“And Give Back”

By Lauren White, Assistant Editor.

Six years and $5 million later, SRS Raise the Roof Foundation is impacting lives across the nation.

In a recent Roofing Road Trips with Heidi podcast, Dan Tinker, CEO of SRS Distribution, joined Heidi J. Ellsworth, RoofersCoffeeShop® (RCS) partner, to talk about  SRS Raise the Roof Foundation.  It’s no secret that roofing companies benefit from weather-related disasters.  Knowing this, SRS wanted to find a way to give back to those who need it most.  Making a powerful addition to the company mission statement and founding the Raise the Roof has changed the company culture at SRS and helped veterans, people affected by natural disasters, and families in the local community.

Raise the Roof has been a significant part of the company history since 2014.   When SRS founded Raise the Roof, the company also changed their mission statement from “Make Money and Have Fun,” to “Make Money, Have Fun and Give Back.”  The last part of their mission statement, “and Give Back” is a big part of their company culture now.  “Our employees love the fact that they can donate alongside our suppliers, our customers and the company also.  And oftentimes we match those funds and leverage their giving,” Dan shared.  In just six years, SRS Distribution has raised over $5 million for various charities.

“Most people know us from our concerts at the IRE and we also have an annual golf tournament and several other events throughout the year,” Dan mentioned, which helps raise money for the foundation.  Journey played at the last IRE in 2020 and Little Big Town and Darius Rucker are set to take the stage for the 2021 IRE in April.  “We have thousands of contractors already who donate either annually at the IRE or at our golf tournament and other events,” Dan shared.  

SRS Distribution pays 100% of the operating costs for the foundation, which makes it “one of the few charities that roofers, remodelers and builders can give to and know [that] 100% of the proceeds are going to go directly to serve our three main pillars,” said Dan.  These three pillars include assisting veterans, helping people impacted by weather-related disasters, and supporting the local communities in which the company operates.  

One of the driving forces behind the establishment of this foundation was to give back to communities devastated by natural disasters.  “Everyone knows from roofing, we benefit somewhat from weather-related impact, so it’s one of the things we feel very comfortable with [saying], if we’d benefit from insurance claim work and storm work, we should give a part of that back to the community, as we feel like everybody should,” explained Dan.  

One of the bigger benefactors of the foundation is a group called Minuteman Disaster Response.  This group of volunteers is deployed to areas affected by natural disasters, such as the derecho in Iowa and the hurricane and tropical storms in the United States.  “We bought them sleeping semi-trailers, shower units and food units, so they have full semis to deploy,” Dan shared.  These volunteers are qualified and trained to help emergency personnel look for survivors, administer medical services, food and shelter.  “We provide a lot of the trucks, equipment and the supplies that volunteer groups need.  Even police and fire and other people locally say had we not sent that team down there with that equipment, they wouldn’t have a place to have a base camp to even run their disaster response.  So it’s pretty meaningful and all of our people rally behind that cause,” Dan shared.

For those who want to get involved and give back, but don’t have the time to to start their own foundation, Dan recommends using foundations that already exist, “...but vet them carefully and make sure the money you’re giving is going directly to the causes you care about, and they’re not milking off a big percentage for running the organization.”  No one at Raise the Roof Foundation gets paid out of the foundation because everything is paid for by SRS.  Dan suggests, “Avoid donating to massive organizations that your money is just going to be a drop in the ocean.  Try to find a smaller group or smaller charity that you being a donor makes a difference for that foundation.”  Smaller charities allow you to feel connected to the organization, get to know the team and know exactly where the money is going, Dan shares.

As one of the largest distributors in the United States, SRS Distribution has been able to leverage their business expertise and resources to help those in need.  “What I’m proud of is that it’s [SRS Raise the Roof Foundation] a vehicle for people to donate and know that 100% of the money is going to go directly to charity,” shared Dan.

Learn more about the SRS Raise the Roof Foundation.