Good Neighbor Podcast: Fort Collins
Bringing together local businesses and neighbors of Fort Collins. Good Neighbor Podcast hosted by Nick George helps residents discover and connect with your local business owners in and around Fort Collins, Colorado.
Is your business serving the residents of Fort Collins? Then, we need to talk! Visit gnpFortCollins.com to schedule your free interview.
Good Neighbor Podcast: Fort Collins
Brandon Dawson is building more than roofs—he's creating opportunities.
Ever wondered what really separates quality roofing contractors from fly-by-night operators? Brandon Dawson, owner of Access Roofing Colorado, pulls back the curtain on an industry often shrouded in misconception and complexity.
With a background spanning from union carpentry to high-level commercial construction, Brandon brings authentic expertise to our conversation about what homeowners truly need to know before selecting a roofing contractor. He reveals shocking statistics about storm-chasing contractors—approximately 80% are out-of-towners who vanish when warranty issues arise later. This practice has tarnished the industry's reputation, making it crucial for homeowners to verify credentials and local presence.
The discussion takes a particularly illuminating turn when Brandon explains how insurance companies are increasingly tightening their policies, adding exclusions many homeowners remain unaware of until it's too late. His company has positioned itself as both contractor and advocate, guiding clients through the labyrinthine process of insurance claims while ensuring quality workmanship. For commercial property owners, Brandon shares a little-known secret about Section 179 tax benefits that could save millions in deductions.
What truly distinguishes Access Roofing, however, is their evolution into what Brandon calls a "for-purpose business." For every roof installed, they contribute $250 to their Access of Hope Foundation, specifically supporting fathers navigating difficult custody situations. This commitment to community impact extends beyond business hours, mirroring Brandon's own high-energy approach to life—from motorcycle adventures to his current "75 Hard" personal development challenge.
Whether you're facing immediate roofing needs or simply preparing for future home maintenance, this episode delivers essential knowledge from a trusted local expert. Connect with Brandon on social media @thebigbdawson or visit axisroofing-co.com to learn how quality roofing can protect your most valuable asset while supporting meaningful community initiatives.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Nick George.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a roofing company? That's the best that's out there. Well, one might be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Brandon Dawson, with Access Roofing Colorado. Brandon, how's it going?
Speaker 3:Great, how about yourself?
Speaker 2:Excellent. Tell us all about Access Roofing Colorado.
Speaker 3:So I own Access Roofing. It's a Colorado-based company. We started with residential storm restoration and now we're expanding into a larger department, into the commercial division and really all-encompassing in the home services solution. Also, you know, top preferred contractors. We're BBB accredited, we pride ourselves in delivering top quality, While we're also guiding the homeowners, you know, through the insurance process as we go, because that could be daunting, you know, for a homeowner and beyond roofing, I also have a security company, Elite Private Protection. So both ventures, you know, connect under my larger mission, which is building a business that serves the people at the highest level while we're creating these opportunities for other people.
Speaker 2:How did you get into the roofing business?
Speaker 3:So I've been a general contractor for a long time. I started years ago going through you know, the Carpenters Union, went through the apprenticeship was running work, building big high ground up commercial construction, and then over time I just saw how the storms were impacting family and businesses and how confusing that whole process is and how confusing it can be. So that's when I realized that roofing was not just about shingles but it was about advocating for the people as well, and you know what began as knocking on doors and you know learning. The trade has now since grown into building Access Roofing, into a platform that really empowers teams, and we're expanding across different states as well teams and we're expanding across different states as well.
Speaker 2:And just so listeners know how we're spelling Axis, it's A-X-I-S. So, Brandon, what are some myths or misconceptions in your industry when people think you know what they might expect when they pick up the phone and call, or pick up the Google search bar and call a roofing company?
Speaker 3:You know that's a great question and a big one is. A big misconception is that all roofers are the same. That's just absolutely not true. The truth is you know the quality, the warranties, you know the code, compliance and even how the insurance supplements are handled. Very dramatically, another myth is that insurance companies are just going to take care of it.
Speaker 3:You know, in reality, like I was saying, carriers are really tightening their policies. They're delaying claims, they're adding all kinds of exclusions throughout the policy. A lot of times these homeowners don't even know what they're getting into. You know they're dropping down to ACB policies. They got all kinds of soft metal exclusions. So really, you know what we specialize in is helping these homeowners through this process and, if they're not in a good policy, with connecting them to another resource that we have in our network to get them into a better policy. But again, what's happening is, you know the market, the way that it's shifting, even with the insurance, and insurance is not wanting to pay out. It's really shifting to to more of a retail market. Um, so we make that whole process, you know, seamless, documented and fully compliant. So so the clients are protected.
Speaker 2:Could you explain to me again the difference between a roofing company that is chasing hailstorms and a retail roofing company?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so what happens is a lot of the times, you know, when you have a roofing company that are chasing these storms. I'll be honest with you, 80% of them are out-of-towners, they're fly-by-night roofing companies. You know, I had a list about 300 roofing companies from one of the first storms that hit Colorado and I looked through that list and 80% of them are companies that I have no idea who they even are. So what happens is, you know, they come in, they do the work and then, when it comes time for warranty later on, down the road or a leak or something that's going on with the roof, guess what? These guys are nowhere to be found, and that's the problem in the roofing industry as a whole is now the roofers have a bad name, you see. So it's always important to use a local trusted contractor that's insured and licensed, and make sure you do your research.
Speaker 2:And when you say retail, does that mean like a retail facility where people can come in and shop and touch stuff? I mean, I'm just trying to understand when.
Speaker 3:I'm talking retail. Basically, what I'm saying is a couple of things. One, with the insurance as a roofer, it's almost like you're the bank, waiting on the insurance to pay out the proceeds to the homeowner. A lot of times there's a mortgage company involved where you have to get a mortgage affidavit. You know, I have to get an endorsement because they're vested in the property, they have a vested interest, so it delays the process and it's like the roofing company is a bank almost. But here's what's happening even more is that?
Speaker 3:Um, because of all of that, it just makes more sense now and the way the market's shifting is just to pitch it as a retail. In the first place, you know if you can get a brand new roof and I promise you nobody's excited wake up in the morning jumping on the bed. You know to buy a new roof, but it's your largest asset and there's a lot of things that can go wrong very fast. So, uh, we just came back, you know, from a big conference, a a win, the storm conference, and just kind of listened to the industry leaders and what's happening. And even you know top industry pros and other insurance companies. The insurance is asking okay, hey, you know, by the time you guys are done.
Speaker 3:Supplementing these claims are way out of proportion. Why can't you give us a written estimate right there at the time that we're doing the initial inspection? And now you know from our exactimate estimate, with our line item estimate in your retail, what it's going to cost you. Maybe we're a few thousand off and we can get closer to that number rather than you know, starting off with a small estimate from the insurance in the first place and really trying to get it boosted up where the homeowners really get the value for what they're owed. You know, because my job is to put the house back in the pre-storm condition and to really look out for the homeowners.
Speaker 2:Right, and so you know. And storms don't happen all the time. So who is, who is your target customer and how are you marketing to them right now as a company?
Speaker 3:You know. So that's a good question. And so direct outreach, door knocking that is always number one. You know, we doing local marketing. We're we're big in the community. Um, we, we're sponsoring uh, we sponsored one of the uh semi last year the nightmare. Um, we're doing ai driven campaigns. But now we're really getting into strategic branding so we're positioning access as a trusted name here in Colorado.
Speaker 3:We're getting in, you know, with different realtors. We're actually starting to make relationships, you know, with different insurance companies, trying to get on the preferred list, because before, you know, it was a little different story and now it's almost like you have no choice, you need to be in that network. So we're creating big networking events. We're letting people know what's going on in the industry. We're teaching people and just helping out throughout the process. But then we're also doing education, like I said, from lunch and learns. You know, with commercial owners talking about Section 179. A lot of commercial owners don't realize, but I like to get them all in the same building For one. We're talking about a lot of money. Right, when you have HOA, do maintenance, you know, upgrade their property and you can have up to a two and a half million dollar deduction that year instead of spreading it out over 29 years. So we're really informing, you know, the people how they can use this to their benefit, and those are just some of the different things we're doing to attract.
Speaker 2:Have you ever thought about doing your own podcast to educate people that way?
Speaker 3:You know what? As a matter of fact, my girlfriend Holly and I are starting the podcast here relatively soon, in the next week or two, and it's going to be called Elevate.
Speaker 2:Wow. Outside of work, what do you do for fun?
Speaker 3:So I'm a little bit of an adrenaline junkie. I love all things fitness, taking care of my body, you know, taking care of my faith, really big into motorcycles. Been riding bikes since I was a little kid, boating out with friends, you know, camping when it comes wintertime, snowmobiling up in the mountains, but just enjoying nature, being outside. I think I got ADD I'm not 100% sure on that but I'm always on the go, so always, always doing something. And then on top of that, you know like I'm doing a 75 hard program right now, which is probably one of the best things you can do mentally, and it's 75 days straight, two workouts a day, an indoor-outdoor workout, reading 10 pages a day, drinking a gallon of water, but really taking care of yourself, and every time I've done that last time was five years ago it's really boosted. You know where I'm going and growing and leveling up.
Speaker 2:Brandon, tell our listeners, please, one thing that they should take away from this interview about Axis Roofing Colorado.
Speaker 3:Yeah, one thing that we're very proud of and just kind of switch to this model. But we're actually a for-purpose business now and what that means is we're not just focused on the profits, we're looking at giving back. We got a couple of different ones. We got the access of hope foundation to support families and causes we believe in, and when I say that is, we're talking about including helping parents that are in challenging custody situations and investing into our community. So when you work with us, you're not just getting a new roof, but we're helping make a difference. So every roof that we install now, we do a flat rate, a new roof, but we're helping make a difference. So every roof that we install now, we do a flat rate of $250 per roof that we're putting into the Access to Hope Foundation to help fathers to be able to stay in their kids' lives, and then, on the security side, just helping veterans and giving back to the community.
Speaker 2:How can our listeners learn more about Access roofing company on online and social media and by phone?
Speaker 3:yeah, so I am all over social media um, a lot of it's my personal brand, brandon dawson, on facebook and at the big b? Dawson at instagram. You can go to Axis Roofing business page on Facebook as well and Instagram, and then also our website is axisroofing-cocom.
Speaker 2:Awesome. Well, Brandon, we really appreciate you being on our show and we wish you and Axis Roofing Company the very best moving forward.
Speaker 3:Awesome. Thank you so much. Thanks foring Company the very best moving forward.
Speaker 1:Awesome. Thank you so much. Thanks for having us. I really appreciate it. Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpfortcollinscom. That's gnpfortcollinscom. Or call 970-438-0825.