Greg and Jeanette Wood are the owners of America’s Choice Roofing located in Great Falls, Montana.
The roofing company also services homeowners in Helena and Bozeman.
For both Greg and Jeanette, the sparse population of Montana has not affected their roofing business, and the couple says there is nowhere else they would rather live and run their company.
“I moved here when I was nine years old. Greg has been here his whole life. We love Montana,” says Jeanette.
Adds Greg:
“Montana is lovely. It’s a truly lovely place to live, grow up, raise a family, and run a business. The people are really down to earth and it’s very much a community type of vibe. Doing business here is just a real treat for us.”
Greg and Jeanette started America’s Choice Roofing twenty-seven years ago, back when roofing companies operated much differently than they do today.
“When we started, ninety percent of all the contractors had their home out of their office,” says Greg. “Twenty-seven years later we’re still out of our office, but as we begin to scale and grow, we’re looking to move our office space from here and out into the community.”
As America’s Choice Roofing seeks to expand their operations, Greg reemphasizes how much residing in Montana has benefitted both he and his wife.
“I would say that we are living the American Dream. When you think of all the congestion of big cities, the hustle and bustle, out here in Montana, we don’t have any of that,” says Greg.
At the same time, he does acknowledge the pitfalls that come with working in the middle of the country.
“The thing with Montana is that with it being cold, we figure that there are 200 working days a year. A lot of times we will have wind, cold weather, and different things like that. Therefore, we’re always looking for the best possible times to install the shingles so that we have the proper ceiling and all the necessary things to have a good install.”
America’s Choice Roofing also excels in handling insurance claims. Their process for dealing with insurance companies is so efficient that people will turn to them for repeat business.
Greg cites a 2016 hailstorm where his company was able to complete a roof installation for a homeowner because they worked with their insurance carrier to ensure the homeowner was covered.
Now, five years later, America’s Choice Roofing is doing a roof installation on another property owned by the same homeowner.
“We called to find out who is handling their insurance stuff, and it just happened to be the guy that we had done a metal roof for,” says Greg.
Beyond tackling insurance claims and taking care of homeowners, Greg and Jeanette have navigated the challenges of being in business together quite well.
The couple is adamant that working in tandem has been a key contributor to the success of their roofing company.
“In running a business as a husband and wife, I’m working with my best friend every day. We keep in our own lanes. We do our daily responsibilities and there’s really not that much that goes on every day that the two of us can’t get handled,” says Greg.
If ever there is an issue that needs to be resolved, Jeanette is confident that they have the systems in place to ensure that a resolution is reached.
“One of the best parts about it is that where his strengths are, those aren’t my strengths,” she says.
“Where my strengths are, those aren’t his strengths. We match very well in business. We are never combative because we are each in our own lane and it allows for things to be completed.”
At present, Greg focuses his attention on meeting with homeowners and inspecting job sites.
“My daily responsibilities usually revolve around the sales team, checking on the jobs and making sure all of our team members are carrying out all the necessary things that need to be done. I’ll also see different homeowners or different projects,” says Greg.
Jeanette is more focused on administrative tasks.
“I run the office. Everything from the minute a lead comes in on the phone, to getting the salesman to the job, to completing the job, to the suppliers, and then working with insurance companies. It’s everything from A-to-Z. The office is involved in all facets of that process,” Jeanette explains, then mentioning that she also plays an active role in communicating with insurance companies.
“We work with insurance claims on a daily basis, and depending on the insurance company, it can either be a very small job or it can be a very drug-out and hard process because some insurance companies are harder to deal with than others.”
In Montana, roofing trends are different than in other parts of the country. In fact, it is not uncommon for manufacturers to no longer carry the types of shingles that are still present on homeowners’ roofs.
“Here in Montana, what we run into is a lot of T-lock shingles that are no longer available or manufactured. If you have a roof like that on your home, a lot of times we can get that covered by insurance if any of the shingles have blown off your roof,” says Greg, who offers local homeowners with T-lock shingles an opportunity to see if they qualify for a new roof.
“T-locks are an outdated shingle, so if you have any suspicion that that might be the type of roofing you have on your house, or if you have any shingles missing on your property, give us a call [406-761-7663]. We’re happy to come out and inspect it, give it a full evaluation, and come up with some solutions on a new roofing system.”
For Greg and Jeanette, another challenge that comes with owning a roofing company in Montana is that similar to other cold weather states, America’s Choice Roofing is not able to replace roofs in the winter months due to inclement weather.
Greg says this has affected the way his company operates, but that he has also adjusted the way he does business to account for the lapse in working days.
“That [time off] can create financial considerations that a lot of other jobs wouldn’t have. It’s really about being diligent during the good times to make sure that you’re saving and running your business the way that you should by using that time to learn and grow in the roofing industry,” he says.
“We will go to a lot of different conferences and we belong to a lot of different roofing groups, which helps assist with new marketing ideas and new ideas going into the first quarter of every year.”
That diligence and commitment to their company has paid off for Greg and Jeanette.
Now, as their company headquarters expands out of their home and into a traditional building, the couple appears primed to continue their success.
Even better, Greg and Jeanette say they are as happy as they have ever been.
“We live a perfect life,” says Jeanette. “We are a husband and wife that work together and love what we do. There’s nothing that we can’t fix.”
Want to learn more about America’s Choice Roofing?
Visit their website or give them a call today at 406-761-7663 and let their team of experts handle all your roofing needs!
