Rock Solid Since 1934
Stone Roofing Company, Inc. marks 80 plus years with oversized projects, excellent safety record
How do you celebrate more than 80 years in business? If you’re Stone Roofing Company, Inc. (Stone Roofing), you wrap up a more than 1.3 million-square-foot project—one of its most highly coordinated (and largest) roofing projects to date.
Beyond the size, what makes that project such a standout is the quick turnaround time and detailed logistical efforts, says Stone Roofing Safety Director Joey Aguiar.
“We roofed this project in about three months in the hottest part of the year, from around May to August, in the hot desert with temps ranging from 94 to 105 degrees,” Joey says. “We had a 20-man crew working full time for hours every day. Coordinating the employees, crane operators, materials and deliveries that needed to be unloaded at the work site was a big job.”
The expertise and skill needed to coordinate a project of that size has developed over the company’s 80-plus-year history, says Anna Cotter, Stone Roofing’s Director of Business Development.
Small to Big Projects
The full-service roofing contractor, based in Azusa, California, provides commercial roofing services for any size project, from a 100-square-foot canopy to a 1.3 million-square-foot distribution center or bigger. The company specializes in flat and low-slope roofing systems for both new and reroofing applications and also provides roofing inspections, repairs and preventive maintenance. Its application experience encompasses a large variety of buildings, including hospitals, pharmaceutical manufacturing, retail stores, office buildings, industrial facilities, schools and educational buildings, and multifamily complexes, Anna says.
“We serve all of California to Arizona, Oregon and Washington, providing full service from roof surveys and maintenance to reroofing and new construction,” Joey says.
“Along with the high-profile roof projects, Stone services apartment complexes and homeowners associations, and we do a lot of work with private owners who may own one or two buildings,” Anna says. “The company roofs ground-up projects from colleges to businesses, retail centers and distribution centers, warehouses and more. We have a base clientele that consists of lots of repeat customers.”
Stone Roofing continues to serve them through preventative maintenance and service. Joey says preventive maintenance is usually performed twice a year, which is important to protect clients from weather hazards and wear and tear. By monitoring the roof, the building owners are ahead of the game on leaks and damage before it becomes extensive, he adds. The company also has a 24-hour hotline during the rainy season to help owners with leaks.
Not One Size Fits All
Since every roof can be different, materials, for instance, vary depending upon the style of building, aesthetics and the environment. Stone Roofing focuses primarily on single-ply applications, which is wide width sheeting meant for low-slope roofs with fewer seams than other roof systems.
The company is certified to install a wide variety of roof systems, Joey adds, including spray foam installation. “We are one of the few California roofers that specializes in foam roof application,” he says. “Foam can be used for specialized buildings like refineries, temperature-controlled buildings and sound studios.”
The company also specializes in coatings for rooftops, useful for roofs needing restoration. “It also has an aesthetic appeal to make a roof look better as well as to extend the life of the roof. Some owners may have roof repairs and opt to seal the roof to ensure it is leak-proof,” Joey says.
Another big advantage for its clients is its self-sufficiency. “We can be on the job any time. That is a huge thing for us,” Anna says. “Stone Roofing does not have to depend on other companies to coordinate a project.”
“We don’t have to depend on anyone to get our projects done,” Joey agrees. “We also keep a surplus of roofing materials on standby for small jobs that may come in. We can literally pull the trigger on a job the following day. Flexibility is a big part of that.”
Quality and Safety
While flexibility and a quick response time are important, Joey says quality is the single most crucial factor that Stone Roofing offers to its customers. “Stone Roofing ensures that the client’s roof system is warrantied and installed per manufacturer’s recommendations,” he says.
One of the company’s many quality control measures is oversight from Production Superintendent Eddie Cabral. “From the moment a contract comes in, he walks the site and knows what it is going to take to get the job done right,” Joey says. “Eddie visits the job sites regularly to follow up and check the progression of the projects to ensure the roof is being installed correctly and on time.”
This quality sets Stone Roofing apart from competitors, Joey adds. “Anyone can install a roof; it’s all about the quality of the installation and being safe at all times,” he says.
Stone Roofing also places strong emphasis on safety. Since hiring Joey in April 2018, there have been zero workplace injuries. The company has joined the National Safety Council, and Joey oversees employees with annual training, including a mandatory eight-hour training session for employees who are working on roofs. Since joining the National Safety Council, Stone Roofing has been recognized and received a Perfect Record award, which is still ongoing.
“Stone Roofing uses training information from a variety of platforms and makes sure every employee is trained with the latest standards. With the training provided to our employees, we are confident that they can identify an unsafe work condition, abate it and come home safely to their families,” Joey says.
The Stone Roofing Safety Department goes to every job site at least once a week, has a weekly tailgate meeting with a relevant roofing topic and conducts a hazard analysis at each job site. Stone Roofing’s primary goal is to meet Cal/OSHA requirements and company standards and to maintain a safe environment for its clients, Joey says.
Family Feel
“The owners have created a family feeling here, and the leadership tries to treat everyone as one big family,” Joey says. “We know that our Stone Roofing employees work really hard, and we try to reward them for that with little things, like bringing them a hot lunch occasionally on the job site during the winter and taking them ice cold Gatorade drinks instead of just water in the summer.”
Stone Roofing management wants its employees to know that the leadership appreciates all the hard work they do, Joey says.
Stone Roofing Owner Johnny Zamrzla is devoted not only to his team, but also to the industry and the community, Anna says. “His devotion to improving the quality of the roofing and waterproofing industry spans numerous organizations. He has served as the President of the National Roofing Contractors Association and was a two-time Congressional appointee to the White House Conference on Small Business,” she says.
He is also involved in leadership and philanthropic roles on the local, state and national level, including serving as President of the Showdown Rodeo Inc. and sponsor of the California Circuit Finals Rodeo. He serves on the boards of the Antelope Valley Board of Trade, Antelope Valley Sheriff’s Boosters and the Antelope Valley Hospital Foundation.
“We do a lot of events and outreach to promote the company and also support organizations and the community,” Anna says. “When one of the local municipalities had an earthquake trade show, we talked about roof safety and what owners should do after an earthquake by providing them with a simple roof checklist,” Anna says.
Last year, Stone Roofing partnered with The Roofing Alliance, a philanthropic arm of the National Roofing Foundation, to adopt a Ronald McDonald House to address their roofing needs. Stone Roofing selected the Pasadena Ronald McDonald House, donating time to make sure the roof is inspected, maintained and repaired. “We are the roofing contractor that maintains that roof, so they have no expenses in that realm. That’s something we’re happy to do,” Anna says. “It’s something we want to continue as we celebrate more than 80 years in roofing. We still follow our motto of being rock solid since 1934.”