Education and Support Help Denver Contractor Grow its Restoration Business

By Karen L. Edwards, RCS Editor.

Fluid-applied Reinforced Roofing system is suited for Denver’s climate and green building roof requirements.

While attending the recent Denver National Women in Roofing (NWiR) event, RCS partner Heidi J. Ellsworth met Janice Stitzer of CIG Construction. Janice co-founded and owns CIG Construction, with her husband Kelly in Colorado. Heidi was excited to learn that Janice had recently started offering Western Colloid Fluid-applied Reinforced Roofing systems and it’s been helping grow their business.  Western Colloid has been an RCS friend and supporter for many years, and we wanted to know more.

My conversation with Janice started with me asking the question that I ask everyone: ‘How did you get into roofing?’ Turns out that Janice has a background in real estate and finance while her husband is a third-generation commercial construction contractor. When they started CIG Construction, they were focused on renovating multi-family homes, but then when 2008 rolled around, the real estate market was not where they wanted to be. They made the decision to transition into specializing in roofing instead.

“This is a big storm market,” explained Janice. “We started heavily in residential because it was an easier transition. Over the years we have expanded our commercial focus and really homed in on the Western Colloid system.”  

Janice explained that they have had to focus on education since beginning to offer the system. “Though it’s been a proven system for over 45 years, it’s relatively new to the Denver area so we are doing a lot of education of building owners and roof consultants. We want them to understand that this is a viable, reliable alternative to a complete re-roof that is trusted by brands like Boeing and Cushman Wakefield.”

She said that the team at Western Colloid has been supportive in helping with education. “They don’t hesitate to send representatives to facilitate learning opportunities. They are out here once or twice a month and they came out again last month to support us with a Colorado Real Estate Journal event, where we were able to present this solution to property managers.”

It’s been a great way for her company to help owners navigate the Denver green building ordinance that requires any roof replacement on buildings larger than 25,000 square feet to comply with specific sustainability requirements. A full replacement can quickly become more costly for the building owner as they try to comply, whereas a restoration delivers a white, reflective coating with energy-efficient benefits.

Janice said they really like that Western Colloid offers a solution that can be installed over an existing gravel and tar roofs. “We have a lot of tar and gravel roofs here in Colorado that are leaking, and owners don’t know what to do with them,” she said. “We vacuum up the gravel and can apply the system to the existing substrate. It lets us avoid the tear off and keep costs lower for the owner.” She said they also like the Western Colloid because it’s like a coating but better because it is reinforced with fabric, making it more like a monolithic, seamless membrane.

Janice also noted that she appreciates that the Western Colloid team has been working closely with her to tailor systems that can meet the unique needs of the Denver climate. “We are almost a mile closer to the sun and we have intense freeze thaw cycles. They have helped us identify the most optimal system to serve the climate,” she concluded.

Learn more about Western Colloid in their RCS directory.