Galveston Contractor Delivers a Roof that Defies Hurricane Nicholas

By TAMKO. 

TAMKO’s new Titan XT premium architectural shingle perform is put to the test as the shingles outlasts a category one hurricane. 

During his 56 years in the roofing business, David Morgan has seen products come and go. Very few of them could hold up to the extreme conditions of the Texas coast – the combination of heat, wind, salt and sand is hard on building products. 

But, after seeing TAMKO®’s new Titan XT premium architectural shingle perform against real-world hurricane-force winds, Morgan has switched more and more jobs to feature the innovative new shingle and said Titan XT’s performance has helped him grow both his business’ size and clout with less effort since the “product can sell itself.” 

“It beats all other shingles hands-down,” Morgan said. “I’m putting it on everything I can.” 

Second-generation roofer 

Morgan, 64, the second-generation owner of Morgan Roofing in Galveston, Texas, has installed it all –slate, tile, metal and a host of different asphalt shingles from various manufacturers. He started roofing at eight-years-old and has grown his father’s business to a multi-state operator with a host of crews tackling anything from roof repairs to total replacements and other home remodeling needs. 

Hurricane Nicholas 

Morgan was intrigued by Titan XT’s unique 160 mph high wind warranty and chose the shingle for a large multi-family unit along the Galveston coast. The true test of the shingle came less than a week later when Hurricane Nicholas hit the Texas coast on September 14, 2021, as a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 75 mph and gusts up to 95 mph. The storm caused between $1 billion and $2 billion in damage, according to the National Hurricane Center and catastrophe risk modeling company RMS. 

When Morgan checked the multi-family unit for damage, he found the one-week-old Titan XT roof completely intact. Morgan observed that the multi-family unit next door, roofed with another manufacturer’s premium shingle, had suffered significant wind damage and many shingles ripped from the deck. 

After that, Morgan said Titan XT sold itself. 

“I take the Titan product and I take other shingles on the market and let property owners feel them, handle them, and try to tear them apart once they’ve sealed together and ask them, ‘Which would you rather have on your roof?’ – It’s easy to sell, Titan XT sells itself,” Morgan said. 

Morgan referenced Titan XT’s polyester-reinforced nail line and enhanced sealant as the unique features that give Titan XT its superior wind performance and make it stand out from other architectural shingles. And by offering property owners the performance of Titan XT, Morgan is making his business stand out from other contractors. 

“You can’t believe how good it sealed – it’s not going anywhere,” Morgan said of Titan XT. 

Benefits for every climate 

Since then, Morgan Roofing has moved more installs to Titan XT and found the shingle has other unique qualities that solves weather challenges in more climates. Morgan installed more than 60 Titan XT roofs in the first four months of 2022. 

“Titan works well in the heat and it works well in the cold,” Morgan said. “We were working in Arkansas, it had been 33 degrees and it already sealed in about a week. Titan is better than the other shingles out there.” 

Property owners have responded positively, including some property managers and developers who have now insisted on Titan XT for all of their property re-roofs. 

“I haven’t tried anything better than Titan XT,” Morgan said. “It beats all other shingles hands-down. I’m putting it on everything I can.” 

Learn more about TAMKO in their RoofersCoffeeShop® Directory or visit www.tamko.com.