DALLAS — PetersenDean Roofing & Solar has announced the expansion of its ever-growing roofing and solar business in Texas. The company is opening new offices in Dallas/Fort Worth and expanding offices in Austin/San Antonio. Projected annual revenue for both totals $15.5 million with plans to hire approximately 45 new employees.

Driven by the steady growth of its roofing and solar business as well as job growth and substantial rebates, the 30-year-old company plans to meet the demand from homebuilders and consumers alike. Mark Vogel, senior vice president, Texas PetersenDean Roofing and Solar, said, “It’s a large, diversified economy, the job base is strong and construction starts are up, so we feel this market has huge potential.”

Dallas/Fort Worth

PetersenDean’s new offices in Dallas/Fort Worth represent its first for the national company, which employs 3,000 and operates in five states: Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada and Texas. The projected revenue in the new Dallas/Fort Worth office is approximately $10.5 million in residential roofing and solar installation in 2015. The company plans to hire about 25 new employees in both sales and operations.  

“We’re very excited about the almost seven million people in this metro area. It’s a huge market, and the diversity of energy supply make the area ripe for solar. There hasn’t been a lot of production for solar here yet,” Vogel explained. “Oncor, the largest utility provider in the metro area, currently has a rebate for about $1 a watt — that’s way above the national average. Most rebates are nothing compared to this.”

Oncor has set aside $3.5 million in rebate funds for residential solar projects; a program which began on Dec. 1, 2014. “Once this amount is spent, the rebates won’t be available. Most homeowners aren’t aware that there is a substantial rebate and a timeline in which to use it,” said Vogel.

Rebates are not the only benefits. There are three major service providers in the area that honor net metering, which allows customers to sell any unused solar electricity back to the grid, which increases the economic benefit of residential solar.

Company executives explained other reasons why solar is such a smart choice.

“Rising electricity rates make solar power a great option for homeowners because it will substantially reduce their electricity bills today, and more importantly, protect them from future utility rate increases so they can be energy independent for life. All in all, home solar power continues to be a great investment, and owning a system allows people to lock in the lowest electricity price per kWh,” Vogel said. “While utility rates aren’t that high in Texas, most residents run their air conditioners about eight to 10 months out of the year, so the electric bills can be high.”

Austin/San Antonio

To further the company’s growth in Texas, PetersenDean has doubled the size of its current Austin/San Antonio office by expanding the residential re-roof division and adding residential solar. The company has had a large presence in the Austin/San Antonio area for more than 10 years, but has historically focused on commercial roofing and new homebuilder business in the region.

Executives say that the decision to expand in Austin/San Antonio was driven by a substantial rebate program and commitment to renewable energy.

“Austin Energy is known for being very solar friendly and pro-renewable,” said Jesse Nickerman, director of consumer sales, southwest, PetersenDean Roofing and Solar. “Not only does the utility encourage distributed generation through ownership of residential solar, but they have recently increased their Renewable Portfolio Standard 100 percent, up to 200 MW, which shows a real commitment to renewable energy.”

In Austin/San Antonio, PetersenDean’s projected revenue is approximately $5 million in 2015 for residential roofing and solar, with plans to hire about 20 new employees in both sales and operations. The Austin office will also serve San Antonio, which offers substantial solar rebates or homeowners at approximately $1.30 per watt.

American Made

In all of the states where it operates, PetersenDean is committed to initiatives that support American jobs, manufacturing and energy independence by sourcing allsolar panels and system components from domestic producers. Along with American-made panels, each PetersenDean solar system includes Buy-American-Act-compliant inverters and racking installed by the construction company’s American workforce.

“This year, we will have put over 1,000 American workers back to work, and all of our American-made partners are planning expansions over the next few years. A commitment to buy American made has helped hired over 300 American workers, with plans to hire thousands more over the next three years,” said Jim Petersen, CEO and founder of PetersenDean.

With the company’s commitment to American-made products, the expansion is expected to have a strong impact to the economies in these regions and nationwide.

“We made a decision to only source our products from America. It's costing us a little more, but we are supporting the American economy, and we are supporting American workers, and we're reinvesting those dollars back where they should be,” said Petersen.

 For more information, visit www.petersendean.com.