FXBG Neighbors Podcast
Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast
FXBG Neighbors Podcast
EP #29 Extending Roof Life: How Roof Maxx Is Saving Homeowners Thousands
Ever wonder if there's an alternative to costly roof replacement? Nick Roberge of Roof Maxx reveals a game-changing approach that's saving homeowners thousands while extending roof life by 5+ years.
Drawing from his 20-year background in Marine Corps aircraft maintenance, Nick explains how the same preventative maintenance principles apply to your home's most important protective barrier. The revolutionary process uses a soybean-based oil treatment that restores flexibility to brittle asphalt shingles – much like hand lotion revitalizes dry skin. At roughly 20% the cost of roof replacement, this solution addresses both financial and environmental concerns.
The conversation debunks common roofing myths, particularly the widespread belief that any roofing issue requires complete replacement. Nick's service includes comprehensive maintenance tune-ups that identify and fix potential leak sources like nail pops and loose flashings. As he points out, you wouldn't expect a 30-year roof to last three decades without maintenance – just as you wouldn't drive your car for years without changing the oil.
Beyond the technical aspects, Nick shares his entrepreneurial journey from Marine Corps retirement through Syracuse University's Entrepreneurial Boot Camp for Veterans to finding the perfect business match. His advice to aspiring business owners resonates with authenticity: find something that genuinely works for you, be willing to invest in your business, and remember that marketing is an investment, not merely a cost.
Curious if your roof qualifies for rejuvenation? Most roofs over eight years old are ideal candidates. Nick offers free assessments and can be reached directly at 540-427-6324 to answer questions about this eco-friendly alternative that keeps asphalt shingles out of landfills where they take 300 years to decompose. Learn more about how this innovative approach is revolutionizing roof maintenance in the Fredericksburg area.
Nick Roberge
Roof Maxx
nroberge@roofmaxx.com
(540) 427-6324
This is the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Dori Stewart.
Speaker 2:Welcome to another episode of the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast. We love introducing good neighbors to great businesses, and today joining me on the podcast is Nick Roberge of Roof Maxx. Nick, welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 3:Hi Dori, thanks for having me.
Speaker 2:Yeah well, I'm excited to learn all about your business, so why don't we start off there? Tell us a little bit about Roof Maxx.
Speaker 3:Sure. So what Roof Maxx does is we restore roofs, we do not replace them. We do this through preventative maintenance actions and by treating the shingles asphalt shingles with a soybean-based oil, and it makes it last longer. It gives it another five years. It's a lot cheaper than getting a new roof typically about 20% or so of what the cost of a new roof is. And now just you know, we can clean it up on occasion if that's what's needed, and that's basically what we do.
Speaker 2:Interesting. So instead of a, or is it instead of a roof replacement, or does it just, you know, kind of make it last longer? Dive in a little bit about that, yeah, so so it.
Speaker 3:it's really designed to keep your current roof on longer, so we're just trying to add life to it. A lot of homeowners are familiar with maybe some basic automotive maintenance. You drive your car for so long. Eventually you're going to get an oil change. It's kind of the same concepts Maintenance is maintenance. I've been in the maintenance field for many years and it's a lot of the same concepts, regardless of what you're working on.
Speaker 2:Nice, nice, so yeah, so continue with that. What was your journey like? How did you get into this?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so, like I said, I'm a maintainer. My background I did a lot of aircraft maintenance in the Marine Corps for about 20 years probably about 12 to 13 of that or so and again it's the same concepts when I had retired about, I guess, about 10 years ago now it goes by fast project management work when I had gotten out and then I was kind of sitting behind a desk too much and needed to get back outside again. So I had gotten a business education type of opportunity. Through Syracuse University they actually have this entrepreneurial boot camp for veterans. It's all paid for. It's a fantastic program.
Speaker 3:It really just kind of enlightens somebody who's not, somebody who's not done business before and and just shows the similarities and differences and you learn from other successful vet entrepreneurs what we call come in and the professors that they have their other students that are going through their MBAs, their other classmates, really your classmates really. So that really helped me out quite a bit. And then the Roof Maxx opportunity came along and I'd been looking into probably 20 or so different types of franchises, other types of businesses, and none of them were really fitting until this one did, and the people are great. You get a lot of freedom to set your schedule if you need to, and it's it's been. It's been great so far, so I'm in my sixth year now, so enjoying it and looking forward to the future here.
Speaker 2:Nice Well congratulations. Getting past that five-year mark of a new business is a big milestone.
Speaker 3:It is yeah, I need to hire soon.
Speaker 2:So tell me, are there any myths or misconceptions that you hear about the industry?
Speaker 3:Oh, of course. So roof rejuvenation for a lot of people is kind of new, but so was, you know, treating your backyard for mosquitoes you know, 10 years ago.
Speaker 3:And now there's, you know, five competitors in the area. So I think a lot of people just think that once something goes wrong with the roof you have to replace it. And that's not the case. You know, if you're missing a shingle, you get the shingle replaced. You know you don't need to hold a roof because of that, especially when it's five years old. And we see that every. You know.
Speaker 3:Sometimes the other thing is is it's really just educating homeowners about rejuvenation? I mean, it's here to stay, here to stay. It's simple. I mean, think of your hands in the wintertime. They get all dried and cracked out. You know what do you do? You put hand lotion on. I mean it's the same sort of concept for a roof that gets dried out. Those original oils over time they just, for lack of a better term, evaporate and the shingles can become brittle, they can crack and break and we're just putting another oil into the shingles to make them last longer. Sometimes we will get a call a few years later saying, hey, I have a leak. Well, yeah, but the Roof Maxx treatment is not designed to stop leaks. It's designed to condition your shingles, basically, and make them, make them better again. Um, but we also go through and do what's called a maintenance tune-up and we're looking for, like nail pops and uh, loose ridge vents, loose flashings, that sort of thing A lot of common items that are really going to cause a leak, so we can address those as well.
Speaker 2:So you're saving people a lot of money.
Speaker 3:Sounds like yeah yeah, which we try to. I mean I mean your roof. You know we'll hear, yeah, I've got a 30-year roof. Yeah, you can't leave your roof alone for 30 years and expect it to last. You got to have a little bit of tlc. I mean it's the same again. Same thing with your car get an oil change. Or same thing with just other basic maintenance. I mean you got to mow your lawn right.
Speaker 2:Right, yeah, no, I love that and thank you for clearing up those myths. I imagine you get that a lot.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah. And we get about 10% of roofs that don't qualify. And if your roof doesn't qualify, I'm just going to tell you we're partnering up with a few other roofing companies in the area or depending on where they're at, because we cover a large, large area, mainly Stafford spot, see, and in British burger. Obviously we've got the King George down to Lake Anna, out towards Culpeper a little bit I try not to go north because of the traffic, but other other locations up there. So nice.
Speaker 2:So clearly you're working hard on your business. What are you doing when you're not working for fun?
Speaker 3:Yeah, it seems like my days off are when it rains, because I'm not getting on a cruise. No just hanging out with the family, spending time watching some favorite sports teams, and of course, we just had the Stanley Cup finals and all that. That was pretty cool. I'm a pretty good baseball fan too, and it's that time of year where we're outside doing the barbecues and the grilling and all that. So it's good, usually anything to do with the outdoors.
Speaker 2:So nice, nice, love that. So what is some advice that you would give a new entrepreneur? Or advice maybe that that someone that you wish someone, had told you when you first started your business?
Speaker 3:Yeah, no great question. I would say just find something that works for you. I mean, I really never had any idea that I'd be working on roofs. You know, I told you that seven years ago or so. But again, like I said, same concepts it's the same. I mean, I like it, it's the same, but it's different. You know, I get to a home and it's like, okay, I'm gonna get on the roof this way because it's the safest spot to put the ladder. Of course you have a process to go through and inspect it and check for things, but it's different. Every time you get to interact with a lot of homeowners, see a lot of pretty cool layouts and everything. I'm getting ideas for a retirement home, I guess, someday. No, it's good, definitely for a new entrepreneur. Find something that works for you. Don't be afraid to go out there. I mean, you got to spend a little money to make a little money.
Speaker 3:You know, we hear a lot of times, especially with, let's say, marketing, it's more an investment, not a cost. Right, yeah, but yeah, it's just yeah.
Speaker 2:If it doesn't work for you, you're not going to like it and you're going to want to do something else anyway.
Speaker 3:So, right Right, know what you're getting into and and uh, but just be be happy with what you're doing.
Speaker 2:So great advice. Whatever it is that you choose, you're going to be spending a lot of time doing it, so make sure it's something you like. Yeah.
Speaker 3:There's no more, if you're on a 40 hour work week, that those are gone.
Speaker 2:So thank you for that advice.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So what is something that you wish the listeners knew about your business?
Speaker 3:Really just that. You know, roof rejuvenation is a thing and it's here to stay. You know, the technology has been around since the early 2000s and just Roof Maxx is the first one to take it to market. There's other you know companies out there that claim to be roof rejuvenation but you just just looking at the fine print, that's all I don't. You know, we're trying not to pay too much attention to some of those. You know, stay focused on your own business. I can tell you what I can do, but they're not all, not all the same. So just kind of. Just kind of look into them, I'd say for other other viewers, and just understand.
Speaker 3:You know, again, our main thing is to keep your roof on longer. We keep those. You know, if you're not, if you change the roof out too soon, that's a roof. You know, asphalt shingles that are sitting in a landfill and they take 300 years to break down. So it's more eco-friendly. You know, again, it's a plant-based bio-oil, so it's anything. Any overspray is perfectly safe for people, pets and the environment and all that. So yeah again, just do your research. There's plenty of it online. We've got a ton of videos on YouTube and our local sites as well. Definitely get educated, you know. Read the frequently asked questions and feel free to just call us and ask questions if you have them.
Speaker 2:Nice, and if they want to call you or find your website, what's the best way for them to reach you?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I believe you said you had the URL. You can also call or text me directly at 540-427-6324. And, like I said, I'm happy to answer any questions that they might have. Again, if they can go to the local site. They kind of cut out one layer of talking to somebody else. And, yeah, we're happy to do it. We do free assessments, happy to go out and take a look at the roof. I'd say anything. That's most roofs got to be, probably at least you know, I'd say probably at least eight years old or so. If they're still new, they still have the oils in, they're still flexible, then they're probably good. They probably don't even need us yet. We do get a small percentage of folks like that too. So we'll just make sure they're calm in a few years.
Speaker 2:Nice. Thank you, Nick, so much for joining me on the podcast today and sharing a Roof Maxx with us.
Speaker 3:I appreciate it Thanks.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Fredericksburg Neighbors Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to fxbgneighborspodcast. com.