One of the biggest developments in roofing distribution was QXO’s purchase of Beacon Building Products, and our readers let us know.

When examining the metrics for RSP’s top-most-clicked stories, the majority related to our ongoing coverage of QXO’s blockbuster $11 billion acquisition, which closed on April 29, 2025. The acquisition was representative of the overall consolidation occurring in roofing and captured the attention of the industry.

As 2025 ends, we’re recapping the top five QXO-Beacon stories readers like you checked out to keep up on the latest developments.

5. Beacon Rejects QXO Offer

QXO’s unsolicited bid to acquire Beacon wasn’t met with a warm welcome. In January 2025, Beacon provided a public response rejecting the offer.

“Beacon’s Board of Directors thoroughly evaluated the proposal. Following its review, the Board unanimously rejected the proposal and determined that it significantly undervalues the company and its prospects for growth and future value creation,” the company stated.

However, by March 2025, the deal became official, and Beacon accepted the all-cash offer of $124.35 per share.

4. The Home Depot/QXO Bid for GMS

Last June, not long after acquiring Beacon, QXO set its sights on GMS Inc., a specialty building-products distributor, submitting an unsolicited $5 billion cash bid.

However, home improvement giant The Home Depot, through its subsidiary SRS Distribution, outbid QXO with a $5.5 billion offer to acquire GMS. The distributor specializes in products like drywall, ceilings and steel framing.

Analysts said Home Depot’s scale and financial firepower differentiated its bid from QXO’s. Home Depot brought an established national retail network and direct access to professional contractors through its more than 2,300 stores.

3. Q&A with Brad Jacobs

Engineering News-Record, a sister publication of Roofing Contractor, sat down with QXO CEO Brad Jacobs for a Q&A. The discussion shed additional light and insights into Jacobs’ strategies and how he is approaching an industry primarily driven by relationships.

“Technology has been a consistent thread across all my businesses for decades; however, it’s all about the people, and it’ll remain that way. We’re gaining talent because of our focus on technology — and contractors want to work with us because of that focus across all functions,” Jacobs said.

2. Beacon Employees React to Acquisition

As the final details of the acquisition were ironed out last March, Beacon employees took to social media to react to the deal, giving an idea of how some in the company felt.

“[T]he QXO acquisition has given us ALL an opportunity to start fresh. Regardless of your position, your tenure with the company, your tenure in the industry, Monday will be day 3 for all of us,” said James Darling, a branch manager from Grand Rapids, Mich., on LinkedIn.

“Big news today! With the announcement of QXO’s acquisition of Beacon and having just been in an introductory call with QXO CEO Brad Jacobs, I’m looking forward to the incredible opportunities this brings for innovation, digital transformation, and operational excellence,” wrote Kylee Coffman, head of Digital Program Management and Quality Assurance and chair of Beacon's Tech Exchange Committee.

1. QXO’s AI-Forward Approach

Much like the rest of 2025, AI and its impact on the industry took center stage. As QXO prepared to close the acquisition, we explored how Jacobs’ tech-forward approach could revolutionize the company.

As we noted, Jacobs’ blueprint is built on a history of consolidating fragmented industries. At United Waste Systems, he orchestrated a roll-up that achieved a 55% compound annual growth rate by integrating regional waste management firms in remote markets, resulting in streamlined operations and lower costs.

At XPO Logistics, he integrated advanced technology with large-scale acquisitions to enhance supply chain efficiency. QXO took similar approaches, and the results were striking.

Last September, QXO identified about $200 million in pricing leakage at Beacon, revealing the cost of using outdated systems in a move that put a spotlight on the longstanding technology gaps in the building materials industry. The leakage stemmed from what Jacobs called “undisciplined discounting” through manual pricing systems.

"The building products distribution industry is way behind on tech," Jacobs told investors during a Q&A. "We've seen companies running dozens of ERPs with outdated systems, manual processes, and limited inventory visibility."

With Jacobs announcing he will step down as chairman of XPO and GXO to concentrate on QXO, the roofing industry will be paying close attention to see how he accomplishes his goal of hitting $50 billion in revenue.