For All Roof Solutions, Inc., “Honesty Built In” is more than fodder for the company logo — it’s a way of life.

It seems to work, too, for the company centered on serving the greater Atlanta market from two locations — one in Kennesaw (northwest of Atlanta) and a recently-opened branch in Bethlehem, between Atlanta and Athens.

Need proof?

Owner and President Roger Morlan said he projects revenue of $9 million in 2018, up about $2 million from last year, bolstered by 50 percent growth in commercial business.

Not bad for a company that launched in 2006 with just three people and, as Morlan puts it, started out of “a bit of desperation.”

“It turned into one of the best decisions I ever made,” said Morlan, who now oversees 13 non-union employees. “I love what I do. I really enjoy what I do. It’s taught me a lot about myself, a lot about life, and, frankly, it’s provided a really nice life for my family.”

Morlan graduated in 2000 with a degree in international economics from the University of West Georgia in Carrollton, Ga. He worked in sales for a few different companies before joining his stepfather’s roofing business — Cobb Roofing Inc., but that didn’t last long.

As Morlan puts it, “some things happened” that ultimately caused Cobb Roofing to go out of business relatively quickly. He said he did what he could to try and help the company stay afloat, including taking on “a significant amount of personal debt trying to save my dad’s roofing business.”

It wasn’t enough, though, and when Cobb Roofing closed shop, Morlan said he was at a crossroads.

“I was either going to go start a landscaping business or start my own roofing business,” he said.

The roofing experience he had working with his stepfather’s company tipped the scales.

“I knew enough about the roofing business to feel like I had a better shot at making enough money to survive by opening a roofing business,” Morlan said.

Strong Start

When All Roof Solutions launched in 2006, Morlan’s stepfather, Earl Jackson, focused on new construction and reroof commercial work while he developed a residential reroofing division.

The combination of low overhead, hard work and sheer luck formed the foundation of future success.

“I believe God’s given me a lot of favor with a lot of people, and given me some really good projects that I was able to complete while keeping my overhead really low,” Morlan explained.

One of his earliest jobs was for an executive at insurance provider MetLife Inc.

“I roofed his house and he, for whatever reason, liked me and recommended me for their contractor program,” Morlan said. “Today, we’re on 29 different insurance companies’ direct repair programs.”

He said the first step with MetLife was a huge one, and “kind of came out of nowhere.”

“It’s turned into about 20 percent of our business now, through those insurance company networks,” Morlan said.

Other factors played into All Roof Solutions’ positive trajectory.

“I realized that the competition didn’t do some very simple things well,” Morlan said. “And one of those things was just being honest with clientele. Whether that honesty is just the real reason you’re late, or the real reason you’re delayed on a project, or beyond that.”

Morlan made it a mission to build into All Roof Solutions the highest possible level of integrity and transparency.

“I wanted to build in honesty in my organization through different methods of accountability internally, and then make myself accountable to entities outside of ourselves,” Morlan said. “Whether that would be the Better Business Bureau, the Roofing & Sheet Metal Contractors Association of Georgia, and even marketing things like social media — all of those things build honesty into the business because you have to be accountable for what you do.”

All Roof Solutions also recognizes the importance of treating employees well and how that too translates to overall success for the business, Morlan said. The company offers benefits such as health care, vision/dental, paid time off, and contributes to employees’ Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees (SIMPLE) Individual Retirement Accounts.

Further, employees are given the tools they need to succeed. Depending on role and level of seniority with the company, employees are certified at different levels of OSHA training. Employees also are equipped with personal protection equipment, including fall protection.

Weekly toolbox talks generally focus on safety-related issues, Morlan said, though they often address the importance of communication with customers and with each other. That’s important because should challenges arise, they are handled with a straightforward approach.

“We care about each other enough to encourage each other as well as have the difficult conversations when needed,” Morlan said.

Still Growing

Morlan’s formula for success seems to have proven itself.

In addition to this year’s revenue projections, Morlan said he’s proudest of making All Roof Solutions debt free about a decade ago — just barely two years in business.

“This was a tremendous burden that was lifted,” he said. “Being debt free allowed us to be much better positioned to grow and develop business.”

Today, All Roof Solutions’ business consists of 60 percent residential and 40 percent commercial — a level of diversification that Morlan said has helped the company weather any economic setbacks.

The residential work is done throughout the greater Atlanta area.

The company’s footprint gets bigger when it comes to commercial jobs. Morlan said the company has taken on large commercial projects in places such as Kansas, Texas, Missouri, Mississippi, and Kentucky.

Among the company’s biggest projects is the Kennesaw Marketplace — a development consisting of 11 retail buildings that’s represented $750,000 in revenue for All Roof Solutions.

Other recent projects reroofing jobs at North Cobb Christian School and Barton County Jail. Morlan said he was able to save those customers more than 50 percent of the projected costs for the scope of work recommended by other contractors.

For those hoping to have similar success, Morlan said the guiding principle at All Roof Solutions can apply to any other business.

 “We do what we say we are going to do, when we say we are going to do it.”