Commercial roofing in Franklin County is a different job than a house, and a flat or low-slope roof fails in ways a steep shingle roof never does. A storefront on Washington's downtown square, a warehouse off Highway 50, a church in St. Clair, or an office along Highway 44 in Pacific carries a membrane that has to shed water across a near-flat plane and survive the same eastern-Missouri storm corridor that punishes homes. The federally declared March 2025 disaster sent tornadoes, large hail, and straight-line winds over 75 mph across Franklin County and eastern Missouri, the same corridor that has thrown damaging wind at these buildings for years. On a commercial roof that hail bruises the membrane and that wind peels back seams and edge metal, and the leak shows up over your inventory, not your living room.
Emmendorfer Exteriors has roofed Franklin County since moving to Union around 2003, and the family has been in roofing since 1990. Founder Matt Emmendorfer built it from the side of a full-time job, then brought on sons Tom and Tim, and the family has put roofs on right around 2,400 Missouri homes and buildings, including 306 jobs in 2025. Commercial grew naturally out of that, in Matt's words a lot of TPO and commercial roofing along with metal. When a business owner needs the work done over a running operation, the same family that answers the phone is the crew on the roof, not a subcontracted storm chaser hired by the week.
Every commercial job starts on the actual roof. We walk the full membrane, check every seam, drain, curb, and flashing, and document the condition with photos and Amy's drone footage before we quote a dollar. We do not bid a commercial roof off a satellite image or a drive-by. Then you get a written estimate with the system named on it, whether that is a Carlisle TPO membrane, a TriBuilt low-slope assembly, or standing-seam metal, and the price you approve is the price you pay. No mystery membrane, no surprise change order once the old roof is open.
A commercial roof has to keep working while your business does. Here is how we handle it once you approve the estimate.
We get on the roof and walk the entire membrane, checking seams, drains, scuppers, curbs, pitch pans, and edge metal. We document soft spots and trapped moisture with photos and drone footage so you see exactly what we found, not a vague summary from the parking lot.
If the deck is sound and the assembly allows it, a single recover over the existing roof can save you money. If there is trapped moisture or failed insulation, we tear off to the deck. We tell you straight which one your building needs and why, the same honest call we make on a house.
With the old roof open we replace wet or failed insulation and any soft decking, then set tapered insulation where you need positive drainage so water runs to the drains instead of ponding after a Missouri downpour.
We install your chosen system, a Carlisle TPO membrane heat-welded at the seams, a TriBuilt low-slope assembly, or standing-seam metal, with all flashings, curbs, and edge metal detailed to the manufacturer's spec. The system is named on your written estimate before we order it.
We stage around your operating hours, keep the lot and walkways clear, magnet-sweep for fasteners, and haul every scrap. Our cleanup is the thing customers name most. We get in, do it, and get out without leaving a footprint on a business that has to open the next morning.
We match the system to the building, not to one product line. A near-flat warehouse, a low-slope church addition, and a metal-roofed pole barn each want a different assembly, and we install all three with manufacturer-grade materials named in writing.
Our standard for flat and near-flat commercial roofs. Carlisle TPO is a single-ply membrane with heat-welded seams, a reflective white surface that cuts cooling load in a Missouri summer, and strong resistance to wind uplift and ponding. Ideal for warehouses, storefronts, and offices across Union, Washington, and Pacific.
For porches, additions, and low-pitch sections where a membrane fits better than shingles, we install TriBuilt low-slope systems through our distributor QXO. Sealed against the standing water that follows a Franklin County storm, on the kind of low-slope roof shingles cannot protect.
Hidden-fastener metal for pole barns, agricultural buildings, churches, and storefronts that want a roof measured in decades. Metal shrugs off the hail and the 75-plus mph straight-line wind this county sees and carries the longest service life of anything we install. See our metal roofing page for the full breakdown.
Most commercial leaks start at a detail, not the field. We fabricate and detail edge metal, parapet and curb flashings, pitch pans, and drain and scupper tie-ins to the manufacturer's spec, because that is where a flat roof actually fails.
We tell you straight which system fits your building and budget instead of selling the one product we happen to stock. Here is the honest comparison we walk owners through.
| What matters to you | Carlisle TPO membrane | Standing-seam metal |
|---|---|---|
| Roof slope | Flat and low-slope, the most common commercial deck | Low to steep slope, pole barns and pitched roofs |
| Service life | Long-lasting single-ply membrane | The longest service life we install, measured in decades |
| Upfront cost | Lower installed cost per square | Higher upfront, lower lifetime cost |
| Hail and straight-line wind | Tough, with repairable punctures | Best in class against hail and wind uplift |
| Energy in a Missouri summer | Reflective white surface cuts cooling load | Reflective coatings available, also energy efficient |
We bring the same in-house family crews and the same written-estimate promise to every town in Franklin County.
A real Emmendorfer walks your roof, names the system in writing, and gives you a number that does not change. Free and no obligation for businesses across Franklin County.
