Cooper Roofing & Solar will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026 as a company with long roots in Las Vegas.

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Started in 1976 by Whitey Cooper and Sam Reed, the company was a small operation as a residential roofer. Today, it has more than 300 employees and has grown into a roofer for top homebuilders. It works on roofing new homes for local and national builders.

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Scott Donnelly bought the company in 2006 from Sam Reed and retained the name until adding solar to it four years later as a way to showcase a new phase of the business installing solar panels for builders.

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For the last two years, the company was converted into an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) — a qualified retirement plan that allows employees to become part owners of the company. This means employees gain ownership without needing to contribute their wages or income. Donnelly, who is company president, said his business is known for anticipating customers’ and builders’ needs ahead of time, and alleviating problems and issues before they happen through careful planning, project management, efficient processes and high-technology systems.

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We have the best equipment, best technology and, most of all, the best people in the industry. They are what we gladly stake our reputation on every day."

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Donnelly said their people are their core business. Their experience, knowledge and dedication allow the company to provide the level of commitment to quality and customer service that forms the foundation of its success. “It is because of them we are the best-respected roofing contractors in Nevada,” Donnelly said. “We realize the vital role our employees play in our success. We invest in them, ensuring that they have all the tools, training and support they need to provide the impeccable craftsmanship and service Nevadans expect of Cooper Roofing.”

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The company specializes in concrete roof tile installation, rooftop solar systems, single-ply, composition shingles and metal roofing. It provides a wide variety of roofing services for residential, commercial and custom applications — whether it’s new construction, re-roof or repair.

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In addition to roofing and solar systems, Cooper also provides seamless gutter fabrication and installation, deck coatings, roof coatings and accessories such as Sun Tunnel skylights.

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Cooper has an in-house sheet metal fabrication facility that allows the company to produce all of their own sheet metal roof components, including custom orders and specialty products.

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Donnelly had worked for other roofers before buying the company in 2006 so he could work for himself. He was joined by his son, Cameron, shortly thereafter. He is operations manager for the company today while his sister, Courney Bame, is controller.

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Some 75 percent to 80 percent of the work Cooper does, today, is residential while the remainder is commercial projects. “It’s quite a different company today than when it started,” Cameron said. “It was much smaller than it is today and was a residential roofer that didn’t provide all the services we do.”

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An ESOP works well for a company that is family-oriented and has several generations of employees that have worked at the same time. It has such positions as truck drivers, maintenance staff, warehouse staff and roofers.

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“Everybody loves to work here every day and as they learn more about the ESOP, they are starting to realize its benefit,” said Mike Pullen, vice president of operations. “The statements show they are getting something out of it and that it’s a good thing for us.”

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