The Operators Roundtable

Most roofing companies chase storms. Kevin quit the industry, drove Uber and hauled trash to get his own license, then built Horizon West around the opposite idea — that a roof check is the start of a relationship rather than the end of a transaction. He hires for teachability, and expects the crew to become leaders somewhere else too.

• Why he calls it the Chick-fil-A of roofing, and what that changes about hiring
• The roof protection plan: two photo inspections a year, minor repairs, a $250 voucher
• Turning door knocking into a paid internship and a mentorship pipeline
• Building recurring trust in a market built on one-time jobs

Growth without structure is a liability, not an achievement. Mark has seen contracting from Owens Corning, Beacon, Toolbelt and now Guardian, and argues that the companies that win are the ones that stop, find the bottleneck that keeps resurfacing, and fix the customer experience before they buy any software.

• The factor-of-three method for finding the problems that keep coming back
• Block scheduling, and why it creates more freedom rather than less
• Why AI and new software will not fix a broken business model
• Forty-two years family-run, every installer an employee, and what that buys
• How rollups, distribution and changing buyers are reshaping contracting

Alex immigrated from Mexico and started roofing at sixteen. He worked labor, tile, layout, foreman and superintendent before the chance to buy in appeared — and then waited until the team and the timing were right. He now runs thirty-five roofers on public and school district work, and makes the case that the safest way to grow is not the fastest one.

• Why he believes leaders are built through action, not title
• Going from $2M to $6M, aiming at $12M, and what each new crew actually costs
• Public work, cash flow and staffing without overextending
• Modernizing a pencil-and-paper operation with AI and spreadsheets
• Why retention comes from small acts and leading by example