35-Year Industrial Services Veteran to Lead Company in Next Phase of Growth
BRASELTON, GA, August 14, 2025 – Nations Roof LLC (the “Company” or “Nations Roof”), a leading U.S.-based commercial roofing contractor, today announced the appointment of Robert (“Robby”) Speights, an accomplished industrial and commercial services executive as Chief Executive Officer. He succeeds Jake Hyatt, who has served as CEO since June 2023 and will transition to the role of Chief Operating Officer, effective August 18, 2025. In this role, Hyatt will continue to oversee all aspects of operations to help drive the Company’s strong growth trajectory.
Speights, who began his career as a field engineer in 1990, brings 35 years of experience managing and scaling complex, field-driven service businesses and has held senior leadership roles at several industrial and infrastructure services companies. Most recently, he served as President of Industrial and Energy Groups at Clean Harbors, where he launched the company’s “Safety First” initiative, which reduced its total recordable incident rate from .97 to .24 over 20+ million hours worked, and drove significant revenue growth by aligning commercial strategy, executing multiple acquisitions and strengthening performance across verticals. Earlier in his career, he held executive roles at Aegion Corporation, HydroChem and Broadspectrum, where he expanded commercial capabilities and supported both organic growth and acquisition-led expansion.
“Robby is an ideal leader for the Nations Roof business, and his appointment underscores our commitment to creating a scaled, national platform backed by a clear strategic vision and an accomplished leadership team that understands how to win in the field,” said Ken Locchiato, Executive Chairman of Nations Roof. “Having started his career as a field engineer and risen to senior leadership roles across major industrial services companies, Robby has a unique understanding of what’s required to grow, support and scale a field-driven organization. He takes pride in empowering high-performing teams and strengthening a destination culture that develops the very best talent. We are confident that Robby, alongside the talented Nations Roof team, will lead the Company through its next chapter of expansion while continuing to deliver best-in-class roofing solutions for our customers.”
“I’m incredibly impressed with the platform Nations Roof has established over the past 20 years,” said Speights. “Nations Roof has a trusted network of customers, an unmatched dedication to safety and customer satisfaction, a comprehensive range of product and service offerings across all commercial roof systems and building types and, importantly, a clear strategy to scale. Just as important, Nations Roof is a place where people take pride in their craft, work as a team and forge lasting careers – and that’s a culture I deeply respect and look forward to fostering moving forward. I’m honored to take on the role of CEO and excited to work alongside Jake and the entire Nations Roof team to build on this strong foundation and deliver on new opportunities to address the roofing needs of our clients nationwide.”
“We are grateful to Jake for his leadership during a pivotal period for Nations Roof, including enhancements to our commercial capabilities, the continued expansion of our national accounts platform and, most recently, the successful execution of a strategic acquisition. Jake’s operational expertise and long-standing relationships across the business have helped position the Company for future success, and he will continue to play a central role in delivering on our growth strategy as COO,” added Locchiato.
“Robby’s leadership will be a tremendous asset to Nations Roof, and I look forward to partnering with him as we continue building for the future and delivering exceptional results for our customers. Our ability to attract and develop top talent has always been a competitive advantage, and I know Robby shares my commitment to maintaining and strengthening that culture. This next chapter is an opportunity to double down on the momentum we’ve created together as we continue meeting the evolving needs of our customers and teams across the country,” said Hyatt.
About Nations Roof LLC
Nations Roof is a leading commercial roofing contractor with expertise across all types of roof systems and building types, of all sizes and climates. Nations Roof serves both national and local accounts in all 50 states. The company’s purpose-built model, including a team of dedicated National Account Managers, has enabled above-market growth since its founding in 2004. Nations Roof is known for delivering consistently strong value and high-quality workmanship, backed by exceptional customer service and industry-leading, award-winning safety standards. Learn more at www.nationsroof.com.
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Link to release on PR Newswire
