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Validated Lead Group

THE GROUP

Validation before connection.

Validated Lead Group builds and operates first-party acquisition properties, validates what they produce, and routes it to buyers who can act on it. The order of those steps is the argument.

MISSION AND VISION

One standard, applied across every category.

The mission is narrow on purpose: originate consumer intent responsibly, evaluate it against campaign criteria before routing, and report what happened at the campaign level. That sequence is what the group sells.

The vision is a portfolio of category properties, each fluent in its own vertical, each carrying the same mark and the same standard — so a buyer entering a new category through the group finds the same operating discipline they already know.

OPERATING PRINCIPLES

Six principles the group operates by.

01

Premium restraint

State what is true, state the limit, and stop. Claims that need adjectives are claims that do not hold.

02

Operational sophistication

Acquisition is run as an operating discipline, with documented criteria, routing configuration and review cadence.

03

Responsive support

Partners on both sides reach a named contact, and campaign changes are communicated before they take effect.

04

Transparent reporting

Performance is reportable by campaign and by source, not only in aggregate.

05

Responsible growth

Volume is expanded only where compliance posture, buyer demand and source quality all support it.

06

Category expertise

A category is entered when the group can speak its language accurately, not when the domain is available.

Restraint is the strategy.

TRACK RECORD

Forty years of doing this before it had a name.

The group’s leadership brings a collective 40+ years in performance marketing and strategic partnerships across highly regulated environments and home services — including agency-of-record relationships with some of the largest home services operators in the country, across HVAC, plumbing and above-ground pool.

Regulated-environment fluency

Category experience in verticals where disclosure, consent and permissible use govern how acquisition runs.

Enterprise buyer-side operating history

Agency-of-record and direct operating relationships with national home services brands and franchise systems.

Network and partnership development

Owned affiliate networks built and administered in-house, with source oversight and payout management.

LEADERSHIP

Meet the team

Zach Carroll

Vice President, Validated Lead Group

Zach Carroll leads growth and partnerships for Validated Lead Group, the performance marketing company behind the Validated family of home services and regulated financial-services properties. He is a go-to-market operator in financial services and pay-per-call, with a track record that runs through Rocket Mortgage, Zero Parallel, Profitise, Home Lending Pal and Array — buying, selling and building the supply that lenders, brokers, contractors and agencies depend on.

His work spans the whole stack: building and ranking first-party acquisition properties, operating affiliate networks, commercializing data and API platforms, and structuring the buyer-side relationships that turn validated intent into revenue. He is at his best in regulated categories, where the discipline of doing it right is the product.

Born in Ireland, Zach calls Detroit home, and the city's operating philosophy — own the result, own the progress, leave every room better than you found it — is the standard he holds the group to.

What partners say

Unparalleled expertise in B2B and affiliate partnership acquisition … spearheaded the acquisition of major partnerships, including Fortune 100 companies … resulting in more than $18 million in annual contract value.

Bryan Young

Revenue Operations; managed Zach directly

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In-depth knowledge of the entire mortgage/insurance funnel. He not only can help you generate revenue, but he will also help guide your company to partnerships that will move the needle immediately.

Bradley Jones

Head of Performance Marketing

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From recruiting, interview process, commission plan, lead generation, approvals, training — all has been led by Zach … a direct hand in our ability to grow the business faster than anyone has ever done in our industry and ultimately led to a successful exit.

Edi Demaj

Co-Founder, KODE Labs

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Zach has built process and passion into our sales team that has advanced us from supporting small business accounts to large enterprise partnerships.

Christina Fair

Co-Founder/COO, Hum

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Zach's ability to understand how robust process and data quality drive value has made our collaborative efforts enjoyable and extremely impactful … he can effectively simplify data and technology context for various audiences.

Pat FitzGerald

Business Architect

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One of the most dynamic innovators that I've ever worked with. He has a unique ability to take complex issues and make them extremely simple, and thus generates high alignment and buy-in.

Demetrus Hayes

Market Vice President, AT&T

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Tony Nuckolls

President, Validated Lead Group

Tony Nuckolls is President of Validated Lead Group and founder of Nuckolls Consulting Group. He spent twenty-two years at Quicken Loans and Rocket, rising from loan officer to Senior Vice President — one of the original team that built the company from a Detroit sales floor into the largest mortgage lender in the country. Over a thirty-year career he has led sales organizations through every stage of scale, and the operating principles he codified along the way — telling you doesn't teach you; a result or an excuse; if it is to be, it's up to me — are the foundation of the Validated Standard of Excellence and of the book he is now writing.

He is a Michigan State Spartan, a teacher first and a closer second, and the reason the group measures itself by one question: are we leaving every person in the room better than we found them?

EDUCATION

  • Michigan State University — B.A., Social Science
  • University of Phoenix — M.A., Organizational Management

VOLUNTEER WORK

  • Board of Directors, Detroit PAL (Detroit Police Athletic League) — since 2011
  • Laborer, Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan — since 2014
  • Advisory Board, Galileo Teacher Leader Institute, Oakland University — since 2015
  • Advisory Board, Edison Financial — since 2020
  • Marketing Leadership Advisory Board, Michigan State University Eli Broad College of Business — since 2022

CERTIFICATIONS

  • Empathy and Emotional Intelligence at Work — UC Berkeley (edX Verified Certificate), 2023
  • Cybersecurity Training — Breach Secure Now, 2025
Michigan State University Broad College of Business — Marketing Spotlight, Season 3 Episode 3: Tony Nuckolls, Senior Vice President at Rocket Mortgage. Watch on YouTube

What colleagues say

I have had the pleasure of working alongside Tony at Rocket Mortgage for over 20 years. Throughout this time, his remarkable energy and genuine passion have consistently inspired those around him to achieve excellence. Tony possesses an exceptional understanding of our organization's culture, enabling him to embody and champion our core values authentically and effectively.

Tom Dempsey

Executive Vice President, Rocket

I had the honor to work alongside Tony for nearly 20 years. He brings the energy and passion every single day. He is one of the best leaders I have ever worked with. If you are looking for a leader that can drive productivity along with a positive culture, Tony is your leader. Tony is one of those leaders that can take people places they can't get to on their own.

Matt Zontini

Business Development Executive

Tony is a man of integrity and was never afraid to make the tough calls. He is and was a strong leader and is someone that many of us looked up to and aspired to be like. He is confident and poised and at the same time is down to earth and humble. He's coached, developed, mentored and guided hundreds of people over the years.

Kumari L. Williams

Chief VIBE Officer, Workday

Tony is a great leader who knows how to push people to reach their full potential and nurture them to achieve more. One attribute I think of often is Tony's tenacious preparation … he always came prepared. Preparation shows caring and dedication along with respect for your audience that they deserve your absolute best.

Sarah Federico

Executive Leader

I had the opportunity to hear Tony speak as the Keynote speaker at our annual sales symposium. Tony's message was incredibly powerful and motivational. He was a joy to watch on stage and the audiences' feedback was the highest of the day for all speakers.

Adam Rapp

Academic Director, Ralph and Luci Schey Sales Centre, Ohio University

Every time we reach out for him to speak to a group of students, he always says yes and makes time. Every time he speaks with students, it is impactful, unforgettable and inspiring. Tony is a life changer, trajectory shifter, motivator and inspirer.

Rhonda Todd

Educator and Student Success Strategist

Answers, validated.

No. The group originates supply on owned properties and through direct media relationships rather than reselling supply acquired downstream.

READY WHEN YOU ARE

Build your next performance channel.

Whether you are acquiring customers or connecting media to direct demand, Validated Lead Group is built to support measurable growth.

Your next connection. Validated.