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TAMKO: 80 Years of Innovation

 

Since 1944, TAMKO has been committed to its mission of providing our customers with quality roofing materials and services for the mutual benefit of our customers, suppliers, employees, and shareholders in order to enhance and sustain success over the long term.

In 2024, TAMKO celebrates 80 years in business, a historic anniversary made possible by three generations of dedicated family leadership, continued reinvestment in new and innovative products, equipment, technology and in TAMKO employees, and especially by the efforts of thousands of hardworking TAMKO employees over the past 80 years, all of us at TAMKO are grateful to everyone who has been part of our success.

 
 
 
 

Industry-Leading Shingle Performance


Continuous Improvement has been the foundation for TAMKO success for decades. In recent years, those efforts led to the development of new innovative technologies for high-performance roofing products to provide our customers with even better protection from extreme weather. TAMKO’s NEW Proline® series of high performance shingles includes the critically-acclaimed Titan XT® and StormFighter FLEX™ which are both warranted for an industry-leading high wind performance at wind speeds up to 160 mph. Proline® series shingles feature the AnchorLock™ layer – TAMKO’s exclusive polyester fabric reinforced nailing zone, in combination with TAMKO’s proprietary Advanced Fusion™ sealants – designed to seal aggressively even in cooler temperatures.

Proline® series StormFighter FLEX™ shingles also feature TAMKO’s new ForceFX™ polymer technology for industry-leading cold weather application in temperatures down to 25-degrees - extending the roofing season for roofing contractors across the country. StormFighter FLEX™‘s ForceFX™ also enhances application in warmer temperatures.

Proline® series shingles are also impact rated with Titan XT® shingles certified for UL Class 3 Impact Resistance while StormFighter FLEX™ is available with either UL Class 3 or Class 4 Impact Resistance.

Importantly, Titan XT® shingles were voted Product of the Year for Innovation in 2024 in the Home Protection category of a consumer survey conducted by Kanbar that included 40,000 people.

Old TAMKO Heritage shingles

Continuous Improvement


Starting in the early 1980s, TAMKO launched a Continuous Improvement program based on the strategies of famed statistician Dr. W. Edwards Deming. This “Constancy of Purpose” toward the goal of continuous, never-ending improvement has remained the foundation for the company’s data driven manufacturing, evolving over time to add more advanced data analysis with the implementation of Six Sigma in 2002, and dynamic data analysis and machine automation incorporating new technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) into the company’s operations.

TAMKO Asphalt Products - Employees Group Shot

Safer Jobs


Innovating and automating processes with new technologies also enables safer, less physically demanding, and more enjoyable jobs for employees. In 2005, TAMKO launched its Zero Incident Safety Culture (ZISC) program, elevating employee safety above every other goal with the absolute requirement that “If it’s not safe, don’t do it,” a mantra at every location. Reducing repetitive manual tasks with automation, robotics, and now AI and ML into the manufacturing environment helps to create safer, better jobs, and higher employee satisfaction.

Sustainability and Vertical Integration of Key Raw Materials


Since inception, TAMKO has incorporated recycled materials into its products with recycled paper as the base for its original roofing products as well as a constant focus on waste reduction. TAMKO has a long history of vertical integration to ensure the supply and the quality of many of its raw materials needed to manufacture world class building products, starting with the construction of the company’s first paper mill to add to its asphalt oxidation plant in 1946, only two years after TAMKO started. As the company has grown, it’s efforts to conserve energy wherever possible and reuse natural resources have also increased. In 2023, TAMKO announced its multi-million-dollar investment in an asphalt shingle recycling company with the goal of incorporating asphalt from recycled shingles into new shingle production.

The Best Shingle Colors


TAMKO has long had the reputation for producing some of the best colors available in roofing shingles. Decades ago, TAMKO was the first manufacturer to create a line of shingles inspired by the diverse shades of nature with its “America’s Natural Colors" product line and continues to boast some of the most popular shingle blends on the market today. With the best shingle color offerings in the industry, TAMKO uses proprietary granule blends to create rich and dynamic colors and natural looking shadows on the roof.

TAMKO Founders

 

E.L. Craig

E.L. Craig

In 1944, at the age of 69, E.L. Craig began a roofing business in an old streetcar barn in Joplin, Missouri. Before that, he was an entrepreneur who started and sold a variety of business ventures over the years, including a sausage-making business, a soup kitchen, boxing gym, building and construction business, military wrecking and salvage company and a frozen custard shop.

Mary Ethel Craig

Mary Ethel Craig

E.L.’s most trusted business advisor and confidante, his wife Mary Ethel Craig, named the couple’s new roofing company TAMKO — from the first letters of the five states the company anticipated as its sales territory: Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma. She later assumed the leadership of TAMKO in 1954 due to Mr. Craig's health.

Ethelmae Craig Humphreys

Ethelmae Humphreys

The Craigs’ daughter, Ethelmae, directed TAMKO's operations during the '50s, and was named TAMKO Chairman of the Board in 1972. In 2018, she celebrated her 70th anniversary with TAMKO. In 1960, Ethelmae's husband, J.P. (Jay) Humphreys, became TAMKO's president.

Jay Humphreys

Jay Humphreys

Over the next 33 years, Jay Humphreys led TAMKO's success with his entrepreneurial vision of growth for TAMKO with the addition of manufacturing plants in Phillipsburg, Kansas (1969); Tuscaloosa, Alabama (1975); Knoxville, Tennessee (1976); Frederick, Maryland (1978); and Dallas, Texas (1985). Mr. Humphreys set the course for TAMKO's continued success with his vision of quality process management built on the continuous quality improvement principles of Dr. W. Edwards Deming.

David C. Humphreys

TAMKO_Web_AboutUs-DavidHumphreys-sm

Following Jay's death in 1993, David Craig Humphreys (Jay and Ethelmae's eldest son) assumed TAMKO's leadership in 1994 — the same year the company name changed to TAMKO Roofing Products, Inc. to reflect the company's focus on roofing products. Since 1994, TAMKO's expansion has continued at a dramatic pace, expanding TAMKO's production capabilities for additional products.

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TAMKO Leadership

 
David C Humphreys

David C. Humphreys

Chairman, President and
Chief Executive Officer

Jeff Beyer

Jeffrey D. Beyer

Chief Operating Officer

Robert Keeling

Robert R. Keeling

Vice President of Operations and Supply Chain

Shannon Lenker

Shannon Lenker

Vice President of Manufacturing

Alex Hines

Alex Hines

Vice President of
Sales and Marketing


Rich Caron

Richard P. Caron

Vice President and Chief Information Officer

Robert Carrol

Robert Carroll

General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer

Jennifer Oldvader

Jennifer Oldvader

Assistant General Counsel and Chief HR and EH&S Officer

Kent Blanchard

W. Kent Blanchard

Senior Vice President

Art Weiss

Arthur R. Weiss

Chief Compliance and Ethics Officer

Through the Years

 
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TAMKO 80th Anniversary - color reverse

Building Products

 
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As TAMKO has continued to grow, so has our product line. On June 1, 2006, TAMKO Roofing Products changed its name to TAMKO Building Products to more accurately reflect that TAMKO manufactures more than just shingles.

We offer a complete line of accessories to help support our roofing products, as well as building materials that include waterproofing, window and door wraps, asphalt cements and coatings, insulation facer and many of our own raw materials, such as glass mat, dry felt, processed asphalt, paper cores, polyester mats and crushed limestone. From start to finish, TAMKO has the right products for any project.

Residential Roofing

 
Residential Roofing

TAMKO has come a long way in the roofing industry over the last seven decades. What started as a single line of asphalt shingles in Joplin, Missouri, has blossomed into a large-scale manufacturer of residential and commercial roofing products serving customers across the nation.

TAMKO laminated asphalt shingles are designed to complement the architecture of any home. Our residential product line includes a variety of styles and hues that bring beauty and color home. TAMKO also offers additional accessories that are designed to lie beneath the shingles. Together, TAMKO shingles and accessories help craft beautiful roofs for homes across the country.

Commercial Roofing

 
Commercial Roofing

TAMKO's line of commercial products can be used for a variety of low-slope roofing applications. We offer a wide variety of low-slope base and cap sheets that work together to help provide a framework for commercial roofs.

Waterproofing

 
Waterproofing

TAMKO offers a range of above- and below-grade SBS-modified waterproofing products. From foundations to balcony and breezeways, windows, doors and the roof, TAMKO has waterproofing products for every application.