What our transition to 100% employee ownership means for commercial property owners and facility managers across our markets
If you manage commercial properties across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, you’ve likely noticed significant changes in the roofing industry recently. Private equity firms have been aggressively acquiring established regional contractors, rolling them into larger consolidated operations focused on quarterly metrics and eventual exit strategies.
At Baker Roofing Company, we’ve taken a fundamentally different path.
In July 2025, after 110 years of family ownership, Baker Roofing transitioned to 100% employee ownership through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). This wasn’t the easiest option—but it was the right one for preserving what makes our partnerships different.
Understanding the Consolidation Wave
The commercial roofing industry is highly fragmented, with nearly 80,000 contractors nationwide. This has made our industry attractive to private equity roll-ups. Industry instability is at historic levels, with major disruption across the entire supply chain—from manufacturing to distribution to contracting.
For property owners and facility managers, this creates real concerns: Will your local team still be there in three years? Will service quality remain consistent? Who’s making decisions about your properties—local experts or distant corporate offices?
What Employee Ownership Means for You
An ESOP is a federally regulated retirement benefit plan funded entirely by the company. As Baker Roofing grows and succeeds, so does the value of each employee’s ownership stake.
Here’s what matters most to you:
Same Team, Greater Accountability
Your service technicians, project managers, and sales representatives are the same people. Our leadership remains unchanged. We’re still guided by the principle W.P. Baker established in 1915: “We shall do good work, at a profit if we can, at a loss if we must, but always good work.”
What’s different? Every employee—from the roofer on your building to the estimator preparing your proposal—now has a direct financial stake in your satisfaction. Your success is literally their success.
Long-Term Partnership Over Short-Term Metrics
When your roofing contractor is employee-owned rather than backed by private equity, your priorities become our priorities. We’re not optimizing for quarterly earnings or preparing for an exit. We’re building a company that will serve our communities for the next 110 years.
This means:
- We invest in preventive maintenance programs and long-term asset management, even when they don’t generate immediate revenue
- Local teams have the authority and ownership stake to make decisions right for your buildings
- Your service team won’t change with each acquisition cycle—institutional knowledge stays with us
- When you call with an emergency, you’re talking to owners
Independence in an Uncertain Industry
With consolidation accelerating, having an independent roofing partner provides critical advantages:
- No acquisition uncertainty – We’re not for sale and not answering to outside investors
- Culture preservation – Our century-old commitment to quality won’t be standardized away
- Community accountability – We’re owned by people who live and work in your communities
- Multi-location consistency – Our 27+ locations operate with unified standards while adapting to local needs
What Hasn’t Changed
✓ 110 years of commercial roofing expertise
✓ 27+ locations across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic
✓ Comprehensive services: repair, replacement, restoration, preventive maintenance
✓ 24/7 emergency response
✓ Specialized expertise in mission-critical facilities, healthcare, education, and commercial real estate
What has changed is that every team member now has a vested interest in delivering exceptional service.
Your Choice in an Industry in Flux
Across all our markets—from Raleigh to Nashville, from Tampa to York, Pennsylvania—you have a choice: work with contractors experiencing ownership transitions and corporate integration, or partner with locally-responsive teams committed to your market for the long term.
At Baker Roofing, we’ve chosen to remain independent, employee-owned, and committed to the communities we serve. We’re not going anywhere, and neither is our century-old promise to always do good work.
