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Company History
 RACKLEY ROOFING COMPANY, INC. opened for business in Carthage, TN in 1974 in a one-room office with one secretary, one roofing crew and a rented pickup truck. From that humble beginning, founder W.R. “Bill” Rackley launched what has become a respected mainstay in the Middle Tennessee commercial and industrial roofing market.
In its earliest days, RACKLEY’S operations were geared almost exclusively to the installation of asphalt built-up roofing systems, primarily in new construction applications. Bill was anything but a novice to BUR technology. As a former Vice President of the Memphis-based Chris Fiedler Company, at the time one of the largest commercial roofing firms in the U.S., Bill was thoroughly familiar with BUR roofing systems.
Even as Mr. Rackley was opening the doors of his new company, commercial roofing technology was undergoing historic changes. Built-up roofing was giving way in the market place to names like “EPDM”, “PVC”, “CSPE” and “PIB”, all single ply membranes, bearing little resemblance to the hot-applied BURs.
David Frost, another Fiedler alumnus, joined RACKLEY in 1979 as vice president, with the intent to eventually assume ownership of the company. At that point, it was still just Bill and David in the office, with one secretary. Field operations, however, had grown significantly, to three roofing crews and two sheet metal crews.
Coincidental with David’s arrival, RACKLEY began diversifying into the single ply market. BUR roofing was still the standard, but more and more architects were calling for single ply systems, and most of those specifications were for ballasted EPDM membranes. Asphalt kettles and mop tubs were being replaced by ballast conveyors and motorized gravel spreaders.
In 1987, David Frost attained his goal to own RACKLEY ROOFING CO., INC., and Bill Rackley moved on to other interests. By then, RACKLEY was well established as one of the largest and most reputable commercial roofing concerns in Middle Tennessee, with work ranging from one end of Tennessee to the other, as well as Kentucky and the northern portions of Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. David aspired to be the “hassle-free” roofer to our clients.
There have been a lot of changes in the roofing business since 1987. Most significant to the market is the maturing of single ply membrane technology. EPDMs, TPOs and PVCs are no longer upstart oddities. They are battle-tested materials, and altogether they have displaced built-up roofing for dominance in the marketplace.
RACKLEY ROOFING COMPANY, INC. has changed with the times. The asphalt kettles and mop tubs are all but gone. Our crews are thoroughly trained in the installation of a wide range of single ply products by leading manufacturers, including the Firestone Building Products Company, Carlisle Syntec, and Johns-Manville. Our sheet metal operations are supported by an up-to-date fabrication shop, complete with computerized bending machines and precision shearing equipment, enabling our crews to complete some of the most challenging standing seam metal roofing projects in the TN market. We also cater to roof maintenance and repairs, known as our RoofCheck program.
Recent company growth includes the addition of Curtis Sutton. Curtis brings nearly 20 years of roofing experience, from the ground up, including management of large-scale installation, maintenance and repair operations. Curtis comes to David Frost as David came to Bill Rackley in 1979. He represents our future with the intent to own the company.
Through all of the changes, all the way back to 1974, there remains a constant. RACKLEY ROOFING COMPANY, INC. has always been and remains committed to the “hassle-free” delivery of top quality roofing products and services to its clients.
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