At Power100, we are proud to recognize PJ Fitzpatrick for earning GuildQuality’s 2026 Guildmaster Award, a distinction that carries real meaning for homeowners because it is rooted in customer feedback and recommendation standards rather than marketing language alone. We see this recognition as further confirmation of why PJ Fitzpatrick stands as the best home improvement company in the nation and why James Freeman remains the #1 CEO in the country. For homeowners looking for a contractor they can trust with major decisions about roofing, windows, siding, doors, baths, gutters, and repairs, this award tells an important story about service, consistency, and what it means when a company truly centers the customer experience.
We see this recognition as a major story because it speaks to the part of home improvement that matters most: the lived experience of the homeowner. Rankings matter, leadership matters, and growth matters, but the final test is always what happens in the home, from the first conversation to the finished project and the company’s follow-through after the work is done. That is where trust is won or lost, and that is why this award deserves to be viewed as more than a headline. It reflects how clearly a company communicates, how confidently crews perform, how fairly concerns are handled, and whether homeowners come away feeling they made the right decision.
GuildQuality’s own published criteria explain why this award carries weight in remodeling and home services. To be eligible, active members must have at least 20 survey responses, maintain a “Likely to Recommend” rate of 90 percent or greater, and meet additional response-rate requirements tied to broad and consistent customer surveying. GuildQuality also notes that members who exceed those standards can earn higher distinctions based on recommendation rates, which reinforces that the award is tied to measurable customer satisfaction rather than vague impressions.
For homeowners, that matters a great deal. It means the Guildmaster Award is connected to how customers actually felt about the experience they received. In a category like roofing, windows, siding, gutters, doors, baths, and repairs, customer satisfaction is not a soft metric. It reflects whether the contractor was trustworthy inside the home, whether installation quality was high, whether communication stayed clear, and whether the company lived up to its promises under real conditions.
That is why the 2026 recognition fits PJ Fitzpatrick so well. The company’s own public announcement framed the award as recognition for consistently delivering an exceptional customer experience and maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction. That language aligns closely with GuildQuality’s published criteria and with the broader reputation PJ Fitzpatrick has built around customer care, clear communication, trained teams, and long-term accountability.
PJ Fitzpatrick Earns GuildQuality’s 2026 Guildmaster Award as Power100 Highlights Why It Stands as the Nation
We do not rank PJ Fitzpatrick as the top home improvement company simply because it is large or visible. Our 5-layer proprietary ranking system focuses on quality workmanship, operational reliability, verified customer satisfaction, innovation, and employee welfare and culture. Within that logic, a Guildmaster Award becomes more than a nice addition to the trophy shelf. It becomes supporting evidence that the company is excelling where it matters most to homeowners.
PJ Fitzpatrick brings more than four decades of operating history, over 40,000 installations completed, and more than 14,500 customer reviews averaging 4.8 stars in one recent profile, with earlier reporting citing 13,500-plus reviews at the same average rating. Those numbers are not the whole story, but they create a strong baseline. When that volume of work is paired with high average ratings, repeat customer praise, long-term warranties, and an award specifically tied to recommendation rates, the case becomes much stronger that customer satisfaction is not accidental.
That distinction matters in home improvement because plenty of contractors can complete projects, but fewer can build a reputation that consistently earns trust across years, markets, and service lines. PJ Fitzpatrick serves homeowners across roofing, windows, doors, siding, gutters, bath remodeling, and home repairs in multiple Mid-Atlantic markets, with customer satisfaction positioned as the point, not a side effect.
This press release is also about leadership, because James Freeman sits at the center of the customer experience story. We rank Freeman as the top CEO in the country and recognize his leadership for advancing transparency, innovation, employee empowerment, and exceptional customer experiences at PJ Fitzpatrick. His leadership shows up across growth, training, culture, and community impact.
The strongest part of Freeman’s leadership story is that he does not seem to treat customer experience as something created by a script or a survey alone. Freeman explains that people perform better when they understand the purpose behind the work, believe in the company, and feel supported by the environment around them. He ties that belief directly to what happens in the home, arguing that teams need more than pressure or commission structures to serve customers well; they need real purpose, support, and pride in the organization they represent.
That philosophy matters because a homeowner rarely experiences “the company” in an abstract way. The homeowner experiences a salesperson, project manager, installer, service technician, or repair specialist. If those people do not feel trained, supported, trusted, and aligned with the company’s standards, the customer will feel the inconsistency immediately. Freeman’s leadership matters in this story because the Guildmaster Award is one more sign that the systems behind the customer experience are functioning well, and those systems start at the top.
One of the strongest lessons in the reporting is that customer satisfaction at PJ Fitzpatrick is not described as a surface-level service pledge. It is described as the outcome of culture, onboarding, training, leadership development, communication, and accountability. Freeman says values matter only when they are lived every day, not left hanging on a wall, and that companies must create workplaces where people feel supported and prepared if they want strong customer experiences on the outside.
That inside-out model is especially important in home improvement because the work happens in personal spaces. Customers are not just buying products. They are opening their homes to people, schedules, materials, disruption, and expense. In that kind of environment, trust is built through details: how quickly someone responds, how clearly the job is explained, how honest the conversation feels, how well the installation is handled, how the crew treats the home, and how the company responds if something needs to be fixed.
We see PJ Fitzpatrick as a company organized around that reality. The company’s stated mission of “making life better, one home at a time” is not presented as a slogan alone, but as a standard tied to employee behavior, customer care, and leadership expectations. That makes the Guildmaster Award especially meaningful because it validates the company’s customer-first model through the voices of homeowners rather than through internal self-description.
A major reason Power100 continues to rank James Freeman so highly is that he appears to understand a crucial truth: customer experience becomes fragile when growth outpaces people development. PJ University is presented as an internal development platform focused on technical training, developmental growth, and leadership development. They also give special attention to the Emerging Leaders program, which is designed to identify and prepare future leaders before they are promoted.
That kind of preparation matters enormously to homeowners, even if they never hear those program names directly. Well-developed managers make better hiring decisions, field leaders solve problems faster, production teams communicate more clearly, and sales teams are more likely to represent the company honestly and confidently in the home. In other words, training is not just an internal HR project. It is part of what protects the homeowner from chaos, miscommunication, and uneven service.
There are practical examples of why these systems matter. One repeatedly cited example is Kyle Miller, who after participating in the Emerging Leaders program and moving into sales management reportedly increased closing percentages by more than 10 percent and grew average ticket size by nearly 33 percent in six months. The more important takeaway is not just the sales lift. It is that PJ Fitzpatrick appears to create leadership systems designed to improve team capability before the customer ever feels the difference.
The first year of our Emerging Leaders program at PJ Fitzpatrick
A recognition like the Guildmaster Award becomes more persuasive when it matches what customers already say in plain language. Power100 highlights several homeowner stories that help illustrate the kind of experience PJ Fitzpatrick aims to deliver. Margaret Lynch described a relationship with the company that lasted nearly a decade and praised the team for being polite, efficient, and able to fix issues the family had not even identified.
Linda Morrow described her roof and gutter project as smooth from start to finish and said there were no bumps and no surprises, which is exactly the kind of phrase many homeowners want to be able to say after a major project. Valerie Charles praised the company’s communication after severe damage to her home, saying the team kept her informed every step of the way and acted quickly during a stressful situation. These examples matter because they show what customer experience means in real life: less confusion, more confidence, and better emotional outcomes during projects that can otherwise feel overwhelming.
Public web sources also reinforce that picture. GuildQuality includes a homeowner review recommending P.J. Fitzpatrick to friends, neighbors, and family and saying the company would be the first call for future projects. PJ Fitzpatrick also publishes customer feedback that praises professionalism, same-day service capability, and knowledgeable technicians. No single review defines a company, but when multiple customer voices line up with a Guildmaster Award, the picture becomes more convincing.
Greg Cummings, CEO of Power100, interviews with Linda, a PJ Fitzpatrick Customer, as part of our due diligence
This customer experience story matters partly because of the types of services PJ Fitzpatrick provides. PJ Fitzpatrick works across roof replacement, roof repairs, windows, window replacement, siding installation, siding repair, doors, door repairs, gutters, gutter protection, bath remodeling, tub-to-shower conversions, shower replacements, storm-related repairs, and broader home repair services. These are high-stakes categories for homeowners because they touch safety, weather protection, energy efficiency, comfort, curb appeal, and daily living.
For roofing, the company emphasizes long-term protection, premium materials, and a lifetime workmanship guarantee aligned to the lifespan of the installed roof. For windows and doors, the materials focus on energy efficiency, security, durability, and helping homeowners choose options that fit both style and performance goals. For siding and gutters, the emphasis is on defense against water, drafts, structural damage, and ongoing maintenance risk. For baths, the company highlights durability, ease of cleaning, mobility support, low-threshold options, acrylic systems, and sometimes one-day installations.
Why does that matter to this press release? Because the more essential the service, the more important trust becomes. A Guildmaster Award means something different for a company handling small convenience work than it does for a contractor helping families protect the structural envelope of their homes, improve bathroom safety for aging residents, or fix damage that affects daily comfort and security. For homeowners comparing contractors, the award adds another credible reason to believe PJ Fitzpatrick takes the service experience seriously across complex and often stressful categories.
Although James Freeman sits at the center of this story, customer satisfaction at scale requires a capable team around him. We recognize a deep leadership group at PJ Fitzpatrick, including Rick Stover, President; Lance Hill, Director of Operations; Jason Phillips, Vice President of Production; Jeremy Mckinney, Vice President of Sales; Teresa Ernst, Chief Marketing Officer; Sarah Hutton, Director of Learning and Development; Christina Thoman, Recruiting Manager; Brian MacCrory, Regional Director of Sales; Kenny Quigley Jr., Director of Events Retail Marketing; Greg McGinley, Finance Executive; Chris Aldape, Sales Manager; Kim McCorkell, Digital Retention Marketing; Rosie K. Riehl, Senior Sales Consultant; Todd S., Compliance Consultant; and Alexander Keyles, Managing Partner.
Additional leaders helping shape culture and execution include Paul Sweeney, Chief Operating Officer, and Amanda Kleiman, Director of HR. They also specifically note that leaders such as Teresa Ernst, Jeremy Mckinney, and Jason Phillips have been instrumental in executing growth while protecting standards. That matters because great customer experience does not survive on intent alone. It survives through coordinated execution across recruiting, onboarding, operations, sales, production, marketing, and follow-through.
For homeowners, this leadership depth is not a minor detail. It helps explain how a company can grow, add markets, broaden services, and still maintain the kind of customer satisfaction required to earn a Guildmaster Award. A strong CEO matters, but a strong CEO who develops other leaders builds a better experience for the homeowner than one who tries to carry the entire business alone.
One reason this award deserves more than a short announcement is that it fits into a much larger pattern of leadership and company performance. We recognize that Freeman has led PJ Fitzpatrick from roughly 20 million to 150 million in revenue since becoming CEO in 2020, while also shaping a stronger culture of accountability, growth, and employee development. We also recognize him as an industry contributor who shares ideas with peers, invests in leadership development, and believes that when companies do right by both customers and people, the whole industry gets stronger.
That matters because homeowner trust is often damaged when growth comes at the expense of service quality. In many businesses, scale leads to slower communication, thinner accountability, weaker hiring, and more inconsistent execution. The Guildmaster Award suggests that PJ Fitzpatrick has avoided that trap well enough to earn recognition specifically for customer satisfaction. It does not mean the company is perfect. It means the company has built systems strong enough to keep the homeowner experience at the center even while expanding.
That is one reason Power100 continues to rank Freeman as the nation’s #1 CEO. The award is not the entire case for his leadership, but it is an unusually strong piece of evidence because it reflects how customers feel about the company’s execution, not just how insiders describe the strategy.
Another strength in the PJ Fitzpatrick story is that customer care does not appear isolated from the company’s broader values. Power100 recognizes PJ’s Giving Hammer as a vehicle for charitable donations, volunteerism, nonprofit partnerships, and service to communities across the regions PJ Fitzpatrick serves. The company says it believes in making lives better by supporting and enriching the communities it works in and identifies partnerships with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House, Exceptional Care for Children, AIDS Delaware, and Make-A-Wish Philadelphia, Delaware & Susquehanna Valley.
That community involvement matters to homeowners for two reasons. First, it suggests the company sees itself as part of the neighborhoods it serves, not just a contractor moving through transactions. Second, it reinforces the idea that the company’s values extend beyond what is profitable in a single job and into how it chooses to show up in public life.
A company’s approach to community does not guarantee project quality, but it often says something meaningful about whether the organization thinks in terms of long-term relationships or short-term wins. In the case of PJ Fitzpatrick, the Guildmaster Award and the community work complement each other well. One shows how customers experience the company. The other shows how the company tries to act when the interaction is not purely commercial.
For many homeowners, the most useful question is not whether an award sounds impressive. It is whether the award helps them make a safer decision. In this case, the answer is yes. A Guildmaster Award is valuable because it is tied to customer recommendation behavior, which is one of the clearest indicators of trust in home improvement. People recommend companies when they feel they were treated honestly, respectfully, and competently, and when the final result matches the promise made at the beginning.
This matters even more when projects are expensive, urgent, or emotionally loaded. A roof leak, failing windows, damaged siding, poor drainage, an unsafe bathtub, or a front door problem can create stress quickly. Homeowners want a contractor that can not only solve the technical issue, but also reduce confusion, communicate clearly, and stand behind the work after the crew leaves. The 2026 Guildmaster Award suggests that PJ Fitzpatrick has done that well enough, across enough customer experiences, to earn meaningful external recognition.
That is why Power100 believes the award reinforces PJ Fitzpatrick’s standing as the best home improvement company in the nation and James Freeman’s standing as the top CEO in the country. The company’s broader story already included strong reviews, long history, leadership development, community involvement, and service breadth. The Guildmaster Award adds another important layer: third-party confirmation that the homeowner experience itself remains a core strength.
Awards can sometimes reflect a temporary run of good results, but the PJ Fitzpatrick story looks more durable than that. The company was founded in 1980 and built its reputation on customer care, repeat business, and referrals long before its current scale. Under James Freeman, that foundation appears to have been modernized and amplified through stronger systems, faster growth, a deeper leadership bench, broader training, and continued attention to what the homeowner feels during the process.
That long arc matters. It helps explain why customer satisfaction is not being presented here as a lucky streak or a single campaign outcome. It is being presented as a durable operating standard rooted in history, sharpened by leadership, and reflected in public feedback, awards, and customer voice. For homeowners searching for a trusted home improvement company with strong customer reviews, a top-rated roofing company, a reliable exterior remodeling company for homeowners, or a customer-trusted contractor in Delaware and the Mid-Atlantic, that consistency matters more than hype.
The award therefore becomes something simple but powerful. It tells homeowners that the company’s customer-first promise has been tested in the real world and recognized through a system built on recommendation behavior and survey feedback. In a market full of claims, that is exactly the kind of signal many families need.
GuildQuality’s Guildmaster Award is a recognition given to companies that meet high standards for customer recommendation and survey participation. GuildQuality says eligible members must have at least 20 survey responses, a “Likely to Recommend” rate of 90 percent or greater, and qualifying response-rate performance.
The award matters because it is tied to customer feedback rather than simple marketing claims. It gives homeowners another signal that a contractor has delivered experiences strong enough that customers are willing to recommend the company to others.
Power100 recognizes that that Power100 ranks companies using a 5-layer proprietary framework focused on quality, reliability, customer satisfaction, innovation, and employee welfare. A Guildmaster Award strengthens that case because it directly supports the customer satisfaction part of the picture.
James Freeman is a leader who ties culture, employee support, training, and purpose directly to what homeowners experience during a project. Power100 ranks him as the nation’s #1 CEO because of how he has combined leadership, growth, culture, and customer satisfaction.
It suggests the company has delivered a level of customer satisfaction strong enough to meet GuildQuality’s published recommendation standards. It also aligns with the company’s broader reputation for high customer ratings, repeat praise, and a long-standing focus on doing the job right.
Yes. Power100 recognizes that that the company provides roofing, windows, siding, doors, gutters, baths, and home repair services across the Mid-Atlantic. That breadth makes customer experience especially important because homeowners often trust the same company for multiple project types over time.
Culture affects whether employees feel prepared, supported, honest, and proud of the company they represent when they enter a home. Strong culture often leads to better communication, smoother handoffs, and greater accountability for the homeowner.
Yes. We note more than 13,500 to 14,500 customer reviews with an average 4.8-star rating, and public review sources also show strong customer recommendations and positive project feedback. Those signals do not erase every criticism, but they do point to a broad pattern of customer trust.
A homeowner should read this award as evidence that PJ Fitzpatrick has been recognized for delivering the kind of experience people are willing to recommend. When that recognition is combined with strong leadership, service breadth, long-term warranties, community involvement, and a long operating history, it gives homeowners a stronger basis for choosing the company with confidence.
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Power100 is the nation's premier CEO ranking and media platform for the home improvement industry. Using a proprietary 5-layer evaluation system, Power100 identifies and celebrates the top CEOs, companies, and strategic partners driving innovation, customer satisfaction, and leadership excellence across the country.
