You cannot drive far in West Little Rock without passing a pickup truck wrapped with the Riley Hays Roofing and Construction brand logo. After the March 31, 2023 EF-3 tornado roared through WLR destroying everything in its path, the entire team at Riley Hays Roofing was on the ground immediately with tarps for roofs.
Little did he know, that serving those along those along the Louisiana Gulf Coast after hurricanes swirled through would prepare him for devastation in his own backyard.
Bulding in Arkansas stopped by his WLR headquarters to hear more of his story. How he started, the big wins, the vision, and the future of Riley Hays Roofing and Construction.
In 2012 I was a catastrophe adjuster working all over the country. 90% of all roofers I dealt with were pushy and not on the up and up. The same 90% were salesmen and couldn’t repair a shingle if their life depended on it. That bothered me.
These are roofers who are taking advantage of people! I was married with a baby at home, traveling 250 days a year. I knew it was time to get off the road.
I grew up in construction and worked for a roofing supplier in college. It all started in college when I was delivering shingles on a conveyor truck. I wasn’t afraid to climb and get on roofs. I would either get on the roof and catch and stack them or I’d stack and load on the roof. I did that for 4 years. I never thought about climbing on roofs. Everyone else couldn’t believe it. I’m not an office person and needed to be out.
I wasn’t afraid to climb on roofs, had experience as an adjuster, talked to a few roofer mentors, and figured it out to do it myself. Started the business in January of 2013 Did my first full roof in April and was off to go to the races.
I did it all (everything) in the beginning. My teams today say they remember when I did it all and the rapport it gave them. There’s a level of respect there. I’ve done it and I will still climb on roofs. Had my first employee three months after being in business and have 15 now.
To continue to grow commercially and residentially. Specifically more commercially and eventually open a NWA branch in the next 18 months. We are moving towards sheet metal too.
I have all the equipment, chimney caps, custom metal work, and metal roofs. Thanks to HGTV, everyone wants a black metal roof!
I feel like I’ve made it this year. It’s taken 10 years and it’s because the greatest four commercial jobs I’ve ever had were this year.
Bale Chevrolet, that’s a 100-year-old dealership. Oldest car dealership in Arkansas. That’s definitely up there along with Breckenridge Village, Pavilion in the Park, and Priority Wire.
There are two different sides. Residential roofing. Anyone with a truck and a ladder can do this. Whereas commercial roofing there are more certifications, you have to know what you’re doing. Rightfully so, it took a long time to get the credibility for being a commercial roofer. I taught myself.
I like to help people and there aren’t many opportunities in my job to do that. So this opportunity came along with one of my vendors to directly pay him to go tarp roofs in Lake Charles, Louisiana after a hurricane.
I jumped at the chance. I tarped apartments, office buildings, and funeral homes. You name it. There were roofs blown off for 200 miles
I tarped for FEMA in New Orleans. They (FEMA) have a tarping class so I actually know how to properly tarp. There’s a certain way. Some guys just throw up a tarp and the first gust of wind and the tarps are gone.
I learned from those experiences. You can get more joy than the people you’re helping. Watching how resilient people are. That’s why the tornado was nothing when it came to helping.
I had tarps left over from the hurricanes and this was right in my backyard. Literally. Everyone from the office was out helping. Even sales.
I was prepared too because when you’re on the first day after, people are like deer in headlights. It was like no, go find the people who need tarps, know on their door, and help them. I don’t care if they have insurance or not, making money isn’t the point of this.
Let’s get it done. The hurricanes taught me, that you don’t wait around you just go.
Don’t rush to judgment immediately. Get all the answers. Everyone has their way of telling you the story in their direction.
Slow it down, and pay attention, don’t rush to judgment. The first person who comes to tell you something is probably the one who is or may be responsible.
Also, take things with a grain of salt, everything changes, and nothing is like it used to be. I still have problems getting materials. 7 years ago I could get anything I wanted, anytime I wanted. It’s a different thought process now in that I have to prepare, which isn’t easy for last-minute people like me.
I’ve learned to be ready to pivot a lot more. So that has me rethinking my time management.
I hope the future of my business involves some of my kids. I’d like to see it go on to the next generation, be it my daughters or sons. My two oldest are daughters. They get the first shot! Hopefully, it goes on to the next generation and they are smart and grow it.
From the roofing industry standpoint, the future of roofing will be more customer-based than insurance-based. The days of insurance coming in and paying are about over.
I would say “Don’t blink, and allow yourself to give people more grace.” I have this problem where I expect perfection from everyone and you’re not going to get it.
I try to understand myself and realize it’s not realistic and I’m not good at that. Giving grace more. Relax, give grace, don’t blink.
I enjoy hunting, waterfowl, and turkey hunting. I love taking the kids to experience the outdoors. We have family land in Damascus and we go hunt that land, and ride 4-wheelers.
Mowing, I like mowing, not at my house but at the 300 acres at the farm. I’m of course a sports guy. I like football, baseball, and hockey. Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Cubs and Blackhawks.