Allied Roofing Systems closes

Allied Roofing Systems LLC, 655 S. Campbell Ave., has closed its doors and returned assets to its lender, according to CEO Clint Tackitt.

He said Allied Roofing was part of a consortium, and the consortium remains in place, but Missouri operations for the business have ceased.

Tackitt said business had been dwindling this year, but the impetus behind the closure was an inability to collect money owed from its clients.

“We closed the doors with accounts receivable of $1.7 million that we couldn’t get people to pay,” Tackitt said.

He declined to name any clients who owed the company money, but said a library in Kansas was among them.

Allied stopped taking new clients in September after reducing its workforce during a six-month period, Tackitt said. The business had around 10 employees by the time it closed, down from a high of about 140.

In 2011, Springfield Business Journal honored Allied Roofing Systems among its Dynamic Dozen companies based on three-year revenue growth, listing Allied at No. 8. Led by Tackitt, the company reported 2010 revenue of $6.05 million, up 42 percent from 2008. At the time, the firm reported it employed 68 workers and was in hiring mode.

Tackitt and his family plan to remain in Springfield, he said.

“We’ve got no plans. We have investments in other operations and we’ll take it from there,” Tackitt said. “There’s not much I can say. We took most of the assets that we used for collateral and gave them to the bank.”

Collateral assets included a vacant lot in southeast Springfield and the center city business property. A spokeswoman with mortgage lender Guaranty Bank could not be reached by deadline.

On Nov. 21, Larry Stock, owner of Queen City Roofing and Contracting Co. Inc., attended an auction held by I-66 Auto Auction that featured equipment and vehicles of Allied Roofing. Stock said he bought a safety cart, which is a fall-protection device, for under $3,000 – about half of what a new one would cost.

Though he said he doesn't wish anyone failure in business, Stock wasn’t surprised by the closure.

“When I started business in 1978, there were four roofing contractors in town. Now, there are more than 100,” he said. “I’m surprised that through the recession there haven’t been more going out of business.”