Companies throughout the United States were invited to share their total revenue in 2011, as well as their peak number of staff members and the percentage of their work that was residential versus commercial. The rankings on the list are based solely on annual revenue, and participation was voluntary.

While there are some new members of the list, most of the top revenue-generating companies are in familiar territory. At the head of the list is CentiMark Corporation, headquartered in Canonsburg, Pa. They reported more than $462 million in revenue last year, up from a little over $404 million 2010. Tecta America, headquartered in Rosemont, Ill., is second on the list with more than $426 million in revenue. In third place is Baker Roofing Company, Raleigh, N.C., which earned more than $160 million last year. Aspen Contracting of Lee’s Summit, Mo., with revenue of more than $100 million, is in the fourth spot, followed by Kalkreuth Roofing and Sheet Metal, Inc. of Wheeling, W.Va., with more than $84 million. Mr. Roof of Ann Arbor, Mich, with more than $80 million, is in sixth place, and The BELDON Group of Companies, headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, is in the seventh spot with more than $69 million. Rounding out the top 10 are Douglass Colony Group, Commerce City, Colo. ($51 million), Heart of Dixie Roofing Co., Billingsley, Ala. (almost $49 million), and United States Roofing Corp., Norristown, Pa. (more than $46 million).

“We are very proud of our growth and success in the roofing industry,” said Timothy M. Dunlap, president and chief operating officer CentiMark Corporation. He pointed to a 20 percent increase in sales last year and a good start this year as reasons for optimism.

“We have double digit growth in the first half of 2012,” said Dunlap. “Our sales are strong and our customers are committing to their roofing projects. Like most businesses, we are cautiously optimistic in these uncertain economic times. Based on this, we are spending conservatively and being careful in our decision making.”

Dunlap noted that with new construction decreasing, the low-slope market is more competitive. “The economy may prevent some customers from re-roofing,” he said. “Service and preventative maintenance is increasingly important to customers. In some parts of the country, green roofing solutions, daylighting, garden roofs and other energy savings initiatives are a priority for customers.”

Dave Schupmann, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Tecta America, explained that he thought the company did well overall. “We saw an increase in our federal, state and local, solar, service, and re-roofing markets, but the new roofing market continues to be depressed,” he said.

Schupmann mentioned that the first half of this year started out strong with favorable weather conditions and allowed them to start the business up sooner than normal in their cold weather markets. “This was a very different start from the snowstorms and subsequent snow removal contracts that made for a favorable start to last year’s business,” he said. “There was limited work available, however, to sustain the momentum of the early start that ate through backlog, and the first half of the second quarter was tight. Since then, business has picked up significantly, and we feel good that there is a good mix of strong opportunities in the marketplace, both private and public, that will make for a strong end to the second quarter and a strong third quarter.”

Shari Chesser, the director of marketing and commercial sales strategy for Aspen Contracting, said the company did better than expected last year and is putting more emphasis on maximizing profits rather than sales.

“We did very well — better than usual because of the mild winter,” Chesser said. “The economy is slowing the decisions of homeowners and property owners. They are looking for lowest bid most of time, even though they realize it might result in inferior workmanship, materials and warranties. The economy being down also has brought more roofing companies into the market.”

Dustin Divitto, regional manager at Interstate Roofing, said his company was off to a good start this year.

“The first half of our year has been strong in every market we compete in,” he said.

 Divitto pointed to governmental regulation and legislation as areas to watch.“Stay involved in your local government and city building departments,” he urged. “The overregulation of our industry is going to cripple many companies that have invested a lot of money. Keep on top of the new regulations when they get presented as a senate bill and make your voice heard to lawmakers and their constituents. Hopefully everyone can try and understand that roofing companies in America operate several different ways depending on location, and we need to make good, educated decisions for everyone involved.” 

Click here to view the 2012 Top 100 Roofing Contractors.