Old-Fashioned Values, Friendly Service
Maxim Roofing Co. Keeps Their Customers Covered
Jeff Sandlin and Kevin Serey took a mom-and-pop business and created a roofing powerhouse in the Dayton, Ohio, area, with annual revenues growing from $1 million to more than $5 million in five years. Their secret to success? When in doubt, take care of the customer.
It’s a philosophy that drives Maxim Roofing Co. and keeps customers coming back for quality commercial and residential roofing services. To keep up with demand, the number of field personnel has grown from seven to 30 people and five salesmen have been added to manage the growth.
Serey explains the firm’s customer-first approach: “From your first contact with us to the completion of your job, you can know that our courteous staff of employees is there to provide you the expertise and professionalism you deserve. During construction, things can go wrong. When they do, we stand behind our name and our work and take care of it.”
That kind of service has earned Maxim Roofing the Super Service Award from Angie’s List for nine years in a row.
A Great Combination
Sandlin joined the roofing industry in 1997, handling project management and serving as a liaison with field crews for a couple of large roofing contractors in the Cincinnati area. “I always knew I wanted to have my own business,” he says. “After starting a remodeling business that failed, I went to work for a commercial roofing contractor and met Kevin, who worked at Maxim.”
Serey got into residential roofing in 1995 as a summer job to help pay for college. “I started out shingling and have been on the residential side since then. It’s been a long summer,” he jokes.
When the owners of Maxim Roofing decided to sell, Sandlin and Serey partnered together to buy the business. “Maxim had a good name in the industry, and we started with that as a solid base,” Sandlin says.
Using connections they made over the years and confident in their abilities and their employees, the two were willing to take a gamble on larger-size projects. They also pursued different types of work, including government buildings, municipalities, schools and new construction on the commercial side, while continuing to build upon Maxim’s solid name in the residential sector.
From the beginning, they followed Sandlin’s maxim: “Take care of the customer.”
A Strong Internal Team
As the company grew, the two easygoing partners attracted a strong internal team of managers—“some of the best in the industry in our market and area,” according to Sandlin—from salesmen to superintendents to office staff.
When Sandlin and Serey bought the business, they took management classes to help understand how to build a business where their vision would be shared throughout the ranks. “Although we’ve grown in size, we still try to stay close to the field,” Sandlin notes. “We still have some of the original seven employees who were here when we bought the company. When we find good people, we try our best to take care of them and keep them.”
Maxim Roofing offers a competitive benefits package, including paid vacation and holidays, health insurance, a retirement program and bonuses for longer-term employees. “We have company outings and get-togethers. Even though we’ve grown bigger than a small family-owned shop, we try to have an environment where people want to work here,” Serey says.
Focus on Training
To make sure field staff is up-to-date on the newest technology, Maxim Roofing has continual training on manufacturing guidelines and safety. The business is qualified as a ShingleMaster™ company by CertainTeed, a certification given to top-notch roofing companies. Maxim Roofing is licensed to install Firestone, Garland, Carlisle SynTec, Duro-Last, Sarnafil and SOPREMA roof systems.
“What we do is dangerous and difficult, and we do it with minimal accidents and injuries. We don’t want to see anyone hurt or injured on the job, so we’re working to create a culture with safety at the forefront,” Serey says. Maxim has regular safety meetings and independent third-party audits of its work sites every two weeks to ensure safety guidelines are being met. Work crews are continuously reminded to go over and above OSHA standards.
Outstanding Customer Service
Serey acknowledges the residential roofing industry has a reputation as storm chasers, but the company works hard to dispel that image. “At Maxim, we’re a local business. If there is a problem, we’re a phone call away. Urgency is important. If someone has a roof leak, we respond right away,” Sandlin notes. “We stand behind our work and we strive for perfection.”
That means offering an honest assessment of a customer’s roof. “If you need a new roof, we’ll tell you. If we think we can make repairs and buy the customer some time before a new roof replacement, we do that,” Serey says.
“Our tagline sums it up: ‘A top-quality roofing company that considers old-fashioned values and friendly personal service among our most important assets.’ It’s not just a tagline, and we’ve had enough good reviews and people tout our name that the word is getting out,” Sandlin notes.
While the company is capable of doing large commercial jobs, such as re-roofing the large Nordstrom Rack store at The Greene Town Center and the historic Fifth Third Bank in Piqua, Ohio, they do countless smaller projects. “We’re fast-paced and turn over a lot of work. There’s no idle time,” Serey says. “Some of our most challenging roofs might be a $150 to $400 repair job, but we get a lot of satisfaction in finding a solution. With 100 years of combined experience within our team, there’s nothing we haven’t seen that we can’t figure out.”
The company recently re-roofed an historic building at Ferncliff Cemetery in Springfield, Ohio, replacing an existing red slate roof with new slate tile and copper gutters and downspouts on the century-old structure.
Both Sandlin and Serey admit that the American dream of building a business doesn’t come easy. “It requires a lot of effort, sleepless nights and blood, sweat and tears. You never get to the point you want. But if you keep your head down, work hard and keep growing, you are better for it each year,” Serey notes.
“In our market, people have a lot of choices for roofing services,” Sandlin adds. “We’re trying to differentiate ourselves as a professional company that stands behind our work, and we’ll be here in five years if you have a problem.”