How would you characterize the state of the roofing industry looking at 2026?

DA: The roofing industry in 2026 looks fundamentally healthy but is being reshaped quickly by consolidation, technology adoption, and structural labor constraints that make modernization a must. Traditional, relationship‑driven contractors are becoming process‑ and data‑driven businesses, where digital proficiency, standardized workflows, and real‑time visibility are now table stakes in service, maintenance, and replacement.

Three forces are driving this shift. Technology – even smaller “mom‑and‑pop” shops are moving from spreadsheets to integrated platforms to meet customer expectations; Consolidation – ongoing roll‑ups and multi‑branch platforms are raising the bar on responsiveness and pricing discipline across the market. Labor: Persistent shortages and policy changes are pushing contractors toward drones, advanced estimating, scheduling/dispatch tools, and AI‑driven workflows to do more with the same or fewer people.

What trends developed in 2025 that you will be continuing to monitor?

DA: Several 2025 trends will not just persist in early 2026—they will separate growth-minded contractors from the rest. Two stand out: structural labor constraints and the shift from experimental to truly operational tech and AI. Labor is (and has been) a strategic constraint, not a short‑term hiring issue, forcing contractors to compete harder for talent, invest in training, and redesign roles so scarce field labor is focused on high‑value work while low‑value activity is centralized (or automated).

At the same time, technology and AI are moving from pilots to everyday infrastructure—automating communication, tightening estimating, optimizing scheduling, and surfacing job‑cost and service insights that directly inform pricing and staffing decisions. Contractors who treat tech as a disciplined, ROI‑driven operating system—not a pile of disconnected apps—will be best positioned to grow profitably in the next year.

You’re a tech company, but did tariffs or increased immigration enforcement experienced by the roofing industry have any impact on your mission?

DA: Tariffs and immigration enforcement have not changed Jobba’s mission, but they have made it more urgent: helping contractors build resilient, efficient businesses that can absorb policy and cost shocks—without sacrificing margin. Contractors now need scalable systems and reliable data so they can adjust pricing, crews, and market focus proactively. Jobba’s response is to provide tools that turn volatility into clear visibility: tighter job costing, stronger change order control, better scheduling and dispatch, and service and maintenance programs that generate recurring revenue from existing teams.

For us, these pressures sharpen three internal priorities: stay close to contractors’ real world challenges, double down on automation and data-driven insights, and support sustainable growth for independents and PE backed entities.

Why is there a lot of optimism over sales, and do you share that view?

DA: Yes— we do strongly share that optimism, with a clear bias toward disciplined execution. The U.S. roofing market is growing faster than the broader construction sector, supported by a solid economy, aging building stock, elevated storm and hail activity, and ongoing demand for energy efficient, code compliant systems. Contractors are operating in a “high expectation” environment: interest rates are easing but still above pre COVID levels, material and insurance costs remain elevated, and skilled labor is structurally scarce. In that context, the contractors most likely to turn this demand into profitable growth are the ones tightening processes, investing in technology and data, and treating service and maintenance as core, recurring revenue engines rather than afterthoughts.

What economic factors will play the biggest role in a roofing contractor’s success in the coming year?

DA: The single biggest economic factor in a roofing contractor’s success in 2026 is the ability to price and manage work with discipline in an environment where material, labor, and insurance costs are structurally higher, and easing interest rates still do not fully offset trade, wage, and weather driven pressure. Success depends less on chasing volume and more on rigor around margin.

What product categories or new tech capabilities are you most excited about in roofing moving forward?

DA: The tech capabilities driving Jobba’s growth are those that turn roofing companies into highly connected, always on, data driven organizations. The common denominator is technology that tightly links sales, production, and service so every inspection, work order, crew assignment, and invoice moves through one connected process rather than separate silos. Service, maintenance, and portfolio management tools let contractors build recurring inspection, repair, and preventive maintenance programs where every asset, leak call, and warranty is tracked from first visit through follow up, creating annuity like revenue and fewer “fire drill” jobs. Analytics, integrations, and emerging AI provide dashboards and insights that improve pricing, reveal bottlenecks, and guide the mix of service, reroof, and capital projects.

What are the biggest technology challenges contractors are dealing with today? What’s coming tomorrow?

DA: The primary technology challenge is fragmentation: too many disconnected apps, inconsistent processes, partially adopted systems, and mismatched data—leaving leadership unable to see the business end to end or fully trust the numbers.

Looking ahead, the challenge is less about access to powerful tools and more about using them responsibly and at scale. Contractors will need to integrate AI, drones, measurements, and smart devices into a single operational backbone and build organizational muscle—training, change management, and data governance—so automation increases capacity and profitability instead of creating more complexity.

How is your company/organization responding to the growing consolidation and private equity involvement in the roofing industry?

DA: Private equity is no longer a side story in roofing; it is the capital engine driving consolidation, professionalization, and platform style businesses built for scale and predictable cash flow. With many PE backed platforms competing for quality contractors, roofing remains an attractive trade for buy and build strategies, even as deal volume moderates and attention shifts to integration, systems, and returns.

Jobba’s response has been to build a platform that simultaneously equip contractor teams with detailed workflows and job level data, while giving sponsors clean, aggregated portfolio views of performance, risk, and growth levers. Jobba’s role is to sit at that intersection—using technology and AI to turn labor constraints, data, and scale into durable P&L performance and enterprise value.

What are you proudest of about your organization heading into the New Year?

DA: That’s easy, people! In my role, our team members are my number one priority. And for our team, our customers are the number one priority.

Since the beginning of this year, we have put more discipline and structure into our hiring, onboarding, training and engagement with our employees. They are our secret sauce. Extending that sentiment to our customers, we are looking to improve our time-to-value and secure customer relationships with a more visible Customer Success approach.

What’s keeping you up and what are the biggest concerns moving forward?

DA: What keeps me up at night is not the demand for roofing and roofing software, but whether contractors will have the people, processes, and systems to turn that demand into durable profit. The risk that contractors drown in disconnected tools instead of building a single, scalable operating platform that protects margins and supports growth.