Episode #15
Cross-Training Crews to Survive Buffalo Winters
Meet Chandler Pedini, our October 2026 Roofr of the Month. Chandler is a sales and project manager at Five Star Roofing in Buffalo, New York. He was on roofs at 10 years old working at the family business, and saw exactly what a life of roofing does to your body. So he tried his hand at accounting, and lasted exactly one day before coming back. Now, he splits his time between job sites and his desk, which turned out to be the perfect balance. Chandler walks us through building a business with 40 in-house crew while most of the industry subs everything out, cross-training crews to survive Buffalo winters, and why Five Star's Instant Estimator leads close at nearly double the rate of their regular leads. If you've ever wondered whether ditching subcontractors is worth the headache, this one's for you. In this episode: • Growing up on roofs (literally, at age 10) • Why Chandler tried accounting and lasted one day • The hard transition from the field to the office • Why Five Star keeps almost everything in-house • The real cost (and the payoff) of ditching subcontractors • Cross-training crews to survive Buffalo's winters • How Instant Estimator generated 35 leads in its first month • Why Instant Estimator leads close at up to 65% • The hidden benefit of looking like a "next level" company • Five Star's 2027 goal: "do less work, make more money"
