Roofing contractors find out early that the job doesn't end with installing the shingles. If there's a leak at the chimney, a skylight, or some other roof penetration -even if it's installed long after the roof system is completed - invariably the homeowner will be on the phone with the roofing company. One company that's earned an excellent reputation when it comes to customer service by providing a quality installation and handling callbacks promptly when they occur is the Jorve Corporation. Early on, its president and founder, Ted Jorve, decided that the only way to ensure a weatherproof installation was for his company to handle all the areas tied into the roof - including gutters, chimneys, dormers, siding, and skylights - and to provide a warranty for all of its workmanship for as long as the customer owns the home.
When it comes to installing something as complicated as roofing systems, no company gets the job done all by itself. Roofing contractors rely on material manufacturers, distributors, salespeople, subcontractors, bankers, lawyers, accountants and a host of others to help them succeed. The difference between a smooth job and a headache - and a profit or a loss - can rest not only with your employees, but those of another company. That's why Roofing Contractor decided to put the spotlight on the industry's Most Valuable Partners - those individuals outside of contracting firms that make an extra effort to help contractors satisfy the needs of their customers.
The City of Chicago, like many cities, is interested in saving energy and reducing both the heat island effect and wastewater runoff. But instead of simply preaching the virtues of garden roofs, Mayor Richard M. Daley has decided to make it a priority to install them on public buildings, including City Hall, which was capped with a new garden roof in 2001.
If you've ever wondered how much money employees at other companies are making, rest assured you're not alone. At Roofing Contractor, we wanted to gauge the compensation packages for various positions in the roofing industry, so we conducted the 2006 Salary and Benefits Survey.
Marquee projects are a double-edged sword. Sure, high-profile jobs look great in the company's portfolio, but any mistakes made in the spotlight are magnified a thousand-fold.
When a consortium of major commercial roofing manufacturers, contractors and industry associations announced the launch of the SpecRight program at the 2006 International Roofing Expo in Las Vegas, the industry took notice.
Roofers' Success International Offers Contractors Proven Business Strategies
For business owners looking to improve their profitability, there are a lot of options for help out there, including accountants, consultants, and attorneys. There are also manufacturer-sponsored training programs and affinity groups that allow noncompeting contractors to benefit from their peers. Now there is a new group on the horizon in the roofing industry that is based in part on the theory that there is strength in numbers.
There was no sophomore jinx at the 2005 Roofing Contractor Best of Success event, as the second annual conference held in the Dallas-Fort Worth area was, by all accounts, even better than last year's initial offering in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Nearly 200 contractors joined manufacturer sponsors and industry executives for the two-day educational conference, and a packed house was on hand to tap into the knowledge of industry experts.
Business owners realize that a job well done can be the most valuable testament to a contractor's quality workmanship. A new roof that turns heads can be a billboard more effective than any advertisement, one that's visible to everyone who drives through the neighborhood.