Ask Allen Lancaster, president of Metalcrafts Inc., Savannah, Ga., what his three greatest passions are, and his answer is simple: "My family, my faith and my work. And the order depends on what day it is."
Allen speaks animatedly about his wife, Donnie, their four children and four grandchildren. He also speaks with great enthusiasm about his faith, Catholicism, to which he converted after marrying Donnie, who was raised Catholic.
But what's really striking is how dominant roofing is in his life—and not just in the conventional ways you might expect. Given that roofing is in Allen's blood—his father and three uncles worked in the roofing and metal fabricating industries—and that Allen took over as Metalcrafts' president after his father retired in 1997, it makes sense roofing would be well-integrated into his life. And Allen has been heavily involved with NRCA since 1994, serving on its board of directors, Executive Committee and just about every other NRCA committee.
But it's in the smaller things: Walk into the Lancaster home in Richmond Hill, Ga., a small community about 20 miles south of Savannah, and you might notice the slate floor throughout most of the house. It is the same slate Metalcrafts installed on The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in downtown Savannah, one of the South's largest church buildings; Allen and Donnie used leftover slate from the project to floor their home when it was built. There also is a standing-seam copper roof installed above the bookcase and fireplace in the Lancasters' great room.
Whether it's the obvious or obscure things, this much is clear: the roofing industry is a huge part of Allen's life. And this year will only further Allen's roofing industry involvement as he begins his term as NRCA president.
The early years
Allen has lived in the Savannah area all his life. He and his two younger brothers, Jeffery and Joseph Lancaster, grew up in Rincon, Ga., a small town just north of Savannah.
Allen became involved with construction at an early age. His father, Tommy Lancaster, affectionately known as "Big T," worked at a paper mill in Savannah, and he and a co-worker partnered to purchase a Caterpillar D6 bulldozer so they could clear lots as a side job.
"I remember as a little kid going out with Daddy and his partner to clear lots," Allen says. "I was a big guy, and I'd go pick up roots and throw them in a pile while they were clearing with the bulldozer."
Tommy later began working in the cabinetry business.
"When I was maybe 10 to 12 years old, people wanted to put paneling in their homes," Allen says. "So Daddy was remodeling homes and putting paneling up on the walls and installing cabinets, and I'd go to the houses with him and help him do that."
However, Tommy had to stop installing cabinets when he started having equilibrium problems with his inner ear; doctors determined the problems stemmed from Tommy inhaling sawdust produced when cutting wood. He left the cabinetry business and went to work with his three brothers who had founded Metalcrafts the previous year.
"If Daddy didn't have that equilibrium problem, I'd probably be building cabinets today instead of installing roofs," Allen says. "Who knows where life will take you?"
After graduating high school in 1974, Allen went on to pursue an architecture degree at Georgia Institute of Technology—or Georgia Tech, as it is more frequently called—in Atlanta. It was the only school to which Allen applied.
"I don't know why, but I just wanted to go there," he says. "And I started out in architecture because I'd always liked construction."
However, Allen ended up switching his major and entering Georgia Tech's Building Construction Program; he obtained a bachelor's degree in science and building construction, a management degree in Georgia Tech's School of Architecture.
"I have tremendous respect for architects in that they're fully expected to know everything about everything," Allen says. "The reason I probably just didn't like it was because I thought I had imagination and I thought I could draw, and then I met people who actually did have imaginations and who really could draw. And I found out architecture wasn't for me.
"I was fortunate to find Georgia Tech's Building Construction Program," Allen continues. "It just fit me, and once I got into that, I was able to thrive because that is the element I enjoy."
Getting into roofing
After graduating college, Allen returned to Savannah and started working at Metalcrafts. At the time, the bulk of Metalcrafts' work was concentrated on metal fabrication projects, and Allen initially planned to work in that part of the business. However, after spending about six months working on his first job at a Delco Remy plant in Albany, Ga., he had the opportunity to become Metalcrafts' roofing estimator, which he accepted.
Allen says: "Around that time, I counted a total of 17 Lancasters or Lancaster relatives working at Metalcrafts. Two of my cousins ran most of the metal part of the business, and in 1987, they left and started Industrial Metalworks Inc., Savannah, doing metal fabrication only—it's still in business. At that point, because a lot of business followed them, our metal fabrication operation reduced in size. Meanwhile, our roofing operation grew; by the early '90s, roofing was the predominant part of Metalcrafts' business."
In 1982, Allen's uncle, E.J. Lancaster, the eldest of Tommy's three brothers who owned Metalcrafts, passed away from cancer, and in 1991, Pete Lancaster—the next eldest of the three—announced he was ready to retire. At that point, Allen, Tommy, Jeffery and Joseph began negotiations to buy Metalcrafts from Pete and Tommy's other brother, Lemuel Lancaster.
"It took us a year to negotiate buying out my uncles, and I remember my dad telling me, 'I don't care what we have to pay for the company or what we have to do, this is a family and we will always stay a family,'" Allen says. "That was the most important thing to him—that no matter how tough and trying the situation became, we still all get along great."
In 1992, Allen, his father and brothers closed the deal. Pete retired; Lemuel took the metal-fabrication part of the business and started his own company, Port City Metals, Savannah, which his sons still operate; and Metalcrafts became a roofing-only company.
Allen became president of Metalcrafts when Tommy retired in 1997. Jeffery and Joseph were named vice presidents of the company.
"My dad set the example I want to follow: When he retired, he retired," Allen says. "He handed us his keys, walked out the door and didn't come back though he's always been around to help us whenever we need it."
Since then, Metalcrafts has opened satellite operations in Atlanta and Auburn, Ala. Typically, about 60 to 65 percent of the company's work is reroofing jobs, and about 40 percent of the work involves metal roofing.
By 2009, the company had about 170 employees; however, because of the poor economy, Metalcrafts had to reduce its staff by about one-third by the end of 2009. Fortunately, Metalcrafts has been able to start rehiring some of the employees it was forced to let go.
"We had a down year last year, but things have been picking up, and we all hope business continues to grow," says Mark Rahn, Metalcrafts' office manager and corporate secretary.
But even with the recent economic uncertainty, Allen loves his job.
"It's never the same; it's always a variety," he says. "I would absolutely go crazy if I were behind a desk every day. I love being able to work inside and outside, and I also enjoy meeting people. I'm actually shy, believe it or not, and I've had to teach myself to get past that over the years. I've been able to do that in my job."
NRCA involvement
Allen first became involved with NRCA in 1994, but before that, he was involved with the Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association of Georgia (RSMCA).
"When I first started in the roofing business, my uncle E.J. was RSMCA's president," Allen says. "I got invited to go to its annual roofing convention and immediately became involved with the association. I joined committees and participated in various things and eventually became RSMCA's president in 1993."
When Allen finished his presidential term for RSMCA, he started looking into becoming involved with NRCA.
"I wanted to learn more," he says. "Fortunately, at the time, Bennett Hutchinson, owner of Tip Top Roofers Inc., Smyrna, Ga., was going to be NRCA's next president, and I've known him my whole career. I've also known Steve Kruger, president of L.E. Schwartz & Son Inc., Macon, Ga., my entire career through RSMCA, so I called them both and asked how I could get involved with NRCA."
Allen began getting involved with NRCA's committees almost immediately, the technical committees in particular. He was a member of the Architectural Sheet Metal and Metal Roofing Committee from 1994-2005, serving as chairman from 2000-02. He also was a member of the Manual Update Committee from 2004-08, serving as chairman from 2007-08; the Technical Education Committee from 2007-08; and the Technical Operations Committee from 2000-08, serving as vice president liaison from 2005-06 and as chairman from 2006-08. And that's just to name a few.
Allen says: "When I started getting more involved with NRCA, people kept asking me, 'When are you going to be president?' And my answer was: 'never.' I never really got involved with NRCA thinking about that. I joined to learn and, I hoped, bring that knowledge back to my business."
However, after Allen's many years of involvement with NRCA's committees, as well as its board of directors from 1995-98, 1999-2002, 2003-05 and 2007-09 and its Executive Committee, he eventually was elected NRCA president.
Allen says if he didn't have his two brothers and William Zarkadas, Metalcrafts' vice president of operations, helping him run the business, he wouldn't have accepted.
"The most important thing is my own business, obviously, because if I don't have that, it's a problem, so I spoke to my brothers and Metalcrafts' leadership, got everyone's opinions and, of course, asked my wife," Allen says. "Everybody said almost immediately, 'Yes, you have to do it.' And I still took more than two months before I agreed to take the position."
Setting an agenda
Allen has numerous ideas about what he would like to accomplish during his term as NRCA president. But he acknowledges he faces certain challenges—one in particular.
"The greatest challenge was and will continue to be the economy—managing the budget and the association's costs to successfully operate and give our membership the most we can with less money," Allen says. "I think former NRCA President Rob McNamara, president of F.J.A. Christiansen Roofing Co. Inc., Milwaukee, a Tecta America company, did a great job handling that."
Allen acknowledges McNamara's other strengths, including his communication skills and understanding of NRCA and the roofing industry.
"He's an excellent communicator," Allen says. "He also understands and grasps the issues NRCA is involved with and makes decisions based on what he perceives is in the best interest of NRCA's membership. I think that's how he decides everything: not necessarily based on what he believes is best but what he believes is best for NRCA members."
NRCA's involvement with the photovoltaic (PV) roofing movement is one issue McNamara focused on that Allen would like to continue developing.
"Rob did a great job taking on the PV roofing issue and getting NRCA involved," Allen says. "We're not trying to drive the engine; we're trying to develop the tools to educate our membership."
Allen also plans to focus on strengthening NRCA's relationships with its various affiliate organizations.
"In the end, we're all trying to accomplish the same thing to some degree," he says. "We all need to sell our products and services, but we also need to help our industry be stronger, more professional. There are so many things we could work together on and help each other with."
Another issue on which Allen intends to focus is strengthening NRCA membership.
"I've come to realize how important our membership is—and not just membership to the association but the association to our membership," Allen says. "It's kind of a two-way street. Membership for any association is a vital tool because without members, an association obviously will cease to exist. But part of my goal is getting people—members and potential members—to understand how important it is to be involved with NRCA."
Although he had some initial reservations about his new role, Allen is looking forward to his term as NRCA president.
"There's still so much for me to learn," he says. "And I feel like the timing is right—I can contribute in a different way than I could have before because I am in a good place from a business standpoint and a family standpoint. And I feel like this is another way to give back to NRCA and the roofing community."
Allen's co-workers and employees at Metalcrafts have no doubt he has the ability, knowledge and drive to fulfill his new role.
"He is one of the most knowledgeable men about roofing I've ever worked with in the 21 years I've been in the industry," says Henry Apple, an estimator in Metalcrafts' Roofing Department. "And he's hardworking—I guess you could go so far as to call him a workaholic."
Zarkadas agrees: "He's focused. I've known Allen forever—I grew up with him—and he's always been driven and focused. He's hardworking; he's talented; and he has a tremendous understanding of the roofing industry."
Donnie also thinks Allen will be successful in his new role.
"He has the ability to listen to the other side, and that might not seem like much, but a lot of people kind of put blinders on and are focused on their point of view—Allen isn't one of those people," Donnie says. "He's open-minded, and that's a quality you need when you are working with a lot of people."
In his absence
Although Allen has traveled frequently during the past year in his role as NRCA's senior vice president, the upcoming year will demand even more travel and time away from his company. And based on Allen's high level of involvement with Metalcrafts, it will be a rather big change to the company atmosphere.
"Allen's a really intelligent person," says Matt Herb, Metalcrafts' job superintendent. "Any doubts, any questions—he's the one you ask."
Lisa May, Metalcrafts' accounts payable manager and an employee of the company for 19 years, agrees with Herb.
"Someone's always in his office wanting to ask him a question or check on something or see how to do this or that … he has full days, let me tell you!" May says. "He often does the work that he needs to do in the evenings after everybody leaves. He's always here late."
Rick Bohannon, a Metalcrafts estimator who has known Allen since the two were about 10 years old, also acknowledges Allen's dedication to the company.
"I kid him all the time that if you cut him, he would bleed Metalcrafts," Bohannon says. "He's an extremely dedicated person. He's the only guy I know who can work 25 hours in a 24-hour day; I don't know how he does it."
However, Allen's employees believe they are ready for his term as NRCA president and company operations will continue to flow smoothly in his absence.
"I think we're pretty well-established," Jeffery says. "Everybody knows their role and what they have to do."
Joseph agrees: "We're not afraid to make decisions when he's gone. He trusts us enough to make a decision and go with it. With the three of us being involved, it really helps."
Metalcrafts is a tight-knit company, which will prove important when Allen is away.
"We're more or less a family," says Sonny Siplon, an estimator in Metalcrafts' Repair and Maintenance Department and Allen's son-in-law. "A majority of the people who work here have been here for quite some time. We're pretty tight, and we all get along. We have our differences like any workplace, but that's all it is; we handle what needs to be done."
Although Allen's expertise and leadership will be missed during his more frequent absence, his Metalcrafts family is pleased he has been afforded the opportunity to serve as NRCA president and hopes he is able to enjoy his term.
Rahn says: "I would like to see him accomplish the goals he has set out for himself, and I hope that during his time as president, everything goes well for him and that NRCA may be benefited by him being president."
"I hope Allen does a great job, and I know he will," Joseph adds. "He will give it 110 percent whether he only has 80 percent of his time to give—that's just Allen."
Family affairs
Allen's family was another large factor in determining whether he would consider serving as NRCA president. Obviously, Donnie had to be OK with Allen's new role.
"I'm looking forward to it—to traveling with him and meeting the people and spending time with him," Donnie says.
Allen also thinks he and Donnie will be fine managing time together while he is NRCA president.
"Our relationship is and always has been the kind where we spend time together and we spend time apart doing various things," he says. "Donnie has her hobbies and friends. She visits places without me, and I do the same. We've always been that way. My family knows I'm a workaholic; they've lived with that their whole lives. But one of the things we'll do is have Donnie travel with me when she can and wants to."
Despite his workaholic tendencies, Donnie thinks Allen is more relaxed than he has been in the past.
"He has mellowed a lot," she says. "He was more driven when he was younger to achieve things and succeed. Since he has reached a lot of his goals, he has relaxed more."
Allen and Donnie were introduced by Allen's cousin.
"When I divorced my first wife, I moved to Savannah Beach," Allen says. "My cousin Susan introduced me to Donnie at the beach."
"Allen's cousin Jennifer was my best friend, and her sister Susan introduced us," Donnie says. "Susan and I went to the beach for the Fourth of July, and we met Allen there."
Although the two met in July, their first date wasn't until that November.
"The way I tell the story is that she and I didn't date right away because I liked her," Allen says. "That sounds weird, but I was recently divorced. I wasn't interested in a relationship. And Donnie had been married before, too; she had made up her mind after her divorce that she was not going to date again until two years had passed. Coincidentally, when I finally asked her, the two years had passed. So we went on our first date the weekend before Thanksgiving."
Allen and Donnie were married the following January after a two-week engagement.
"My parents live in Richmond Hill on the river, and my brother Joseph was getting married at their house on a Friday," Allen says. "The Monday before Joseph's wedding, I asked Donnie to marry me. We sat down and looked at a calendar to decide what worked best for everyone's schedules—and the best weekend for us was two weeks later.
"We thought, if we're going to do it, let's do it," Allen continues. "So we went to Joseph's wedding at my parents' house, told everyone we were getting married, and said, 'Oh, by the way Mom, will you keep the flowers? We'd like to get married here next Friday.' And we did, and we've been married now for 24 years."
Donnie has two children, Jay, 37, and Lisa, 32, from her first marriage, and Allen and Donnie have two daughters together, Rachel, 24, and Erin, 22.
Allen says he feels more comfortable serving as NRCA president now that his children are grown and live on their own.
"I don't know if I could do it if I still had my kids at home; I know some people can, but I just don't know that I could have," Allen says.
Donnie and Allen share many of the same beliefs and values, which has contributed to their 24-year marriage's success.
"We share the same religion—he converted to Catholicism, which was something he decided to do on his own," Donnie says. "We share the same views on politics. We share the same views on work ethic—we both believe you should work for and earn what you get. Our children have all been taught to respect people and that they need to earn things. We've been fortunate in our marriage that we share a lot of the same ideals."
Donnie believes Allen's traits and leadership skills will help him in his role as NRCA president.
"I think one of his best character traits is he never meets a stranger," Donnie says. "He treats everyone the same and always with respect. And he's always friendly, says 'hello' and smiles. He can walk into any room and introduce himself and talk to anybody.
"Business-wise, he has a successful business," she continues. "Family-wise, he's raised successful children. They're all college-educated and self-supporting, which is a big thing. We've got a 24-year marriage that will hopefully last another 24 at least. And he has managed to go through life treating people respectfully. I think people also respect him, and that's a pretty big accomplishment."
Faith and charity
As Allen mentions, one of his biggest passions is his faith, which he demonstrates through his involvement with his church, St. Anne Catholic Church in Richmond Hill, as well as his participation in various charities.
"I was raised a Southern Baptist, raised to believe in God and country—and I still do," Allen says. "I got kind of sidetracked at some point in time from my religious belief, but after I married Donnie, I started finding that back and eventually converted to Catholicism. And at that point, I recommitted myself to my faith and religion. That, today, is a strong part of my life."
Allen has served as chairman of many of his church's committees, primarily during its expansion process that has been taking place during the past 15 years.
"We're so overcrowded, and we're growing so much," Allen says. "When our current priest came here about seven years ago, we had 350 families; we're now up to about 850 families."
Because of the church's fast growth, it was decided St. Anne Catholic Church would build another church on the property to accommodate its members. Allen is chairman of the project's steering committee, which is in charge of the whole process from the building's initial design to its final construction. However, the project has been put on hold.
"We were about to start fundraising when the economy went south," Allen says. "We decided to put everything on hold until the economy turns; we just don't feel like it's right to ask people who don't have jobs to contribute long-term to something like this."
Another program extremely close to Allen's heart is Rebuilding Together,® NRCA's national charity partner, which works to preserve and revitalize low-income homes, nonprofit organizations and communities.
"Six or seven years ago, I was asked whether I would be interested in joining the board of Rebuilding Together's Savannah chapter," Allen says. "I knew about the organization because NRCA's been involved with it for awhile. At first, I was told, 'It's just one meeting per month, and they just need someone to help them who understands roofing.' So I joined the board."
Over time, Allen and Metalcrafts' staff became more involved with Rebuilding Together. Eventually, Allen was asked to become the organization's treasurer and Jeffery joined the board, as well.
"At that time, Rebuilding Together was asked to move out of the space where it had been holding its meetings because the space was needed for something else, so Metalcrafts started letting the organization use our office here for meetings and its various functions," Allen says.
Metalcrafts also donates as much as it can to various charities and volunteer organizations.
"I was taught and raised to believe that you get as much as you give—maybe even more," Allen says.
A serious commitment
As Allen begins his term as NRCA's newest president, there is little doubt he will be successful in the position.
"One of the things I have tried to do during my career and with everything I get involved with is to be open-minded," Allen says. "My opinion, though it may have validity in certain circumstances, is not the only opinion out there. I try to be open to listening to others' opinions, and I also try to lead by example—I don't expect anyone to do anything I wouldn't be willing to do."
If Allen's new role becomes a bit trying, he will have his family, faith and co-workers to lean on—not to mention a well-developed sense of humor.
"You have to be able to have fun with what you are doing and laugh about it—everything makes me laugh," Allen says. "And maybe it's from having children and running a business—and probably as much if not more so from my religious beliefs and coming to an acceptance of who I am—that I am able to see that some things are no big deal and let them roll off."
The role of NRCA president can be a difficult one, but Allen seems more than ready for the challenge. During the next year, he surely will treat it as he treats all the other important things in his life: with serious commitment and passion.
"The way I was raised is you make commitments, and you fulfill those commitments," he says. "I've committed to owning and running my business. I've committed to things I do for my church. I've committed to NRCA. I've committed to my family. And each one has different connotations. Fulfillment of my commitments is part of my daily life."
Ashley St. John is Professional Roofing's associate editor.
Next up
Kent Tolley, vice president of Quality Tile Roofing Inc., Boise, Idaho, has been involved with NRCA for many years. Since his company joined NRCA, Tolley has served as an NRCA vice president from 2003-04 and 2006-08 and on NRCA's board of directors from 1999-2003, 2005-06 and 2008-10. He also has been actively involved with many NRCA committees, including the Community Service, Contractor Management, Government Relations and Internet/Electronic Communications committees. And now Tolley begins his term as NRCA's senior vice president.
"I would like to continue to build on NRCA's excellent reputation and look out for the best interests of NRCA's members," Tolley says. "I'm looking forward to being able to provide input on current issues; technical matters; and other issues influencing businesses such as codes, regulations and government policies."
Tolley also says he plans to work with NRCA's manufacturer members to build on each other's strengths and stay ahead of emerging roofing technologies.
And Tolley is confident he will be able to balance NRCA obligations with his company and family roles.
"Quality Tile Roofing has an excellent, capable staff that will help me while I am traveling for NRCA, and remote access to my desktop office computer will allow me to work on projects while I am on the road," he says. "I also have a supportive wife and family."
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