S:2 E:14 Stories from the Roof – Heidi J. Ellsworth Talks With Third Generation Canadian Roofer

By Colin Sheehan, RCS Reporter.  

Dave Hoyle shares what he’s learned from being in a family business. 

This episode of Stories from the Roof features Dave Hoyle from Cherry and Hoyle Roofing out of Oakville, Ontario, Canada.  

Dave’s grandfather started Cherry and Hoyle Roofing in 1953 shortly after World War II. He got his start as a carpenter and contractor in Toronto before branching out to Oakville where he saw a need within the community for a roofing business.  

Dave was born and raised in Oakville and his family continues to stay strongly rooted in the community to this day. “Being third generation, it’s a long history. I’m very proud to help support my community and my neighbors and offer them a great service with a great roof.”  

Dave remembers roofing as the topic of conversation during mealtime growing up and his passion for roofing started early. As a young boy he recalls helping out on jobsites with his family, and in particular his father whom he longed to emulate, “I was really side-by-side with my father and he truly showed me the ways.” 

Dave learned early on that there is no room for error in roofing and that to do good by your customers is not only your job, but one of the most rewarding components of his job. He also says customer interaction is his favorite part of his job.   

“When it comes to the roofing career, it’s amazing how interesting it is [interacting] with the customers. When I deal with the senior citizens, I sit down with them, I talk with them and I get to know a little bit about their life and what they’ve gone through. Dealing with a senior, going from war times to seeing a Tesla drive [itself] down the road is amazing.” 

Heidi and Dave also discussed the meeting of the “old world” and “new world” in roofing. As a trade, roofing is both historically bound to nearly all known human civilizations and on the cutting edge of technological advancement. Instead of creating a tension between the two, Dave insists on learning from everything to continue this evolution while honoring the roots of roofing.  

“With roofing we’ve got this old world and new world meeting together...it’s quite a range but ultimately it’s all about learning what you can because everything kind of blends in together...[whether] you’re working on an old church with copper panels...[or] with new metal pre-pave and steel panels. And you get to learn all those little tips and tricks and when you go back to a repair job to fix something, you get to see what that other person did to create all that.” 

Make sure to listen to Dave’s full story here on RoofersCoffeeShop’s® Stories from the Roof.