Love and loyalty, the Land Way

Storm season in Oklahoma can be a stressful time for homeowners. According to the Insurance Services Office, 55% of Oklahoma’s homes experienced damaging hail events in 2017. Adding to the stress is choosing a roofing contractor when damage occurs.

Search “roofing contractors” on the Better Business Bureau of Central Oklahoma’s website, and you will get 2,905 results near Oklahoma City. Narrow it down to accredited BBB members, and you still have 810 companies from which to choose. Now, throw your insurance company’s requirements into the mix, and you can quickly see how the experience of repairing or replacing a damaged roof can become overwhelming.

Land Enterprises Roofing was built on helping homeowners reduce the stress and frustration that homeowners may experience with their roofing problems. Brian Land started the business in 1986 with a cause that still exists to this day. Brian passed away suddenly in March 2019 and his wife, Kirsten, bravely took the reins with a purpose — “We help homeowners and business owners who are overwhelmed and frustrated by roofing problems.”  

Another significant carryover from Brian building Land Roofing is the craftsmanship that goes into a Land roof. Brian loved being up on a roof, and he loved the craft of roofing. Brian nailed the shingles by hand for the first 20 years of his business until he finally succumbed to faster and more efficient means in 2006.  

In addition to the craftsmanship of roofing, Brian loved taking care of people and building meaningful relationships with whom he interacted. Brian built those relationships on a strong foundation of trust and reliability. Kirsten and her team at Land Enterprises Roofing are committed to carrying on Brian’s focus on relationships. Kirsten shared a few stories of people with whom Brian left a mark. One was a homeowner who called Kirsten after a hailstorm to ask about Brian, because usually after hailstorms, Brian would call on this homeowner to check her roof to make sure everything was okay. For Brian Land, this was the norm versus the exception.

Kirsten continues developing Land’s niche, which encompasses the vision of helping others. “We provide the right solutions for property owners’ roof repairs, maintenance, or replacements with quality materials and labor. We tell our customers what is really happening, and we do this by when we promise and how we promise it.”

For example, every new Land roof includes an ice and water shield to protect the home from leaks in the event of ice buildup during the winter months. Not many roofing companies add this extra layer of protection. However, the way Kirsten sees it is if there was ice buildup on a roof that resulted in a leak, then “We caused damage and stress to their lives,” that could have been avoided.

Another example of providing the right solution is that Land Roofing is not beholden to one shingle manufacturer, even though it would have made economic sense. Having multiple material manufacturers allows Land Roofing to offer a variety of shingles to meet their clients’ needs. Kirsten emphasized that “It’s important that we do what’s best for the customer.” By doing so, “we offer a concierge-style service for homeowners.”

Loyalty is an important virtue for Land Roofing, and it shows through the key stakeholders Kirsten and Brian chose to work with. In fact, Land Roofing has worked with one of their supply houses since the day Brian started the company. Brian treated his sub-contractors as if they were his customers because “he wanted them to want to work with him.” Brian, and now Kirsten, have built relationships with their strategic partners on the business’ sales side, such as realtors, insurance agents, property managers, and home inspectors.

Brian also built a foundation of loyalty with his customer base through his genuine care for helping others. This loyalty led to an avenue of referrals for the business, so much so that one home owners association president that Brian helped would literally stop people in the neighborhood and tell them they needed to hire Land Roofing.  

Land Roofing offers a residential roof maintenance program that Brian discovered from a Missouri roofer. The program focuses on preventative maintenance to “extend the life of your roof and keep it looking great,” through one to four visits a year. In addition to inspecting the roof, the roof maintenance plan includes a list of services that Land Roofing will perform, such as cleaning debris from the gutters to checking attic vents for damage.  

Finally, Land Roofing has been intentional about what they want and do not want in a customer. As is stated on their website, “We recognize that we’re not the best fit for everyone who needs a residential roofing company, but we’re happy to talk with any potential customers and see if we’re a good fit.” Here are some situations Land Roofing identified to make a potential customer a not so good fit:

• Homeowners or real estate agents who are looking for the cheapest rate.
• Customers who are willing to sacrifice quality or want to cut corners.
• Customers who don’t want us to use the proper type and amount of ventilation.
• Individuals who are looking for ways to make money on their insurance claim.
• People who don’t want to share details of the insurance claim with Land Roofing.

While these past 18 months have been challenging without Brian, Kirsten and her team have been intentional about carrying on his legacy. They are doing so through an abundance mentality, taking care of people, and doing the right thing for their customers. When asked if Land’s focus in on growth, Kirsten responded with, “I’d rather Land be the best versus the biggest.” Kirsten is confident Land Roofing will get there through love and loyalty, the Land way.