3 generations of commercial roofing, endless support

By Dani Sheehan. 

Celebrate the roofing industry by learning about the great people who work in it. Hear Kelly’s path into roofing and you’ll see why people never want to leave. 

As the third generation to join the commercial roofing industry, Kelly Van Winkle, president/CEO of King of Texas Roofing Company, understands the value of learning from others and supporting the community as she runs her business. In a recent episode of Stories from the Roof, sponsored by Johns Manville, Megan Ellsworth joins Kelly to talk about her path into roofing and the value of associations in providing industry support. 

Kelly starts by telling us about King of Texas Roofing: “We are a commercial roofing company that specializes in new construction. Single ply is our specialty, although we do re-roofs and repairs as well. We are operating in a lot of different states, but primarily Texas and Oklahoma have been very busy lately. We've been very fortunate. I'm the third generation in my family; it was my maternal grandfather who started in commercial roofing in 1931.” 

She wasn’t always sure she wanted to go into roofing specifically, but says, “I would listen to my father and my grandfather talking. Of course, I really didn't know what they were saying, but I was picking up bits and pieces and I knew I always wanted to own my own business. I wanted to be a businessperson, to really get in there and roll up my sleeves.” 

And so, that’s exactly what she did. From 2004 to 2011, she became a Leister distributor and really loved her experience. She adds, “It helped me understand the culture of the commercial roofing industry. I met everyone in the commercial roofing industry, and that was great. And that was my first business that I had. I started that from scratch and built it up and it was lovely.” 

Being the only grandchild in the family, she turned back to the family business in 2011 and fell in love with the contracting side of the business. She talks about how fortunate she was to have her dad and grandfather teaching her along the way and continues to feel their support through friends and colleagues in the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA).  

Read the transcript or Listen to the podcast to hear more about Kelly’s experience and why she believes industry associations are so valuable.