Tri-Citians launch new roof spray treatment business
Roof Maxx’s award-winningtechnology
can extend the life of roofs
Jeremy Dimond and Pete Kelley once worked together as wine salesmen.
But they always wanted to own their own business.
It happened this year when they launched Roof Maxx.
Kelley was scrolling through Facebook one day when he learned about the Roof Maxx story.
It looked like the right fit.
Dimond looked at the company and agreed.
So they bought a dealership in February. It’s not considered a franchise
as there are no royalty fees.
Roof Maxx offers a plant-based spray treatment to extend the life of
roofs. The spray allows millions of micro-beads of all-natural oil to penetrate
old, brittle roofs.
The product was developed in partnership with Battelle Memorial
Institute in Ohio and the Ohio Soybean Council.
An Ohio State University research team and Battelle scientists tested
the product for five years.
Roof Maxx Technologies LLC brought it to the market in 2017.
The spraying process restores a roof’s flexibility and waterproofing.
Treatments come with a five-year transferable warranty.
Repeating the treatment every five years — up to three times total — can
extend a roof’s life by up to 15 years.
The company – which holds the patent for one year – recently received
global recognition from the World Bio Markets 2019 conference in Amsterdam as
one of the top 10 Most Dynamic and Inspiring Startups of 2019.
Kelley likes that the product is eco-friendly.
“It’s 100 percent green, with a soybean-based product,” he said.
It’s made a believer out of Dave Retter, president and owner of Retter
& Company Sotheby’s International Realty in Kennewick.
Retter had Dimond and Kelley spray the 20-year-old roof of his own
house.
“After 15 years, the roof is deteriorated,” he said. “I had those guys
come over. Not only is the pliability back, but roofs also lose some of their
color. It’s now deepened in color.
“I am sold on it,” Retter added. “I am all in on recommending these
guys. This is one of the coolest products I’ve seen in a long time.”
Retter is recommending “anybody who has an existing house to ask these
guys to check their roofs out. The $2,800 I spent is much cheaper than
re-roofing my house for $12,000.”
Andy Dollar, sales manager for Windermere Group One in Kennewick, also
sings the praises of the Roof Maxx product.
“It’s innovative. It’s new,” Dollar said. “The roof is one of the most
important parts of the house. I like the long-term maintenance that (Roof Maxx)
it provides. It’s definitely out there for an option to look at (for
homeowners).”
Kelley said it’s a product that makes all parties involved — except
maybe roofers — happy.
“It’s a meet-in-the-middle-of-the-road product,” Kelley said. “It saves
the seller money, and the buyer gets security.”
Here’s how the three-step process works: Dimond and Kelley will go up on
the roof for a detailed inspection.
“We meet at your house, and we do a video inspection of your roof,”
Dimond said. “We send you the video. The whole process costs about 15 to 20
percent of what a roof replacement costs.”
Second, while up there, they’ll straighten up the roof with needed
maintenance.
Finally, they’ll apply the Roof Maxx treatment with a sprayer.
There are times when a roof is so far gone, it can’t be treated.
“Typically, a roof lasts 20 to 25 years,” Dimond said. “But we get on a
couple of roofs, and we just can’t save them.”
Though Dimond and Kelley bought their business in February, the harsh
winter that lasted into March meant they weren’t able to get out on rooftops
until April.
But they went to home shows, held meetings with clients and met with
real estate agents.
“Home inspectors really like our product,” Kelley said.
“We’ve been super busy,” Dimond said.
The co-owners are the company’s sole employees, and they’re happy they
got in on the ground floor of the business.
“Somebody just bought the Yakima dealership,” Kelley said. “It’s the
largest, fastest growing startup in the country. In fact, somebody just bought
all of Los Angeles. That’s 75 dealerships.”
Having the Tri-City region is enough right now for these two.
“There is enough work in the Tri-Cities,” Kelley said. “It’s something
everyone can use. Now we’re just trying to get the word out.”
As winter approaches, rooftop work will stop so they’ll be able to focus
on promoting their enterprise.
“We can’t go up on roofs when it gets below freezing,” Kelley said.
Meanwhile, the men are enjoying being their own bosses. “It feels good
to know you’re the boss and you have the freedom to do what you want,” Dimond
said.
Roof Maxx: Jeremy Dimond, 509-845-0818, Jeremy@roofmaxx.com; Pete Kelley, 509-537-5534; Pkelley@roofmaxx.com.
