The Service Loop Legacy has constructed its, well, legacy, in other ways, too. “We follow very strict installation procedures, for example, when it comes to chimney and roof-to-wall flashings,” Hurn says. In addition, the company, which also does remodeling, can provide carpentry should there be a need to replace framing and sheathing or soffit and fascia. They don’t forget the little things, either. “We bring a trailer with a built-in lavatory,” Hurn says. That provides peace of mind for the homeowners, who don’t have to worry about the guys coming into their house.
One way to assure customer satisfaction and to build referrals is to create points of contact in the job process. At Legacy, where Mexican nationals make up two-thirds of installers, foremen are required to speak English and to check in with homeowners daily. The company’s field supervisors, who are responsible for quality control, inspect the job with homeowners. And after that, the estimator who sold the job does a final walk-through with the homeowner. “That way we close the circle,” Hurn says.
Last year Legacy found a way to close that circle yet again by giving customers a free roof inspection 12 months after job completion.
True Success High-quality installation, excellent customer service, and successful marketing don’t add up to much if the company is unable to control overhead expenses such as liability insurance and workers’ comp. To help do that, in 2000 Legacy hired Jose Medrano as its safety director. Medrano tracks safety for each of the company’s 20 crews on all jobsites. Minimizing injuries reduces insurance costs and keeps the company from running afoul of regulatory agencies such as WISHA (Washington state’s OSHA). The safety director and job foremen are there to enforce strict company compliance with safety rules, such as tying off on the roof and wearing hard hats on the ground. Installers failing to comply with company safety rules are fined $200 against their quality bonus. Three infractions result in dismissal.
Legacy created the safety director position at a time when it employed fewer than 60 people. Today, Medrano says, the company has more than 150 employees and boasts fewer accidents and and lower workers’ comp and liability costs.
Rising and Shining Legacy Roofing installs just about every kind of roofing, including asphalt shingles (still about 85% of its business), shakes, slate, tile, and metal (currently about 2%). Its growth has been so rapid that the company recently ranked number 90 on the Puget Sound Business Journal‘s list of Washington state’s 100 fastest-growing companies. Sales, which in 2001 were $3.7 million, were on track to reach $18 million in 2005.
Last year, the company earned a Remodeling Excellence Award from the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish County for a project in which it replaced shakes with slate on a 100-year-old house with a 60-degree-pitch roof. The job also included stonework, siding, and a rebuilt hanging deck. Recently Legacy broke ground on what will be its own 21,000-square-foot office and warehouse complex, which will replace the 1,000-square-foot house and adjacent trailers it’s been operating out of for the past 16 years. “Right now, we’re spread out all over and renting,” Hurn says. “So to have a real place of business is very exciting.”
