P Cooper Roofing

P. Cooper Roofing Inc. began in 1986 in Trenton, New Jersey. Founded by Chuck Goss, the company initially concentrated on the residential market. Top quality expertise paired with exceptional customer service has driven the company to become one of the largest residential and commercial roofing companies serving northern New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Michael Hoch joined Cooper Roofing in 2001 and currently serves as executive vice president. As childhood friends all the way through high school, Hoch and Goss both chose paths that led them into the construction industry.

“I started out as a carpenter’s apprentice,” says Hoch. “Chuck was working with a mutual friend of ours whose father owned a roofing company. When I decided to leave the position I was in, Chuck approached me and encouraged me to come work with them. That’s how I became a roofer.”

Hoch and Goss continued working for the company for five years until they both decided to leave and start their own businesses. “Chuck started Cooper Roofing and I started my own roofing company,” explains Hoch. “We both had partners in our respective ventures that ultimately we chose not continue a business relationship with. Chuck approached me and said he was looking for a partner to help run Cooper Roofing, so I agreed and it’s worked out great ever since.”

One-Stop Shop

Cooper Roofing is highly experienced in the design, installation and maintenance of all types of roofs.  When re-roofing is required, Cooper Roofing will determine the cause and install a roof that will mitigate potential problems. With state-of-the-art technology, the company is able to identify factors such as age, severe weather, and improper maintenance that may contribute to a roof system failure.

Cooper Roofing has recently acquired a complete sheet metal shop. “We will be equipped to make flashing for a lot of the builders, whether it’s flashing for the roof, siding or the interior design,” says Hoch. “We’ll also be able make and sell flashing to other roofing companies.”

Hoch describes himself as someone who is very interested in U.S. history, so when Cooper Roofing was awarded the contract for replacing the roof on the National Liberty Museum, Hoch was excited. “It was right downtown in Philadelphia and had a real prestigious look to it,” explains Hoch.

The company installed an ethylene propylene diene terpolymer (EPDM) roof on the museum. EPDM is an extremely durable synthetic rubber roofing membrane and is commonly used on low-slope buildings. “The roof had to be absolutely weatherproof because you couldn’t have water leaking in and ruining an exhibit in the museum.”

Successful completion of the project with the National Liberty Museum is prime example of the safety practices exhibited by Cooper Roofing. “Some of the challenges with that job were that it was right downtown on Chestnut Street, and it’s a high traffic area,” says Hoch. “We had to tear off the existing roof, so we had material going up and down. We even shut down Chestnut Street one morning so we could bring in a crane to increase the safety of the project while transferring materials.”

Service with a purpose

In any line of work, one often searches for rewarding aspects of a career. A gratifying experience may present itself as a position within a company, or as an assigned project. Hoch says he experienced this when Cooper Roofing was called into action after Hurricane Sandy hit the Eastern Shore.

“We went into an apartment complex comprised of 17 buildings,” explains Hoch. “The roofs had been completely torn off of 15 of those buildings. We were able to expedite that and load it up with four different crews working simultaneously. Within six weeks all 15 of those buildings had roofs back on them.”

With the roofs repaired on the units, renovation crews were able to repair the damage to the inside of the homes. “It was really gratifying for us because at least the people were able to get back into their homes,” says Hoch. “The amount of time these people were homeless was dependent on us, so I was happy that we were able to complete it relatively quickly.”

A great reputation

In a competitive industry where reputation is everything, Cooper Roofing has experienced years of success. Not only does the company have competent, reliable employees, Cooper Roofing has integrity. “The biggest aspect of the job that we instill in our employees is customer service,” notes Hoch. “They all understand that phones do not get shut off at 5:00. They also know that the job is not always Monday through Friday. If a customer needs us, we have to be able to respond to them as quickly as possible.”

Cooper Roofing is looking forward to continued growth in the near future, all the while maintaining the service and integrity Hoch believes his customers deserve  “We’ve brought a couple of new guys in who we expect open some new doors and create new business for us,” says Hoch. “Chuck and I take pride in the fact that we’ve built this company and worked very hard through the good times and bad, and have always done it legitimately, without ever taking advantage of someone.”

When Hoch isn’t designing and installing roofs with Cooper Roofing, he is busy teaching integrity to children in the form of coaching youth football. “It’s what I enjoy doing in my leisure time,” says Hoch

In the meantime, P. Cooper Roofing will continue to provide great customer service as well as top-notch roofing services.