Details

Vodika

What is your position within your company?
I am director of operations for Damschroder Roofing Inc., Fremont, Ohio.

Why did you become involved in the roofing industry?
After college, I went to the Republic of Cameroon to do some building work with a mission team, and the trip turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I had the privilege of working with the founder of Damschroder Roofing for more than a month. When the trip was over, I immediately started my roofing career with the company.

What is the most unusual roofing project of which you have been a part?
Damschroder Roofing worked on an Ohio State University branch campus that had been hit by a severe tornado. We completed a total tear-off and lengthy structural analysis before installing a new PVC roof system and a difficult custom coping system with step-ups and bump-outs all over the building. I was quite proud of our employees and the project's outcome.

People would be surprised to know …
Damschroder Roofing was honored this past summer with the Midwest Roofing Contractors Association's Award of Excellence for completing a difficult elementary school project in Columbus, Ohio.

What was your first roofing experience?
During one extremely cold winter day, I was working as a carpenter on a large project sheeting a parapet wall for the roofing subcontractor. I pulled out some nails that were holding loose TPO material to the parapet wall and cold water dumped all over me. I was so angry I told myself I would never become a roofing professional. But I'm glad I did because I really love this industry.

What's the most exciting/adventurous thing you've done?
I love my family more than anything else, and being a dad to a daughter who shows horses and a son who loves ocean-fishing and cast-netting as much as I do is as exciting as I can imagine.

My favorite part about working in the roofing industry is …
I absolutely love working with customers. I am deeply satisfied when I gain the trust of a customer because that means I have measured, drawn and planned the job correctly. Having a past customer call just to catch up or say "hi" is the best reward for a job well done.

What is your roofing industry involvement?
Damschroder Roofing is an NRCA member, and I currently am enrolled in Class 8 of NRCA University's Future Executives Institute.

What quality do you most admire in a person?
A good attitude

What do you consider a waste of time?
Purchase orders, but I know they have to be done.

What is your favorite stress reliever?
I do not like to slow down, so I love going to Cedar Point with my family for some high-adrenaline roller coaster stress relief.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Like many young boys, I wanted to be a professional football player.

What's your favorite roofing material to work with? Why?
Prefabricated flashings and high-quality prefabricated edge metals and copings—they are time-saving products and can make all the difference in the world when they are properly measured and installed.

What do you consider your most rewarding experiences?
Being a husband and dad are by far the most rewarding experiences of my life. My wife and kids are of the utmost importance to me, and I would not be where I am today without them or their love.