In just 15 years, Tennessee-based Best Choice Roofing (BCR) has grown to become one of America’s best-known and most respected roofing industry experts. In doing so, Best Choice has earned thousands of five-star reviews, countless word-of-mouth recommendations, and repeat business from customers nationwide.
Best Choice is also considered one of North America’s Top 100 Roofing Contractors. That’s in the opinion of Roofing Contractor, the official publication of the International Roofing Expo (IRE), North America’s biggest roofing and exteriors event.
In addition, in 2022, roofing materials manufacturer Owens Corning honored the company as the largest Platinum Preferred Roofing Contractor, a recognition not previously used by Owens Corning. “It was the first time Owens Corning acknowledged a contractor as the largest Owens Corning Platinum Preferred contractor in the country,” says BCR founder, Wayne Holloway.
Forward facing customer service, high moral standards and a commitment to its people as well as innovative growth strategies keep paying off for the company and its clients. From its founding in 2009 up to 2016, Best Choice completed over 19,000 roofing projects. Today, make that over 80,000 jobs. The company operates in around 30 states and has established over 70 company-owned and franchised locations across the United States.
“We have grown substantially,” says Holloway. “In 2019, our reported revenue was in the $50 million range; in this past year, we proudly did just over a quarter of a billion dollars in revenue (franchising, affiliates, and corporately-owned stores).”
“Business in a box”
In mid-2022, Best Choice began awarding territories for eager, would-be franchise owners, which has proven extremely successful. Even though the company has experienced profound growth and expansion over the years, Holloway recognized that there was a greater need for Best Choice’s services across the U.S., not only for consumers but for entrepreneurs looking for an established brand and business model to serve the community they live in.
The company had two options. The first was to continue with greenfield expansion via partnerships and corporate initiatives. The challenge of that approach was that Best Choice wouldn’t grow quickly enough to establish the national footprint desired by Holloway. The second option was to pursue the franchising route. With Best Choice’s proven track record, documented processes, industry knowledge, and seasoned staff, offering Best Choice via a franchising model just made sense. Many of Best Choice’s competitors in the franchising space were franchisors who got into the roofing business; Best Choice is different in that it is a roofing company that entered the franchising space. This crucial differentiator will certainly help franchisees excel, faster.
“We entered the franchising space because we documented all our processes for years and had all of our key performance indicators (KPIs) in place for everything from sales to production,” says Holloway. “We have this business model and industry figured out very well. And we’ve buttoned this thing up well enough for it to be essentially a business in a box for the right person, and sure enough, it is.”
Franchise buzz
Best Choice Roofing uses a franchise sales organization to gain additional exposure. Now, nearly two years into the new business venture, the company has existing franchisees eager to share information on the opportunity, their successes, and their performance. “Now that we have successful franchisees who can validate the effectiveness of the system and the impact Best Choice has had on their family, we are seeing a massive boom on the franchising side,” says Holloway.
From the company’s perspective, ideal candidates are financially capable, ethical, can be good stewards of the brand, are teachable, coachable, moldable, and more of an ‘implementer’ than ‘visionary’. “We’re looking for the motivated individual who is willing to implement an already proven successful model. We’re a roofing organization, but we’re also a sales organization that just so happens to install roofs,” says Holloway. “And to lead a sales organization, you’ve got to find the right personality, or you’ve got to find a person who understands they have to find that right personality.”
To ensure consistency, new franchisees undertake an extensive and intensive weeklong training package, which includes continuous education, product training, and business training, as well as general and acceptable business practices. “Our goal is to not only create a steward of the brand, but also a dynamic and effective leader and businessperson.”
Long before launching franchise opportunities, the company spent years working on the model, methodically improving and refining it along the way. “I knew that to get to franchising, I needed people to prove that the business model itself was successful,” says Holloway. “I had to prove that Best Choice’s success wasn’t because of just me; I had to prove the model. So the company offered some partnership opportunities in other parts of the country to loyal and dedicated employees, and those partners were able to prove the business model itself worked. And once they could prove that, I was able to go to the franchising world.”
Coast to coast
Today, the Best Choice Roofing brand has grown to around 1,700 people in the field representing the brand. Expanding organically and through its franchise model, the company has an East Coast office in Wilmington, North Carolina which was set up in 2022, and a West Coast franchise location (Los Angeles), which began operating in 2023. With offices on each coast, and offices in between, Best Choice is proud to recognize itself as a roofing contractor from coast to coast.
The Best Choice story is one of determination, vision, and refusal to compromise on values. Much of the company’s reputation comes from being there when people need it most, helping repair damage to roofs from wind, hail, and other weather events. Best Choice’s goal is to help the customer repair their roof to pre-storm condition. To do so, BCR’s experts will assess the property damage, evaluating the necessity for repair versus replacement, and will then provide a quote for the work (except in Florida) and will even work with the property owner’s insurance carrier to point out damage the roof sustained and discuss repairability. Best Choice will then quickly and properly install a new roof for the client.
While weather-damaged roofs remain a significant part of the company’s business, Best Choice also launched a retail program in early 2023 to promote its services. The retail program was launched with the goal of generating leads for franchisees and corporately owned stores, leading to a successful sale at the customer’s house. This program was in development for years, leveraging some of the industry’s top tier talent. Every detail has been methodically thought through in order to provide the employee, the franchisee, and most importantly, the customer, the best experience they can find, all while installing the best products in the industry.
“Our retail program was established with the intent to show up to the property with the ability to offer not just a great product and a great installation, but an overall superior experience,” says Holloway.
The company is already seeing its retail program take off, helping customers who don’t wish to go through insurance for their roofing needs. “Our focus remains helping customers with weather-damaged roofs, but with the personnel and processes already in place, we decided to extend our services to customers who don’t wish to go through their insurance company for replacement. Because of the attention given to the development of this new division, we’re already seeing profound success, providing even more opportunity for our staff and for our crews, all while providing the best experience for the customer,” Holloway shares.
Customer first
In building its reputation through the years, Holloway and his team have remained, in the words of the company, “resolute in our mission to create a meaningful and positive influence on our valued customers, dedicated employees, and cherished partners.”
Streamlining its processes over time means America’s premier residential roofer first accesses and inspects the roof for weather damage and provides a wellness check for customers, free of charge. Beyond the initial inspection, Best Choice is focused on driving value to its customers by acting as a technical advisor to their insurance company, offering competitive financing with a simple soft pull credit check, quickly performing installations with certified installers, and ensuring all code requirements are met or exceeded, with the ability to provide Owens Corning Platinum lifetime warranties for as long as customers own their homes, backed by Owens Corning.
Certain values are evident in their practice: responsiveness, eagerness, professional customer engagement, effective communication, the goal of providing a superior experience, and constantly developing and incorporating the newest and best technology, including a proprietary Best Choice Roofing app.
“I tell customers that when they’re looking to replace a roof on their largest investment, they need to choose a company that’s not only proven to be ethical and honest, but one that can prove they are as good as the warranty they offer,” says Holloway. “By the sheer size of our company, our location count, and the fact we’ve been in business for a decade and a half, I doubt there’s anyone more qualified than we are. Regardless of price or who comes to your door first, there are a lot of factors to take into consideration, and I feel like we check all of the boxes you want checked as a property owner.”
