MADSKY Contractor Stories: Sergio Garcia, Co-Founder of Streamline Roofing
Having the right partner is key
“I was in the petrochemical industry for years, and during my layoffs I helped my uncles and my brother who were roofers at the time. I did some manual labor on the roofs and I kind of liked it; I thought it was pretty neat. I have a good work ethic and I like to work.
As the years went by, I got tired of traveling for work, and in 2015 I decided to retire from the petrochemical industry. I put all my savings, $15,000, into starting a roofing company; and I’m glad I did, because it was worth it.
I learned a lot along the way from some really neat crews I got to work with, and I asked a lot of questions. That’s how you get knowledge — when you’re actually out there watching these veterans do their work.
I told myself “I need a partner”
I met Patrick in 2018. I was at the point where I had gone through two hailstorms back-to-back. My company was young, I had a lot of drive, and I was taking on more than I could handle. I hired a couple of supervisors and it was going well for a while, but I had jobs in four different cities at one time. I was doing hurricane relief work in different areas and had put over 150,000 miles on my truck in one year. I was living out of hotels, driving and working so much.
Then, I told myself, “I can’t do it this way for the rest of my life. I need to find a partner.” The most successful roofing companies have several owners, sometimes three or four people, and I know why — it’s just too much for one person.
Patrick and I see eye to eye, and it’s a perfect match. It’s really important to have the right partner; it’s probably one of the most important things for a successful company.
We started our joint company in 2018. It was called Austin’s Five Star Roofing. As of January 1st, we changed the name to Streamline Roofing, so it’s not geographically specific.
We strive to do things the right way
We strive doing things the right way — that’s what’s most important to us. It’s not the volume that we’re concerned about, but just working with honesty and integrity. We both feel the same — our customers are our number one priority. We truly deliver what we say we’re going to deliver and just build a business based on that.
You can put up a slick website and Instagram, Facebook, all the social media stuff, but if you can’t back it up with good quality work, then it doesn’t really mean anything.
We both grew up in the Austin, Texas, area. I think just being local and having a good reputation helps grow our company. We’re not going anywhere, and we want to keep our good name.
Partnering with MADSKY
It’s good to be partnering with MADSKY. We appreciate the opportunity to receive jobs and help customers. I think everyone we talked to at MADSKY were really friendly and helpful, and obviously there’s a lot more growth from MADSKY too.
Hopeful for 2021
We did well last year. We managed to stay somewhat consistent and busy, considering what the country and the world was going through. I really think everyone needs to be hopeful for 2021. I have a good feeling that it’s going to finally take a turn in a direction where we have more stability and reassurance.”