Monarch Roofing Rumors

‍A video posted by an ex-Monarch employee last week started rumors that the company was shutting down just a year after being acquired by Vertex Service Partners.

In a few short hours, speculation spread across social media and industry events: Is Monarch closing? Did private equity gut them? Is this another BlackRock & Minnesota Rusco situation?

Roofing Insights immediately began investigating. Here is what we found—and what sources close to the company say is really happening behind the scenes.

The Video

The clip, only a few seconds long, is filmed by an ex-employee outside a Monarch location, saying goodbye to “three years” with the company and stating that “they let everybody go.” 

In the comments, the creator added more clarification, saying they “Let all the pm’s [project managers] go.. Well mostly all.”

Roofing Insights Confirms: Monarch Is Still Open

To cut through the rumors, Roofing Insights contacted a Monarch Roofing office directly. The location confirmed they are still operating as normal.

This lines up with what a source later told us:

  • The business is not closing,
  • But many members of the original management team are gone,
  • And the company appears to be undergoing significant structural changes.

Speaking to us on background, someone with knowledge of the internal operations at Monarch and Vertex said the decision to remove project managers was likely strategic. Vertex leadership has been pushing to streamline operations in response to a slowing market.

While the layoffs are not good news for the industry, they do not mean the business is shutting down, either. 

Dmitry’s Take 

Dmitry reacted to the rumors and shared his take in the Roofing Insights video above. 

He says that Monarch’s founder Martin Pettigrew created an innovative “Roofing Machine” business model. But with Martin out of the picture and Vertex running the show, it’s not surprising the company would shift towards the more traditional, profit-driven structure preferred by private equity.

Dmitry explained that private equity is neither inherently good nor inherently evil. But it does operate differently:

  • Decisions are based on numbers, not relationships
  • Layoffs happen fast, sometimes without warning
  • New owners often replace existing systems with their own
  • Profitability takes priority over culture and legacy

This is the same pattern seen in multiple industries—not just roofing. Dmitry says:

“Businesses fail with or without private equity. But private equity acts quickly because they have to answer to financial performance.”

They are beholden to investors, where an independent shop is not.  So when a PE-owned contractor hits a slow year, they are more likely to downsize rather than try to “ride it out.” 

With the rise of private equity in the roofing over the last few years, it’s not surprising this video started a rumor mill. It’s a sore point. And many contractors are weighing potential culture shifts and downsizing with the added resources private equity can provide.

Dmitry sums it up: “Truth always prevails. We’re not here to sensationalize—we’re here to explain what’s really happening in the industry.”