The US residential HVAC services sector is drawing a new wave of franchise investors in 2026, including professionals from outside the traditional trades. Service Experts, one of the country’s largest home services franchise networks, signed a new development agreement on June 18 covering the Katy and Sugar Land communities in the Greater Houston area, bringing in a father-son team with backgrounds spanning the US Navy, chemical distribution, and tech sales.
Texas has become one of the most active markets for home services franchise development in recent years, fueled by sustained population growth and a housing stock that demands year-round HVAC maintenance. The Katy and Sugar Land corridor, located southwest of Houston, has seen some of the fastest residential construction rates in the state since 2022. Through its franchise business model, Service Experts has built a steady Texas presence across multiple territories and continues to expand into the state’s high-growth suburban markets, offering entrepreneurs the opportunity to operate an established HVAC service franchise.
A Father-Son Team with Multi-Sector Experience
The new territory will be owned and operated by Steve Marullo and his son Logan Marullo. Steve spent nine years in the US Navy before building a career of more than two decades in chemical sales. Logan comes from the software and technology sales sector and joins his father in what represents their first joint venture in franchise ownership. The agreement covers the Katy and Sugar Land service area, two of the fastest-growing suburban communities in the Houston metropolitan region.
“We’ve built businesses before and understand the value of having the right systems and support in place,” said Steve Marullo. “What stood out to us about the Service Experts opportunity was the strength of the platform and the people behind it. Logan and I bring different strengths to the table, and this gives us the opportunity to keep growing with a model that’s already been proven at scale.” The new location is expected to open before the end of 2026.
Why Texas Remains a High-Priority Market for HVAC Franchises
The Houston metro area sits in one of the most climate-demanding regions of the continental United States. Summer temperatures regularly exceed **100°F** across the greater Houston area, while successive winter weather events in 2021 and 2024 significantly raised consumer awareness of home system reliability and maintenance. For HVAC franchise operators, the Texas market is characterized by high call volumes, long service seasons, and growing consumer interest in energy-efficient system upgrades.
Service Experts competes in the broader residential home services franchise sector alongside several national brands, distinguishing itself through a service-first model that covers both installation and ongoing maintenance agreements. The franchise has consistently attracted operators from business, military, and cross-sector backgrounds, a pattern this Katy-Sugar Land agreement continues.
Service Experts’ Continued Southwest Expansion
The Katy and Sugar Land agreement represents the latest step in Service Experts’ southwest regional growth strategy. The brand has expanded its Texas footprint across multiple metro areas in recent years and continues to identify high-density suburban corridors as its primary development targets. For a franchise built around recurring residential service relationships, the Katy-Sugar Land area offers access to a dense customer base, with a high proportion of single-family homes built within the last decade that are approaching standard HVAC system replacement cycles.
The Marullo team’s combined backgrounds reflect an ongoing shift in the home services franchise sector, where operators increasingly enter from technology, logistics, and business services rather than from the trades themselves. Industry data tracked by the International Franchise Association indicates that home services remains one of the top three sectors by new unit growth heading into the second half of 2026.
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