— Interview with Michelle Grojean —
R&R: Where are you based and how long has the company been in business?
Michelle Grojean, CP Rankin
Michelle Grojean: CP Rankin is headquartered in Chalfont, Pennsylvania, flexing roughly 25 years of commercial roofing experience.
R&R: What is your name and title, and how long have you been with the company?
Grojean: Michelle Grojean, director of marketing, 1 year.
R&R: What trades/services do you offer retailers and restaurants?
Grojean: Roof replacement, new construction, routine leak service, 24-hour emergency response, snow removal programs, hurricane recovery, retrofit systems, flute fill overlays, assessments & inspections, roof coating restoration, architectural sheet metal, capital project budgeting.
R&R: In what regions of the country do you conduct most of your business, or are you nationwide?
Grojean: CP Rankin proudly services the entire East Coast of the United States.
R&R: What makes your company’s “signature service” stand out in the industry?
Grojean: We excel in 24-hour emergency response with our strategically-located roofing professionals, ready to dispatch at your request.
R&R: What kind of feedback do you receive from clients?
Grojean: Our favorite, and most popular, feedback is repeat business and shining referrals.
R&R: Why should owner/operators choose your company to be their next vendor partner?
Grojean: Experience and trust. CP Rankin has established an exemplary reputation among the area’s largest corporations, general contractors, property management firms, office parks, distribution facilities, restaurant groups, big box retail entities, shopping centers and malls, retail chains, mixed use property as well as various privately and publicly held institutions.
R&R: How many retail/restaurant clients do you have, and is that sector growing for you? Would you like to name any of your clients?
Grojean: We work with dozens of retail and restaurant clients. As planned, our market is continuously growing as word spreads about our trustworthy and reliable operation.
Some of our current clients in these industries include Red Robin, PJ Whelihan’s, Darden Restaurants, and a number of national property management firms that manage retail centers in our market areas.
R&R: How did your company keep clients engaged and their facilities maintained during COVID? How did your company navigate most client facilities being closed during spring 2020?
Grojean: Because our services operate on the outer perimeter of these facilities, we were able to uphold service standards as outlined prior to the pandemic. Unfortunately for the facility managers in the industry, roofing issues and projects don’t cease to exist just because a facility is closed. CP Rankin persisted with reliable service from the beginning.
R&R: In light of a very tumultuous 2 years, what trends are you seeing in the industry now? What is your advice for FM vendors reacting to this post-COVID climate?
Grojean: We’ve, thankfully, witnessed a more dramatic shift toward preventative maintenance. We understand that roofing tends to be an “out of sight out of mind” issue for many managers, but with the extra time and attention focused on facility standards during the pandemic, we feel that some of the more experienced managers are truly understanding the benefits of proactive vs. reactive roofing services, saving everyone money and headaches in the long run.
R&R: What predictions do you have — for your company, your industry or both — in 2022? Are things finally looking up?
Grojean: Now, and predicted in 2022, we’re all facing industrywide material shortages that are going to challenge smaller companies to be as responsive as the larger companies with a significant footprint and strong relationships with material manufacturers.
— Michelle Grojean is the director of marketing of CP Rankin. This Q&A originally was published in the December 2021/January 2022 issue of Retail & Restaurant Facility Business magazine. For more information in having your company profiled in a future Signature Vendor Spotlight, please contact Scott Royal at [email protected].