Meet Trailblazer John and Jennifer Hess

Today we’d like to introduce you to John and Jennifer Hess.

Urban Exteriors was started in 2013. Jennifer has a degree in Advertising. John is a former attorney who got tired of breaking up marriages and found sales. John and I met in Minnesota while both working for a large national restoration company. We got transferred to Colorado to open up a branch for the company we were working for. That company left the state for another storm. We had already fallen in love with Colorado and decided we didn’t want to leave. (We joke that we left MN as soon as we realized you are allowed leave MN)

John went on to open up three other roofing companies for other people; while I took a step back for a few years to raise our children. After years of doing this John got tired of working for other people and decided that he wanted to start his own business. All of our crews followed John and he started Urban Exteriors. After starting Urban Exteriors, Jennifer went back to work running the front office. We have full-time five employees, an architect, a designer, five roofing crews, two gutter crews and two deck crews. We can build up to five roofs in a day, but we prefer to stay around 2-3 roofs a day. Most of the roofs we install can be completed in one day, especially in the summer with the longer daylight hours. Our crews like to work until the job is complete and not just stop at 5 pm.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not always been a smooth road. When we first started, we had to pay the bills of the business first. We did not have extra money to go out to dinner or buy the latest and greatest thing that just came out. We had to make sure that our employees were paid, that our subcontractors got paid, the material bills got paid. We didn’t take a paycheck for at least the first six months we were in business. We ate a lot of soup and leftovers. We knew that if our people were not successful we would not be successful. We are only as successful as our weakest link.

As a mom – Summertime is our busy season, but that is when the kids are off of school. It is definitely hard working 14 hour days in the summertime. Especially when you have young children. I don’t get to take them to the park as often as I would like. It was hard hearing the sitter say that your toddler just learned how to swing or ride her bike by herself. It is hard to hear your son ask why you can’t stay home with him anymore. Some days you are just plain tired. Working moms and stay at home moms both know this! But, you love to see your children’s victories. It makes them smile to see you smile at them. Kids are so resilient. Thankfully we are slower in the wintertime so I am usually able to pick them up in the afternoons, volunteer at their school, help them with their homework. It is really about trying to find balance.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Urban Exteriors – what should we know?
We replace roofs, gutters, siding, paint and decks. We also work exclusively with an architect who can design anything from a simple deck to an addition. We offer a five years labor warranty that is fully transferable to the next owner of the home. The shingles that we install have 25 years to lifetime warranties from the manufacturer, depending on the brand. We also are only one of four companies certified to install CeDUR Shake Shingles in the State of Colorado. We are your all in one contractor, so you don’t have to worry about finding a company to do your roof, another to do your gutters and another to do your siding job – especially when there is a nasty hail storm. I would like to say our customer service sets us apart. We are very hands on. All homeowners will have a project manager that helps them with their project, but at some point you will be talking to John or myself. John tries to stop by every build – most other companies the owner isn’t even around. He may even be your project manager.

We have an A+ rating with the Colorado BBB and are members of the CRA (Colorado Roofing Association)

Finding a mentor and building a network are often cited in studies as a major factor impacting one’s success. Do you have any advice or lessons to share regarding finding a mentor or networking in general?
Try finding people in your industry that you trust and the people who you like their work ethic. We have been in the industry for so long and have developed relationships with our suppliers, with other roofing companies (yes, we all talk) and other contractors. Look for people who may not be directly in your industry but understand it as well. We have relationships with realtors, insurance agents, engineers, landscape contractors. When you have relationships set in place you can always ask someone for advice on how to handle an issue or to bounce an idea off of. Sometimes you need to have a fresh mind to discuss a project with, to find a solution that you may not initially see. It is nice to have those people to talk to.

Contact Info:

• Address: 3440 Youngfield Street, Suite 179
  Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
• Website: www.urbanexteriorsllc.com
• Phone: 303-552-4467
• Email: jennifer@urbanexteriorsllc.com
• Instagram: urbanexteriorsllc
• Facebook: facebook.com/urbanexteriorsllc

Image Credit:
Andrea Flanagan Photography

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