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Founder / Operator·Home Services

Will Matson

Chief Financial Officer & Head of M&A at Apex Service Partners

Tampa, Florida, United States

WM
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Why they matter

As Apex's co-CEO and original Head of M&A, Matson has personally underwritten and integrated dozens of home-services roll-up deals since 2019.

Background

Will Matson co-founded Apex Service Partners in 2019 alongside CEO AJ Brown, launched by Alpine Investors as a consolidation platform for founder-owned HVAC, plumbing, and electrical businesses. Recruited into Apex through Alpine's CEO-in-Training program with prior M&A experience at J.P. Morgan, Matson served as CFO and Head of M&A before rising to President and, most recently, co-CEO. Under his and Brown's leadership Apex has grown to roughly 75+ local brands across 46 states with over 13,000 employees.

Notable deals

  • 2019
    Co-founded Apex Service Partners with AJ Brown as Alpine Investors launched the HVAC/plumbing/electrical consolidation platform (Best Home Services + Frank Gay Services)
  • 2025
    As President, part of leadership team through Alpine's $3.4B single-asset continuation fund transaction for Apex, backed by Blackstone Strategic Partners, HarbourVest, Lexington and Pantheon
  • 2026
    As co-CEO alongside AJ Brown, announced strategic minority investment in Apex from Apollo Funds to expand national footprint and technology infrastructure

Call-prep brief

Will Matson — Co-CEO, Apex Service Partners

Background

  • Joined Apex at its 2019 founding as CFO & Head of M&A, recruited via Alpine Investors' CEO-in-Training program
  • Prior M&A experience at J.P. Morgan; also cited background at McKinsey and Access Holdings
  • Promoted to President, then co-CEO alongside co-founder AJ Brown

Current focus

  • Scaling Apex's multi-brand HVAC/plumbing/electrical platform (75+ brands, 46 states, 13,000+ employees)
  • Managing capital structure through major sponsor transitions: Alpine's $3.4B continuation fund (2025) and Apollo's minority investment (2026)
  • Positions Apex as a "pit crew" for founder-owner transitions — capital, back-office, and growth support without stripping brand identity

What he cares about

  • Preserving customer relationships, employee retention, and local brand equity through acquisition integration
  • Building a durable, multi-sponsor capital structure rather than a single quick flip
  • Talent pipelines (his own CEO-in-Training path shapes how he evaluates operator talent)

Sensitivities

  • Apex just brought in a new outside sponsor (Apollo) alongside Alpine — capital structure and governance questions may be sensitive pre-close (expected Q4 2026)
  • As a competitor/acquirer in the same roll-up space, be direct about intent (deal flow, benchmarking, or co-investment) early in the call

Questions to ask

  1. How has the underwriting bar for add-on acquisitions changed as Apex has scaled past 75 brands?
  2. What did the Apollo minority investment unlock that the Alpine continuation fund didn't?
  3. What separates a home-services owner who's a good cultural fit for Apex from one who isn't?

Outreach draft

Subject
Home Services Roll-Up Playbook — Quick Question
Hi Will, Congrats on the Apollo investment in Apex — capping the $3.4B continuation deal with a new strategic sponsor in the same year is a strong signal for the platform. I'm on a deal team studying multi-brand consolidation models in home services and would value 20 minutes to hear how your underwriting and integration playbook has evolved as Apex scaled past 75 brands. We're especially curious how you balance central capital/back-office support with preserving local brand identity post-acquisition. Would you have time for a short call in the next couple of weeks? Happy to work around your schedule. Best, [Placeholder Name]

Linked companies

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