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Professional Roofing: What is the most unusual roofing project you've performed?
Gallos: We replaced a roof system on a church sanctuary that involved significant wood deck replacement. What made it unusual was that the 8,400-square-foot (780-m²), saddle-shaped roof system was only supported on the perimeters. There were no intermediate beams or joists to carry the load, which made replacing rotted deck areas a slow, painstaking process.

Why did you become a roofing contractor?
In May 1973, my dad decided he'd had enough of working for someone else. He wanted to start his own roofing company, but because he wasn't in management, he felt he needed someone with business acumen to help him get started. He mistakenly thought my one-year business administration course at a local college qualified me as that someone. At the time, I had no intention of staying, but the past 31 years have made a liar out of me.

What are your favorite items on your desk?
The family picture we took at my eldest daughter's wedding.

What do you consider your most rewarding experiences?
One was being naive enough to have children at a relatively young age. I just turned 50, and my kids are now 29, 27 and 26 years old. They are, unlike their parents, all university graduates.

What was your first roofing experience?
In 1971, my dad got me a summer job at the roofing company where he worked. The company had just secured a job reroofing about 12 buildings at an army base two hours west of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Our days started at 6 a.m., and we usually didn't finish until after 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. As the "new young punk," I got to do all the dirty tasks that no one else wanted to do. We were housed in one of the unused barracks at the base that had a limited amount of hot water available. As a result, there would be an impromptu race to get back for a shower while there still was hot water. Because I was the "new young punk," I was fast enough to always shower with hot water—which I needed because I was usually the dirtiest.

What was your first job?
My first job was delivering newspapers after school. It was a great learning experience because, in those days, the carriers had to collect the subscription fees biweekly. I had to quickly learn how to deal with people, especially when they made money collection difficult. It was a great business education that has helped me throughout my career.

What is your favorite vacation?
My wife, Ramona, and I have fallen in love with cruising. Our first experience was a Mediterranean cruise that included a visit to Cannes, France, during the film festival. In 2003, we took a Caribbean cruise with our two daughters, our son, our son-in-law and my parents. This summer, we're headed to Copenhagen, Denmark.

What are the most challenging aspects of your job?
Keeping up to date with government regulations.

What is your roofing industry involvement?
I'm currently an NRCA board member. I am chairman of the Canadian Roofing Contractors Association (CRCA) National Technical Committee. I was on the CRCA board of directors from 1980-90 and served as president in 1987-88. I am the current president of the Roofing Contractors Association of Manitoba.

People would be surprised to know ...
When my wife and I were dating in high school, we occasionally would cut class to attend "question period" at the provincial legislature. We always could count on the antics of our elected legislators to provide cheap entertainment. We even smuggled in pop and snacks.