We have big news to share today and once again thank all those who have been part of making our nationwide support network such a huge success over the years.
At the 2016 National Convention in Branson, we introduced a number of key changes that raised the standards for ourselves and the industry at large. Everyone involved in fine-tuning the new structure was amazed at how much better things became and were equally impressed by how well accepted it was for a smooth transition. We have such an amazing group of contractors who really care about each other and where we’re headed as a nationwide team.
Today, we take another step further to better focus on what has been most beneficial to the network, while also adding new benefits by introducing a totally new brand: Top Roof Contractors.
On the first of April, we’ll finally be ready to launch everything after having many conversations with both new and original members to ensure maximum benefit across the board. Special thanks to Sam, Jonathan, Will, Andy, Adib, and John!
The first change to notice is that the terms “Endorsed” and “Supported” are going to be retired. Instead, we have “Leader” and “Member.” It’s a simple change where Endorsed Members will be called Leaders, and Supported Contractors will be called Members; but it’s important because of what these new terms mean.
As part of the changes, contractors in the group will need to sign new agreements. The old agreements will terminate in 30 days in order to fully implement all changes and improvements group-wide.
Benefits from *Choice Roof Contractors*
- Both Members and Leaders:
- Badges that display your affiliation with the group (Leader or Member depending on level of association)
- Group support and networking with fellow members and leaders
- Private access to the Facebook group
- Presentations, photos, flyers and other marketing material
- In-depth knowledge and training
- Affiliation with our nationwide reputation
- Sales & marketing guidance
- Leaders only:
- Contractor leads to build your Conklin business (i.e. residual, scalable income from roofs installed by those being supported – rewarding contractors for the strong businesses they help create)
- Ability to start conversations with those who have requested information on the group in the past
- No additional cost to be part of Top Roof Contractors if 3-day training completed (otherwise there is a separate membership fee)
- Personalized webpage to help with explaining what our group is all about to other contractors (see example: https://www.choiceroofcontractors.com/members/rufus-hostetler/)
- Personalized marketing material for growing your Conklin business shipped free as often as needed
Of course, there are many more than we can list, but these are the main benefits.
Benefits from *Top Roof Contractors*
- Marketing discounts on 15 different items from Top Roof Marketing (many will save hundreds of dollars a year)
- Added credibility for higher closing rates with the Top Roof Contractors badge (logo files and window decal provided free)
- Roofing estimate leads at steeply discounted prices
- Staff will help with the estimate leads by calling them first and being involved in the conversation
- Sell roofing opportunities to each other (we want to make sure you can profit from opportunities you aren’t able to pursue yourself)
- Sell products/equipment/services to fellow Top Roof Contractors
- Personalized flyer explaining how your company meets or exceeds membership qualifications of Top Roof Contractors
- Connections to insurance specialists who understand commercial roofing, as well as others who are coming on board
What’s New
Cost Reduction
- The membership fees for Leaders (previously known as Endorsed Members) has been reduced by more than half! This is made possible by transferring the building owner requests for estimates to Top Roof Contractors.
Estimate requests transferred to Top Roof Contractors
- Commercial roofing estimate requests have caused misunderstandings for contractors who are not yet part of the group. We have never been a lead generation service, but understand why our website can give this impression. When a building owner requests an estimate in the future, it will now be routed through Top Roof Contractors.
Contractor Sponsorship Opportunities without High Requirements
- The only requirement to be an eligible Leader in Choice Roof Contractor Group is to create a Conklin account with an existing group member. Even if you have limited roofing experience (or none at all), the contractors you bring in will have full support from others who can step in with their knowledge.
New Tools
- Andrew and Max are working on an app for Choice Roof Contractors, Jonathan and Chris are working on a marketplace for Top Roof Contractors, and many new things will be coming down the line as well.
In summary, Choice Roof Contractor Group will mainly focus on building everyone’s Conklin business, while Top Roof Contractors will take on other aspects to reduce confusion of our group’s core focus and introduce new benefits that are now possible by having a 2nd independent brand.
What’s the Same
- No fee for those who simply want great support (they only need to create a Conklin account with an existing group member to benefit from the amazing platform built over the last 5+ years: https://www.choiceroofcontractors.com/the-first-five-years/).
- We’re still requiring 3 commercial roofing references and insurance verification to be eligible for leads (but there is an added screening process to add further respect for all Top Roof Contractors).
- Choice Roof Contractor Group Members (previously known as supported contractors) will still get assistance from the entire group, private access to the Facebook group, presentations and photos, in-depth knowledge and training, affiliation with our nationwide reputation, approval to use a member version of our logo, and sales & marketing guidance.
- Choice Roof Contractor Group Leaders (previously known as Endorsed Members) will still get personalized flyer, personalized business cards for sponsoring, contractor leads, and personal page on the ChoiceRoofContractors.com website; plus all the benefits listed above that Members enjoy.
What’s going away
- We have contemplated retiring the Lifetime Service Guarantee for quite sometime because it has hardly been used by endorsed members, plus many building owners seem to have a hard time understanding how it’s different from a warranty and none of us ever want a building owner to feel misled when working with our group. Even though it is a value-added benefit, it’s ultimately been decided to retire the guarantee. If you were issued a lifetime service guarantee certificate, please email [email protected] with a scanned copy and the program will be honored in original form.
We look forward to integrating all the new benefits on April 1st, and are very excited to see all the great things to come!
Insurance claims of any kind can be complicated. When the claim relates to a damaged roof, an experienced roofing contractor can help you navigate the process.
In addition to assisting with the actual claim and repairing your roof once the claim goes through, a good roofer can help you be prepared in advance. One of the most common reasons roof insurance claims are denied is for “preexisting damage.” If the insurance company believes your roof damage was not caused by the storm or other disastrous event but was, in fact, already there before the incident occurred, you may not get the insurance payout you need to fix your roof.
For everything from inspections and ongoing maintenance to insurance claims help, it is crucial to have a reliable and knowledgeable roofer who will be there for the long haul. Too many horror stories exist among building owners regarding roofers who did shoddy work and then disappeared into the night, leaving the building owner to deal with the aftermath. But those who hire a roofer from among the 
What started five years ago as an ambitious idea pushed forward by Samuel Hostetler and Jonathan Keim is now a national success. Both men knew there was a piece missing in the commercial roofing marketspace. There had to be a way for commercial roofing business owners to be properly incentivized to help others, while providing better service for their own clientele and growing their businesses. And with that, the idea of Choice Roof Contractor Group was born, founded, and took off!
In the fall of 2013, Choice Roof Contractor Group was formed. Soon after, the first few contractors joined. Brenneman Roofing, Mid-West Roofing Systems, Five Star Roofing Systems, A-1 Roofing Systems and Troyer Roofing. Their stories are all similar and have inspired many struggling contractors throughout the country who wish to break into the commercial field. 
At the beginning, the idea of the Choice Roof Contractor Group was one of faith. Founding members were on board for something new that could solve the 
After the first year was fully under our belt, we discovered what worked best and kept feeding that model. For example, our lead generation service provided over 200 roofing leads in 2015, double what it had the prior year! We also saw a significant jump in the number of leads that were over 100,000 square feet.
The year of 2016 was by far the best on the books at that time. The continued effort to provide lead generation through the group website enabled endorsed members to share 302 roofing leads with each other! Another 50% of growth!
Continuing the upward trend, our endorsed members yet again saw an increase in the number of lead opportunities generated. This year a whopping 427 roofing leads came in! Other highlights include reaching 197 blogs, 263 comments, and 1000+ subscribers to our weekly newsletter.
The Choice Roof Contractor Group saw an impressive year in lead generation with another record number of roofing leads achieved!
One of the main reasons we’re now well known is because the many online marketing initiatives. Our endorsed members this year were able to benefit from our strategic marketing programs by receiving a record number of roofing leads! Our focus will not waiver for 2019 as we will continue to focus efforts on the most effective marketing strategies!
No, that’s not the amount of roofing our members installed this year, it’s the largest roof lead of the year! That’s right, 4,300 squares for just one lead! The ongoing effort by Top Roof Marketing continues to rank us on the first page of Google for hundreds of keywords, sometimes even in front of the manufacturers themselves! These big fish just keep coming!
Our brand continues to be quite popular with contractors throughout the nation. With quality resources like our eBook geared towards educating contractors who are interested in switching to commercial roofing and the group connections with experienced contractors willing to help others, it’s no wonder we’ve had so many contractors reach out! And, in case you were wondering, this number is up almost 50% from the prior year!
With their endorsement through Choice Roof Contractor Group, John Miller and his team at A-1 Roofing Systems were able to gain the trust needed from a large company that they have been trying to get an appointment with for a long time. The 40,000 square foot roof lead was just one more perk to their endorsed membership this year!
We are excited to announce that this year we welcomed our first female roofing contractor to our ranks! Her initiative and drive makes her a perfect addition to our group. We appreciate Samantha joining the group, and hope that it will inspire other trail blazing women to join what is currently considered a male dominated industry.
In order to continue to offer our members the best resources, we have partnered with Dunn & Bradstreet. This new partnership allows us to offer our members quality contacts for more than 75% off the retail costs! These resources allow our members to effectively reach out to business owners in their area for a fraction of the cost they could get elsewhere. Direct mail, email campaigns, and cold calling just got even easier for our group!
$50 million in sales was reached by a record number of Preferred Contractors as well as others who chose Conklin to protect the roofs they service. Also, as of the last official count, there are currently more than 1,090 who have reserved their seats for the 2019 Conklin National Convention next month. We’re all looking forward to celebrating the manufacturer’s 50th year anniversary and all the success each of us achieved this past year.
CoatingsPro Magazine continues to enjoy the relationship and expertise provided by the Choice Roof Contractor Group. As an industry leader sourcing quality content, they trust our group to provide reliable information about the roofing industry. A new article will be featured in their upcoming January edition about the past, present, and future of the coatings industry.
Whether you need to file a roof insurance claim for hail damage depends largely on the type of roof you have and the severity of the damage.
When it comes to your commercial roof, who you hire matters. A lot.
One of the biggest mistakes a building owner can make is hiring the “cheapest” roofing contractor to repair roof damage. As with most things in life, you get what you pay for, and fly-by-night roofers or inexperienced contractors just starting out may quote you a low price and deliver shoddy work.
If your commercial roof is covered under a warranty, bear in mind that you need to choose a roofing contractor who meets the standards set forth by the manufacturer of the product on your roof. Failure to do so can lead to the invalidation of your warranty.
Choosing a roofer who doesn’t have a solid reputation, who hasn’t worked in your area long or who is just “traveling through” can bring disaster. Opt for a roofing company that has a solid business background and is likely to be around to back up the work they perform if any issues should arise down the road.
Life is full of unexpected happenings that can leave behind disasters. When Mother Nature turns cruel, for instance, business facilities and other commercial properties often bear the brunt, and business owners can be left scrambling to repair damaged property and recover from the catastrophe.
The saying “When the cat’s away, the mice will play” is one of the oldest adages around, and it has been around for so long because it’s true. It is human nature to slacken one’s efforts when the pressure is off and no one is watching, such as when a boss or supervisor is temporarily away. But, thanks to the Internet, in today’s business world “the boss” is always watching.
Once someone joins Choice Roof Contractor Group, group accountability helps ensure they will continue providing outstanding service to their customers. The reputation of the group must be safeguarded, and each member is diligent in ensuring that it is. If for some reason a contractor part of the group fails to honor their word or provides substandard service, he or she will be given one chance to address the situation. If the situation remains unaddressed, that contractor loses all the benefits of being part of the group.