Details

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Operations partner and co-owner of Supreme Roofing Systems Inc., Dallas

Rainey (far right) with his son, Craig; daughter, Angela; and wife, Dee.

Professional Roofing: What is the most difficult roofing project you’ve performed?
Rainey: The reroofing of a pharmaceutical company’s building in Puerto Rico. The 10-member crew tore off a built-up roof system and installed 210 squares (1890 m²) of fully adhered Stevens Hypalon.® No roof area greater than 10 feet by 10 feet (3 m by 3 m) was free of penetrations or a grated walking system. It was educational learning how to transport materials from Florida to the Port Authority and then to the job site.

Why did you become a roofing contractor?
After being in the roofing industry for 10 years, I found myself out of work in 1987. Instead of looking for a job with another roofing company, I approached Keith Post, Supreme Roofing Systems’ sales and estimating partner and co-owner, and Jeff Sterrett, Supreme Roofing Systems’ financial partner and co-owner, about starting our own company.

What was your first job?
I bagged groceries at the Westover Air Force Base Commissary in Chicoppee, Mass., when I was 15 years old. I only received tips; I had to hustle to make money.

What was your first roofing experience?
In 1977, I helped tear off a coal-tar-pitch roof system that had been installed over perlite. Then, my crew installed two layers of fiberglass insulation and a four-ply coal-tar-pitch roof system with gravel. My boss told me to try roofing until I found another career, but I loved roofing work and never looked for anything else.

What do you consider rewarding?
Being in business for 15 years without having to lay off anyone.

What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
Keeping the sales and operations departments communicating.

What is your favorite item on your desk?
A picture of my wife, Dee; daughter, Angela; and son, Craig. They are the most important parts of my life, and their presence in my office is a positive force on my day.

With which fictional character do you most closely identify?
Andy Sipowicz from “NYPD Blue.” He always is to the point, and you know exactly where you stand with him.

What was your favorite vacation?
My family took a seven-day cruise through the Caribbean in 1999 with five couples and their kids. The other couples included my sister and brother-in-law and high-school friends with whom we have remained friends despite living 1,700 miles (2720 km) apart.

What do you consider a waste of time?
Rain on a weekday.

What is your biggest pet peeve?
An unclean yard, warehouse or truck.

What is your roofing industry involvement?
My company is a member of NRCA and the Roofing Contractors Association of Texas. I am a 2001-03 director for the North Texas Roofing Contractors Association, charter governor/contractor for the Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress and member of the National Roofing Foundation’s Best Practices Task Force. I also am a member of advisory councils for Johns Manville Roofing Systems, Denver; Firestone Building Products Co., Carmel, Ind.; Carlisle SynTec Inc., Carlisle, Pa.; and Stevens Roofing Systems, Holyoke, Mass.

People would be surprised to know that …
I started my career as an electrician.