Details

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President and chief executive officer of Houck Services Inc., Harrisburg, Pa.

Houck with his wife, Patti, and children, Gary and Kara Ayn.

Professional Roofing: What is the most difficult roofing project you’ve performed?
Houck: A typewriter manufacturing plant in Harrisburg, Pa. The roof system was 1,400 squares (12600 m²) and consisted of 74 inverted pyramids that were formed by a structural concrete roof deck. Each pyramid was about 16 feet (5 m) deep, and together, they simulated a typewriter keyboard from the sky. The 12-member crew removed 56 skylights and spray polyurethane foam material. The crew then installed a single-ply roof system and four large skylights.

Why did you become a roofing contractor?
My father, Lawrence, started Houck Services as a masonry contracting company in 1946. In 1976, I was president of Houck Services and had the opportunity to purchase a roofing contracting company. It seemed like a good fit for our business.

What was your first job?
I helped my dad lay bricks when I was 12 years old. I earned $1 per hour.

What was your first roofing experience?
Working on our company’s first built-up roofing project on a hot day. I quickly learned how hard the work is!

What do you consider your most rewarding experiences?
Being a husband, father, friend and leader and living life to the fullest.

What is your favorite item in your office?
A photograph and artwork wall. My wife, Patti, made shelves and painted a barn that was part of my first real-estate development project. The wall also features photographs of my children, Gary and Kara Ayn, and drawings they created when they were young.

With which historical people do you most closely relate?
Milton S. Hershey because he cared about his employees and Walt Disney because he made people laugh. Both enjoyed life while creating successful businesses and allowing others to be successful, too.

What are your favorite vacations?
My family’s many trips to Walt Disney World,® Orlando, Fla. We never get bored, and Patti and I always feel young at heart enjoying the “magical” time with our children.

What are the most challenging aspects of your job?
Competing in the marketplace and providing leadership, challenges and opportunities for my employees, as well as showing them my appreciation.

What is your roofing industry involvement?
Houck Services is an NRCA member and member of the National Roofing Foundation’s Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress and National Roofing Legal Resource Center. I also am a former NRCA director.

People would be surprised to know that …
On Halloween when I was 12 years old, my friends and I knocked over an outdoor toilet with an elderly woman inside. We set the outdoor toilet upright and ran! Years later, the woman learned what we had done and laughed with us.