Growing up in a small farm town on the border of Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri, Kolbie Schilson learned early what it meant to work with his hands and solve problems with what was available. It wasn’t a straight path to roofing, but it was a foundation that shaped how he sees both work and responsibility today.

After college, Kolbie and his wife were deciding where to build their future. “St. Louis was one of two other places we were looking at,” he recalls. “We just happened to get some jobs in St. Charles Missouri first.” That decision quietly set the stage for what would become Eminent Roofing Solutions, a company now 15 years into its journey under Kolbie’s ownership.

At the core of his business is a simple, repeated idea: “Quality Roofing at an Affordable price.” It’s a motto he returns to often, but for Kolbie, it’s more than branding—it’s a filter for every decision. Eminent Roofing Solutions handles everything from shingled roofs and flat roofs to coatings, repairs, non-invasive rejuvenation sprays, gutters, and tuckpointing.

The reason he entered the industry, however, wasn’t ambition alone. It was frustration. “The lack of quality contractors,” he says plainly. “Either extremely hard to get ahold of. Or their prices are outrageously high.”

That gap, he believes, has created space for the wrong incentives to take over. And that’s exactly what he set out to counter.

“Making sure people are not being taken advantage of,” Kolbie explains, is what drives him most. “This industry gets a bad reputation from large companies not training their people properly. Or hiring money hungry sales guys that don’t care about anything other than their check.”

Instead, Eminent Roofing Solutions focuses on value rather than volume. “Our focus isn’t to be the cheapest company by cutting corners, selling terrible products, and not carrying insurance,” he says. “We focus on the value of the dollar spent.”

That philosophy extends into how the company operates behind the scenes. They avoid unnecessary overhead—no oversized warehouses, no fleet branding for show, no billboard marketing campaigns. “We save our customers by negotiating our prices with our suppliers, and cutting costs on things that don’t matter,” Kolbie says. “Like a huge fancy warehouse and offices, wrapping 50 trucks, or putting a billboard on every street corner.”

The result is a business where “75% of our business comes from referrals,” and where reputation carries more weight than advertising.

Their clients tend to fall into a specific category. “The biggest chunk of our business comes from investors & realtors,” Kolbie says. Even during busy seasons, the company operates on what he calls a firm boundary: “I have a 3 weeks or less policy. If we can’t get it done in 3 weeks I’m hiring more people.”

What he hopes other professionals understand is simple. “We are not pushy sales people, and our prices are fair,” he says. “If a customer doesn’t need a roof I’ll tell them that. I prefer education and information to create a forever referral partner over a quick sale.”

Inside the company, the structure reflects that same mindset. Ivy manages scheduling and billing. Aylin is often the first voice customers hear. Shelly oversees finances behind the scenes. Chad ensures quality control after jobs are completed. And a full field team—project managers, inspectors, and multiple crew leads with decades of experience—keeps operations moving.

For Kolbie, success isn’t measured in scale. “A roof, A bed, and some groceries to stay fed,” he says. “We all live very successful lives. It’s not about how much money we make but how many lives we impact along the way.”

At home, life is equally full. He has been with his wife for 13 years, and together they are raising three young children—with another on the way. “We are outside type of people,” he says. “Camping, hiking, fishing.” The balance between work and home is intentional. “When I’m at home, I’m at home with family and I make that time count. When it’s work time I’m present in my work.”

Looking ahead, Eminent Roofing Solutions is focused on expanding into insurance work. “Our goal this year is to start helping homeowners on the insurance front,” Kolbie says. “Making sure people are being treated right and not being taken advantage of.”

It’s a continuation of the same principle that has guided him from the start: care first, everything else follows.

To learn more about Eminent Roofing Solutions, you can call 636-378-1243 or 314-897-5911, email Sales@eminentroof.com, or visit www.eminentroof.com.