Coffee Conversations - Family Business in the Roofing Industry

By Colin Sheehan, RCS Reporter. 

How these family owned roofing companies stayed a family and in business through several generations of ownership. 

In Season 3, Episode 2 of Coffee Conversations, RoofersCoffeeShop® is joined by Sherri Miles, Kendall Ekerson and Brittany Wimbish to discuss all things family business in the roofing industry. Sponsored by IB Roof Systems, this Coffee Conversations will delve into the dos and don'ts of family run businesses, how to hire loved ones, dealing with office politics and how to achieve a great work-life balance. 

Brittany is set to be a third-generation owner of her family’s business, Fields Roof Service, which has been in the industry since 1957. She started working for the family company after she gave birth to her baby and has stuck with it ever since. 

As the fourth-generation owner of Miles Roofing, Sherri feels immense pride for herfamily’s business that started in 1910 by her great grandfather. Sherri admitted that initially she had no intention of joining the family business, but after going to college and working on her own for several years, she found her way back. 

Kendall is a second-generation contractor and her father started Columbia Roofing in 1996. She’s been working at Columbia for several years and began by doing part-time work to help pay for college. Kendall eventually met her husband at work and now goes to the office every day with either her husband or her dad. 

The women agreed that working in a family business both fills them with pride and burdens them with a sense of responsibility. Sherri remembers the moments during the great recession as especially challenging when she and her brother decided they couldn’t let the family business end on their watch.  

“We felt a great responsibility to keep things going,” said Sherri. “And even if it changes a little bit, the business structure or the products you offer, whatever it is, we felt a great sense of responsibility to make sure that we kept going in difficult times.” 

Brittany finds strength in thinking about her soon-to-be retired parents, who worked for the company since they were 20. Ensuring that they, and everyone else who retires from Fields Roof Service, can live out a happy retirement keeps her motivated to do what’s best for the business. 

"[It’s] a goal of mine to make sure the company's set up in a way that it is most profitable, that we're doing processes and procedures that are most effective for our goals,” said Brittany. “And that [creates] options. They have options when it comes time for retirement and all of that.” 

Kendall agreed with Brittany and takes a lot of pride in providing jobs for many people outside of her family. She also mentioned how over time many of her employees become a part of the family.  

"It's not just a business for us and our family, but we're providing these jobs and we're providing homes and lives for other families,” said Kendall. “And that's something that's really stuck with me.” 

Read, Listen or Watch the entire Coffee Conversations to learn how to stay a family and in business for many years down the road.