RC: What’s the biggest issue facing the residential roofing industry today? What’s your biggest concern?
Lance Smith: My biggest concern is manpower. Right now, there’s no way Hispanics can come in, legally, through any working program. If they cut off the flow of people coming in, we’re going to have a hard time in this industry coming up with people to do the work.
Gary Kearns: I agree on manpower. For today, my biggest problem is the roller-coaster ride of pricing, especially asphalt materials. But it’s not just shingles — it’s all the other components of a roof.
Troy Marshall: My biggest concern is the economy. When gas prices went to $3 a gallon, [customers] became cautious about any spending they did. Right now the price has come down and people are feeling good again. But if gas prices go back up, they will become cautious again.
Brett Hall: I think the biggest issue is subcontract labor. We use subs because of tax issues. Our subs are Hispanic. Most of [them] have been with me for 20 years. And I don’t know if there are a lot of second- and third-generation Latinos who want to be roofers.
The more immersed they become in American culture, the less glamorous it is to be swinging shingles on a roof. The other day I saw a guy on a roof wearing a cell phone headset and an iPod. I went to my lead guy and said: “I don’t think that’s safe.” He said: “I kind of have to have him … because four of these other guys are in his posse, and you get rid of one, you get rid of them all.”
AT A GLANCE Joe Hall Roofing Arlington, Texas
LOCATIONS: 1
FOUNDED: 1988
EMPLOYEES: 14
2006 SALES: $5 million
ROOFING AS PERCENTAGE OF SALES: 100%
RESIDENTIAL AS PERCENTAGE OF ROOFING: 80%
NUMBER OF JOBS COMPLETED IN 2006: 3,300
State Roofing Monroe, Wash.
LOCATIONS: 1
FOUNDED: 1968
EMPLOYEES: 135
2006 SALES: $17.2 million
ROOFING AS PERCENTAGE OF SALES: 65%
RESIDENTIAL AS PERCENTAGE OF ROOFING: 95%NUMBER OF JOBS (ALL TYPES) COMPLETED IN 2006: 1,376
Marshall Roofing, Lorton, Va.
LOCATIONS: 1
FOUNDED: 1980
EMPLOYEES: 30
2006 SALES: $3.7 million
ROOFING AS PERCENTAGE OF SALES: 80%
RESIDENTIAL AS PERCENTAGE OF ROOFING: 99%
NUMBER OF JOBS (ALL TYPES) COMPLETED IN 2006: 1,930
Kearns Brothers Dearborn, Mich.
LOCATIONS: 1
FOUNDED: 1986
EMPLOYEES: 33 in-house, 86 field
2006 SALES: >$5 million
ROOFING AS PERCENTAGE OF SALES: 49%
RESIDENTIAL AS PERCENTAGE OF ROOFING: single-family residences 75%; condominiums 25%
NUMBER OF JOBS (ALL TYPES) COMPLETED IN 2006: 2,695
