Explosive Growth
Martin Roofing Services expands its scope with specialization and integrity
Martin Roofing Services, Inc. (Martin Roofing) is enjoying tremendous growth by focusing on specialization among staff members and integrity throughout its processes. The company was originally founded in North Carolina in 1980, but Jeremiah and Brantley Dice broke off and started a separate Martin Roofing Services, Inc. in Florida in 2006. In 12 years, Martin Roofing has established a solid presence in the Sunshine State while maintaining steady growth.
The full-service commercial, residential and industrial roofing contractor employs about 65 people in Florida. That’s up from about 15 to 20 in 2015. Over the last two years alone, the company has doubled its revenue year-over-year, according to Vice President Brantley Dice.
“We are growing tremendously,” Dice says.
Martin Roofing offers a variety of services for both residential and commercial, including roof system installation, emergency roofing repairs and maintenance programs across Florida. Jobs performed include installation and repair of TPO, PVC, SBS modified and metal roofing, and installation of solar or energy-saving roofing. The majority of the work—95 percent—involves commercial projects, with customers including Skanska USA Building Inc., WELBRO Building Corporation, Marcobay Construction Inc., Walker & Company Inc., HOAR Construction and DACG Inc.
More evidence of the company’s growth lies in its physical expansion. Martin Roofing currently operates out of a 20,000-square-foot facility but is in the process of purchasing land for a new 45,000-square-foot facility.
Standing Out
Recognizing that the industry is competitive, Martin Roofing offers unique services to stand out among competitors. Each of its associates specializes in and continuously learns one area of roofing.
“We have found this method to be the best approach in providing our customers the individualized focus that their project deserves for both quality craftsmanship and quick turnaround,” says Dice.
The company has crews dedicated strictly to metal and operates its own sheet metal shop, so it is able to install metal paneling and metal roofing quicker than competitors typically can, reducing costs for everyone involved, notes Omar Roman, project manager at Martin Roofing.
“Since our sheet metal guys are in house, we sometimes get phone calls from other roofing companies who want to hire us as a sub to do their roofs,” he says. “But we’re often too busy to take on their projects as well.”
In June of this year, Martin Roofing was honored by Florida’s Association of Roofing Professionals for its work on the Titan Assisted Living Facility project in The Villages, Florida.
The project—50 assisted living units and 36 memory care units—was recognized in the “unique” category.
The sheer size and complexity of three different roof systems made the project unique, notes Dice. “There was a lot of coordination involved with tying all the details together for a watertight completion,” he says. “We also had to change a lot of the tapered design in the field because of last-minute truss designs that were changing the original slope of the roof system.”
To keep up with complex projects, Martin Roofing keeps plenty of flat metal in stock, saving time and money in the long run.
“We know we’re going to use the metal eventually,” Roman says. “The way prices are going up, it’s critical to buy it sooner rather than later. In some cases, we have more flat metal in stock than our distributors do.”
Having its own equipment and shop allows Martin Roofing to dictate the time it takes to get materials on-site. “We don’t have to rely on other suppliers, so we can control when our metal is fabricated and when it goes out,” Dice says. “It helps that we’re not relying on somebody else when scheduling work with general contractors (GCs).”
Those strong relationships with general contractors have helped Martin Roofing’s business grow. About 80 percent of its work is completed through general contractors, with another 15 percent directly with an owner. Martin Roofing has also worked with other roofing companies.
“This company was founded on relationships, and that’s how it continues to operate,” Roman says. “Other companies seem too worried about fattening their own pockets and might come up with changes as a project goes along. But here, it’s pretty much the opposite. Our customers know that we’re going to do the work honestly and not increase costs substantially after a job is bid. We strive to break down our projects to find any possible issues that might arise in order to alleviate any unforeseen and costly change orders before going to contract. There are no big surprises with us.”
Because Martin Roofing has established trusting, solid relationships with general contractors, a number of them have given the company the green light to work directly with architects and building owners on a project.
“That speaks to the trust we’ve built up in these relationships with the GCs,” Roman says. “Since we’re honest and treat people the way we want to be treated, about 90 percent of the GCs we work with want to retain us and use as much as they can.”
The company completed a 600,000-square-foot warehouse project last year, and the success of that work has opened the doors for more warehouse projects, Dice says.
“That was the equivalent of 10 football fields, and it’s hard to get a GC to award a company a job of that magnitude,” he says. “But we knocked it out of the ballpark and are now in negotiations to work on several other warehouses.”
From the Inside Out
Martin Roofing also recognizes the importance of keeping employees happy. “We know that we have a common goal we’re trying to reach,” Roman says. “Everyone shares in that same vision, for all of us to grow. Everyone pulls their weight.”
In addition to Christmas bonuses, Martin Roofing offers bonuses on jobs when staff members have gone above and beyond by working into evenings and for when projects are completed under deadline. Employees who work six months without a safety violation earn a $100 gift card.
The company boasts an Experience Modification Rate (EMR) of 0.74, below the industry average of 1.0, reflecting few injuries and decreased chances of future risk.
Martin Roofing also pays for a little more than half of its employees’ health insurance and offers a life insurance policy, matching employee contributions by 30 percent. “As we grow, we’re constantly trying to come up with new ways to give back,” says Dice, who notes the company will launch a 401(k) program in 2019.
The labor shortage in the construction industry is only getting worse, he says, so the company also offers in-house training for those who want to learn the trade.
“It’s getting really bad, so the more you can retain good employees, the better off you are,” Dice says.