference, and we’re excited to see another year of growth for everyone! If you’re interested in starting your property inspection business in time to make it to the 2025 conference, request your free info packet today to get the conversation started!