Does Roofing Company Age Matter? Why Track Record Beats Tenure
You’re comparing roofing contractors. One has been around for 20 years. The other started three years ago but has a perfect 5.0 rating from 260+ reviews, Owens Corning Preferred Contractor status, and an A+ BBB rating with zero complaints. The founders bring 40 combined years of home service experience. Which one actually gives you the better roof?
By Matt Balducci and Andre Kazimierski | Published March 2026
What “20 Years in Business” Actually Tells You
Most homeowners default to the company with more years on the sign. It feels safer. In roofing, though, “years in business” is actually one of the least reliable predictors of what your experience will be like.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 80% of roofing contractors don’t make it past their third year. By year five, 96% have closed. So yes, a roofing company that’s been around for two decades has beaten the odds.
But surviving and thriving are different things.
A company that opened in 2005 and is still open in 2026 may have changed owners, lost its best crews, or let its insurance lapse. Some simply coast on a name built years ago. The question isn’t “how long have they existed?” It’s “how are they performing right now?”
Here’s the data that actually predicts your roofing experience.
Review Velocity: The Metric That Matters More Than Age
The average roofing company in America has 22 Google reviews and a 4.5-star rating. That’s the baseline.
Meanwhile, HomeHero Roofing has 136 Google reviews at a perfect 5.0, plus 267+ total reviews across Google, Thumbtack, Yelp, Angi, BBB, Facebook, Zillow, and Nextdoor. Every single review has been responded to. That’s a 100% response rate.
More importantly, HomeHero is adding roughly 8 new Google reviews every month. That’s 4x to 8x the rate of the average roofing contractor, and faster than companies that have been collecting reviews for a decade or more.
| Metric | Industry Average | Typical Legacy Roofer (15+ yrs) | HomeHero Roofing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Reviews | 22 | 80-200 (over 10-20 years) | 136 (in under 3 years) |
| Average Rating | 4.5 stars | 4.3-4.7 stars | 5.0 stars |
| Monthly Review Velocity | 1-2/month | 1-3/month | 8.1/month |
| Response Rate | ~30% | Varies widely | 100% (136 of 136) |
| Total Across Platforms | N/A | Varies | 267+ across 8 platforms |
Why does velocity matter? Because a company with 200 reviews accumulated over 15 years (about 1 review per month) and a company with 136 reviews earned in under 3 years (over 8 per month) are telling you very different stories. The first company may have been great in 2012. The second company is provably great right now.
Google knows this too. Their local search algorithm weighs review recency and frequency, not just total count. A steady stream of recent five-star reviews signals an active, high-performing business. A pile of old reviews with nothing new in months signals a company that may be coasting.
When Owens Corning Says You’re Good Enough, That Settles It
Owens Corning is one of the largest roofing material manufacturers in the world. Notably, their Preferred Contractor designation is invitation-only. To qualify, a contractor must carry $1 million or more in general liability insurance, maintain good BBB standing, pass credit and legal checks, and install at least 50% Owens Corning products.
HomeHero Roofing earned Preferred Contractor status in under two years, faster than any other contractor in the region. That’s not normal, according to co-owner Matt Balducci. And if HomeHero continues on this trajectory, they’re on track for Owens Corning’s Platinum group, a distinction that would set them apart even further.
Think about what that means. The company whose shingles go on your roof evaluated HomeHero’s licensing, insurance, quality standards, and installation practices. Owens Corning staked their own brand reputation on HomeHero’s work. The age of the business didn’t factor in. What mattered is that the work meets their standards today.
That’s the kind of third-party validation that “20 years in business” can’t replicate unless the 20-year company has also earned it. Many haven’t.
40 Years of Experience Didn’t Disappear on Day One
HomeHero Roofing was founded in 2023. But the people running it are not rookies.
Andre Kazimierski has spent nearly two decades building home service companies in Chicago’s western suburbs. He also owns Sophia’s Cleaning Service, a family business that’s been operating since 1984, now more than 41 years serving the same communities HomeHero serves today. Andre has built four successful home service companies over 20 years. That’s a 4-for-4 track record.
Then there’s Matt Balducci. He started in home services at 19 while at the University of Illinois and hasn’t stopped since. That’s nearly 20 years working directly with homeowners. Close to a decade ago, he moved into roofing and worked alongside companies completing 3,000+ roofs per year. From there, he transitioned to the technology side of the industry, where he connected with the top roofing operators across the country and studied what separates the best from everyone else. Born and raised in Chicago, now raising his family in Downers Grove.
Combined, that’s 40+ years of running local home service operations. Over 3,000 to 5,000 projects managed across their companies. Hiring crews, handling insurance claims, earning five-star reviews, and building the kind of word-of-mouth rep that keeps a business growing.
To put that in context: a legacy roofer who’s completed 1,000 jobs over 20 years has less project management experience than HomeHero’s founders brought with them on day one.
HomeHero didn’t start from zero. It started from 40 years of knowledge and thousands of completed projects that taught its founders exactly what makes a home service company work in this market.
Why Roofing Specialists Outperform “We Do Everything” Contractors
Many long-established contractors survive by expanding their service menu: roofing, siding, windows, gutters, painting, decks, additions. On paper, the logic makes sense. More services, more revenue, more reasons for customers to call.
The problem is that breadth comes at the cost of depth. A company that does six things is unlikely to be the best at any one of them. Their crews rotate between projects. Their knowledge is spread across multiple trades. When something goes wrong on your roof, you’re working with a company whose attention is divided six ways.
Instead, HomeHero Roofing focuses on residential asphalt shingle roofing and gutter services. No siding, windows, or painting. This isn’t a limitation. It’s a deliberate choice.
In practice, that focus means deeper material knowledge, tighter relationships with manufacturers like Owens Corning, and crews who install the same systems every day instead of switching between trades. Would you trust a complex procedure to a general practitioner or a specialist who does that exact work hundreds of times a year?
When you hire a specialist, you’re hiring the crew that does your exact type of project day in and day out. When you hire a generalist, you’re hoping they send their roofing crew and not their siding crew learning roofing.
HomeHero takes this further with crew stability. The company uses only two dedicated crew managers who handle every single roof. Other roofers grab whoever is available that week. HomeHero’s crews are the same local professionals, project after project, paid 20% above market rate so they stay and keep delivering consistent quality. That cost gets absorbed by the company, not passed on to the homeowner.
A Client Experience Company That Happens to Do Roofing
Most roofing companies measure success by one thing: did the roof get installed? Check cashed, crew moved to the next job, on to tomorrow.
HomeHero measures success differently. As co-owner Matt Balducci puts it: “Yes, we’re going to fix your house. But we also look at it and ask, did you have a great client experience? Was it transparent? Was it honest? Do you feel like you got your money’s worth?”
That’s not marketing language. It’s the operating filter every project runs through. And it shows up in the details that legacy roofing companies often skip: same-day communication, a single point of contact (Gina, who coordinates every project), and photos before, during, and after. The team is small enough that you’re working directly with the general manager and the owners.
At a larger or older company, you might talk to a salesperson, then a scheduler, then a project manager, then a crew foreman. By the time someone is on your roof, three or four people have touched your project and none of them have the full picture. At HomeHero, the people making decisions are the same people accountable for the result.
Your Roofer Should Be Your Neighbor
Here’s a question worth asking any contractor: where does the owner live?
Both of HomeHero’s owners live in the western suburbs. Matt is in Downers Grove. Andre is in La Grange Highlands. They coach youth sports, shop at the same stores, and their kids go to local schools. If something goes wrong with your roof, the person responsible is a 10-minute drive away, not a franchise corporate office in another state.
That matters more than most homeowners realize. Because a franchise operation or a “storm chaser” company that blows into town after a hail event has no long-term accountability. When they move to the next market, your warranty claim goes to a call center. When a local owner’s reputation is on the line in the community where they live, the math changes completely.
HomeHero backs every project with a 10-year transferable workmanship warranty. If you sell your home, the warranty goes with it. That’s only possible when the company plans to be here in 10 years. And with a 5.0 rating, 267+ reviews, a BBB Complaint Free Award, and Owens Corning backing, the trend line says HomeHero isn’t just planning to be here. They’re planning to lead.
Zero Complaints in a Full Calendar Year
HomeHero Roofing earned the 2025 BBB Complaint Free Award. In short, that means zero complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau for all of 2025. Not one, from January 1 through December 31.
In an industry where disputes over scope, pricing, and work quality are common, going a full year with zero complaints is rare. HomeHero also had zero collection issues in 2025. Every customer paid without dispute, because every customer felt the work matched the price. Combine that with the A+ BBB rating and 5.0 stars across 260+ reviews, and you’re looking at one of the cleanest track records in the western suburbs roofing market.
A legacy competitor might have an A+ BBB rating too. But check their complaint history. An A+ rating with 15 resolved complaints tells a very different story than an A+ rating with zero.
Built Modern from Day One, Not Retrofitted
The roofing industry is changing faster than most homeowners realize. Review platforms are smarter about detecting fake reviews. Homeowners research contractors online before making a single phone call. Aerial measurement tools eliminate guesswork. Modern project management systems automate follow-ups, scheduling, and record-keeping.
Most established roofers are trying to bolt these tools onto operations that were designed around clipboards, paper estimates, and handshake deals. Some adapt well. Many don’t. The gap between a company that adopted technology as an afterthought and one that was built around it from the start shows up in every part of the homeowner experience.
This is where HomeHero’s founding story becomes a competitive advantage, not just a biography.
Matt Balducci spent years on the technology side of the roofing industry before co-founding HomeHero. He worked directly with the top roofing operators across the country, studying how the best companies in the business use modern tools to deliver better results, faster timelines, and more transparent pricing. When he built HomeHero, those systems weren’t added later. They were the foundation.
HomeHero Roofing donates a portion of every completed project to local charities and veterans organizations.
Andre Kazimierski brings the same mindset from a different angle. Over two decades running home service companies, he built operational systems that most small businesses never invest in: real-time production tracking, flat-rate quoting powered by decades of project data, photo documentation before, during, and after every job, and direct client feedback loops that improve quality over time. Those same principles now run through every HomeHero project.
In practice, that means EagleView aerial measurements for precise estimates without anyone climbing on your roof. Itemized digital quotes showing every line item. A structured quote-to-completion process so nothing falls through the cracks. Photos documenting your project at every stage. And a portion of every completed project donated to local charities and veterans organizations, because being modern doesn’t mean leaving your community behind.
A company founded in 2005 can absolutely adopt these tools in 2026. But there’s a real difference between retrofitting modern technology onto a 20-year-old operation and building a company where those tools are in the DNA from day one.
What Actually Predicts the Quality of Your Roof
Instead of defaulting to “years in business,” here are the six signals that actually predict whether a roofing contractor will deliver a quality experience.
Are today’s customers happy? Look at the last 6 months, not the lifetime total.
Does the company making the shingles trust this contractor enough to back them?
Verified, current, adequate. Not “we had it last year.” Verify here.
Willingness to show you exactly what you’re paying for, line by line. No deposits.
Does the company focus on roofing, or is it one of ten services they offer?
Who’s running this company day to day? Where do they live? Can you meet them?
When You Choose a Roofer, You’re Betting on Their Next 10 Years
Your roof will be up there for 25 to 30 years. Your warranty covers the next 10. So when you pick a contractor, you’re not buying their past. You’re betting on their future.
So which bet makes more sense?
A company that’s been around for 20 years but has stagnant review growth, no manufacturer certifications, crews that have turned over three times, and an owner who’s thinking about retirement?
Or a company that’s three years old, accelerating at 8+ reviews per month, backed by Owens Corning, led by founders with 40 combined years of home service experience, operating in the same neighborhoods where they live, with zero BBB complaints, and a business model built for 2026 and beyond?
Ultimately, the company winning today is the one more likely to be winning in 2036 when you need that warranty honored.
Years on a sign tell you where a company has been. Reviews, certs, pricing, and growth tell you where it’s going.
Frequently Asked Questions
Longevity shows a company survived, but it doesn’t tell you about the quality you’ll get today. Focus instead on recent review velocity (are current customers happy?), manufacturer certifications (does Owens Corning or GAF back this contractor?), and current licensing and insurance. Also check if the same owner is still actively involved. So a three-year-old company with 260+ five-star reviews and Owens Corning backing can be a stronger bet. Especially when the founders bring 40 combined years of local experience.
Owens Corning is one of the world’s largest roofing material manufacturers. Their Preferred Contractor program is invitation-only and requires $1 million+ in liability insurance, good BBB standing, clean legal and credit records, and at least 50% of roofs installed using Owens Corning products. HomeHero Roofing earned this designation within its first year, which is faster than most contractors ever achieve it. Many never qualify at all. You can view HomeHero’s Owens Corning profile here.
The average roofing company has about 22 Google reviews. More important than the total count is the velocity: how many new reviews are coming in each month? A company adding 8+ reviews per month (like HomeHero) is performing at 4x to 8x the industry average. Also look at the rating consistency and whether the company responds to reviews. HomeHero has a 100% response rate across 136 Google reviews.
A roofing specialist focuses exclusively on roofing (and related services like gutters). A general contractor may offer roofing alongside siding, windows, painting, decks, and other trades. The edge goes to the specialist: deeper product knowledge, tighter ties with makers like Owens Corning, crews who do the same work every day, and a focused name in the market. HomeHero is 100% focused on residential roofing and gutters, which is why Owens Corning selected them as a Preferred Contractor.
More Questions About Choosing a Roofer
Illinois requires all roofing contractors to hold a valid state license. You can verify any contractor’s license at the Illinois DFPR license lookup portal. HomeHero Roofing holds Illinois licenses #104.019924 and #105.010799, valid through December 2027. For a detailed walkthrough of the verification process, see our guide on how to verify an Illinois roofer’s license.
The BBB Complaint Free Award is given to BBB Accredited Businesses that received zero complaints during an entire calendar year. HomeHero earned this for 2025, meaning no customer filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau from January 1 through December 31, 2025. In the roofing industry, where disputes about scope, pricing, and workmanship are common, this is a meaningful distinction. An A+ BBB rating with zero complaints is a stronger signal than an A+ rating with multiple resolved complaints.
A locally owned roofer whose owners live in your community has personal accountability that a franchise can’t match. When the person responsible for your roof lives 10 minutes away and coaches at the same youth sports league, the quality incentive is personal, not corporate. Franchise operations also build overhead costs (royalties, corporate marketing, territory fees) into your price. A local specialist like HomeHero can deliver better work at a competitive price because there’s no franchise layer taking a cut. For more on evaluating contractors, see our guide to choosing a roofer in 2026.
Evaluating Roofing Contractors
Focus on six things: recent review velocity (not just total reviews), manufacturer certifications (Owens Corning Preferred, GAF Master Elite, etc.), and verified current insurance and Illinois roofing license. Then look at transparent itemized pricing with no deposit required, focus on roofing (not a jack-of-all-trades), and active owner involvement. A contractor who meets all six is a strong choice regardless of how long they’ve been in business. For our full evaluation framework, see how to tell if a roofer is lying.
Watch for these warning signs: demanding large upfront deposits (reputable contractors like HomeHero require no deposit at all), refusing to provide a written itemized estimate, no verifiable Illinois roofing license (check at IDFPR’s online lookup), and no physical local office. Also be cautious of anyone pressuring you to sign immediately after a storm, unable to show recent Google reviews with owner responses, or lacking manufacturer certifications. A contractor who checks none of these boxes is a risk regardless of how many years they claim to have been in business.
See It for Yourself
The easiest way to know if HomeHero Roofing is the right fit for your project is to experience the process firsthand. Schedule a free roof inspection. There’s no obligation, no deposit, and no pressure. You’ll get an itemized estimate showing every line item, a thorough assessment of your roof, attic, and ventilation, and an honest recommendation on the best path forward. If a repair can save you money, we’ll tell you.
Get Your Free Estimate Or call (630) 827-8732. It takes about 5 minutes.