A Webster County native who found success in the roofing industry in Texas has returned to western Kentucky to launch a new business that is quickly expanding across the region.
Jake Gibson founded Roof Angel about eight months ago and has already grown the company to multiple locations serving Owensboro, Henderson, and Louisville. The company specializes in residential and commercial roofing, along with gutters and siding, and has completed millions of dollars in projects since launching.
Gibson said his journey into roofing began unexpectedly during the COVID-19 pandemic while he was working at FedEx.
“I actually had a roofer come by my house while I was working at FedEx,” Gibson said. “He knocked on the door and said, ‘Hey, you have hail damage. You need to file a claim.’”
At the time, Gibson was living in Texas after leaving Webster County as a young adult. He had previously lived in Dixon before moving to Tulsa and eventually Amarillo, where he met his wife and began working in the roofing industry.
Gibson joined a company called Roof Smith in Amarillo and quickly found success.
“After that, I sold a ton of roofs,” Gibson said. “I sold over 1,000 roofs.”
During that time, Gibson and a business partner also invested heavily in real estate, acquiring about $13 million in properties over roughly two years. After the partnership ended, Gibson returned to western Kentucky and launched Roof Angel.
The company began operating shortly after severe storms impacted the region, but Gibson said the business has not relied solely on insurance claims.
“I wasn’t really chasing the storm,” Gibson said. “Most of our work is retail. I would say it’s probably about 50-50.”
Roof Angel currently employs a team of about a dozen people across its offices, including sales staff, project managers, and administrative support. The company also works with roofing crews that bring the workforce on job sites to around 30 people.
Since launching, Gibson said the company has completed roughly $7 million in sales and continues to grow rapidly.
“It’s been huge,” he said.
One of the company’s largest upcoming projects is a commercial roofing job in Indiana covering roughly 300,000 square feet.
“That one starts next month,” Gibson said. “That’s going to be massive.”
While residential roofing remains the company’s primary service, Gibson said he hopes to increase the share of commercial projects in the future.
“Residential is bread and butter,” he said. “But commercial is kind of where I want to go — maybe 80 percent commercial and 20 percent residential.”
Roof Angel recently opened an Owensboro office at 2212 Frederica St., near Jimmy John’s, which Gibson said will serve as the company’s central hub as it continues expanding.
“We decided about a month ago we’re going to plant here,” Gibson said. “I’m excited to get in the community.”
Gibson said the company also plans to open an office in Evansville and eventually expand through franchising with guidance from a business coach who specializes in franchise development.
Along with growing the business, Gibson said he hopes to use Roof Angel to give back to the community. The company is currently launching a program to provide a free roof to a military veteran selected through an application process.
“I’m a big faith guy,” Gibson said. “I love to give. I don’t chase money ever. It’s more like, how do we help people?”
More information about the company and its services is available at roofangel.com.
The Chamber Member of the Week program is a Greater Owensboro Chamber of Commerce membership benefit. Founded in 1913, the Chamber has worked to provide valuable benefits and services to member businesses and individuals for over a century.
Today, with nearly 1,000 members, the Chamber is a guiding force in community and business development initiatives and serves as the center of business advocacy for the Greater Owensboro region.
To learn more about becoming the Chamber Member of the Week or inquire about Chamber membership, contact Kitty Jones, director of membership, at 270-926-1860 or kjones@owensboro.com.
By John Kirkpatrick The Owensboro Times