By Emma Peterson.
Jolly Roofing’s story begins with Mr. John Jolly in 1968. Today, Roger Glaude (Jolly Roofing’s financial controller) and Trip Swords (their CFO) came to share their company’s story with Alex Tolle for an episode of Roofer of the Month. Trip, who has spent over 25 years with the company, shared a bit more of their origin story, saying, “Mr. Jolly was one of eight brothers and sisters. Probably around age 17 or 18 he basically started his own company, and between '68 and '95, he pretty much ran it himself, until he brought in his son John. In 1995, John got on with his dad and it has pretty much continued to grow to this day and year.”
When we asked them what their secret to success has been over the years, both Roger and Trip spoke about the people behind Jolly Roofing. Trip shared, “We're very fortunate that a lot of people really bought in to the vision that Mr. Jolly had shared with everyone just decades ago. We have people in the field right now that have been with us back when they were 18 and 19, and these guys, they're in their mid-40s. They've stayed with us, they've helped grow, they've served in all different types of capacity. I mean, it's been a big, big plus for us.” Roger added, “One of the things I really loved about this place is the people and the longevity that people have been here, because it's just incredible how long some of these people have been here. I know one of our guys, he's our superintendent here in Memphis, some of the stories he has starting back in '95 or '96 like hauling shingles with John Jolly on job sites, and now he's one of our superintendents here in Memphis.”
Just last year the company did over $100 million in commercial work for the industrial sector. This not only includes installations, but also repairs, maintenance and more. Roger explained, “One of our big things in a Roof Secure Program. Through Roof Secure, we inspect the roof and if it doesn't look right we report it to the business owner. From there, we can have the re-roof or the maintenance work done. This lets GCs and building owners manage their roofs and do these inspections yearly, so that way they can stay in front of the surprise costs that might come about.”
Read the transcript or Listen to full conversation to learn more about Jolly Roofing and their incredible legacy.
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About Emma
Emma Peterson is a writer at The Coffee Shops and AskARoofer™. Raised in the dreary and fantastical Pacific Northwest, she graduated in 2024 from Pacific University in Oregon with a degree in creative writing and minors in graphic design and Chinese language. Between overthinking everything a little bit, including this bio, she enjoys watching movies with friends, attending concerts and trying to cook new recipes.
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