A Great Partnership Equals Success

Spray Foam Magazine – Winter 2020 – Troy Mason, President of Canadian Flat Roof Systems, started his company in his home garage in southwestern Ontario with one duct-taped spray rig trailer on a beer budget. A short five years later, Troy has a very successful business with a great partner and a crew of 16. Impressed by the teamwork of Canadian Flat Roof Systems, Spray Foam Magazine spoke to Troy and his Vice President, Kevin Dowling, to talk more about what makes their business work.

Spray Foam Magazine: How did your partnership develop?

Troy: A year after starting the company, I could see that we were growing quickly and there was a need to hire someone locally. I got to know Kevin at a hockey arena where our boys both play.

Kevin: I was at my busiest in my own company when Troy approached me with the idea of coming to work with him, so for me, it was quite the jump. After weighing it all out and Troy’s numerous offers, I finally decided it was worth a shot.

SFM: Why do you feel that having a good partner can be a valuable asset?

T: The main reason why Kevin and I work so well together is that we both bring different levels of expertise to the table. I’m strictly a coatings guy and that’s it. Before going into business for myself, I worked for two of the largest polyurea hybrid manufacturers in the U.S. Having Kevin on board to handle the construction side of things just works. Our partnership in the flat roofing business makes good sense. It’s more than just trying to make coatings stick to a roof. We often have to deal with architects and engineers, as well as construction components such as installing skylights, flashing, capping, chimney repairs, building new trusses, repairing holes, and that’s where Kevin comes in. We are the perfect team.

K: We add our specific backgrounds to the business and it always helps to have someone to bounce ideas off of.  

SFM: What specifically makes Canadian Flat Roof Systems a great team?

K: As Troy stated, we come from different backgrounds. I grew up in the family construction business working with my dad for years. I eventually became interested in cabinet work and started my own company. I was self-employed for 11 years before deciding to close my business and go to work with Troy. Troy and I divide up all duties and responsibilities. He handles the financials and payroll and I do most of the sales calls, quoting, and invoicing.  

SFM: Why do you think your business is so successful?

T: Other than bringing our two areas of expertise together, I’d say it’s service. You don’t just spray coatings and you’re done, not if you want to maintain a good customer base. That’s one of the reasons you need someone with a construction background. Service is the key! We walk every roof to know if there are any problems and if there are, we get on it right away. We have extreme weather here. Summers can reach 100° F and winters can be -23°. All roofs shift and move in those temps, leading to a high possibility of failure, so we walk them all and if there is failure, we fix it. We offer a 20-year warranty on our work, so we walk those roofs for the first five years, making any repairs needed. After that, we know it will be fine. To be successful, you should be willing to maintain your work and keep your customers happy.

SFM: Any innovative ideas in the works for Canadian Flat Roof Systems?

T: We are putting a lot of effort into the idea of franchising our business because we know the way we are doing things works. We get calls from all over Canada, so we’d like to see our brand grow. We have the process down, know how to make money, have the branding, and the marketing, so it just makes sense to share that knowledge and expand. We are a successful company without attitude. Our growth came to us by hiring the right people, looking after our customers, and pricing properly.