Priority Roofing by North American Constructors Journal

Priority Roofing, a residential and commercial roofing contractor out of Dallas, Texas, stands out in several ways from other roofing companies. Founder and president Will Miller is proud of the unique business he’s built.

At most roofing contractors, a salesperson sells the job and acts as project manager, often managing multiple projects occurring at the same time. At Priority, the salesperson still tracks the details of the job and stops by to make sure everything goes smoothly. However, there’s also a separate project manager for each installation, and they only manage one project at a time. Miller said, “They’re onsite from the beginning to the end of the day. They walk the property at the end, filling out an inventory sheet that shows everything that went on the roof, and perform a final inspection.”

Another difference is that Priority doesn’t collect payment from its customers until the job is finished. “In most cases, you pay your first insurance check, or roughly half the amount for the new roof, before the job starts. In our case, you pay us nothing until the roof is finished. Once it’s completely done and you’re 100% happy, we collect payment, usually the same day or the next day. That requires a significant amount of cash flow. We have a lot more money tied up in accounts receivable than most roofing companies do because we don’t collect until the roof’s finished. For us, it’s a principle, it’s a way of doing business that sets us apart.”

It’s important to Miller that customers trust them because they do what they say they will. Their business lines include residential roof repairs and replacements, mostly insurance work, and

commercial roofs. Residential asphalt roofs make up about 80% of their revenue, followed by 15% commercial, and 5% designer roofing, which includes residential slate, tile, synthetic, shake, standing seam metal, and stone-coated steel.

A day in the life

A typical sale for Priority Roofing starts with a roof inspection, where the salesperson takes pictures, often using a drone, and gets the roof layout and measurements. They show the homeowner or building owner the extent of any damage and make a recommendation about repairing or replacing the roof.

If the owner decides to move forward and an insurance claim is involved, Priority will submit the claim with the owner. “We typically do it together because we want to be able to meet the insurance adjuster on site, walk them through the damages, and make sure that the insurance carrier’s report is thorough and nothing’s missed. Also, we want to make it as simple for our client as possible, where all they do is just wait for the checks to come in, and we do the work.”

The salesperson then meets with the adjuster, goes over the damage, and handles all the back-and-forth communications until the costs are approved. Priority’s back office handles communicating with the adjusters and the carriers, and invoicing.

Miller said their contract includes a contingency agreement stating that Priority is only being hired to complete the specific scope of work

approved by the insurance carrier. It ensures that Priority will not perform any additional or any less work beyond what the insurance pays for. The owner is only responsible for paying the insurance deductible.

Then, the work is scheduled, with most projects being completed in one day, as the size of the installation team varies to meet the size of the

“We have a lot more money tied up in accounts receivable than most roofing companies do because we don’t collect until the roof’s finished.”

Will Miller, President

job. They use subcontracted crews to perform the work, with on-site supervision provided by their project managers. The salesperson is also involved, stopping by to ensure everything is going well and answering any questions.

As the work progresses, the project manager monitors the work and documents any issues, like rotten decking or work beyond the original scope. They communicate with the insurance company to ensure the necessary repairs are approved and completed correctly.

Then the back office compiles the invoice that goes to the carrier, including the required photos and documentation. The owner usually receives a check directly from the carrier, which is then forwarded to Priority.

Projects of note

Priority’s noteworthy projects include a residential installation in Flower Mountain, which is near Dallas-Fort Worth. It involved installing a 25,000-square-foot specialty clay tile roof. The tile had to be special-ordered and shipped in from California. The total cost of the project was over $1 million, and Miller was especially proud of it because of all the unique details involved.

Miller also remembers the first multimilliondollar commercial roofing project they performed for a large church in Keller, Texas. “One of the reasons we initially wanted to get into commercial work was because we knew there was a potential to do jobs that were this size. It was a little scary, but it was also exciting because it’s something we always dreamed of doing.”

“It doesn’t feel like work”

Miller started in the roofing industry in 2010, knocking on doors and setting up leads for roofing projects. He did that for about four months and, at his own admission, failed miserably. He tried again and did very well, selling roofs for six years before starting Priority when he was only 24.

“I got married young, so I think that’s probably part of what motivated me to work a lot harder than a lot of people who are in their midtwenties. I was married and had a kid, so I had to grow up faster and couldn’t do a lot of the things that people in their mid-twenties do. I

worked extremely hard.”

In the beginning, he spent his time in the field, selling roofs, overseeing jobs, and training salespeople. Now, he’s more focused on the bigger picture, though he does travel to each of Priority’s fifteen locations at least once every two months. Their offices are in California, Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Tennessee, Texas, and Oklahoma.

While some of the work is seasonal in nature, mainly storm repairs, Miller keeps his people busy throughout the year. “We don’t chase storms. We work in every market we’re in all year long. If 100% is during storm season, our volume might go down to 60% during the offseason.”

“When you’re working with people that you consider some of your best friends and you have close, tight-knit relationships, it makes it fun. It doesn’t feel like work. It feels like you’re building something.”

Family is first

When it comes to hiring new workers, Miller stresses the importance of family. “We’re very intentional about being family-oriented and looking for individuals who have families and responsibilities. We look for those who are detail-oriented and who really care and take pride in their job.”

Workers are placed where their talents and skills can do the most good for the company. “They really come alive when their gifts and

passions are being utilized. We don’t build systems based on what we want in the future. We build them on what the high-capacity individuals we have want when they transition to new positions and roles.”

Management is always hired from within the company, regardless of the person’s level

“We don’t chase storms. We work in every market we’re in all year long.”

Will Miller, President

“It doesn’t feel like work. It feels like you’re building something.”

Will Miller, President

of experience. “We’ve never made a hire where someone came from the outside with a lot of roofing experience and we put them on our management team. In fact, we have two managers, in Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, who both previously owned their own successful roofing companies. They wanted to grow with us and step into a management position. We made it very clear to them that they’d have to sell roofs for at least a year, proving themselves to the team before they’d be placed in a management-level position. So, they did. They probably would’ve done just as well if we’d transitioned them straight into management, but we’d have given the message to our team that they could work as hard as they wanted, but someone else might take the opportunity they were looking for.”

Miller’s advice to young people is: “Every

“Every

mistake I’ve made has been a milestone moment of education.”

Will Miller, President

mistake I’ve made has been a milestone moment of education. The best education you can possibly get is the education you learn through, and it’s also the most costly. But the education you spend the most money on is typically going to be the education that you actually apply, and you learn and grow the most from.”

Priority Roofing

A day in the life

Projects of note

Family is first

COMPANY INFORMATION