Leaf Home provides seamless home improvement experiences that transform homeownership
As North America’s largest home improvement company, Leaf Home turns complex projects and to-do lists into practical achievements. With 260 locations across the US and Canada, Leaf Home promises to form a collaborative relationship with customers, working closely to understand the homeowner’s requirements and style preferences. From product selection through to installation, the team at Leaf Home ensure reliable, end-to-end service that exceeds customer expectations.
Founded in 2005, Leaf Home began with the pioneering product, LeafFilter Gutter Protection, and has since grown to offer services within gutter systems, water solutions, stair lifts, and more. To learn more about the company and its extensive supply chain operations, we sit down with Mike Matisz, Vice President of Supply Chain.
“Leaf Home is a direct-to-consumer brand redefining home improvement by building trust into the experience,” Mike opens. “Our customer-first approach is powered by our dedicated team and enabled by technology. We take ownership of the entire process from initial consultation to final installation, promising homeowners that each job is done right at every step.
“Our offering includes a comprehensive range of home improvement products and services that help transform and protect the exterior of the home, including gutters and windows. We also focus on products that bring safety, security, and aesthetic to the interior of the home in the form of water filtration, bathroom remodeling, and garage floor refinishing.”
Building resiliency
Reflecting on his employment to date, Mike continues: “When I joined Leaf Home in 2015, the company was experiencing rapid growth, but we needed more robust controls and agility within a strong supply chain function to keep pace with our expansion. From day one, my focus has been on implementing these elements while maintaining our core principle of speed. It has been incredibly rewarding to build a team from the ground up, and I’m fortunate to have been surrounded by talented leaders who supported our efforts and helped us achieve significant results.
“More and more organizations are identifying expertise and ingenuity within the supply chain as a primary differentiator in a competitive business landscape. The concept of a dedicated operations team focused on the upstream and downstream impacts of raw materials, manufacturing, product distribution, and freight is still emerging. This approach can unlock significant opportunities beyond mere control. At Leaf Home, we strive to identify opportunities through technology or strategic partnerships, and if an opportunity has the chance to serve our business, we accept accountability to investigate and raise it to our leadership team to be further unlocked.”
Such expansion means Mike and his wider team must find the appropriate balance between speed and accuracy, especially during busy periods. While Leaf Home strives to offer the quickest possible turnaround times, the business also prides itself on superior quality that cannot be compromised. “At times, there are competing priorities between speed and precision,” Mike confirms. “We must rationalize the acceptable ratio between the two at each decision point; the times when both speed and precision are absolutely required is where things get interesting.
“With roughly 400,000 projects completed every year, there are inevitably going to be some challenges along the way. However, as supply chain professionals, we are inherently problem solvers, always thinking creatively and collaborating with other areas of the business to find appropriate solutions. Solving these challenges is part of what makes working at Leaf Home so interesting and engaging!
“We utilize software and hardware solutions across the supply chain to enhance workflow efficiency and make information more accessible,” he adds. “We leverage technology to streamline our operations, from sourcing software that connects us with suppliers to telematics that tracks our fleet and freight tracking software that provides real-time delivery updates.
“However, technology is often only as useful as its user. There must be standards and processes helping interface the physical operation to the systems, and as an organization, this is the area where we are making the biggest leap. We have dedicated teams working to drive precision to enable us to use the information and data in the most beneficial applications.”
Transparency is key
When it comes to strategic relationships, Leaf Home values and sees strength in cross-functional collaboration. “Our team must commit to partnering and working alongside different teams across the organization, such as new product development, installation, service, and sales, to build their needs and knowledge into our strategy,” Mike shares. “The leadership and industry expertise within these teams guide our efforts, fostering teamwork and accountability.”
This approach to relationships also extends to Leaf Home’s supplier network. “Our freight arrives at our offices based on how it’s managed by the carrier, and our products solve problems for our customers based on the quality of our manufacturing partners,” Mike states. “We provide transparency to build trust, and we expect transparency in return. We allow our partners to be experts across areas in which they have expertise. In some respects, this allows us to have a lean internal team running a robust operation with experience and skills leveraged externally every day. Overall, we want our partners to be invested in our business and know that we are invested in theirs.”
As we wrap up our conversation, Mike shares Leaf Home’s optimistic outlook on the future. “We’re committed to building trust and making homeownership easier for our customers, and we’re continuously exploring innovative products and services to enhance our customers’ safety and overall quality of life. When customers decide to upgrade their space, we want the experience to be positive and satisfying for the entire family.
“2025 will focus on strategic alignment across the business,” Mike states as our conversation closes. “Our supply chain has seen significant advancements that will open new opportunities, including new distribution partners and carriers who are helping us unlock markets with turnaround times measured in days, whereas they were historically measured in weeks or months. We will be implementing final mile and reverse logistics processes to enhance our scope emissions and sustainability initiatives. Additionally, we’ll continue to partner with our field teams to empower them to focus on leveraging their expertise, ingenuity, and perseverance to serve our customers and drive business growth.”