Carl Verble always believed in the power of good people, good ideas, and good values, all working together. These are the bedrocks on which Carl founded North American Roofing, and the keys to our sustained success and stellar customer satisfaction. Equal credit goes to the Verble family's keen eye for mutual opportunities and skillful touch as team-builders.
Back in the day, commercial roofers churned through day laborers willing to take on hot, harsh toil. Turnover ran high, if not always pride and expertise. By contrast, from the beginning, North American built on a team and family model. Recruiting and hiring based on character, attitude, and integrity, the Verbles gathered together the sorts of people you'd want to stand between your property and the relentless elements.
Soon, North American became second home to a group of talented, tight-knit installers, project managers, salespeople, technicians, and management. The company supported the team with solid training, first-rate tools, professional respect, and rewards for loyalty and a job well done. Carl's son, C. Michael Verble, joined North American and started managing sales. Thanks to the new vision and spirit the Verbles were bringing to roofing, Mike had something different and better to sell - and sell he did.
In five booming years together, North American earned a perch among the Inc. 500 "Top Ten Fastest-Growing Companies" and Firestone, propelled by our growth, became the nation's largest producer of single-ply roofing, crowning a classic win-win relationship.
Customers appreciated North American's friendly, professional crews who left behind nothing but good impressions and beautiful, lasting, and leak-defying roofs. Meanwhile, the Verbles continued to introduce customer-centered innovations to their profession. Carl and Mike launched a revolutionary concept, arranging to private-label roofing, enabling North American Roofing to represent, install, and warranty its own selected, branded roofing products. Roofing manufacturers had such confidence in and respect for North American's installation quality that every major producer got on board. End users welcomed the opportunity to freely specify any roofing while enjoying the reassurance of North American's unparalled installation quality and the convenience of a single point of contact. This way, if any problem arises, instead of wondering who to contact, our private-label customers benefit from the comprehensive backing of one company - North American Roofing - with the authority, capability, and commitment to make matters right, right now. Period.
In 1989, C. Michael Verble took the reins from his dad, relocating North American's headquarters to Asheville in 1993, and maintaining the company's legacy of leadership and innovation. For instance, Michael and a North American team created a new, patented installation system for EPDM roofing, called Perma-Lok, which proved so practical and popular that it remains the industry standard. Showing the Verble penchant for promising partnerships, Michael created Installed Products USA, which became Home Depot's first national at-home services contractor. America's largest home improvement retailer banked its reputation on Mike and his crews, and its customers so eagerly entrusted home improvements to them that Home Depot's residential roofing installation business grew to over $175M annually in less than five years.
In 2003, a third-generation Verble, Brian, joined North American's management team, after holding positions in sales, product management, and installation. In 2007, Brian succeeded as CEO of North American Roofing Services, Inc. - our new name reflects our expanded offerings - and continued the open-door, "treat your employees as family" environment. Brian is set to grow the company by molding the expertise of his loyal, longtime employees with a strategic management team. Brian leads a company that combines the craftsmanship standards set so high by his grandfather Carl, with new levels of technological sophistication. With such strong roots and future vision in place, North American Roofing will continue to be the most trusted and respected roofing company in the U.S.
With a long-standing conviction that we have the best employees around, in 2012, North American Roofing made the decision to form an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). In recognition of our employees' contributions, and in an effort to reward their loyalty, we restructured in a way that strengthens our family legacy and builds on decades of solid success.
Our decision to implement an ESOP reflects our pride in our workforce and offers our valued employees an incentive for their continued service and dedication to our customers. Based on company performance, the ESOP stands to generate significant retirement benefits for our employees, giving them a financial stake in the success of North American Roofing.