Central Roofing: A Rapid Rise to Success in the Metal Roofing Industry

The speedy ascent to becoming one of the top 100 roofing companies in the United States did not come easy. In only 11 years, Central Roofing, a veteran-owned company with three offices in Illinois and one in Florida, has grown to the point of installing nearly 1,000 residential roofs annually.

“We started the business in 2012, we had two salespeople, and we were running the business out of a two-bedroom apartment,” says Will Bates, owner of Central Roofing. “We actually used to travel the country, chasing hailstorms and tornadoes, assisting homeowners with insurance claims after catastrophes. Since then, we’ve progressed from doing 100 residential jobs to nearly 1,000 a year.”

Central Roofing actually offers all types of roofing for residential, commercial, and industrial projects. “Our projects range from federal prisons to courthouses and churches and all the way down to residential garages,” Bates says. “There’s no project too small or too large for us.”

Central Roofing has offices in three Illinois cities: Sullivan, Mattoon, Champaign, and Lakeland, FL. The growing roofing company added metal to its arsenal a year ago, electing to make McElroy Metal a working partner. Metal roofing from McElroy now accounts for five percent of Central Roofing’s residential business and ten percent of its commercial business.

“Commercial metal roofing sales are trending higher for us,” Bates says. “Commercial building owners seem to be knowledgeable about the durability of metal and its longevity. We like working with metal because of its architectural appeal.”

Bates says homeowners are becoming more curious about metal roofing. “Today’s residential customer is better educated on the benefits of metal roofing than they were even ten years ago,” he says. “They’re asking better questions and learning more about the many different metal options available.”

In addition to metal roofing from McElroy, Central Roofing offers asphalt roofing, EPDM, TPO, roof coatings, PVC, and modified bitumen roofing systems. 

“We currently employ about 45 people,” Bates says. “There are 12 salespeople/project managers, seven office personnel, and the rest are carpenters and roofers. It’s a top-notch, A-plus team that we’ve put together over the years.”

“We’re veteran-owned and proud that we employ about ten veterans from almost all military branches. We are proud of the employees we have. Obviously, we couldn’t do what we do without them. They take pride in their work, and they take pride in taking care of their customers. We hold them to the highest standards regarding customer service, quality work, and customer satisfaction.”

After developing a strong operation in Illinois, Central Roofing opened an office in Lakeland, FL., quickly becoming a top-rated and trusted commercial roofing contractor serving the state. 

“The foundation of our success has been to bring skilled, trained, and disciplined roofing professionals to our team to deliver superior service on every project,” Bates says. “We’re driven to be the best commercial contractor in central Florida.”