We recently connected with Bailey Shey Morris and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Bailey Shey thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.

As a homeowner, when it comes to dealing with property insurance, most are intimidated and have a “don’t poke the bear mindset” when it comes to calling in claims. As a contractor with a niche in insurance roofing, I get confronted with concerns such as: “I’ve never called in a claim in 20 years”, “what if they deny my claim and drop me?”, or “won’t my premium go up exponentially?”. While all of these concerns hold merit, the main issue with dealing with insurance claims is the mystery of them and all one needs is to know the process and have proper representation from a trusted contractor. When it comes to storm claims involving wind and hail, the field term I use is “No Fault Claim”, meaning that the damage that occurred to your home, is in fact, not your fault *wink wink*. These types of claims don’t necessarily mean that your rates will not increase; it is more of a situation where the entire swath or storm, known as a high-risk area, will increase the rates after many claims have been called in.
Let me de-mystify the claims process and how an insurance roofer can assist. When it comes to getting a claim approved for wind and hail, it is highly recommended that you hire a company that specializes in looking for storm damages. Our climbers at First Choice Roofing are GAF Certified Weather Watchers; we look specifically for wind and hail damage that affected the exterior, and sometimes the interior of a home. We can take the reins from you and ensure a seamless claims process. We will do a free inspection, on the roof and the ground, and go over a damage report with the homeowner. We will tell you whether you have a substantial amount of damage that warrants a claim or if it is in your best interest to wait for another major weathering event. We work for you and want to ensure the best outcome for the policy.
If there is enough damage on the roof, we will assist in calling the claim in with the homeowner. This call consists of identity verification from the homeowner and the contractor, an overall analysis of damages, date of loss (storm date) and ends in a claim number. This claim number allows the homeowner to check the status of the claim and it allows the homeowner to collaborate with the assigned adjuster on behalf of the policyholder. A few days later, once the claim is assigned, the adjuster will reach out to the homeowner to set up an insurance inspection to verify damages. Once that date is set, the homeowner will let us know and we will also be present to represent the homeowner and collaborate with the adjuster on the roof and around the property.
After this appointment, the claim decision is out of our hands and rests in the hands of the desk claim handler. Once the decision is made, however, we can discuss the next steps to move forward. Upon approval, the adjuster will send their estimate to the homeowner for what they are willing to approve and release the first check to start the job. As an insurance roofer, the insurance estimate, or Scope of Work, is essentially my estimate. We replace the roof to its full integrity and invoice with proof of completion to the insurance in order for them to release a second payment which will then close out your claim.
It is a multi-step process, and the curse of common knowledge can put a homeowner on edge, but with a representative such as myself, walking the homeowner through it and doing all the legwork, it is a very easy process. Storm claims are an opportunity that every homeowner should take advantage of, and my goal is to ensure that you are represented well and not taken advantage of by the insurance companies. Don’t be left in the dark. Contact us today for a free inspection.

Bailey Shey , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

In 2020, I was living in another state, running a country club bar that paid for my college tuition. When the pandemic hit, the service industry was a little undecided, so I came to North Carolina to be close to family. My brother launched First Choice Roofing and Construction and went to Raleigh to open up a new market. He as the president, and my mother as CFO, they were a powerhouse. I ended up moving to North Carolina and I quickly got integrated into the family business. Construction was new to me, but I had an affinity for education and learning new skill sets. I rode around and did sales with one of our project managers for six months, soaking up every ounce of knowledge I could like a sponge. I went to every inspection, every insurance inspection, every contract signing, and every build. I cleaned job sites, tossed shingles, helped the crew so I could understand the installation process. I will admit, my Spanish needs hella work, but I do my best.

The products we utilize on all our roofing installations are top-of-the-line, GAF Lifetime roofing products. GAF is North America’s leading manufacturer in roofing products, all of which are made in-house to ensure quality and consistency. First Choice Roofing is Master Elite contractor certified, endorsed through our manufacturer, GAF; this essentially means that we have received special recognition from the leading manufacturer of roofing materials in the country and we have installed and performed to meet all the standards set by GAF, making First Choice Roofing one of the “highest quality contractors nationwide”. With this certification, we are able to offer our homeowners the highest quality warranty and materials.

As of today, I am a Project Manager for the company, and I am very grateful for my role in the community and the support that I receive from my family. I joined out of familial obligations, but I have developed a personal love for the industry and a passion for helping people. At the end of a project, I love watching a family come outside and admire our craftsmanship or seeing how the change in a shingle color can bring out the beauty in a home. It is so much more than just a two-day construction build to replace a roof; it is our company ensuring a home is secure. A home is a family’s safe haven; it is where our loved ones reside, our memories, and the things that hold value to us. So, a roof is more than a roof. We are protecting someone’s livelihood. We are protecting someone’s assets. I take a lot of pride in that.

What sets us apart from other roofing companies is an easy question. Our team shares the same last name. My brother and my mother mean the world to me; working with them every day is simply a blessing. Combining all our strengths under one company name, we can offer a trustworthy, consistent, and integrity-filled experience that I guarantee will be different from any other contractor experience.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

This is a fun story from when I was a canvasser in my first few months in the industry. When it comes to door to door sales, it can be intimidating. You are approaching a stranger’s door post-pandemic, and the reactions from homeowner’s are definitely on a wide spectrum of good to bad. I remember one of the very first neighborhoods I worked in with our Senior Project Manager, Yhocio Aguirre, I had knocked a door and didn’t expect the response I received. The homeowner, a lively middle-aged Indian woman with hella spunk and kind eyes, looked me up and down, saw my logo and simply said, “if you personal train me, you can have my business.” with a smile. Now I have a huge background in the fitness industry so, while I was taken aback for a second, I simply said “hell yeah lets do it”. We ended up doing their roof replacement, “insurance-approved”, and this family became my first close friends in North Carolina. I did end up training her and her husband twice a week for a year and 3 years later today, we are all still friends.
From this experience, it really simplified my industry for me, especially being a sales rep at the time. Toss out your scripts and monotone monologues and realize that every home holds a difference human experience. When a homeowner opens the door, you have a second to read the room and gauge your audience. The goal is to have a conversation. The goal is to talk with them and not at them in order to find out if we, First Choice Roofing, can be of assistance in any home improvement projects. The goal isnt the sale, its the relationship between homeowner and contractor that is important.

How’d you meet your business partner?

The owner of First Choice Roofing and Construction is my younger brother, Ethan Cole Morris. There will always be a stigma about working with family, even more so, running a business with family. Those types of stigmas have no place in our company. While my brother is, indeed, my favorite human on earth, Ethan is also the most determined and driven person I know. We both grew up in an incredibly strict household under my mother’s instruction; we were expected to make the best grades, to be the best in sports, to be musically talented, to public speak, and to be involved in extra-curricular activities. It was busy and structured and also taught us to be self-sufficient and independent. As young adults (my brother, 23, and myself, 25), we have taken these skill sets that were encouraged by our mother and implemented these tools into our lives today. I never planned on a career in the construction industry, but the passion I see my brother take on every day running this company, it is contagious and encouraged me to be a part of it. His affinity for helping others, whether it is a homeowner’s home renovation project or a new employee who just needs the opportunity for success, is really incredible. I am lucky to know him and build this legacy with him.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://firstchoiceroofingusa.com/contact-us
• Instagram: @bshey_firstchoiceroofingusa
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FirstChoiceRoofingUSA/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bailey-shey-morris-3a5189163/
• Other: https://www.google.com/search?q=first+choice+roofing+and+construction&sxsrf=ALiCzsYSuSHAeCZXv1zj4hsLmGlCgCMyCw%3A1666627169010&source=hp&ei=YLZWY4WTO4Oh5NoPvcm3gAo&iflsig=AJiK0e8AAAAAY1bEceo9gvT_Jv0coxGOIkT02AK_FGTY&gs_ssp=eJwFwcsNgCAMANB4NXEHLpwFwe8ILmFKpYKHNkFMHN_32q6_emtvSuzXI5lm0-ZbVkCyzg3gw-Rh3sw3u2nEwYD1GDFQ2DXl8lSFSTJGVUQo86WAT4XCTy0v1iz8Aw5THhk&oq=first+ch&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAMYADIKCC4QxwEQrwEQJzIECCMQJzIECCMQJzILCC4QgAQQxwEQrwEyCwguEIAEEMcBEK8BMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyCwgAEIAEELEDEIMBMgsILhCABBDHARCvATILCC4QgAQQxwEQrwE6CwguEIAEEMcBENEDOggILhCxAxCDAToICAAQsQMQgwE6CAgAEIAEELEDOhEILhCABBCxAxCDARDHARDRAzoOCC4QgAQQsQMQxwEQ0QM6CAgAEIAEEMkDOgsILhCxAxDHARDRAzoLCC4QgAQQsQMQ1AJQAFiHBmCsEmgAcAB4AYABxAGIAYMHkgEDNC40mAEAoAEB&sclient=gws-wiz#lrd=0x89acf1332a4b64a7:0x7365c20a14cecbfb,1,,,

Image Credits
All images were taken by me or by a fellow team member.