Roofer profile: Jake Daniels – Classic Construction & Consulting

By DaVinci Roofscapes.

Learn how Jake Daniels got his start in the industry and how composite roofing products have helped him grow his business, leading to his winning of the 2025 DaVinci Project of the Year Award.

For more than two decades Classic Construction & Consulting has offered expert installation services combined with personalized consultations and premium product selection for both residential and commercial projects throughout the Midwest. Led by Jake Daniels, the business has flourished.

Keep reading to to learn how Jake got his start in the industry, how composite roofing products have helped him grow his business and what secrets exist behind this very successful contractor as we interview the owner of Classic Construction & Consulting out of Stillwater, Minnesota.

How did you get started in the roofing business? 

I worked my way through school in Minnesota’s Roofers Union Local 96, mastering everything from custom metalwork to commercial roofing. I then became a nationwide catastrophe adjuster and trainer before founding Classic Construction in 2008, blending my expertise in exteriors and insurance restoration.

What’s the best part of a roofing job for you?

Transforming our clients’ exteriors is always rewarding. Especially when we’re using DaVinci® Roofscapes, which brings a true “wow factor” to properties and communities alike.

When selling DaVinci composite slate and shake products to a new customer, what are the product benefits that customers react best to? 

The top three features and benefits that Classic’s customers value most from the DaVinci products are:

1. The timeless, worry-free aesthetic that lasts for decades;
2. The added equity and increased property value;
3. The long-term savings and peace of mind that come with Class 4 impact-resistant shingles, which often lead to significant insurance premium reductions.

One of your projects in Minnesota won a 2025 DaVinci Masterpiece Contractor Project of the Year Award. What made you think that this particular project would be a winning candidate for the award?

We complete DaVinci projects nationwide, but this one perfectly captures the character of lake country in Minnesota, home to our corporate headquarters. Here, it’s not about curb appeal, it’s about lake appeal. This property shines from the water, and the addition of DaVinci Multi-Width Shake to the home and the stylish DaVinci-clad boathouse ties everything together beautifully.

What makes your company recommend DaVinci products over competitive composite roofing products?

With so many quality roofing options out there, finding a company you can truly trust makes all the difference. Classic Construction’s confidence in offering and installing DaVinci means we can stand behind our work for years to come. Plus, the added savings the product provides on property insurance to our customers is a welcome bonus. With the Project of the Year home, the owners are now saving 50% of their insurance premiums with their new DaVinci roof!

Can you identify one structure in the United States that you’d really love the chance to re-roof and tell us why. 

Many people might choose the White House, but I think Mar-a-Lago Club would be fascinating. From Marjorie Merriweather Post’s vision in the 1920s to its presidential chapter a century later, it stands as one of America’s most historic estates. The antique Spanish style tiles deserve careful restoration and perhaps a synthetic DaVinci product could be the perfect solution.

If you absolutely had to change professions tomorrow, what do you think you’d do? 

If it’s a genie scenario where anything’s possible, I’d choose to be a pro golfer. If we’re talking real life, I’d go for something like a golf trip tour guide, combining travel, good company and great golf courses all in one.

If someone gave you $5 million and said you had to give it to a single charity today, which charity would you pick and why? 

Because of personal connections, we’ve supported many cancer charities over the years, but lately I’ve focused my attention on the Hydrocephalus Association. It’s a lesser-known, yet significant condition, that affects about 1 in 770 babies in the U.S. and often leads to lifelong complications. Hydrocephalus also involves the highest medical device failure rate in all of medicine, shunts. A close friend’s son is affected by this disease, which makes raising awareness and driving improvement especially meaningful to me.