In this episode of Owned and Operated, John Wilson sits down with Adam Cherup, a “disaster roofer” who’s built a niche, high-margin business installing shrink-wrap temporary roofs after hurricanes, wind events, hail, and fires. Instead of blue tarps that fail in weeks (and often aren’t covered more than once), Adam installs a manufacturer-rated wrap that can last up to a year (or longer)—buying homeowners, schools, hospitals, and commercial properties time while insurance claims and full roof replacements drag on.
Adam breaks down the economics: 60–80% margins, typical residential jobs around $20K–$30K, and large commercial/school projects in the $150K–$350K+ range (with massive roofs reaching even higher). You’ll hear how he gets work (including a key referral partner who pre-positions before storms), why this niche is best paired with an existing roofing operation, and what makes the job uniquely difficult: travel, logistics, training crews, and negotiating with insurers who hate the sticker price—but can’t ignore the cost of “future loss.”
If you like niche business models with weirdly great unit economics, this one is basically printing money… in a disaster zone.
What You’ll Learn
- What shrink-wrap roofing is (and why it beats tarps after storms)
- Unit economics & margins: how this can hit 60–80% gross margin
- Typical job sizes: $20K–$30K homes, $150K–$350K schools, big commercial upside
- How insurance actually reacts (and how Adam gets paid ~99% of the time)
- How the work is sold: referrals, pre-storm positioning, and inbound search demand
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John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Companies
Jack Carr, CEO of Rapid HVAC
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