Florida Specialty Roofing and BRAVA: A Partnership Built on Innovation
More and more people are striving towards sustainability, from individual citizens to companies and large corporations. While one would assume following the familiar path of tradition is the best way to achieve this goal and can work in the short term, is it the ideal route for long-term success and growth?
The Start of Long-Term Success
This is the question that Ryan Kruse and Cody Bates, the co-owners of Florida Specialty Roofing (FSR), a premium roofing contractor company, wanted to answer as they strove to become one of Florida’s premium roofing contractors. The two understood it wasn’t an easy goal, and to achieve it would require more than a good business plan or work ethic. Even offering exceptional service wouldn’t be enough; no, they’d have to stray from the traditions that Florida roofing contractors had followed for years and follow a new path.
But how would they make themselves stand out? It required them to study the market carefully and find the flaws. It wasn’t hard: Florida homes have long been covered with clay and concrete roofing tiles, which are beautiful but easily damaged and require maintenance. Many of their clients came to them because of damage to their tile roofs.
A lot of this damage comes from the weather. Despite being coined the Sunshine State and being one of the top tourist destinations for its warm weather and beaches, it is also one of the top states for destructive weather: tornadoes, thunderstorms, lightning, and hurricanes. Even the heat is known to damage roofs over time.
This weather leaves residents and businesses with fading roofs that are cracking or breaking. In some cases, tiles are slipping off. They are also prone to the same damage that any roof would face.
It meant that if they wanted to change the roofing landscape, they needed to find a solution that addressed the issues of traditional clay and concrete tiles. This is where the idea of using composite roofing tiles came in—specifically, BRAVA composite roofing tiles.
BRAVA Composite Roofing Tiles: The Best Material For Florida Roofing
Composite roofing tiles, also called synthetic roofing tiles, have a long history. Even the early variations, from the mid-1800s, offered durability against heat and moisture while offering a long lifespan.
Neither Kruse nor Bates had plans to create a synthetic empire, but they recognized that composite roofing materials surpass Florida’s well-loved traditional roofing materials. For them, the future of Florida was in composite roofing. While today, BRAVA makes up about 90 percent of FSR’s business, the company was initially unsure if it would be the right partnership for their goals.
However, after meeting BRAVA’s team of experts, the FSR contractors couldn’t deny them being the perfect composite roofing manufacturer to partner with.
What sold Kraus and Bates on partnering with BRAVA was BRAVA tile’s aesthetic and performance; their composite roofing tiles not only match but exceed traditional concrete and clay tiles, offering a range of colors and more reliable durability.
The extensive testing that BRAVA puts their products through added another factor that helped distinguish BRAVA from the competition. Before any roofing products can bear their name, the company puts each one through two rounds of rigorous testing. The first is to see if they meet the standards; the second is to confirm their calculations and formulas. These high standards help guarantee that every composite tile BRAVA creates has the same natural aesthetic, high performance, and longevity that they promise.
Everything gets tested: tensile strength, UV, impact, and fire resistance and color fastness are some tests. Failure to meet expectations in the first round of testing means automatic rejection. In total, these test results in BRAVA composite tiles that:
- All feature Class 4 impact ratings, the highest impact rating a product can have.
- All have Class A and Class C fire ratings. BRAVA’s cedar shakes and slate composite tiles also offer a standalone Class A rating, denoting that no special underlayment is necessary.
- All products can withstand winds up to 188 MPH when installed with nails and 211 MPH when you do a high wind/screw installation.
- All products feature built-in UV. Protection on every tile, ensuring they won’t fade or damage.
- All products use natural, patented mineral-based colorants that won’t degrade or fade.
- They are Miami-Dade County Certified, one of the more stringent certifications a product can receive.
- All products can withstand freeze/thaw cycles and extreme heat.
- All products are resistant to the growth of mold, mildew, and lichen. This helps eliminate maintenance costs.
- BRAVA products can be installed at any time of year, even during the winter.
Creating a Reputation and Partnership with Resilience
Reputation is everything when it comes to the contracting business, as is your client’s trust. These two things will ensure that old customers keep coming and more referrals come through, helping the company to earn more and expand their business. But it isn’t just a matter of good work ethic and customer service; it’s about the product used.
“BRAVA has been substantially important with our company through [our] partnership. They’re one of our most important partners in the industry.” — Cody Bates, Co-Owner.
By partnering with a well-regarded roofing manufacturer like BRAVA, FSR has established a reputation for providing high-end service and high-quality, reliable products to match. Their strong trust in BRAVA products has gained notice, and more high-end homes and commercial businesses are opting for composite tile roofs than traditional systems.
With the shift to composite, homeowners, multi-family homes, and businesses are getting roofs that offer more resilience against Florida’s intense storms without sacrificing those traditional Mediterranean vibes Florida is known for.
Contact us today to learn more about BRAVA products—and discover how Florida Speciality Roofing can transform the exterior of your home.
