When he’s not thinking about roofing, Jody Roberts’ mind wanders to the thrills of spending more time with family and friends, typically in the woods or rugged terrain of Montana that he calls home. A true outdoorsman, Roberts said he celebrates his surroundings through various activities like hiking and taking the four-wheeler for a spin when he’s not practicing his shooting and hunting skills.

But to be real, now is not the time for daydreaming. Though just 27, Roberts is at the nerve center of a strong and growing roofing company just starting down a new path of partnership. As COO of Ace Roofing, Roberts had a close-up view of the company’s recently-announced collaboration with Omnia Exterior Solutions, a portfolio company that launched last June. Omnia was formed to try and fill a gap in the residential roofing market, and consists of exclusive partners who are local and regional leaders in roofing. Ace was the fifth roofing contractor added to the fold. Roberts said the excitement from the announcement just before the 2024 International Roofing Expo continues to resonate and hasn’t added any new pressure to his role.

“I have paved my career through keeping my nose to the grindstone and proving my worth through results,” he said. Here’s a little more of what he told RC.

RC: How long have you been in the roofing industry, and how did you get your start?

JR: Eight years. I started with R&S Supply in Wichita Falls, Texas.

RC: Tell us the basics about Ace Roofing. What kind of roofing do you do?

JR: Ace roofing has been in business 20 years and has 29 employees. We do both new construction in residential and commercial spaces, as wells as retail reroofing in both. We also do maintenance and repairs.

RC: What are the top reasons why the company is successful and what’s your role in that?

JR: Ace Roofing is successful due to our people. We have a very adaptable team and a culture of aggressively rewarding top performers. We also take a dynamic approach to solving the customer’s problems through proven processes and products.

The way I play a role in the success is ensuring that the team is always being supported.

RC: What are significant challenges in your market, and how is the company addressing them?

JR: The biggest issue we have in our market is the cost of living and housing, or lack thereof. The way Ace Roofing is addressing the issue is ensuring that we are paying our people as much as we can afford to while offering the best benefit package in the market to attract and retain the best employees. That’s to ensure we are always providing the Ace Roofing 5-star experience.

RC: Do you see your age as an advantage or disadvantage in this business?

JR: My age is an advantage in the business. With having a young leadership team we are able to attract and retain the “up-and-coming” generation of roofers.

RC: What area of the roofing business are you the most passionate about?

JR: Innovation. I do not like accepting the answer of this is how we have always done it. Where Ace Roofing excels is in solving dynamic roofing problems.

RC: What’s next?

JR: We just became a part of Omnia Exterior Solutions, which is a very exciting move for our company and our employees. We’re looking forward to leveraging this opportunity to provide better products, service, and experience to our customers; while continuing to grow the business and create more career opportunities for more people.