Home Services Show: Roofing and Company Culture
Welcome to the Home Services home show, where you’ll learn everything you need to know—and a little bit you don’t. This week, we’re joined by a special guest, Mr. Adam Vallencourt, a top 100 roofer in the country. He’s here to share insights from his company, arguably one of the top roofing businesses on the East Coast, based in the great state of New Hampshire.
Sports Talk: Roofing as the Sport
We like to start with a bit of sports talk, but it seems New Hampshire doesn’t really have sports—at least, not in the traditional sense. The sport here is roofing.
While New Hampshire may not have a big sports culture, there’s still a love for competition and team spirit. Adam is a Packers fan, although the team has been experiencing a bit of a dip after decades of success. Still, it’s part of the culture to stay positive and look to the future, just like with sports.
Even though things aren’t going well for the Packers, the focus shifts to a positive note with the Wisconsin Badgers. The Badgers have a new culture thanks to their coach, Jimmy Leonard, who brings energy and enthusiasm. Leonard’s background is a true underdog story, growing up in a small town and becoming an NFL player, eventually returning to lead the Badgers. His leadership has helped fire up the team, bringing back energy and a renewed sense of purpose.
Culture in Sports and Business
We see similar dynamics in the workplace, particularly in the roofing industry. Culture is essential for a successful business, just as it is in sports. Adam talks about the culture in his company, and how it can change the entire atmosphere.
The culture of success isn’t just about leadership—it’s about building a team. Jimmy Leonard’s story is a great example of how leadership in sports mirrors what can be done in the workplace. Creating a culture where everyone buys in, from the owner to the employee, is key.
Adam shares how this mindset has helped his business grow, and it’s all about setting a strong example for everyone involved.
Team Spirit and Company Culture
Hiring great people is one of the most important steps in any business. By hiring people who care about doing the right thing, you’re creating a team that will attract others with the same values. The “Law of Attraction” applies here: successful people are drawn to success, and this dynamic builds a stronger business.
Creating a great company culture is all about delivering on promises and ensuring that the team consistently exceeds customer expectations. Adam talks about the importance of always doing the right thing, even when it’s inconvenient, and how it impacts the customer experience. A commitment to the job, no matter what, builds trust with clients, which can lead to long-term relationships.
By setting high standards in your own work, you challenge competitors to raise theirs. Even if you don’t directly serve everyone, your commitment to quality has a ripple effect. Other businesses must elevate their practices in response, leading to a better overall experience for customers. This “raising the bar” mentality benefits the entire industry.
Roofing and Sales Process
Setting Customer Expectations
When it comes to roofing, it’s vital to have clear and honest communication with customers. Homeowners should expect a thorough sales process where their needs are listened to, and they’re provided with solutions that fit their situation. The roofing professional should take time to ask questions and fully understand the problem before offering a solution.
Be Transparent with Customers
Be as transparent as possible too by letting potential customers talk to our other customers. We almost… it’s pretty tough to go anywhere now where you’re not going to be in a neighborhood where we’ve done a job. It’s almost impossible. We want them to talk to those homeowners: “What was their experience like?” Because it’s always a good experience. Absolutely. And I think if you’re dealing with a contractor that you know might not be that transparent, it’s all about transparency and honesty.
Raising the Bar
Honestly, you got me thinking deep now because I literally never thought that high tide raises all boats. It’s almost like we’re changing the world slowly, right? Yeah, because we make our competitors raise the bar, and then, indirectly, we are making everybody’s experience better. Right? Right. Man, that’s deep. Yeah. And then just because your competitors are doing it at this level and maybe I’m going to land more work because I do it a little bit higher than them, and maybe I get all the work… but if it’s still mediocre, is that acceptable to you as a human being? Like, are we going to live our lives to be mediocre? I just can’t wait to live my whole life being mediocre and just getting through it. You’re going to go out and try to make some difference and leave something behind, you know? We’re all going to exit someday.
The Bob Militello Give Back Project
To his point, we’ve talked a little bit about the Bob Militello Give Back Project, and we surprised our first homeowner. We’re actually going to be doing that roof next week. That’ll be some fun video from that, but you’re actually one of the guys that gave me the idea to give a roof to a homeowner. You know, you hear “roofer,” right? Like, there’s literally not much that’s more important with your home than a good roof, you know? That English experience is literally coming out of you still truly.
Giving Back and Changing Lives
Literally, I want to get a point across: sorry, I can’t take any credit for that. Actually, I stole that idea from another roofing company. You know what? But here, well then that roofing company is changing the world, and they stole it from another roofer. Yeah, well, you got better because they were better, right? So we all do. Yeah, that high tide raises the boats. Like, talk about a good feeling to be at a point where we can give back like that. We’re literally going to keep this lady in her home longer because the roof is so bad. I mean, I’d give it two or three more years, and she’s going to have to move out of the house because the house is going to be in that much disrepair, and she will not be able to fix it. Fixing this roof for her changes everything. Everything. That’s awesome. That’s big. It changes everything.
The Humble Beginnings of a Roofer
I got the idea from you; you got the idea from somebody else. Look at that, we’re changing things. That’s what we do—a trickle effect. Yeah, that’s a pretty awesome feeling. I never thought that deeply about roofing, right? But it’s not just shingles. One cool thing I did find out about him last night at dinner was that he could’ve had the title of “New England’s Fastest Roofer.” Oh, geez, I knew I was going to use that one too! Yeah, like you might as well dig in dollars! Oh yeah, they have a New England’s Fastest Roofer competition. He said that’s where he started—knowing how to do the install and running my teams. That’s where I kind of fell in love with it, and I got really good at it. They have competitions out there every year.
Pride in the Work We Do
You know, I had a guy that worked for the company, and he was New England’s fastest roofer. We were shingling, and I was like, “I’m faster than this guy.” I thought I could probably win that thing. But it was just like, you know what? I don’t need that title. It doesn’t matter. Is this the humble card coming out of Adam? Doesn’t matter, man. It’s like, I just wanted to get better every day. If that ended up making me the fastest roofer and I got some trophy, I didn’t do this because I need a trophy on my wall. I did it for the people, right? I did it for the people I serve. You know the customers. And I want to put my whole heart into it. If they feel that from you, they’re going to hire you, you know what I mean? And they’re going to say good things about you. Our livelihoods depend on trust.
Owning Our Mistakes and Growing from Them
As good as we are, we didn’t learn it; we’re not perfect. You know what I mean? Like, if you mess something up on a Hallmark, because everybody does—if he always says the good stuff—if you mess something up, you fall on the sword. You know, you say, “Hey, where do we fall short?” Construction’s never been a perfect science. It’s never going to be a perfect science, right? Yeah, it’s when those things happen, how do you handle it? We always follow up with our customers and ask, “Hey, I’m glad you had a great experience. We feel like everybody deserves that, but if there’s one thing that we could’ve done better, would you please share that with us? I promise you won’t offend us, so we can go out and help the next person and give them a better experience.” People will share: “Well, this… well, that… well, another situation.” And then you might start hearing it, look for a time for a pattern and say, “You know what? Our customers are telling us what we have to get better at.” Even though they love us, even though they loved us—because no one ever wants to say, “Well, it was great, but…” But don’t we all as owners want to know what the “buts” are just to get better at those? There’s one person that can fire us every single day: our customers. Our customers can fire us. You know, if we don’t deliver, no one cares about how good you were a week ago, a month ago, or a year ago, right? That’s insignificant. It’s like, what are you gonna do tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day? So, it just gives you a lot to keep going. Yeah, you know, there’s always a new employee that needs help. There’s always somebody who needs to be mentored, stewarded, you know. So, let’s just keep it going. You know, it makes it exciting.
What Makes the Best Roofer in America?
Here’s the crazy part: we’re talking about what makes the best roofer in America, and none of it has been talking about shingles or processes, right? But that’s the amazing part. That’s a different viewpoint of why we do what we do. Yeah, but that’s just a testimony—it’s not about shingles, it’s not about Owens Corning, GF, you know, certainty, it’s not about that. You know, run the right business, take care of people the right way. Your employees, they’ll take care of your customers, and at the end of the day, the people that win the most are the customers. That’s what matters. Yeah, and again, I look at it, you know, it’s evolving. You know what I mean? Like, I look at it: if I don’t get better every day, if I don’t become a better version of myself, become a better leader, how can I feed anybody below me, right? And then your leadership team, it’s like a responsibility as a leader. Like, I can evolve. I’m gonna get better, I’m gonna learn more, and then I’m gonna feed the people below me, you know, that I’m leading. You know, and then we all keep growing.
The Internet’s Impact on Customer Feedback
Well, and I think, I think the internet has poured gas in that fire, right? Because, you know, obviously, feedback from customers is exponentially faster now with the internet—good or bad. Oh yeah, and I think if you have the right mindset of, “Hey, let’s take it. I feel the right way. Well, let’s learn and get better every day,” like, that’s the deal. Absolutely.
Listener Questions
We actually had a couple of questions, right? Oh yeah, let me see if I might have them here. So, yeah, there’s the first one here from Sarah. It looks like she says, “A black metal roof, and we live in Eastern Washington where summers are over 100 degrees most days. Is that good or bad?” So, black metal roof, Eastern Washington, when it’s hot out?
Oh boy, that’s a tough one. We don’t do a lot of metal roofing up in our area, so when we were at Linda’s, we did a lot of metal roofing. Right, you did? I did, right? And the benefit of metal is that there’s a reflectivity on metal, right? So, when you have something like asphalt, it absorbs heat and transfers heat through conduction into an attic, right? Where a metal roof with the paint that’s on there is going to reflect a lot of that heat, and actually, you’ll find out that attics are usually typically cooler, right? Because you’re not, you know, that sun’s not baking in there. So, you know, a metal roof is a great roof in the right scenario, right? If it’s the right slope, it’s the right house for it, it can be attractive looking. But there’s also some benefits to that point of reflecting heat, and that kind of, even though maybe a darker color looks nice on the house, it can still do some of that reflectivity that’s not there in an asphalt roof.
What Are the Best Improvements for a House that Don’t Break the Bank?
When it comes to improvements that don’t break the bank, garage doors can make a huge difference. Honestly, a roof is another one. Here’s the deal: when you go to sell your house and someone gives you an offer, well, okay—when they used to do home inspections to sell a house, they haven’t really had to do that much anymore because they’re like, “Yeah, full offer, actually $50,000 over ask, no inspection,” right?
Focus on High-Value Upgrades
But when they did do inspections, what’s the first thing they look at? The roof. How old is the roof? The roof—that’s the first thing they look at, followed by the septic system. These are expensive things. I mean, a roof can be expensive, but if you’re looking to sell your house, you’re going to get a lot of that value back. But you know, the question for her is really, what are you trying to accomplish? What are you trying to do? And I think we owe it to the customers, as Adam said, to understand what we’re really there for.
There are a lot of times we go to appointments—whether it’s for roofing, gutters, or insulation bids—and people just assume what they need. Well, ask them, “What are you trying to accomplish?” Are you here forever? Is this your forever house, or is it just a transit house? You know, what’s going on?
Affordable Home Improvement Ideas
What doesn’t break the bank is relative, right? For example, some fresh paint might be an easy solution. Or maybe it’s a kitchen. If you love to cook, upgrading the kitchen might be the best move. One thing I was actually talking to our builder about recently was toilets. Do you know how much a different toilet can change the way it feels in your house? Think about it. You’ve got the old 1970s low-rider toilet, and then you upgrade to a new one. Now they’re easier to clean, the seats are higher, and they have soft-close lids. Toilets can truly be a small upgrade that makes a big difference. It’s not a big-ticket item, but it can change the whole feel of the bathroom.
And if you can do anything in your kitchen, even upgrading the countertops or doing cabinet refacing can add a lot of visual appeal. Even simple things like vinyl plank flooring can completely transform a space.
So, Montgomery asked: “What are the best improvements for a house that don’t break the bank?” Well, it really depends on what your goal is. Are we trying to just make our house nicer to live in without breaking the bank, or are we trying to make it more appealing to sell? If the exterior is not great, some inexpensive vinyl siding can go a long way.
Let’s do this: if that person is listening, follow this email up and let us know what you’re trying to accomplish. Is this your forever house? Is it something you’re planning to sell? If you reach out again, we can probably answer that question better.
Even things like inexpensive landscaping around the home—refreshing up the lawn—can make a big impact. There’s a lot you can do to improve the exterior without breaking the bank. It’s all about knowing what you’re aiming for.
Final Thoughts
Well, Adam, it’s been a lot of fun, right? I mean, this is my first time running a podcast. Absolutely! You’re going to be famous! Yeah, sure! He’ll be sending us a bill after he leaves for his time. It’s called a “talent fee.” I appreciate you guys having me here, man. It’s been fun. Yeah, you’re good, buddy. It’s been great seeing you in this wonderful state of Wisconsin. We hung out at our office in Nina for a couple of days, then down at Madison for a couple of days, and it’s been awesome. It’s been great.
Alright, guys, that’s the show for today. Again, we love viewer and listener questions, so send us any questions you have. We’ll do our best to answer them. If we don’t know the answer, we’ll figure it out. Thanks for joining us on the show, and we’ll see you next time!
