Why Locally Owned Roofing Companies Matter More Than Ever in Myrtle Beach (2026)

The numbers tell a story that most homeowners have not heard yet. In 2020, there were fewer than a dozen private equity platforms actively acquiring roofing companies in the United States. By the end of 2023, that number had grown to 17. By the end of 2024, there were 56 active PE roofing platforms — a 229 percent increase in a single year. Industry analysts projected 134 additional acquisitions in 2025.

To understand why this matters, you need to understand the PE playbook. Private equity firms do not buy roofing companies because they are passionate about protecting homes. They buy them because home services businesses generate predictable revenue, especially in storm-prone markets. The strategy is called "buy-and-build" or "platform consolidation." Here is how it works:

The PE Roofing Playbook

1. Acquire a "platform" company — Buy a mid-size roofing company with a good reputation, existing customer base, and name recognition. The PE firm pays a premium because they are buying the brand, the reviews, and the revenue stream.
2. Roll up smaller companies — Use the platform to acquire additional roofing companies in the same market or new markets. Each acquisition adds revenue and geographic coverage. The acquired companies may keep their original names or rebrand.
3. Cut costs and increase margins — Centralize operations, reduce overhead, renegotiate supplier contracts, and in many cases, reduce crew pay or switch to subcontractor labor. The goal is to increase EBITDA (earnings) as fast as possible.
4. Sell at a higher multiple — After 3 to 7 years, sell the consolidated platform to another PE firm or take it public. The profit comes from the difference between what they paid and what they sell for. This is the exit.

The homeowner is not the customer in this model. The investor is. Every decision — from which materials to stock, to how many crews to run, to whether a warranty claim gets honored — is filtered through the question: "Does this improve our exit multiple?"

This is not speculation. It is the stated business model of firms like Vertex Service Partners, Pacific Avenue Capital Partners, and dozens of others that have entered the roofing space.

Myrtle Beach is not immune to this trend. In fact, our market is a prime target — high storm frequency, mandatory roof replacements after hurricanes, strong insurance claim volume, and a large base of homeowners who need roofing services regularly. Here is what has already happened:

Monarch Roofing Sold to Vertex Service Partners

Monarch Roofing was one of the most recognized roofing brands in the Myrtle Beach area. They had a strong local presence, solid reviews, and a team that many homeowners trusted. Then Monarch was acquired by Vertex Service Partners, a private equity-backed platform that has been aggregating home services companies across the Southeast.

On the surface, nothing may look different. The trucks may still say Monarch. The website may still reference the original founding story. But the decisions about pricing, crew assignments, material sourcing, and warranty fulfillment are now made by Vertex — not by the local team that built the reputation.

Lenox Roofing Became Salty Dog Roofing

Lenox Roofing, another longtime Myrtle Beach name, was absorbed into the Roofing Pups network and rebranded as Salty Dog Roofing. The Roofing Pups model is another consolidation play — acquire local brands, rebrand them under a unified identity, centralize operations, and scale.

For homeowners who hired Lenox and have existing warranties, this raises serious questions. Is Salty Dog legally obligated to honor Lenox warranties? If the Roofing Pups network restructures or sells again, what happens to those commitments? These are not hypothetical concerns — they are the same issues that Renovo customers faced when the phone lines went dead.

Why Myrtle Beach Is a PE Target Market

Private equity firms target markets with specific characteristics, and Myrtle Beach checks every box:

• High storm frequency — Hurricanes, tropical storms, and severe thunderstorms create consistent demand for roof repairs and replacements
• Insurance claim volume — Storm damage drives insurance claims, which means larger average ticket sizes
• Growing population — Horry County is one of the fastest-growing counties in South Carolina, meaning more roofs to service
• Aging housing stock — Many homes in established neighborhoods are reaching the 15 to 20 year roof replacement cycle
• Salt air degradation — Coastal conditions accelerate roof aging, creating a shorter replacement cycle than inland markets

In short: Myrtle Beach is a market where roofs fail frequently, insurance pays for replacements, and the customer base is growing. That is exactly what PE firms are looking for.

On November 3, 2025, Renovo Home Partners filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy — not Chapter 11 reorganization, but Chapter 7 liquidation. That distinction matters. Chapter 11 means a company is trying to restructure and survive. Chapter 7 means the company is done. Assets are sold to pay creditors. The business ceases to exist.

Renovo was a PE-backed platform that had acquired 19 roofing and home services companies across multiple states. Here is what happened to the people those companies served:

What Renovo Customers Experienced

• Disconnected phone numbers. Customers who called the roofing company that had done their work got automated messages or dead lines. The local office was closed.
• Abandoned jobs. Some homeowners had projects in progress — tear-offs that were half done, materials delivered but not installed. Crews stopped showing up without notice.
• Lost deposits. Homeowners who had paid deposits for upcoming work had no recourse. The money was gone, tied up in bankruptcy proceedings where roofing customers are unsecured creditors — meaning they get paid last, if at all.
• Voided warranties. The company that issued the workmanship warranty no longer existed. Manufacturer warranties on materials might still be valid, but the labor warranty — typically the most valuable protection for the homeowner — was worthless.
• No local recourse. The decision to file bankruptcy was not made locally. It was made by the PE firm's management team, likely in a different state, based on portfolio-level financial calculations that had nothing to do with the quality of work being done in any individual market.

Why This Could Happen Again

Renovo is not the only PE-backed roofing platform carrying significant debt. The buy-and-build model requires leverage — borrowed money used to acquire companies. When interest rates rose in 2023 and 2024, the cost of that debt increased dramatically. Platforms that were built on cheap money suddenly had to service expensive debt with the same revenue.

Not every PE-backed roofing company will fail. But the Renovo case proves that the risk is real, and that when a PE-backed company does fail, the homeowner is the one left holding worthless warranties and unfinished work.

Even when a PE-backed roofing company does not go bankrupt, the ownership change affects homeowners in concrete ways. These are not theoretical concerns — they are documented patterns that repeat across PE-consolidated industries.

Price Increases After Acquisition

PE firms acquire companies to grow profits, and the fastest way to grow profits is to raise prices. When a PE platform acquires three or four of the major roofing companies in a market, competition decreases and pricing power increases. Homeowners who used to get three genuinely competitive bids now get three bids from companies that are all owned by the same parent — or three bids from the reduced pool of remaining independents who know that competitive pressure has dropped.

Material and Labor Quality Changes

Cost-cutting is central to the PE playbook. After acquisition, platforms often switch to lower-cost material suppliers, reduce the number of experienced crew members per job, and increase the use of subcontractors instead of W-2 employees. For the homeowner, this can mean:

• Different underlayment or flashing materials than what the original company used
• Crews that are less familiar with coastal SC building codes and hurricane requirements
• Faster job completion times that sacrifice quality for volume
• Less thorough cleanup and final inspection

Customer Service Centralization

One of the first things PE platforms do is centralize customer service. Instead of calling the local office and speaking with someone who knows your neighborhood, you call a centralized call center. Warranty claims are processed through a ticketing system. The personal relationship between the roofer and the homeowner — which is how small problems get resolved before they become big problems — disappears.

Revolving Door of Project Managers

After acquisition, experienced local managers often leave. They may not agree with the new direction, or their compensation structure changes, or they simply prefer working for an independent company. The institutional knowledge they carry — about local building codes, inspector preferences, neighborhood-specific challenges, which supplier delivers on time — walks out the door with them.

For Myrtle Beach homeowners, this is particularly concerning. Coastal roofing is specialized work. Knowing the difference between Horry County and Georgetown County code requirements, understanding how salt air affects different fastener types, knowing which neighborhoods flood during which storms — that knowledge takes years to build and cannot be replaced by a corporate training manual.

PE-owned companies rarely advertise their ownership structure. The whole point of keeping the original brand name is to maintain the illusion of local ownership. But with a few minutes of research, you can find out who actually owns the company you are considering hiring.

Step 1: Search the SC Secretary of State Business Entity Database

Go to the South Carolina Secretary of State website and search the business entity database (businessfilings.sc.gov). Search for the roofing company's name. Look at:

• Registered Agent: If the registered agent is a corporate services company in Delaware, Nevada, or Connecticut rather than a local person, that is a red flag
• Principal Office: If the principal office address is out of state, especially in a financial hub like New York, Chicago, or Dallas, the company is likely PE-owned
• Entity Name Changes: Look for recent name changes or new LLC formations that coincide with known acquisition dates

Step 2: Google "[Company Name] acquisition" or "[Company Name] private equity"

PE acquisitions are typically announced in industry publications like Roofing Contractor Magazine, Remodeling Magazine, and PE-specific outlets like PitchBook and Crunchbase. A simple Google search will often reveal press releases about the deal.

Step 3: Check the Company Website's "About" Page

Look for language that has changed. PE-backed companies often shift from "family-owned" to "locally operated" or "part of the [Platform Name] family of companies." If the about page mentions a parent company, a "family of brands," or a leadership team based out of state, that tells you what you need to know.

Step 4: Ask Directly

When getting a quote, ask the sales representative: "Is this company independently owned, or is it part of a larger corporate group or investment platform?" A locally owned company will answer immediately and specifically. A PE-owned company's representative may hesitate, redirect, or give a vague answer about "being part of a network."

Your roof warranty is only as strong as the company behind it. When ownership changes — whether through PE acquisition, merger, or bankruptcy — your warranty protection can change dramatically even though you did nothing wrong.

Workmanship Warranty vs. Manufacturer Warranty

Most roof installations come with two warranties. The manufacturer warranty covers defects in the roofing materials themselves — shingles that fail prematurely, membranes that delaminate, etc. This warranty typically transfers because it is between the manufacturer and the property, not the installer. The workmanship warranty covers the installation labor — improper flashing, inadequate underlayment, incorrect nailing patterns. This is the warranty that is at risk when ownership changes.

What Happens to Workmanship Warranties in a PE Acquisition

When a PE firm acquires a roofing company, the acquiring entity may or may not assume the liabilities of the original company. It depends entirely on how the deal is structured:

• Asset purchase: The PE firm buys the assets (brand name, equipment, customer lists) but NOT the liabilities. Existing warranties may not transfer. This is the most common structure.
• Stock/equity purchase: The PE firm buys the entire entity, including liabilities. Existing warranties would technically transfer — but if the entity later files for bankruptcy, those warranties are still at risk.

What Happens to Warranties in a Bankruptcy

If the company files Chapter 7 (like Renovo), warranties are effectively voided. The company no longer exists to honor them. If the company files Chapter 11, warranties might survive the reorganization — but the reorganized company may have reduced its warranty obligations as part of the restructuring plan.

The GAF and Owens Corning Factor

If your roof was installed by a GAF Master Elite or Owens Corning Platinum Preferred contractor, the enhanced manufacturer warranty (like GAF's Golden Pledge or Owens Corning's Platinum Protection) includes workmanship coverage backed by the manufacturer, not just the installer. This is one of the most valuable protections a homeowner can have — because even if the installing company disappears, the manufacturer warranty remains in force.

However, not all PE-backed companies maintain their premium manufacturer certifications after acquisition. If the crew composition changes, or the company switches material suppliers, they may lose their certified installer status — which can affect the warranty coverage for future installations.

Storm chasers — the out-of-state roofing crews that flood into markets after hurricanes — are often discussed as a separate problem from PE consolidation. But the two are increasingly connected.

PE-backed platforms need to deploy crews to wherever the revenue opportunity is highest. After a major hurricane, that means sending crews from unaffected markets to the storm zone. These crews may not hold South Carolina roofing licenses. They may not understand local building codes. They may not know that Horry County has specific wind uplift requirements that differ from inland counties. But they wear the logo of a "local" company that was acquired by the platform.

How to Spot a Storm Chaser (Even Under a Local Brand)

• Out-of-state license plates on work vehicles — The trucks may have a local company's decals, but if the plates are from Texas, Florida, or Georgia, the crew was brought in from elsewhere
• Door-to-door solicitation immediately after a storm — SC law restricts unsolicited door-to-door sales of roofing services after a declared disaster. Legitimate local companies do not need to knock on doors — their phone is already ringing
• Pressure to sign immediately — "We have crews available now but they are leaving Friday" is a classic storm chaser tactic. A local company with permanent crews does not create artificial urgency
• Inability to name local references — Ask for three references in your specific neighborhood or zip code. A local company can provide them immediately. A storm chaser cannot
• Hotel addresses instead of local offices — Ask where their office is located. If they hesitate or give a vague answer, they do not have one

The PE Storm Chaser Hybrid

The newest and most difficult-to-detect version of this problem is the PE storm chaser hybrid. A PE platform acquires a well-known local roofing company. After a hurricane, the platform sends crews from its other markets to work under the local company's name. The homeowner thinks they are hiring a local company with a 20-year track record. In reality, the crew doing the work arrived from out of state last week.

This is not illegal. But it means the "local company" you think you hired may be staffing your job with the same transient labor force that storm chasers use — just under a more reputable brand.

For more on identifying and avoiding storm chasers after hurricane damage, see our guide: Hurricane Roof Damage in Myrtle Beach: What to Do First.

Not all roofing companies operate the same way. Understanding the differences between the four main types of roofing companies helps you make an informed decision about who to trust with one of the most important investments in your home.

This comparison is not meant to suggest that every PE-owned company delivers bad work, or that every local independent is perfect. The point is that the ownership structure creates different incentive systems, and those incentives affect the decisions that ultimately impact your roof, your wallet, and your warranty.

Being "local" is not just about having a Myrtle Beach address. Plenty of companies have a local office but are managed remotely by out-of-state ownership. Here is how to evaluate whether a roofing company is genuinely locally owned and operated — and whether that matters for the quality of work you will receive.

1. The Owner Is Accessible

In a truly locally owned company, you can talk to the owner. Not a regional manager, not a franchise coordinator, not a customer service representative in another state — the actual owner. This matters because when something goes wrong (and in roofing, problems do arise), the speed and quality of resolution depends on whether the decision-maker is accessible or hidden behind corporate layers.

2. Permanent Local Crews

Ask whether the company uses W-2 employees or subcontractors. Ask whether those crews live in the Myrtle Beach area year-round. A company with permanent local crews has workers who know the local building codes, have relationships with local inspectors, and understand the specific challenges of coastal SC roofing — from wind uplift requirements in Horry County to the salt air corrosion patterns in Cherry Grove and Surfside Beach.

3. Verifiable Local Track Record

Look for:

• Google reviews from people in your area, referencing specific neighborhoods
• Photos of completed projects on homes you can recognize as local
• References you can actually call — and who can describe the experience in detail
• A consistent business history, not a series of name changes or recent LLC formations

4. SC Roofing Contractor License

South Carolina requires roofing contractors to hold a valid license from the SC Residential Builders Commission or SC Contractors Licensing Board. Verify the license at verify.llronline.com. Check that the license is current, that it is held by the company (not just an individual who may have left), and that there are no disciplinary actions.

5. Manufacturer Certifications

Top-tier manufacturer certifications — like GAF Master Elite (only 2% of roofers qualify) or Owens Corning Platinum Preferred — require ongoing training, quality audits, and minimum customer satisfaction scores. These certifications are tied to the company, and they provide manufacturer-backed warranty coverage that survives even if the installing company later goes out of business.

6. Community Involvement

A locally owned company's reputation IS the owner's reputation. That creates a powerful incentive to do excellent work and treat customers fairly. Look for companies that are involved in the community beyond marketing — sponsoring local events, participating in disaster relief, hiring local workers, and supporting local organizations. These are signs that the company is invested in the long-term health of the community, not just extracting revenue from it.

For a complete guide on evaluating roofing contractors, see our detailed article: How to Choose a Roofing Contractor in Myrtle Beach.

WeatherShield Roofing is a family-owned, locally operated roofing company in Myrtle Beach, SC. We are not owned by a private equity firm. We are not part of a franchise network. We are not a subsidiary of a national platform. And we are not for sale.

David Karimi, the owner, lives in Myrtle Beach. He answers his phone. He stands behind every job. When you have a warranty issue, you are not calling a corporate 1-800 number — you are calling the person whose name is on the company.

What That Means in Practice

• 5.0 stars on Google with 81+ reviews — That rating represents 81 Myrtle Beach homeowners who trusted us with their roofs and took the time to share their experience. We maintain this rating because we treat every roof like it is our own.
• GAF Master Elite certified — Only 2% of roofing contractors in North America qualify. This means our installations come with manufacturer-backed warranty coverage — protection that survives regardless of what happens in the roofing industry.
• IBHS FORTIFIED Home certified — We are trained in the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety's FORTIFIED construction standard, which can qualify you for SC insurance premium discounts.
• Permanent local crews — Our crews live here. They work here year-round. They know Horry County codes, Myrtle Beach inspectors, and the specific challenges of coastal roofing. We do not import crews from out of state after storms.
• 18+ years of coastal roofing experience — David has inspected thousands of roofs across the Grand Strand. That experience means we catch problems that less experienced contractors miss — problems that matter when you live five miles from the ocean.

Why We Will Not Sell

We have been approached. Multiple times. PE firms are actively courting independent roofing companies in the Myrtle Beach market, and we fit the profile they are looking for — strong reputation, consistent reviews, loyal customer base, hurricane-prone market.

We say no every time. Not because the offers are not financially attractive, but because selling would mean giving up the thing that makes WeatherShield different: direct, personal accountability from the owner to the homeowner. That is not a marketing line. It is a business philosophy that cannot survive a PE acquisition.

The PE consolidation wave is not slowing down. More acquisitions are coming, and some of the companies acquired will eventually fail — just like Renovo. Here is what you can do right now to protect yourself.

Before You Hire a Roofer

1. Research ownership. Use the steps outlined in Section 5 to verify who actually owns the company. Do this even if you have used the company before — ownership may have changed since your last project.
2. Get manufacturer-backed warranties. Choose a contractor with GAF Master Elite or Owens Corning Platinum Preferred certification so your warranty is backed by the manufacturer, not just the installer.
3. Get everything in writing. Your contract should specify materials, timeline, warranty terms, and what happens if the company is sold or ceases operations during your warranty period.
4. Never pay more than 10% upfront. SC law limits contractor deposits. If a company asks for a large deposit before starting work, that is a red flag regardless of their ownership structure.
5. Verify the SC contractor license. A valid, current license with no disciplinary actions is the minimum bar. Check at verify.llronline.com.

If You Already Have a Roof from an Acquired Company

1. Locate your warranty documents. Find your original contract and warranty paperwork. Note the specific company name, the warranty duration, and what is covered.
2. Verify the manufacturer warranty. Contact the manufacturer directly (GAF, Owens Corning, CertainTeed, etc.) to confirm that your warranty is registered and valid. This does not depend on the installer.
3. Contact the current entity. If the company was acquired and rebranded, contact the new entity and ask them in writing whether they honor the previous company's workmanship warranties. Get the answer in writing.
4. Document your roof's current condition. Have an independent inspection done to establish a baseline. If you need to make a warranty claim later and the company has changed hands again, photographic evidence of your roof's condition now protects you.

After a Storm

1. Call a local independent contractor first. Do not wait for door-knockers. Have a relationship with a local roofer before storm season, so you have someone to call when you need them.
2. Get a free inspection before filing a claim. Know what damage exists before the insurance adjuster arrives. See our guide: Roof Inspection for Insurance Claims in South Carolina.
3. Do not sign anything under pressure. No legitimate local roofing company will pressure you to sign a contract on the spot after a storm. Take your time, get multiple quotes from verified local independents, and make an informed decision.

The roofing industry is at an inflection point. The PE consolidation wave has reshaped markets across the country, and Myrtle Beach is no exception. Some of the brands homeowners trusted for decades are now owned by investors whose priority is financial returns, not roof quality.

But here is what the PE firms do not understand about Myrtle Beach: this market punishes shortcuts. Our hurricanes test every roof. Our salt air corrodes inferior materials. Our building codes — informed by decades of storm experience — require specific installation practices that generic crews from other markets may not know. The consequences of bad roofing work are not theoretical here. They show up as leaks during the next tropical storm.

The independent roofing companies that survive this consolidation wave will be the ones that offer something PE platforms cannot replicate: genuine local expertise, personal accountability, and a long-term commitment to the community. Those qualities are not scalable in a spreadsheet, and they cannot be acquired in a leveraged buyout.

For Myrtle Beach homeowners, the message is clear: your choice of roofer is now a choice about what kind of business you want to support and what kind of accountability you want protecting your home. The locally owned roofing companies that are still here — that have chosen to stay independent while others sold — are making a bet that homeowners value genuine relationships over corporate branding. We believe that bet is the right one.