Steve Goode – Campany Roof Maintenance

When Jon Bon Jovi needed work done on the roof of his palatial Palm Beach mansion, he knew who to call. Likewise, Steve Wynn, the real estate developer and casino mogul behind the upscale hotel operator Wynn Resorts.

For Campany Roof Maintenance, a South Florida roofing contractor, clients like Bon Jovi and Wynn are “a good fit,” says President and General Manager Steve Goode. They have high expectations and sufficient resources to value quality over price.

Greenwich, Florida

“We specialize in really high-level service,” Goode says. “And those people, whenever they want something, they want it, and we try to provide that and be extremely user-friendly.”

The high-end custom homes that are Campany’s bread and butter range in location from Palm Beach Island to Fort Lauderdale all the way up to Vero. They typically have a property manager or general contractor involved. Campany also does large home association projects—for example, communities with 30 to 50 homes that are all under one association—and commercial work.

“We kind of separate ourselves from everyone else on service,” Goode says. “But also, we just find that the quicker you can get in and out while maintaining a very high-quality workmanship, the happier everybody is. So, we set some pretty aggressive timelines because we believe we’re going to manage the job properly.”

Backing up its aggressive timelines

For instance, Goode says Campany has won plenty of jobs because other bidders put down 120 days to finish the job, whereas his company promised to do it in 90 days.

“And just as a point of reference, we’ve never not finished the job in the timeframe that we established,” he adds.

Those aggressive timelines require Campany to have the manpower, the equipment and the vehicles to back its promises up, which is not always easy. Like its competitors, Campany lately is finding it difficult to sign up young talent, especially in mechanic or foreman positions.

Ocean Boulevard | Palm Beach, Florida

“The more skilled positions, it does take years to develop that [talent],” Goode says. “And it’s hard work. So, a lot of people get a taste of that and sometimes choose a different path. That, to be honest, is an obstacle that we have that we’re working on, too, because a lot of our foremen are a little bit older.”

Campany assigns an office-based English-speaking supervisor to every job. Experienced foremen will often take on that role, ensuring the job site is safe and secure from the weather and handling communications with the general contractor, property manager or homeowner.

Standing apart on staffing and training

Campany’s staffing and training policies also set it apart from competitors. The company has staffed up recently, hiring a full-time safety coordinator who oversees hurricane preparedness plans, site-specific safety plans and on-the-job trainings every week. And five of its seven foremen have been with the company for more than two and a half decades, according to Goode, who has been with Campany 23 years.

That institutional knowledge comes in handy when it’s time to train new blood walking in the door. Goode and Owner Ed Campany describe their training approach as a “slow burn.” New hires go through an apprenticeship period in which they learn the business gradually. Longstanding team members at Campany really enjoy the mentoring process, and the company’s focus on developing human capital pays dividends in the quality of the work its people do.

“It takes a long time to get the person that’s the right fit—both ways, us for them and them for us,” says Goode. “In our key roles we’ve been very blessed, but it’s taken many years [to build that talent pipeline].”

High effort, high rewards

Goode attributes his employer’s low turnover rate in part to its company culture. Owner Campany sets the tone by requiring a lot of his employees to work overtime and by working tirelessly himself, Goode says, but the payoffs are commensurate with the expectations.

“We start very early and we work very hard,” Goode says. “Most people at our office, all the production and field guys, are here before 6:00 [a.m.]. And then all office staff are usually here right at 6 or just after. There’s not really a huge secret; it’s just hard work.”

Campany Family

Campany himself started the company 30 years ago with $3,000, a pickup truck and a dream of supporting his family by doing the work he loves. Today, the company has grown to a headcount of roughly 350.

“[Campany] works us really hard and has high demands, but there are good rewards,” Goode says. “And that’s kind of how I would describe the culture here—he takes good care of everybody.”