A major storm can create a surge of opportunity for a roofing company, but opportunity alone does not create a lasting business. Long-term growth comes from leadership, the right people, clear roles, strong culture, and a commitment to continually improve.
Trey Hostetler, owner of Titan Roofing in Springfield, Ohio, has experienced that growth firsthand. He went from spending 13 years as a roofing installer to building one of the fastest-growing roofing companies in the country. Along the way, he learned that growing a roofing company requires the owner to grow right alongside it.
His philosophy is straightforward: you’re either growing or you’re dying.
From Roofing Installer to Roofing Business Owner
Roofing was part of Trey’s life long before Titan Roofing existed. Several family members worked in the industry, and Trey began roofing after eighth grade, eventually spending 13 years as an installer. Interestingly, he didn’t initially dream about owning a roofing company. In fact, by the time entrepreneurship started calling him, he was tired of roofing.
What changed was his realization that roofing was the skill he had spent years developing. Instead of starting over in an unfamiliar industry, he decided to build on the experience he already had.
Titan originally launched as Titan Commercial Roofing because Trey planned to focus on commercial restoration projects. But homeowners kept calling. Early adoption of Google’s Local Services Ads helped generate residential opportunities, and Trey followed where the demand was leading him.
That willingness to recognize opportunity and adjust became an important part of Titan’s growth.
Growth Requires Getting Comfortable With Problems
The early days of owning a roofing company brought plenty of stress. Trey recalled losing sleep over customer complaints and waking up to messages about problems on job sites. Something as simple as a crew knocking over a homeowner’s mailbox could feel enormous when he was still learning how to run a company.
Experience changed his perspective.
Problems still happen, but Trey now sees adversity as something business owners have to learn to handle. Instead of expecting problems to disappear as Titan grows, he focuses on reviewing what went wrong, determining how the company can improve, and doing the right thing for the customer.
“Your business is not your identity.”
That distinction has helped Trey keep difficult situations in perspective. A roofing company can have a bad day, an unhappy customer, or an operational mistake without that failure defining the owner or the entire organization.
Titan’s approach is to become 1% better every day. That doesn’t mean perfection. It means learning from each problem and building a stronger company because of it.
Mentorship Can Shorten the Learning Curve
One of the biggest themes in Trey’s journey has been mentorship. Early in business, problems often felt overwhelming because he didn’t know whether what he was experiencing was normal.
Talking to experienced business owners changed that.
Trey remembered struggling with the impact of a one-star review until a mentor explained that it was normal and helped him understand how to deal with it. Simply hearing from someone who had already experienced the same problem relieved much of the pressure.
For roofing contractors, that is an important reminder that you don’t have to solve every business problem from scratch. Coaches, industry events, peer groups, masterminds, and relationships with other contractors can provide perspective that would otherwise take years to develop.
Build a Roofing Company Where People Grow
Trey doesn’t view personal development as something reserved for the owner. Titan Roofing intentionally invests in the growth of its employees through meetings, events, speakers, mentorship, and conversations that extend beyond roofing.
That investment also plays an important role in employee retention.
There is a limit to how long compensation alone can keep someone engaged. Strong employees want to know they’re progressing, learning, and becoming more valuable. Trey wants people to eventually look back on their time at Titan, whether they stayed for one year or ten, and feel that the company helped move their life and career forward.
“If you work here for a year, that’s great. If you work here for three years, that’s also great… I want you to honestly say Titan Roofing was a catapult for me for the rest of my life and career.”
For roofing owners struggling to retain talented people, the question may not simply be whether employees are paid enough. It may be whether they’re becoming better because they work for you.
Your Culture Is Part of Your Recruiting Strategy
Company culture also determines who wants to join your organization. Trey believes roofing companies need to be extremely clear about who they are, where they’re going, and what they value.
That clarity will turn some candidates away, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
When someone recognizes during the hiring process that their values don’t align with the company, both sides can avoid an expensive hiring mistake. At the same time, a clearly defined culture attracts candidates who want to be part of the mission.
Trey also challenged roofing owners to examine the example they’re setting as leaders. If you continually struggle to attract ambitious, accountable people, the problem may not be the labor market alone. People are evaluating the person asking them to follow.
A compelling vision can be especially powerful for a younger roofing company that doesn’t yet have sophisticated systems, a huge office, or years of history. People may not know exactly where the company is going, but they can believe in the leader taking them there.
Put People in Roles That Match Their Strengths
Titan Roofing initially grew through family. Trey’s first employee was his sister, who began answering phones and scheduling leads at 16 years old. His brother and other relatives later joined the company as it expanded.
Despite the common warning against working with family, Trey believes the bigger issue is unclear expectations.
Whether someone is a relative or an outside hire, their responsibilities and expected results need to be clearly defined. Without that clarity, owners can easily mistake a role problem for a people problem.
As Titan grew, Trey also learned the importance of matching people with their natural strengths. Someone who becomes anxious every time the phone rings probably shouldn’t spend their career in a phone-heavy sales position. Someone who naturally excels at communication, empathy, and problem-solving may thrive there.
Scale gives roofing companies the ability to create more specialized roles and put people in positions where they can perform at their best. Trey has applied the same thinking to himself, recognizing that his strengths are sales, marketing, vision, and leadership rather than day-to-day operations.
Stop Treating Every Roofer Like the Enemy
Competition is unavoidable in roofing, but Trey doesn’t believe competition requires animosity. Titan has relationships with other local roofing contractors, including companies that exchange referrals when a project better fits another contractor’s capabilities.
That doesn’t mean giving competitors sensitive information about pricing or margins. It means recognizing that the market is large enough for good companies to compete while still helping one another.
Local supplier events, industry organizations, networking groups, and conferences can create opportunities to develop those relationships. Another contractor may have already solved the exact hiring, production, sales, or customer-service problem you’re dealing with today.
You can compete aggressively in the marketplace and still respect the people you’re competing against.
Building Something That Lasts
Trey’s story is ultimately less about roofing than it is about development. Titan Roofing didn’t grow simply because more homeowners needed roofs. It grew because Trey continued investing in his leadership, surrounding himself with mentors, developing his people, defining roles, and learning from problems.
Storms can create leads. Marketing can generate opportunities. A strong sales team can produce revenue. But none of those things automatically create a great roofing company.
The companies that last are built intentionally, one improvement at a time.
For roofing contractors trying to reach the next level, Trey’s philosophy is a useful place to start: keep growing, keep learning, and keep becoming 1% better every day.
