Distributor Corner April 2009: It's a Tough Job ...
Whenever I meet a roofer, I like to ask them how they got into the business. I never know what kind of answer I am going to get. Most roofers don't start out in live with the goal of being a roofer. Most kids want to grow up to be firemen, doctors or astronauts. I have never yet heard a kid say he wants to be a roofer when he grows up. So how does one get to be a roofer?
One of the most interesting answers came from a successful commercial roofing contractor that got into the business as a young man looking for a job. Down on his luck and having only enough money in his pocket for a bus fare, he lined up a job interview across town. Turns out, he got on the wrong bus and ended up missing the appointment. The bus driver finally kicked him off in front of a roofing contractor's office. Depressed, he walked in to the office to ask if he could use the phone. Turns out they were hiring. The rest is, as they say, history.
Then there is the good friend of mine who owns a nice little roofing company. In high school, he was a great football player and earned a full ride scholarship. Fate struck in his last high-school game as he blew out his knee. He ended up taking a summer job running a tar kettle while his knee healed. He never got on the gridiron again and never left the roofing business.
I had my own brush with roofing. Right after high school, I took a summer job working as a roofer. The owner of the company gave my buddy and I a truck, ladder and a couple of hammers and off we went. Back then, his distributor of choice was the local K-Mart. No on-the-roof deliveries for this crew. We would go to the K-Mart every morning and load up the truck with 3-tabs (white, black or brown were the only choices), head to the jobsite and ‘hump’ the shingles up the ladder. My early brush with roofing did give me an appreciation for those that choose the profession. It is one of the toughest jobs I know of and the hardest work I have ever done.
When my career path took me to roofing distribution, my appreciation grew. My customers were always more than roofers to me. They were hard working, dedicated professionals that provided a greatly needed service. Roofing is a tough job but someone's gotta do it.
We built our distribution business on two simple premises. First, the roofer was King. Second, all customers, regardless of background, stature, position, race or ability were to be treated as the best customer we ever had. We appreciated every one of our customers and did whatever it took to make their very tough job as easy as possible.
Most distributors I have gotten to know feel this same way about their customers. In these trying economic times, they better. We know you have many choices as to where to buy your goods and get the service you need to be successful and we all want to be your first choice of supplier. The service level has increased substantially since my short career as a roofer. On behalf of all distributors, thank you for choosing to be a roofer and thanks for being great customers!
Earl Ward is a 28 year veteran of the roofing industry primarily, in distribution and most recently as owner/managing partner of a roofing and siding distribution company in Minneapolis, MN. Mr. Ward is President of NEMEON, Inc. a cooperative consisting of 169 independent roofing and siding distributors spread across the United States and Canada.
