Meet Robert Moore
Owner, Green Country Roofing | 30 Years in Roofing | Tulsa, Oklahoma
I want you to get the full picture of myself and Green Country Roofing. But to do this, I just have to be as transparent and honest as possible. I am not a salesman. I don’t really know how to sell other than just telling the truth and the facts. I’m sure this doesn’t make sense because I need to sell to stay in business and that is true, but my entire career was strictly installation and repairs. If you’re looking to be sold, this probably isn’t the article for you.
Roofing is Hard Dirty Work
Roofing is grueling, dirty work and there’s no way around it. On top of that, most roofs these days are incredibly steep and difficult to navigate. I remember rolling the wheelbarrow full of roofing debris from the back of the house to the dumpster in the driveway for hours. I never lived the life of a glamorous roofing salesman but did the tough hard job that had to get done. Honestly, looking back, I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Honesty Moment
I’ve always liked working outside — just working in general. I’ve never had a problem with it. But if I went back in time, I’d sit down and tell myself to enjoy the journey. When you get home late from work every day dirty and tired, eat a late dinner and then it’s bedtime, losing track and losing purpose is easy to do. I just couldn’t see where this was going. I tried so many times to try a new career, only to go back to roofing. But now without a doubt, roofing is what I was made to do, and I’m so happy to finally have figured that out.
How it all started
My career started in 1996 just months after graduating. At the time, I was working in a shop making $6.50 an hour. One day I saw an ad in the paper for roofing laborers. The ad said it would be willing to train for $9 an hour, and I was like, this is it. My career path was formed based on $9 an hour, the greatest suntan of all time, and building a muscular body. It was amazing. Apparently, everything I could dream of. Haha. On my first day on the job, I worked 16 hours. I did well, but I was lucky the next day it rained, giving me the day off, and I slept 24 hours. Haha. From there, I never looked back.
Beginning Stage of My Roofing Career
It is common these days for someone to start nailing shingles on a roof within months of starting a new roofing job. But my career started very slowly. I was tearing off roofs and cleaning up the ground for years before I picked up a nail gun. This, I think, is the most important part that I didn’t realize. It is not about how fast you start; it is about finishing the race. I wanted to have a nail gun in my hand so badly, but the process to get there was slow and hard to handle. I just didn’t understand that I should just enjoy the process.
Eventually it works out
The actual number of years I installed roofs is starting to blur. The amount is 10-12 years, but honestly, I stopped trying to count. Just think about this. My employer never sent any of us to a roofing school. Shoot I don’t even think there was one at this time. We all learned from the school of hard knocks. I learned from failing and from the revolving door of people I worked with. What made me excel was just learning from others. If I see a good idea, I implement it. That was the secret I didn’t know at the time and hadn’t planned for. Over time, you just master it.
Repair Technician
The appeal of grinding out full replacements finally wore off. I know that is shocking to hear. Haha. I then moved to the repair side of the roofing trade—less physical grind every day and more of the critical thinking and detail side of roofing. It’s still physical work and dirty but much less difficult than full replacements. Something happens with repair work that I never really imagined. That is the complete mastery of my craft. Trust me, I’m not here to brag. But if you give me 5 minutes to walk around your home, I can point out every critical area water can get in and a solution. Guaranteed.
Worked for only one roofing company
I worked for only one roofing company my whole life. Just to be clear — this was when we lived in Michigan, so please make no local distinction. Honestly, this was the right company to work for. Because I truly believe I learned to install roofs the right way, and there are an endless number of wrong ways. Trust me, I’ve seen it. With that company, I also learned what not to do. He treated the roofing crews and others like they were nothing but a means to make him money. In the end, this line of thinking didn’t serve him well. When we started our roofing company, you can ask Elisha — I talked to her about treating our guys well and like family. Elisha and I have been to weddings and church services, and I have taken kids to the park when they were in a bind. Guaranteed our bond with our crew members is second to none.
Held multiple roles but never a sales position
For this same company I also held positions as crew leader and project manager — but never once held a sales position. Small disclaimer here. I’ve sold repairs in the thousands or $500 repairs, but I don’t think that is quite the same as compared to a $15,000 roof replacement.
I’m writing this now and thinking why did I never have a sales position in my long career with this company. Then I remembered asking the owner one day if I could try a sales position. I remembered the owner saying I don’t have what it takes. He said I was too kind. He wasn’t lying. I’m thinking now about what that meant. I wasn’t pushy enough. I won’t squeeze everything out of the homeowner to get the sale. The more I think about it, that’s what sales have become. The pressure to sign now, prices are going up, you must put in a deposit to hold your price. How frustrating!
To be honest, I just can’t do that. For me, here are the annotated photos, the reason why this or that needs to be done, and the price. For sure we do lose jobs because of a better salesman pitch, but I can’t go home to the family knowing I’d squeeze everything out of a homeowner to get the sale.
Where We Are Today
I’ve been running Green Country Roofing in the Tulsa area since 2017. We rebranded because our previous name was Robert Moore Construction. The number of calls coming in for framing work was concerning. We had an internal family talk, and Green Country Roofing was created. Even the logo was designed in-house — literally in-house by my wife Elisha’s younger son.
Install and Products
We started our roofing company with two goals: take care of the roofers and install the best roof. We also wanted to install the best roof. This isn’t a Google keyword thing. My skill set wouldn’t allow anything that might have the chance to leak. For sure, I was not about to come back to repair the roof when we could’ve just done the job right the first time. This means we replace every piece of flashing, replace every piece of bad wood, and continually check nailing patterns.
We also wanted our customers to pick materials that fit their budget and quality of products — not a one-size-fits-all roof. We don’t shy away from a special-order shingle because it takes two weeks to get them in. If you want the best thing, here are your options. If you want the standard Class 3 shingles, that’s okay as well.
Your house, the products you want, installed properly.
Choosing Shingle Manufacturers —
What are the differences between manufacturers? It depends. What is the difference between Ford, GMC, or Dodge? Many things, I’m sure, and to be honest I’m a GMC type of guy, but it’s not a big deal if you’re a Ford guy. Shingles are similar. I like both Atlas and CertainTeed shingles.
CertainTeed Shingles (Shingle Master Certified)
I like CertainTeed brand shingles. It’s not because they give the best rebates like other brands do. It’s because of experience. I have installed CertainTeed for most of my career. What I like about CertainTeed is that they are the most consistent shingle I’ve installed. Think of it this way — 12 years installing roofs — how often do you have the perfect sunny 70-degree day? Rarely. Haha. The temperature is always changing. Day after day of installing roofs, you get to see how they respond, and I’m more than confident that CertainTeed is a great shingle.
Atlas Shingle (PRO+ Gold Select certified)
Many years ago, I wrote a blog about wind damage shingles. It is a very important issue in Tulsa. When I was researching, Atlas kept sticking out. I’m thinking why don’t I sell this shingle? Here are the facts with Atlas. You always nail through two layers of shingle. It’s the largest shingle on the market, has double tar strips, and has a lifetime algae warranty. Atlas has been a great option over the years. We have been very pleased with them.
Why we chose to be certified.
Certification is the manufacturer trusting a contractor to install the roof per their requirements and with their materials. In return, a contractor enters a relationship with the shingle manufacturer. The result is a lifetime shingle warranty. This means that CertainTeed or Atlas fully guarantees the entire purchase of the roof if a defect occurs. Here’s my stance: It would be absolutely devastating if we installed a roof and in 8 years it fails because of a shingle defect. What would I say to you? Sorry. No, that’s not okay. Manufacturer certification allows us to offer these enhanced coverage options from 15 to 50 years. The extended warranties cover the full replacement cost of the roof. That 8-year-old roof that’s failing from a defect? You’ll be sent a check. Just another way to bring quality and transparency to roofing.
Relationships Matter
I know this on a very personal level — roofers are often underpaid, undervalued, and sometimes just treated like garbage while the sales guys and the owners are all living it up in the offices having a good time. Do I sound bitter not getting that sales job? Maybe just a little. Nah. This is just my experience, and this isn’t every company.
This was not going to be my company. I’m sorry to say this but some people could say treat the homeowner good and they always keep coming back, but I say you treat your workers the best, and the rest is taken care of. Not to say homeowners don’t count, but what would it matter if I treated you well and your roof leaks because the guys hate where they work and haven’t been paid for the last 5 jobs? I’ve seen that personally my whole life. Roofing is hard — there’s no way around it. But they know I care. We pay on time every time, provide lunches from time to time, and keep the cooler stocked with cold drinks in the summer. Most importantly, a smile, a handshake, or a fist bump. It matters big time.
Installation Process
Being nice and friendly doesn’t mean anything if they can’t install a roof. This is how Green Country Roofing handles things. I talked earlier about guys installing roofs a couple months after starting. But the problem is they’ve only learned to use pitchforks and pure muscle to get the job done. Here’s the thing — not every job requires that. Some jobs require time and finesse. The only way to learn that is through repair work. Repair work requires planning, requires time, and requires gentleness. The slower, gentler process of removing shingles saves time compared to destroying things with a pitchfork. It sounds simple but it is not always caught very easily.
Our crew starts with repair work. Before any new roof is installed, they will have to show they can repair a roof properly. This is the best way to test skill and knowledge of roofing. Just nailing a roof is easy — it’s all the details that are important. No one wants to be the test subject for a new roofing crew, but you’d be surprised how many times this happens in a multi-decade career.
Green Country Roofing is not perfect
A few years back we replaced a roof for a family that had been let down by contractors before. We spent a lot of time earning their trust — worked with the insurance company, and got everything approved. We thought we had done everything right. They loved it. Three months later, a gutter company couldn’t install gutter guards because of the roof having an upward angle. Turned out it was a builder gap issue — a common Oklahoma problem where the fascia board and plywood don’t meet at the same spot causing a gap between the boards. On a lower-slope roof, the shingles can dip into that gap and point the shingles upward. The gutter company couldn’t make it work.
Technically, that wasn’t our mistake. The gap was a builder issue that predated us. But I felt that family should have been given the option to fix it before we shingled over it. They’d already been burned once. They deserved to know that the builder gap existed. That decision was theirs to make, not mine. I learned a valuable lesson that day.
Solution
We replaced two large sections of roofing, replaced everything with new material, and fixed the builder gap.
Expensive? Yes. But they could now get the gutter guard of their choice — and they knew, without any doubt, that we had their back. I sleep well at night. So does a happy customer. That’s the job.
My Philosophy
Take care of the crew first, then take care of the homeowner, and that works every time. That’s the whole thing. Opening our business in 2017, I haven’t found a reason to change it.
If you call us, we know you might not have all the answers or questions. Maybe you didn’t read one blog, and—yes–Elisha will yell at you for that. Ha. No — we have a newborn at home, so none of that. Trust me when I say we get it, we understand, and we’ll work through it.
Rob Moore — Owner, Green Country Roofing
918-607-7409 | greencountryroofingok.com
Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Owasso, Bixby, Jenks & Surrounding Areas