Hands, Heads & Hearts
Reggie Reed Roofing covers it all with a father-and-son approach
There are plenty of itinerant roofers who travel in nameless packs, stomp all over a roof, tack down whatever shingles, take shortcuts, and get on down the road.
This is not that story.
For Reggie Reed Roofing of St. Petersburg, Florida, there’s a meaning, a purpose, some smarts to it all. Perhaps that stems from the motivation coming from the patriarch of the family business—Granddad Rudolph Reed—who once simply yet profoundly proclaimed, “Everyone needs a good roof in Florida.”
The patriarchal connection is, indeed, one advantage of choosing the company. Four generations of men in the Reed family have worked in the roofing business. Their collective knowledge and experiences continue to pay off for customers.
First came Sylvester, then his son Rudolph, then his son Reggie and then his son Reggie Jr. Today, Reggie Sr. and Reggie Jr. are Co-Owners of the Reggie Reed Roofing company. Both were intrigued by the work and allowed to do odd jobs at work sites in their youth—Reggie Sr. at age 7 and Reggie Jr. at age 14.
“I loved it a lot,” Reggie Jr. says. “It wasn’t my intention at that age to actually go into roofing, but I enjoyed learning in general and enjoyed my time with my granddad and dad. I eventually helped with the ‘tear off.’ I didn’t know how to shingle yet, but I passed the shingles to the installers.”
Related Advantages
Today, the father and son share the leadership positions. The company specializes in both commercial and residential projects, installing new roofs and redoing or repairing existing roofs. They are equally skilled at work using asphalt or tile shingles, TPO roofs or metal roofs. The pitch of the roof line can vary greatly from flat or low slope to high, steep angles.
Their projects have included office buildings, multi-unit housing complexes, houses of worship, municipal buildings and more. The company serves the entire Tampa Bay area.
Since most of their jobs are residential reroofing, Reggie Jr. even looks at the standard asphalt shingle as a good strategic business decision for homeowners.
A homeowner’s replacement of a roof is a major investment. Reggie Reed Roofing offers residential customers a professional installation that is high quality and energy efficient.
“Asphalt shingles are a popular choice due to their affordability but, thanks to evolving technology in roofing materials, now provide better curb appeal and weather protection than ever before,” he says.
With Reggie Sr.’s 40 years in the business and his son’s unquenched thirst for learning and head for business, the company has differentiated itself as being industrious and smart.
“There’s no greater feeling than to be able to work hand in hand with my father,” Reggie Jr. says. “He wasn’t able to get an education, so we complement each other.”
That’s only half the story, however. Reggie Jr. admits to being a lifelong learner in roofing as well as in education. While he manages the administration of Reggie Reed Roofing, he also serves as Director of Recruitment at St. Petersburg College.
His father has always encouraged his education. Before the family moved to Florida from New York, he helped Reggie Jr. keep that focus even while employing him during the summer season.
Reggie Jr. earned his bachelor’s degree in employment relations from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where he also excelled at playing basketball for the school’s team. That interest led to his master’s degree in kinesiology and exercise science from this same university.
He is adept at applying his business education to the company. Besides managing parts of the planning and operations, he handles the documentation for jobs, provides estimates to customers and guides accounting and marketing, as well as payroll for the company’s nine employees.
He also thinks strategically by educating himself about new and emerging roofing technologies, systems, innovations and practices. The company has even partnered with Efficient Home Services to help its customers maximize savings when contracting them for roof work. The company’s focus is installing rooftop solar panels and attic insulation, and performing energy audits.
Reggie Jr.’s desire to learn never stops. He has obtained a Florida roofing license, giving him status as a bona fide contractor. Meanwhile, he has started working on a doctorate in higher education leadership.
Anatomy of Success
While being the brains to his father’s muscle for the success of the company, Reggie Jr. still applies his heart to everything he does for the company. This is due to his close relationship with his father.
“The things I’ve learned from him are not just roofing: how to be a man and be respected and hardworking. He taught me everything,” Reggie Jr. says.
He helps educate others, too. He implements on-the-job training for the employees and also makes sure that customers are well-informed about all aspects of the roof work on their properties.
“I love educating folks,” he says.
He also makes sure that Reggie Reed Roofing is actively involved in positively influencing the community, especially disadvantaged youth. The company supports various youth programs and is a key sponsor for the St. Petersburg youth division of an amateur basketball team through OTE Elevation.
Reggie Jr. also sits on the board of the Greater Ridgecrest YMCA and the City of St. Petersburg Youth Development Grant program. He is also a mentor in the area’s Men in The Making program.
Despite the variety of work—both for business and charity—the company is right where its owners want it to be: not too large so as to perhaps lose some of its distinctiveness.
“We have low overhead and can offer competitive prices because of it,” he says. “We take pride in our motto: ‘Great work for a great price.’ ”
The roofing business that has been a part of the Reed family for decades has stepped into the future with the father-son team. “I like where we are currently,” Reggie Jr. says. “For us, it’s a good place.”