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

Guest: Pedro Rodriguez — Production, Owl Roofing Guest Links: Instagram: @P1Rodriguez | Website: https://owlroofing.com

Inside the real tension between sales, marketing, and production at a brand-new roofing company. Pedro Rodriguez runs production at Owl Roofing, the new Minneapolis venture that hit nearly half a million in sold revenue in its first real month. In this episode, the conversation gets raw about the friction that comes with going aggressive on marketing out of the gate: lead overflow, the sales-to-production handoff, scrambling to fulfill what marketing promises, and why most roofing companies stay stuck at $2-3M for years.

You'll learn:

• Why aggressive marketing creates production tension and how to manage it
• The sales-to-production handoff problem (and the document that fixes it)
• Why 200 pictures per inspection isn't excessive, it's the bare minimum
• How to spend 10% on marketing without breaking your company
• The choice between hiring veterans vs training from scratch
• Why they're recruiting $1M reps to turn into $2M reps (not chasing $3-5M superstars)
• How to build master networkers, not just master door knockers
• Why manufacturers (GAF, Iko, Owens Corning) will determine the future of roofing
• The bottleneck every new business owner hits and how to delegate around it
• Real numbers: $487K in month one, 25 leads a week from marketing alone
• How to keep retail roofing healthy without depending on storms
• Why the right culture reinvigorates burned-out reps from bad ownership

Guest: Tim Brown — Founder, Hook Agency | Co-Founder, Owl Roofing Guest Links: Website: https://owlroofing.com | https://hookagency.com

The marketer who built Hook Agency advising roofing companies for over a decade just started one of his own. In this episode, Tim Brown takes the guest seat to break down Owl Roofing, his new home service venture in Minneapolis that hit $480K sold in its first real month of business. He covers what actually transfers from running a 10-year-old marketing agency to launching a roofing company from scratch, what's working faster than expected, and the mistakes he's actively trying to avoid based on a decade of watching other roofers make them.

You'll learn:

• Why he started a roofing company on top of running Hook Agency and raising two kids
• What it actually feels like to step away from the company that made your name
• How $161,000 of starting capital changed the entire game vs. starting from $20K
• Why Google Organic and Google Paid are crushing every other lead source out of the gate
• The "lead babies" problem: why giving reps too many leads kills their hunger
• Cash flow trap most new roofing companies fall into (the bank account isn't your money)
• Why a short, iconic, emoji-friendly brand name compounds every marketing dollar
• The full court press strategy: take every conceivable advantage from day one
• 350 yard signs in one market and the police calls that came with it
• Why brand effort lowers cost per lead on Google Ads (the Monarch Roofing case)
• Pre-revenue marketing: what to do when you have no budget percentage to work with
• The two sharpest tools in his roofing toolbox right now (sales enablement + weekly role play)

Guest: Raymond Little — Founder, SVG Roofing Coaching | Contra Shoes

Guest Links: Facebook: Raymond Wendell Little | Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rwl612/

Raymond Little built a roofing company from zero to nearly $100 million, exited to private equity for $40 million, and now runs SVG helping owner-operators between $1M and $10M break through their plateaus. In this episode, Raymond gets raw about what actually works in roofing sales in 2026, starting with storm vs retail in today's market, why wind claims are getting harder everywhere, and why the four-to-eight knocking window beats the nine-to-five mindset most new companies are still stuck in. He breaks down why you should never poach million-dollar producers from other companies but instead build them yourself, why a hefty override or ownership needs to be in the field driving the team daily, and his rule that you can't develop anyone greater than yourself. The conversation digs into Raymond's hiring philosophy built around second-chance people, team players, and good energy over credentials or personality tests, his 90-day ride-along system where new reps work the first 4-5 deals in the truck with him from knock to build, and the sales tactic of using the adjuster and homeowner as "teachers" to elevate new reps while making the process fully transparent. Raymond also shares why personal development around physical health, clean living, and healthy relationships is the foundation his entire company was built on, the real numbers on what 1099 reps should earn per lead, why one roof a week pays the bills and three a week means you stop checking price tags, and his mentor story of following Kurt the Nintendo and hitting half of what that man accomplished as his own definition of success. He also gets into Contra Shoes, the lightweight flexible roofing shoe a quarter the weight of Cougar Paws, designed for reps who knock and climb all day.

Guest: Ryan Fitzgerald — Plumbing Department Leader, Fitzgerald Heating Air and Plumbing (Las Vegas, NV)

Guest Links: Facebook: Ryan Fitzgerald (Las Vegas, Nevada)

This episode covers how to layer a plumbing department onto an existing HVAC company and scale it from almost nothing to over $5 million in a single year. Ryan Fitzgerald joined a company in Las Vegas that was doing $14 million in HVAC but only $400,000 in plumbing, and within his first full year built the plumbing side to $5.4 million with a team of eight technicians and four installers. He breaks down exactly how that happened: a dedicated outbound team hammering phones to fill the board, assigning calls based on each tech's strengths and weaknesses, a four-option sales process where the homeowner feels empowered to choose rather than pressured, and leveraging HVAC cross-selling to get plumbing in the door. The conversation gets into why implementing systems too early can actually hurt you, including a real example of a field manager role they tried at $5 million that created friction between installers and sales techs and had to be pulled back until $7 or $8 million. Ryan also shares how growing too fast led to warranty callbacks when his install crew got overloaded, how he trains techs to turn leak detection and water quality testing into high-ticket opportunities in the Las Vegas market through education rather than pressure selling, and why the culture shift between HVAC and plumbing went from "redheaded stepchild" to healthy competition once the plumbing guys started keeping pace on revenue. He explains his leadership approach of quarterly deep dives with each team member, leading by example by still jumping into the trenches, and why accountability has to go both ways between leaders and the team.

Guest: Brad Strawbridge — Founder, Capital City Roofing & BuilderLync

Guest Links: Website: https://builderlync.com/

This episode covers practical, real-world ways roofing companies are using AI right now to automate non-revenue tasks and free up teams to focus on selling and customer experience. Brad Strawbridge walks through how he uses Claude Co-Work to build reusable workflows that automate everything from proposal creation to dispatching sales reps, how the teach feature lets you record clicks and turn any repetitive CRM process into a saved workflow you can trigger with a forward slash command or put on a schedule. He explains how he built Capital City University, a full training curriculum for roofing using Notebook LM with manufacturer materials and RCA-approved content uploaded as knowledge sources. The conversation also covers BuilderLync, an all-in-one CRM built specifically for roofers that replaces five or six separate tools, handling everything from AI-powered cold outreach and lead nurturing to scheduling, dispatching, supplements, bookkeeping, and payment collection. Brad shares his take on why newer roofing companies have a massive advantage right now by starting AI-first instead of trying to retrofit old processes, why the best way to use AI is to give it a ridiculous amount of context before asking for answers, and his five-year outlook on where roofing is headed with the Roofing Alliance bringing the trade into universities and driving technology adoption across the industry.

Guest:
Claudio Vilas – Roofing Biz Broker

Guest Links:
Website: https://theroofingbizbroker.com/

This episode breaks down what is actually changing in private equity for roofing in 2026, why the easy “gold rush” era has cooled off, and what roofing owners need to understand before they assume a sale is guaranteed. It explains how a weaker recent roofing market, tougher integration lessons, and more mature buyers have made private equity groups significantly more selective, with many now looking for stronger EBITDA, more sustainable leadership structures, better earnings visibility, and businesses that operate like real transferable assets instead of owner-dependent lifestyle companies. The conversation dives into what buyers are getting pickier about, including sustainable growth, crisis resilience, variable cost structures, leadership depth, financial sophistication, and repeatable processes, while also unpacking the difference between being sold as a platform company versus an add-on and why those two paths come with very different risks and upside. The episode also explores the growing skepticism many roofing owners now feel toward private equity, why that fear is not necessarily a bad thing, and how sellers should respond by asking better questions about leverage, prior acquisitions, capital structure, management quality, and how buyers behaved during downturns. It also explains why the fine print matters as much as the multiple, why the wrong rollover structure can quietly destroy a deal, and why owners should never go into a transaction without strong legal and financial guidance. At the same time, the conversation makes the case that private equity is not the only buyer in town and not every buyer is the same, emphasizing that ethical, long-term-minded capital partners do exist—and that the real opportunity for good roofing companies is learning how to identify the right kind of partner before signing away the biggest asset they have ever built.

Guest:
Mark Easton – Founder, Bucko’s Roofing

Guest Links:
Website: https://www.buccosroofing.com/
Franchise: https://franchise.buccosroofing.com/

This episode breaks down the real differences between franchising, private equity, and scaling a roofing company on your own, using Bucko’s Roofing as a case study in how systems, timing, and long-term philosophy shape the growth path. It explains how Bucko’s started with just $1,500, a LegalZoom filing, a used truck deal, and a single Craigslist lead that turned into 60 roofs in one neighborhood, then grew into a business now focused on franchising instead of selling to private equity. The episode dives into what franchise support actually solves for roofing owners marketing waste, vehicle decisions, process maturity, training systems, and scalability while also comparing that with the private equity model, where buyers typically want established companies, optimize EBITDA, and prepare for a future roll-up exit rather than building something from scratch. It also explores why private equity can be attractive financially yet still fail to align with operators who care deeply about customer experience, company identity, and long-term control. Beyond business models, the discussion gets into founder psychology, including how to avoid burnout, why some owners sell because of accumulated misery rather than lack of money, and how growth can be designed in a way that protects quality of life without killing ambition. It also unpacks recruiting, compensation, culture, integrity, training systems, and the importance of building a business around strong relationships with employees, manufacturers, suppliers, and local partners. Ultimately, this episode is a practical guide for roofing owners trying to decide whether they should stay independent, plug into a franchise, or position themselves for private equity and what each path really costs and rewards.

Guest:
Micah Wilson – Founder, Emergency Tree Referral Network

Guest Links:
Website: www.emergencytreereferralnetwork.com
Facebook: Emergency Tree Referral Network

This episode breaks down the hidden bottleneck after major storms that most roofers are not prepared for: trees on houses, and why that one issue can delay everything from tarping to inspections to full reconstruction. It explains Micah Wilson’s background as an insurance adjuster and storm contractor, how repeated hurricane and tornado deployments exposed the urgent need for fast, qualified tree removal, and how Emergency Tree Referral Network was built to solve that problem at scale by using roofing companies as first-in sales partners after storms. The episode dives into why local tree companies are often too booked, under-equipped, or not qualified for complex emergency removals involving cranes, power lines, and structural hazards, and why speed matters when water is actively entering a home. It also unpacks how the referral network works operationally, including out-of-state tree crews, response-time guarantees, roofer commissions, insurance billing, and the technology layer that routes jobs to the fastest available qualified partner. Beyond the tree-removal problem, the episode expands into broader storm preparation for contractors, including having crews, tarps, tools, trailers, and pay structures ready before hurricane or tornado season begins, plus the importance of documentation, Xactimate scope writing, and photo time stamps to get emergency mitigation work properly approved and paid. It also introduces a highly tactical roof maintenance program and “roof health score” concept designed to create recurring revenue, lock in future replacement work, and help homeowners understand storm wear long before full replacement is needed. Overall, this is a highly practical playbook for storm-focused roofers who want to be more prepared, more useful to homeowners, and better positioned to win work before competitors even understand the real bottleneck.

Guest:
Derick Hihn – Founder, Shingle Tomb

Guest Links:
Website: https://shingletomb.com

This episode breaks down how roofing companies can increase referrals and stay top-of-mind for 20 years by turning leftover shingles into a functional branded asset instead of letting the relationship die after the install. It explains the core problem most roofers ignore: homeowners are excited right after the job, but that energy fades fast, business cards get buried in junk drawers, and even good companies get forgotten when the next roofing issue shows up years later. The episode walks through the origin of Shingle Tomb, how it evolved from rougher early prototypes into a cleaner “briefcase-style” shingle storage box, and why the product works best not as a gimmick but as one piece of a broader referral system. It dives into how the box gives leftover shingles real homeowner value, why a branded leave-behind keeps the contractor visible in garages and storage areas for years, and how that visibility increases the odds of referrals, repeat calls, and word-of-mouth recognition. The conversation also gets tactical on broader referral strategy, including using Yeti cups and functional swag, QR-based referral systems, Facebook community presence, neighbor-to-neighbor introductions during the sales process, and making every part of the roofing experience feel more polished and memorable. It also covers the psychology of standing out in a crowded roofing market, why homeowners remember unique professional touches more than standard install quality, and how a few differentiated “over-and-above” moves can make a company more referable than competitors who all look the same. Overall, this episode is a blueprint for contractors who want to stop relying only on cold lead generation and build a referral engine through memorable systems, functional leave-behinds, and stronger long-term brand recall.