Thomas Martin started out in residential roofing, but the President of Metropolitan Construction Systems Inc. in Holbrook, N.Y., knew it was just a matter of time before he entered the commercial market.

Thomas Martin started out in residential roofing, but the President of Metropolitan Construction Systems Inc. in Holbrook, N.Y., knew it was just a matter of time before he entered the commercial market.

“We started off in the residential area, but knew this was just a stepping stone to get into commercial,” said Martin, who founded his business in 1997 with his brother, Brian Martin. “Our second year in business we broke into commercial roofing with some small public projects and had an income of $250,000.”

Every year after that, the company doubled its sales revenue, reaching a level of $10 million in 2007.

“We became signatory with the local roofing unions and sheet metal unions in 1999, and currently employ the most men within Local 154 Roofers and Waterproofers,” Tom Martin said.

For its work, the company has received the highest awards for excellence in single-ply roofing from Carlise and Versico for eight years running.

“We install single-ply roof systems (EPDM and TPO), mod bit roof systems, standing seam metal roof systems, hot fluid applied waterproofing systems for split slab parking garages, below slab and foundation waterproofing,” Martin said. “In the past three years we have led the local roofing industry in installing complete building envelopes with membrane and fluid applied air barrier systems. Our work is now 100 percent commercial, and of that about 80 percent is new construction.”

Martin said Metropolitan Construction Systems Inc. is proud of its work at the Brookhaven National Laboratory. “We installed over 250,000 square feet of substrate and TPO roof systems around the 2,700-foot-long Light Source ring building,” he said. “We are currently starting two more projects at this same site.”

Awards and great projects are just part of Martin’s plan for success in the future. “Our core values are and have always been about quality and customer service, as well as always being there when we say we will,” he said. “We are successful due to a strong commitment from our general contractors that work with us over and over on projects.”

Being able to do it all is part of the business strategy at Metropolitan Construction Systems. “We plan to continue to improve in our ability to be a ‘one-stop shopping’ source for our customers when it comes to building from the ground up,” he said. “We start with the waterproofing below the slab, take it up the foundations, continue with the exterior wall waterproofing and wrap it up and over to the roof.”

And while Tom Martin is focused on his roofing business each day, he has found another rewarding career as a firefighter.

“I am a full-time New York City firefighter in the South Bronx,” Martin noted. “My passion is skiing in Utah and boating on Long Island in the summers. This is something my entire family has a passion for, and we enjoy doing it together as a family.”