The Company has become a leader in its field by patenting and introducing several cost-saving innovations. In 1985, Jack Hageman patented POLARA®, a hot-applied, spunbond polyester material with outstanding, time-proven characteristics possessing superior puncture and tear resistance, increased strength, and added flexibility for the reroofing of buildings--and representing significant dollar savings for our Customers. In addition, Hageman also developed the POLARA SHIELD®, which creates an aesthetically pleasing surface that reflects the sun’s rays, keeping interior temperatures significantly cooler, reducing electric bills, and substantially extending the longevity of the roof membrane.


Obviously, Hageman is not an ordinary roofing company, but an exceptional one dedicated to providing outstanding value and personalized service to our Customers for over 80 years. We boast more than 4,000 satisfied Customers since 1982, and we’ve installed more than 55 million square feet of POLARA® roofing in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut.

POLARA® roof finished with our POLARA SHIELD®
ceramic coating.

For technical data on POLARA®, refer to the page “ADVANCED ROOFING TECHNOLOGIES.”

U.S. Patent Nos. 4,521,478; 4,599,258; 4,837,095, and Canadian Patent No. 1 249 910

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is "POLARA® Polyester"?
A. POLARA® polyester is a special grade of spunbond polyester developed exclusively for reinforcement of hot-applied bitumen: a 180 gram/square meter (5.3 ounce) mat. The product was awarded two U.S. Patents and one Canadian Patent. The POLARA® system is approved by FMRC and is listed with SBCCI.

Q. Is POLARA® expensive compared to other traditional materials in the trade?
A. No. Yet it can save roofers thousands of dollars on roofing projects as a result of enormous labor savings, fewer worker-induced installation problems, and a sharp reduction in the number of guarantee and warranty claims.

Q. How would my customers profit from using POLARA®?
A. Simple: The roofing companies would save greatly on labor and repairs and make more money. It’s a proven, time-tested method.

Q. Where did POLARA® Polyester originate?
A. POLARA® polyester originated as a solution to splits caused by deck movement during freeze-and-thaw cycles. This problem had prevented hot built-up roofing (BUR) from being acknowledged as the best and most economical roofing system available.

Single-ply Modified Bitumen products adequately addressed the issue of splits; however, single-ply systems significantly increased cost and risk to the contractor due to quality issues and workmanship-induced problems.

When polyester reinforcements were recognized as the contributing factor giving single-ply membranes and Modified Bitumen systems superior toughness, it was only a matter of designing the right polyester with the specific attributes to construct a high-performance, hot built-up roof.

Q. Hasn't polyester been promoted in the past in built-up roofs?
A. Yes, but those systems have often been cold-applied systems using relatively light polyester ply sheets. POLARA® polyester, while acceptable for certain cold- applied systems, was developed specifically for use with hot bitumen (asphalt).

Q. How did the development of POLARA® differ from other polyesters?
A. Previous polyester systems often came about as a result of efforts to develop a roof system to accommodate the attributes of a particular polyester material that already existed. This was really only an attempt to broaden the sales base of polyester products developed for other industries.

With POLARA®, however, development efforts were focused on developing a reinforcement that overcame splitting due to deck movement and that also complemented the attributes of hot-applied bitumen. In other words, POLARA® polyester addressed the performance that BUR faced due to splits and offers a method of improving the performance of this tried-and-true, traditional method of roofing.

Q. What makes POLARA®-reinforced hot BURs unique?
A. POLARA® polyesters are mats which do not compromise strength for elongation. POLARA® reinforced membranes have the ability to exceed recommended tensile standards for built-up roof membranes but, in addition, also have elongation and tear strength—properties needed to overcome failure from splits.

POLARA® polyesters also have the right balance of thickness—thickness designed to provide high puncture resistance while remaining thin enough to facilitate saturation with bitumen. These inherent properties give POLARA® a high degree of moldability, perfect for easily shaping the material onto and around common or unusual roof contours.

Q. Is it possible to have my own exclusive territory as an authorized POLARA® Distributor?
A. Yes. To see the possibilities, please CLICK HERE