With a sole location in Arvada, Colo., Valiant Contractors is a newcomer to the world of roofing. Founded in 2013, Valiant services all of Colorado, in addition to various out-of-state jobs. The company’s sole owner, Cody Bathauer, is what we at Roofing Contractor refer to as a Young Gun. At just 31, Bathauer is running his own roofing company — with the help of his nine non-union employees — and for him, the journey thus far has been an extremely rewarding.
“The best experience for Valiant is being able to look at where it started and where it’s at today. This company started out of the back of a truck and today I am a well-known and respected contractor,” said Bathauer. “That is by far the best achievement for us thus far.”
Though his career started out in resinous flooring and polishing, Bathauer soon realized that customers were eager for a company that provided a range of services, as opposed to just one. Often times, customers would speak up about the difficulties of using several companies to finish a single project. Keeping those customer’s wishes in mind, Bathauer decided to start his own company that combined roofing, restoration and coatings. Roofing Contractor recently sat down with Bathauer, who shared some of the insight he’s gathered in his four short years in business.
RC: What type of services do you offer and what percentage of your business is residential vs. commercial; new construction vs. re-roofing?
CB: Valiant is a class B general construction company that has a very comprehensive scope. We like to think of ourselves as a one-stop shop. We do resinous flooring, exterior repaints, reroofing and construction. We do both residential and commercial business.
RC: How is your company structured? Separate departments or divisions?
CB: Our company is structured into separate divisions. We have our resinous flooring division, our construction/roofing division and our painting division.
RC: How do you educate/train your employees and keep them safe on the jobsite?
CB: We have meetings daily to discuss job specific safety subjects, weekly meeting for general areas of concern and a monthly meeting to recap areas of concern that project managers saw.
RC: How would you describe your company’s culture?
CB: The culture of Valiant can be best summed up as family. We trust one another and the ownership everyone has in their work and their position with the company has been a key role in our culture.
RC: What are some key challenges in your market and how do you overcome them?
CB: The most challenging hurdle in our market has been trying to overcome the stigma of (bad) roofing companies. We have really been trying to focus on being straight up with our customers and really show them why it’s important to have a licensed contractor lend their hand and knowledge when they need to get their project completed.
RC: No company succeeds on its own. Are there any particular manufacturers or distributors that helped your company reach this level of success?
CB: There have been many people along the way that have assisted in the development of getting Valiant where it’s at today. I would have to say our suppliers have been the largest contributors.
RC: Does your company have a Mission Statement? Please share. If not, please describe the key attributes of your company that make it successful and sets it apart from the competition?
CB: To be the ideal example of professional excellence in the contracting industry through education, performance, quality and integrity while building long-term relationships.
RC: What advice do you have for other roofing contractors out there striving for success?
CB: Learn as much as you can and attend as many industry events you can to get to know vendors and products so you can maximize profit and be able to provide your customer the best system for them.
