Guest: Kris Werner — President, Werner Roofing | IHS Group (Infinity Home Services) Guest Links: Website: https://www.wernerroofing.com | Phone: (616) 638-4662

Kris Werner runs Werner Roofing in Grand Haven, Michigan, a "five mile famous" brand he built slowly from a one-man job into a multi-trade home service operation now partnered with Infinity Home Services. In this episode, he gets practical about what actually changes when you join a private equity backed family of brands, why best practice sharing with 25 other roofing companies is the unfair advantage most owners don't have, and the operational details that separate a $4M roofer from a $10M+ company. The conversation also goes into adding trades the right way, why Werner doesn't chase storms, how Castle and Diamond metal shingles compare, what's actually slowing down GAF solar shingle adoption, and why a "divine discontent" customer expectation curve is reshaping the entire industry.

You'll learn:

• Why "five mile famous" beats trying to be a regional powerhouse
• How to add metal roofing, gutters, siding, and windows without breaking your ops
• What private equity actually changes (and what stays the same)
• How 25 brand presidents share best practices daily across IHS
• Why collecting accounts receivable matters more in winter than you think
• How to pick a second location and the first two hires that matter
• The "law of the lid" that keeps owners stuck at $3-5M
• Why retail roofing beats waiting on storms (even in storm markets)
• How to treat roofing crews so they stay loyal to your brand
• Just-in-time material delivery vs full roof load: pros and cons
• Why the synthetic roofing market is only 2% (and what could change)
• The new GAF, Castle, Diamond, and Tesla metal products worth watching
• The Jeff Bezos "divine discontent" effect on customer expectations
• Why reading the same business books 3 times beats reading 30 new ones