Business Spotlight: Meet Josh Ifill from Reliant Roofing & Home Services

Trust matters when it comes to putting a roof over your family's head. That's the driving force behind Josh Ifill's decision to launch Reliant Roofing & Home Services earlier this year, bringing a refreshing dose of honesty and professionalism to an industry not always known for either.

Josh doesn't just sell roofing services - he positions himself as a homeowner's advocate, particularly when battling insurance companies that, as he candidly explains, "are trying very hard not to cover the homeowner and pay out as little as possible." By handling claims from start to finish, Josh removes the burden from busy homeowners who might otherwise struggle with the complex, often intimidating insurance process. Even after claim denials, his team knows exactly which avenues to pursue, including working with public adjusters who can help overturn unfavorable decisions.

What truly sets Reliant Roofing apart is Josh's commitment to straight talk. When repairs would only serve as a temporary bandage on an aging roof, he says so. When insurance companies require roof replacements to maintain coverage (an increasingly common practice with older three-tab shingle roofs), he helps customers understand their options. And when major storms hit the area, homeowners can count on having a local, accessible contractor rather than dealing with out-of-state "storm chasers" who disappear once the check clears.

Beyond roofing, Josh has built Reliant into a comprehensive exterior service provider handling siding, gutters, pressure washing, cleaning, and lawn care. Even with the demands of growing his business, he balances work with being a dad to his almost four-year-old daughter, who he laughingly mentions "thinks that she's working on my computer selling roofs." Connect with Josh and experience the Reliant difference by calling 404-680-1507 or visiting reliantroofing.com today - your home deserves a contractor who'll be there before, during, and long after your roofing project is complete.

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:01

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Stacey Poehler.

Speaker 2 0:13

Hey everybody. I am so excited tonight to have Josh Ifill on. He is from Reliant Roofing. Welcome Josh.

Speaker 3 0:22

Thank you. Thank you, stacey, I appreciate you having me.

Speaker 2 0:24

Yeah, we're excited to listen to your story and hear about your business, so why don't you start off by telling us about Reliant Roofing?

Speaker 3 0:31

Yeah, so Reliant Roofing we started in January of this year, and really what made me want to start this business was I felt like the industry was lacking just some honesty and professionalism, and just a lot of companies out there were just trying to make as much money as they can and they weren't really just taking care of their customers. And I wanted to start something where I was really customer service oriented, and so that's really what pushed me to do this.

Speaker 2 0:57

Great, great, and maybe just elaborate a little bit on customer service and kind of what sets you apart.

Starting a Customer-Focused Roofing Business

Speaker 3 1:03

Yeah, so everything that I've done in my past has been dealing with customers and just taking care of them from start to bottom, and so what I love about this is I'm connecting with a lot of homeowners who are around the same age, if not older, but I'm helping them. I know that they have a problem. I can see that they don't really trust who they're dealing with or that they don't really fully grasp the concept, and so I'm able to talk to them, help them, especially if it's an insurance claim. Nobody likes insurance companies. I'm able to just help them from start to finish and really just at the end of it I enjoy just seeing the relief on their face.

Speaker 2 1:37

That's great. Can you talk a little bit about your journey and how you got into roofing and how you got into having your own company?

Speaker 3 1:44

Yeah, so I started with a family friend. They've been in business for quite some time now and I really learned everything from them, and that's really what piqued my interest. I knew I wanted to be a business owner. I just didn't know which direction I wanted to go and, like I said, a lot of my stuff's been in customer service. I've always dealt with customers and then when I learned the roofing side of things, I just clicked and, yeah, I was like this is awesome and I feel like I could do this on my own.

Speaker 2 2:08

So that's what led me to this yeah, and I know that a lot of business owners struggle a little bit in getting the business off the ground. Can you talk about maybe some hurdles or challenges that you've had that you've had to work through? Oh yeah, it's.

Speaker 3 2:23

It's been a journey, for sure. It's been a tough year, but anything that you start is going to be tough. I've actually connected with a lot of great people who have helped me along the way and just really pushed me, especially on the insurance side of things, and just helped me understand that entire process, and so the team surrounded my team around me. I think that we're able to access everything that we can around me.

Navigating Insurance Claims for Homeowners

Speaker 2 2:47

I think that we're able to access everything that we can. Sorry, yeah, you mentioned insurance. I would like to hear about maybe some of the myths or misperceptions that are out there, and insurance might play into that. People are always asking you know about roofing and whether or not their roof is going to get covered, so maybe you can hit on that for us.

Speaker 3 3:01

Yeah, that's a great question. I didn't know anything about the claim process or really, from start to finish, what it entailed, and so it's scary to a lot of people. And a lot of these insurance companies are trying very hard to not cover the homeowner and get out as less as possible, even though the homeowner is paying on time. The homeowner is doing everything that they need when it's time for them to collect on that. They are trying to stay rich and not pay out as much as possible. I really enjoy helping them from start to finish. I'm able to for the most part, depending on what their insurance company is. I'm able to handle the claim from the very beginning when I walk them through the process, and I try to make it as seamless as possible for them, so I want it to be just easy. They can communicate directly with me and With the team around me. We know which way to go and how to fight back on some of these issues that they give to homeowners.

Speaker 2 3:53

That's good. And what about repairs? Do you guys do a lot of repairs as well?

Speaker 3 3:57

We do, we do. I typically Try to stay away from repairs on an older roof just because I feel like you're putting a bandaid on something that is going to be a long-term problem. So I'm very upfront and honest If it's repairable, I'll repair it. If we can do it, we will do it. But also if it's at the life of its roof, I'm going to let that homeowner know. Listen, we can do this for you, but you are going to have probably some problems down the road and just having that conversation with homeowners, being honest up front, and just communicate it through the whole way and whatever they decide to do at that point, I will do for them.

Speaker 2 4:33

And do you always remain the point of contact? Are they always talking to you every step of the way in the process?

Speaker 3 4:39

Yeah, especially through the insurance claim. I like to handle it the entire way, from start to finish. Homeowners are busy, they're working, they have kids, they have activities, and so my job is to be that middleman and really fight for them and just handle that and make it as easy as possible Because, like I said earlier, a lot of people are scared of insurance. A lot of people are scared of the claim process and we know where to take it and even if you get a denial, we know the avenues to take to fight that and to get another inspection. We have public adjusters part of our team as well that we can get involved and we've had a lot of success with that.

Dealing with Repairs and Aging Roofs

Speaker 2 5:11

I've also heard that there's some stuff going on in the industry where the homeowners insurance won't take on a new client with an old roof and they're making people replace roofs as soon as they're buying homes. Have you seen a little bit of that?

Speaker 3 5:25

Yeah, a lot of. I don't know if people are familiar with the type of shingles, but a lot of three-tab shingles that are starting to get towards the end of its life. People are our insurance companies are telling them they need to upgrade in order to stay insured. The reason being is because they know if a storm comes through they are going to have to replace that roof and, like I said earlier, they are trying as hard as possible not to replace the roof for the homeowner. Yeah, I think just catching that early, knowing kind of where you're at, you know with your age of your roof, is really important and just honestly connecting with a good contractor who knows what he's talking about is honest and will shoot you straight when it comes to that.

Speaker 2 6:02

Yeah, and one thing I know we've seen in this area is if a storm does come through, there's these like storm chasers that come from all over, like you've never heard of the company before, you've never seen them. They might have Tennessee plates or South Carolina plates on their trucks, but it's good to know that we have somebody who's right here and local to the community, who can be there during that type of trouble as well and be there for the community during a storm. Why don't you talk a little bit about your family and what you do for fun and how you spend your time when you're not up on a roof?

Speaker 3 6:36

Yeah, so in my free time. I haven't had a lot of free time. Obviously, I'm starting my business this year, so it's been busy. But I do have a almost four-year-old little girl and she is a lot of fun. She takes up a lot of my time when I'm not working, but I love it. She's starting to get into activities now. We just actually just got home from gymnastics, so she's loving that, and so we're thinking about doing soccer as well for her. So it's just really a fun time to be a dad. She also helps me sell roofs. She thinks that she's working on my computer selling roofs for me, and I'm like I love it. Yeah, I spent a lot of time with her Outside of that. I used to play a lot of golf as well. You could catch me out there almost every weekend there for a while. But this year I've been really locking down and just trying to get my name out there, build my brand and just get out there in the community.

Speaker 2 7:21

Awesome, awesome. Anything else that you want to share about your business that you haven't had a chance to tell us?

Speaker 3 7:27

Yeah, so we're not just roofers. We do anything with the home, so we do siding, we do gutters, we also pressure washing, we offer cleaning services, lawn care. There's nothing I really can turn down. If I can't do it, I have the connections and my team around me who I know we can get this job done for you. That's what I want to build my brand around and I think right now we're in that stage of just getting the name out there and I want people to know me and the Reliant way and the way that we're trying to do things, and that's just extremely important to me.

Speaker 2 7:59

What does that name mean to you? What made you pick Reliant?

Speaker 3 8:06

I think just I loved it, I saw it, I was thinking about it and I just wanted something to portray that I was reliable, I was, I can be relied upon, and so it just it just stuck. And as far as the colors behind it, it's actually my daughter's favorite color is purple, but no, I just my whole point was just to really get honest, good work to the community and that's what I wanted to provide. And I felt like the name itself says that.

Speaker 2 8:31

Yeah, and it sounds like really being with them from start to finish and handling all of the claims and things for them, just making them able to get back to their life and, yeah, getting that roof back over their heads there. Why don't you share where folks can reach you? If they're interested in reaching out to you, what's the best way to get in touch?

Services Beyond Roofing and Contact Info

Speaker 3 8:51

Yeah, you can contact us by phone or text. That number is 404-680-1507. We have a website as well, that's wwwdereliantroofingcom. We're also on Facebook and Instagram as well. Instagram is the Reliant Roofing and if you search Reliant Roofing and Home Services on Facebook, you can find us on there as well.

Speaker 2 9:14

Awesome. Thanks so much for joining us today, Josh. This was great.

Speaker 3 9:18

Yeah, no, I appreciate you guys having me and I look forward to getting the community.

Speaker 2 9:21

All right Awesome.

Speaker 1 9:22

Thank you for listening to the good neighbor podcast Milton and more. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to GNP Miltoncom. That's GNP Miltoncom, or call 470-664-4930. 9 3 0.