Finalist, $15 million and up | 2019 Revenue: $15 million
Diversification and attention to customer satisfaction is Reliant Roofing Inc.’s formula to reach its goal of becoming a legacy company in Jacksonville.
Sean Shapiro, CEO, and Cameron Shouppe, president, started the business in 2015 and have grown it to 125 full-time employees. It grossed $15 million last year.
Before COVID-19 led to economic shutdowns in mid-March, Shapiro was projecting 2020 gross revenue of $25 million.
He suspects that projection remains achievable. As an essential business, Reliant Roofing did not close.
Shapiro estimated a 50% drop in business through mid-April, but the company is back in full operation and sales are being recouped.
Reliant Roofing did not furlough or lay off full-time employees. Office personnel worked from home. Sales meetings conformed to social distancing guidelines.
Virtual presentations were nothing new – Reliant Roofing sales teams have been using them for three years.
“That was a huge advantage for us. We are a tech-friendly company,” Shapiro said. “So it was seamless for us.”
Shapiro, 32, earned a degree in entrepreneurship at the University of Florida and began his career buying, repairing and reselling houses.
Shouppe served as his general contractor and their partnership led to the creation of Reliant Roofing.
In addition to offering commercial and residential roofing, the company sells and installs solar panels and hurricane shutters, an area with growth potential in Northeast Florida.
The diversification impresses Bill Garrison, Northeast Florida Builders Association executive officer.
“The fact they do both commercial and residential is out of the norm. Many companies will do one but won’t touch the other,” Garrison said.
Shapiro started the company with a $30,000 personal investment, expanding to 100 employees repairing damage from Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
Finding qualified and motivated employees has been his biggest obstacle. He does not hire subcontractors.
His installers are full-time employees. Talent recruiters, trainers and field supervisors must speak English and Spanish. Shapiro spent six months to find and hire Camilo Calle as vice president of operations.
“That hire plugged us into finding the right people,” Shapiro said of Calle, who is bilingual.
The Reliant Roofing team understands that customer satisfaction is the goal.
“We look to companies like Chick-fil-A and Amazon where the customer experience is great. A new roof is a big investment. We want to make it the best experience possible,” he said.
Reliant pressure-washes residential driveways upon the completion of a job.
Shapiro budgeted up to $15,000 this year for the $500 rewards Reliant Roofing pays for customer referrals.
He said the year-old commercial division offers considerable potential. In the next five years he’d like to see Reliant Roofing reach $75 million in revenue.
“We want to become a legacy company in Jacksonville like W.W. Gay (Mechanical Contractor Inc.) or Miller Electric,” he said.
