Kyle Matheny: How our company’s success story can be a road map for creating Florida’s future workforce

For most of its existence, the roofing industry has not been what one might consider sophisticated.

When most people think of a roofer, what comes to mind? Maybe a sweaty guy in a trucker cap comes over to your house to give you an estimate … scribbles some notes down on an uncrumpled piece of paper while he finishes his cigarette … and then leaves you with the vague hope that your project might (emphasis on might) be completed as promised.

When we started 3MG Roofing and Solar less than five years ago, our aim was much bigger than simply launching a new roofing company. We wanted to completely re-imagine one of the most important industries in Florida from top to bottom. We wanted to add a level of professionalism, sophistication and modernization to this traditionally blue-collar industry.

So, we set to work to leverage technology, specifically artificial intelligence, in new ways that would allow us to create an unmatched consumer experience when it came to estimating, pricing and completing work on time and on budget. Our founders used their experience in the financial services and investment industries to re-imagine the way our supply chain worked.

It soon became clear that we had an even greater opportunity in front of us to apply that same level of sophistication and technology to the emerging residential and commercial solar and clean energy industries. We believed then — and believe just as strongly today — the clean energy element that’s increasingly connected to the roofs above our homes and businesses here in the Florida sunshine can be a powerful driver of our economy for decades to come. So, we integrated the roofing and solar components of our businesses into a seamless offering.

We also developed our own unique workforce training program to help equip people with the skills needed to work with us, skills that don’t necessarily require a traditional four-year degree. Part of that effort is a professional development program, in partnership with the University of Central Florida, specifically designed to provide students with unrivaled opportunities to learn and work within 3MG through internships and coursework. It gives students the skills and real-world experience necessary to secure (and then succeed in) jobs within the roofing and clean energy fields. Our goal wasn’t just to create a pipeline for our company … but to create graduates and certificate holders who are ready for a variety of high-wage, in-demand jobs being created right here in Florida.

Fast forward to today … and our hard work and vision have paid off. We have been recognized as one of the fastest-growing companies in Florida. We’ve grown from one Central Florida office to four locations around the state and seen our revenue surge to more than $50 million annually. We now have a workforce of 400+ people with an average salary of $65,000 a year.

Our company’s journey is more than just a small business success story. It can serve as a road map for how Florida can meet what’s estimated to be a massive demand for skilled labor in the years ahead.

A recent report from the Florida Chamber Foundation finds that by 2030, our state is expected to grow to a Top 10 global economy. For this to happen, we will need 1.62 million people to work in the jobs generated by this growth. Most of those jobs fall into the skilled labor category, jobs in the fields of health services, education, transportation, trade, utilities and computing that don’t require a traditional four-year college degree. Plenty more are part of our state’s emerging “resiliency economy” — clean energy and industries related to preparing for, and responding to, natural disasters.

Filling this vitally important need for skilled trades and careers and technically educated (CTE) individuals won’t happen by itself. It’s going to take coordination across industries. It’s going to take investment from both the public and private sectors to expand training and apprenticeship programs.

Perhaps more than anything, it’s going to take a change in mindset. As a recent op-ed in the Miami Herald put it, there is a “Generational misconception concerning what constitutes a successful career — and that, somehow, trades are considered a lesser career path.”

I’d submit that anyone who leans toward that belief should check out our company’s story. There are many pathways to the middle class … and many pathways to a quality career.

We are incredibly proud to say that a career as a proud “modern roofer” is one of them.

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Kyle Matheny is the CEO of 3MG Roofing and Solar.