Making solar accessible

By Emma Peterson. 

Learn about SRS Distribution’s solar department and how they’re setting contractors up in the solar market. 

Solar energy is an exponentially growing market in the roofing industry and contractors that can help homeowners set up a plan for solar gain a competitive advantage. However, solar is a massive market with many restrictions and regulations that can make it difficult for contractors to expand into. In this episode of Roofing Road Trips®, Heidi J. Ellsworth talks to Jess Cress and Bill Eitenmiller about how SRS Distribution is entering the solar space and helping contractors who want to do the same.  

Bill, who is the director of SRS Distribution’s solar program, shared a bit of how his department came to be, saying, “I've been with SRS for 11 years and was managing a branch in Eugene, Oregon when a contractor walked in and asked if he could buy solar from us. I didn’t know much, so I did a deep dive in the solar industry and just started reaching out to contacts and in seven, eight months I said, ‘Hey, this is something maybe we should be doing, we should be getting involved with.’”  

Jess, who is a branch manager of SRS Distribution’s Athens, Georgia location, jumped at the opportunity to work with solar. She explained, “I was a roofing installer for a while, flipped a couple companies. I actually installed Solar Feet when I was in Florida about eight or nine years ago. Then Bill gave me the opportunity to get into solar with SRS and I just took it.” Her branch has been the pilot branch for SRS Distribution’s solar program and has helped Bill and his team figure out exactly what needs to be provided in their solar program. Jess explained, “My branch team went through training programs, read specs, and, truthfully, everything that I sell, I've personally installed. It was a huge learning curve, but Bill was great, instrumental in setting up a bunch of different avenues so that our contractors have those options of which direction they want to go.” 

At the core of this program, Bill and the SRS solar department are trying to make it easy for contractors to integrate solar. They do this by helping connect roofers with companies that are already doing solar and are experts in it. Bill explained, “It’s been a lot of training and we've got some strategic partnerships with folks that effectively help roofers close those solar deals as either passing off a lead and they get a little piece of the pie or they can get taught how to do the sales component and then kind of work with this other organization on the side and so there's a number of pathways to get through this.” 

Read the transcript or Listen to the podcast to learn more about expanding your business into the solar market with SRS Distribution.