It’s a story that roofing contractors hear too often, but nonetheless, it surprised Aaron Christy when it happened to him after founding Indy Roof Company in 2018.

“We tend to under promise and over deliver,” he said. “To my surprise, this wasn’t always common practice in roofing. I had so many calls where people tell me that I was the fourth roofer they called and I was the only one that called them back or answered.”

Working in a market where there is little regulation for roofing has its challenges, which is why Indy Roof Company set out to redefine the roofing experience for central Indiana. With its constant communication, rapport with insurance companies and emphasis on giving back, Indy Roof Company is rising above the competition.

Indy Roof Company is Owens Corning Preferred as well as a Malarkey Certified Contractor, offering a range of products to customers. 

Building a Better Experience

Christy’s journey into roofing was slightly unconventional. He spent the majority of his professional career working in his family’s business, an educational publishing company. He then joined a small roofing company, but decided to leave and open a furniture store. However, several real estate agents continued to reach out to him to help with closings that had roofing issues.

“Eventually, I decided to go ahead and open a roofing company as well,” Christy said. “I ended up liking roofing a lot more, closed my furniture store and went all in on roofing.”

He opened Indy Roof Company, determined to run the business like his family ran its publishing company. This consisted of basic tenets like showing up when they said they would be there and to deliver what they promised. This was a breath of fresh air for customers in the Hoosier state.

“The easiest way to build relationships with customers is just do what you say you will do and be in constant contact,” he said. “There is nothing more annoying as not being able to get a hold of someone you have questions for.”

The company makes it easy for customers to schedule inspections. By visiting its website, customers can choose the exact day and time for a no-obligation inspection, including the option for contactless or in-person services. A full photo report is given to the customer before the inspector leaves their home. The company even offers a free mobile app that updates customers on their project’s progress.

“Our goal is to make sure we are always very transparent with the customer so they can have confidence in what we are telling them,” he said.

Not only does Indy Roof Company constantly communicate, it helps educate homeowners throughout the entire process. Being in the storm restoration industry, Christy went as far as to write a short book on how to navigate an insurance claim, as most homeowners are unfamiliar with the process. He said relationships with appraisal firms and public adjusters are a key factor as well.

“We are big on relationships. We work with a lot of insurance agents, Realtors, property management groups, etc.,” he said.

 Despite its name, Indy Roof has grown to offer more than just roofing services. It also provides gutters, painting, garage doors and interior water mitigation. To further stand out from the crowd, Indy Roof depends on products like Catch-Alls and Equipter trash haulers to protect the properties they work on. They work with multiple manufacturers, including Owens Corning and Malarkey Roofing Products, to give homeowners a variety of options.

To keep jobsites clean, Indy Roof Company uses Catch-Alls as well as Equipters.

A Mission to Give Back

Employees with Indy Roof Company work hard and play hard. The company fosters an environment where its teams can collaborate and build bonds. Once a year, the sales team rents a cabin and works on not only their business, but themselves, doing everything from workouts to playing football.

“Investing in our staff is one of the most important aspects of our business. It is our belief that businesses don’t grow, people do,” Christy said. “We have continual trainings, not only for business growth but for personal growth as well. It is just as important to improve at being a husband, wife, mother, father, as it is to improve at your job.”

Investing in its people isn’t the only way Indy Roof Company looks out for others. The roofing contractor has giving back built into its business model. It pledges to use 1% of its gross revenue to help various nonprofits and organizations that help not only people in the community, but throughout the country.

“As our company grows, it is our goal for this percentage to increase and what we give back to grow as well,” he said.

Some of this work includes donating roofs to customers who had less-than-reputable companies tear off a roof and never finish the job or completed the work poorly. In the past year alone, Indy Roof Company worked with Habitat for Humanity, Fountains of Hope and Toys for Tots. Last December, the company helped raise a total of $40,000 with HailTrace to donate to Kentucky tornado relief.

“I believe our team’s favorite experience is doing the unveilings of the Habitat for Humanity builds when we get to see families see their new homes,” Christy said. “That’s a feeling that is unexplainable to them and almost as good for us.”

Indy Roof Company quadrupled in size during the pandemic, leaning on social media marketing instead of door knocking

 

Overcoming Challenges

Like other roofing companies around the country, Indy Roof Company endured drastic changes in the market due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing supply chain crisis. But thanks to its investments in technology, the company thrived.

According to Christy, Indy Roof Company quadrupled in size during the pandemic. He credited this to a combination of social media marketing and some well-timed storms bringing in additional business.

“A lot of roofing companies were dependent on door knocking, which you couldn’t do. But we were advertising on social media for contactless roof inspections,” he said. “It was a great year as far as business went.”

The supply shortage resulting from the pandemic stung Indy Roof as well, but not to the degree it hurt others. Christy said ABC Supply went above and beyond to track down materials for his company, ensuring they had the materials they needed for each job.

Nonetheless, no company is without its struggles. Christy said roofing in his market is not regulated very well, leading to a soured reputation for roofing contractors.

“There is no roofing license requirement, which brings down the quality of the industry as a whole and can leave some customers with a bad taste in their mouth with the roofing industry,” he said.

With this in mind, the young company has maintained its reputation well. Its Better Business Bureau rating is a solid A+ with a five out of five stars for its reviews, has an impressive 4.9 out of five stars from nearly 900 Google reviews and a slew of video testimonials from satisfied customers.

“If you are in it for the long haul, you have to make sure you are doing what’s right by your customers on every job. Especially in today’s temperatures with all of the internet reviews and social media,” he said. “Even if you don’t believe something was necessarily your responsibility, it’s better to make the customer happy than to deal with the backlash of an angry customer on the internet.”