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Optimus

About Optimus

OPTIMUS offers over 93% of homeowners access to money regardless of their credit profile. Help your customers get pre-qualified for a flexible payment plan in less than two minutes without impacting their credit score.

OPTIMUS offers a simple and efficient workflow for project funding. By being connected to a soft credit pull platform (that matches a client with an approving lender), you will receive credit decisions faster and easier with higher approval ratings. OPTIMUS greatly improves the customer experience and provides a payment management system that significantly improves your ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

MATTHEW BRATSIS

VICE PRESIDENT, CONTRACTOR SERVICES

As Vice President of Contractor Services, Matthew is responsible for all lending and finance operations within the EGIA Finance Clearinghouse. He works directly with lending partners and affiliates developing and creating the most up-to-date finance offerings for EGIA’s vast contractor base. In addition, Matthew leads EGIA’s business development strategy, as well as the design and implementation of finance training content.

Matthew has been an integral part of the home improvement finance industry for over 20 years, with stops at American General Finance, Greensky and Renovate America. Matthew attended Virginia Commonwealth University, graduating with a degree in Psychology.

our history

OPTIMUS is the financing division of The Electric and Gas Industries Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to contractors’ success and the advancement of the home services industry that has been around since the early 1930’s.

mission

In the spirit of EGIA’s central mission, OPTIMUS came into being to offer contractors and homeowners the best possible financing platform in the industry. We work with contractors of all sizes, eliminating the barriers of entry for contractors to offer a premium financing experience to your homeowners.

what makes optimus different?

The center of the OPTIMUS mission is to improve the customer experience by empowering the homeowner and the contractor. To provide as many customers as possible with access to money to fund their home improvement projects, OPTIMUS has developed a single-sign-on platform that is easy-to-use for both the contractor and the homeowner.

By including the best lending partners in the industry into the OPTIMUS platform, customers of all credit profiles get matched with the lender that works best for them. That means more approvals for homeowners at affordable payments, and more jobs sold for our contractors.

In addition to the OPTIMUS platform, the OPTIMUS team are coaches at heart. Working under the umbrella of the Electric and Gas Industries Association (EGIA) and in partnership with Contractor University, the OPTIMUS team focuses on the development of our contractors to make sure that they have all the skills and knowledge necessary to deliver a powerful customer experience.

ERIC GUDE

DIRECTOR, NATIONAL SALES

Eric Started with EGIA as a Regional Director in Sept 2019. In his current position Eric manages the Contractor Services team that includes dealer and distributer training, dealer onboarding and customer service. Eric came to EGIA with over 25 years of Banking, business development and finance experience mostly at American General Finance/One Main where he held various positions of management.

Eric holds B.A. degrees in Economics and Political Science from The University of Maryland- Baltimore County, as well as a Masters of Business Leadership from William Penn University.

DONNA DECOSTER

SOUTHERN REGIONAL MANAGER

Donna Decoster started with EGIA in October 2021. With years of experience communicating with people and clients in the broadcast industry, Donna has transitioned to working with contractors directly. Her personal approach rings true with dealers looking for a comprehensive one-on-one approach towards building their business.Donna’s primary focus is to educate and assist her contractors in learning the benefits of finance and how their customer experience can grow exponentially through the proper use of payment solutions. Donna is a graduate of Xavier University and has a black belt in yoga.

JEREMY CHANDLER

SENIOR MANAGER OF STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

With over 20 years experience, Jeremy has helped contractors across North America gain access to the industry’s best financing programs. Jeremy provides hands-on training to ensure the business and sales team is prepared to offer flexible payment options to homeowners. This has helped thousands of contractors increase close rates, maximize results on every opportunity, and made high efficiency systems affordable.

As National Senior Manager of Strategic Partnerships, Jeremy helps enroll and train Contractors and Manufacturer representatives on the OPTIMUS Financing program.Jeremy is well-experienced in all areas of financing for the HVAC industry and takes pride ensuring that Contractors are comfortable and confident offering these options to their customers. He is proud to deliver the valuable resources from EGIA, the non-profit contractor network that delivers home service contractors with access to the industry’s top financing and business training programs.

BRIAN KAVARATZIS

CANADIAN NATIONAL ACCOUNTS MANAGER

Brian is a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in the Home Service industry. As the former Owner of a large HVAC, Plumbing, and Electrical business, Brian led an award-winning company for residential clients from 2014 to 2022. Under his leadership, the company became renowned for its exceptional service, innovation, and commitment to excellence.

Brian's expertise extends beyond hands-on technical skills to encompass a strong background in Sales, Financing, and Software Development. His leadership style is characterized by a dedication to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment.

Throughout his career, Brian has built and maintained robust relationships with customers, suppliers, and key partners, including Costco Wholesale, where he provided specialized HVAC, plumbing, and electrical services to their members. His ability to connect with stakeholders and drive team success has been pivotal in achieving national performance awards and recognition.

Currently, Brian serves as a National Account Manager for EGIA for Canada (Electrical Gas Industries Association), where he supports businesses by leveraging his extensive industry knowledge and experience. Driven by a passion for innovation and a commitment to overcoming industry challenges, Brian continues to seek out opportunities to create impactful solutions for organizations. His dedication to professional excellence and inclusive leadership make him a standout figure in the industry.

Amber Karcich

Western Regional Manager

Amber joined EGIA in 2023, bringing over a decade of experience in the trades industry. She discovered her passion for the trades during her tenure at a major HVAC and plumbing company in San Diego. Amidst the challenges of the quarantine era, she adeptly navigated trade professional recruitment, championing private equity initiatives. Amber communicates complex ideas clearly and persuasively, ensuring that clients understand the value and benefits of products and services. She brings a creative approach to problem-solving, tailoring solutions to meet the unique challenges and goals of each contractor. Outside of work, Amber finds joy in the great outdoors, engaging in activities like camping, gardening, tackling home improvement projects, and cheering on the San Diego Padres with her family. These activities reflect her deep connection to her community, which she embodies both in her personal and professional life. She engages in philanthropy by fundraising for the Glioblastoma Research Organization, volunteering with I Love a Clean San Diego, and participating in the 60-mile walk for the Susan G. Komen Organization.

PJ Keating

Northern Regional Manager

P.J. Keating is the Northern Regional Manager for OPTIMUS. He brings to OPTIMUS a twenty-seven (27) year background in beverage sales. These companies ranged from small startups to multi-billion-dollar corporations. In addition to his full-time job for twenty-five years (25) on the weekends, he had an alter-ego. He was known as PJ “The DJ,” working as a mobile wedding disc-jockey in wedding venues across the Mid-Atlantic. In 2015, he received a Master of Education in Instructional Technology from The University of Maryland University College.

As the son of a roofer/General Contractor, he is driven by the opportunity that OPTIMUS affords him. He stives to abide by the personal philosophy of “continuous improvement.” He can connect his contracting partners with the necessary resources, people, and tools to maximize their company’s growth potential. And by extension, OPTIMUS allows him to provide the contractor’s customers with avenues of access to capital to complete all their home improvement/quality of life needs.

PJ enjoys spending time outdoors, reading anything, practicing martial arts, cheering on the Baltimore Orioles and hanging out with family and Frankie the Labradoodle!

What are consumers looking for?

The key to growing your business is delivering a great customer experience. 8 in 10 consumers consult online reviews for local businesses, to see if other consumers had a good experience working with that company. The key to a great customer experience is to make it easy to do business with. That’s where OPTIMUS comes in.

Contractor University

Contractor University provides home service contractors with a comprehensive blend of powerful classroom instruction and convenient online training systems that deliver proven roadmaps to business success from the most accomplished team of educators, consultants, and trainers ever assembled in the industry. Contractor University includes:

  • On-Demand Online Courses
  • The Industry’s Largest Best-Practices Resource Library
  • Live Educational Workshops, Boot Camps and Conferences
  • One-on-One Coaching
  • Business Evaluation & Customized Training Roadmaps
  • 24/7 Ask-the-Experts Virtual Hotline

Topics of the curriculum include in-home sales, financial management, service management operations, marketing & lead generation, technician communication & selling, pricing, service agreements, leadership, mindset, customer service, and more.

Learn more at MyContractorUniversity.com.

DAVID DELGADO

DIRECTOR, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (CONTRACTOR UNIVERSITY)

David Delgado is responsible for working with distributors to help them develop dealer development training programs with the EGIA Faculty. In addition, David also helps distributors by matching EGIA’s keynote speakers with the theme of their dealer meetings. Prior to joining the team at EGIA, David worked at LightSpeed VT and had the opportunity to work with clients such as Tony Robbins, Grant Cardone, Daymond John, and numerous associations. David was responsible for helping his clients grow their training business through training and speaking at industry events, online/offline marketing, and sales training. If you are a distributor that is looking for dealer development training program or keynote speaker for your dealer meeting, David is resource that can help you match EGIA’s resources with your needs.