Building better roofing teams through peer power

By Jesse Sanchez.

Access to exclusive peer groups gives commercial roofing leaders a real edge in the service department game.

When Tracey Donels joined Karen Edwards on Roofing Road Trips®, the conversation quickly cut to the heart of a major issue in commercial roofing: growing service departments in an industry where operational silos and burnout are all too common. Tracey, a seasoned commercial service pro and co-founder of Service First Solutions, shared his thoughts on what’s holding many companies back.

“You’re never going to grow until you say, ‘Hey, I don’t know everything. What do you have that you might be able to teach me?’” he said. This mindset drives one of the most powerful tools his company offers: service-focused peer groups.

More than just another networking opportunity, these peer groups are structured to bring together 8 to 10 non-competing contractors from across the country. The goal? Solve real problems in commercial roofing service departments — and do it by learning from the people living those challenges every day.

Each month, peer group members jump on a Zoom call and work through issues using a format inspired by EOS’s Level 10 meetings. Members openly share what’s working, what’s not and where they need help. That candor, Tracey said, is key.

Peer group benefits go far beyond venting sessions. Contractors share processes, compare tools and sometimes save thousands by avoiding costly missteps. In one case, Tracey recalled, a peer’s advice on buying leak detection equipment led to another contractor saving $1,800 simply by switching vendors.

But perhaps the greatest value comes in the form of clarity — seeing a path forward when service feels like chaos.

“Too often in the roofing world... service becomes the stuff we have to do, not necessarily the stuff we want to do,” Tracey explained. “From the best service companies, I hear service is the easiest work they do — because they have those processes set up.”

The peer group model mirrors Tracey’s own journey. Early in his career, he visited five major service departments across Florida in one week. “I just went in and pretended like a dummy,” he said. That willingness to ask questions turned into a $9 million service department under his leadership.

For commercial roofing leaders ready to move from survival mode to scalable success, Tracey makes it clear: you don’t have to figure it out alone.

Read the transcript or Listen to the podcast to learn more about how contractors are using peer groups to transform their service departments!