Details

What are your positions within your companies?
I am president and owner of James King Roofing LLC, Lynnwood, Wash., and part owner of Snyder Roofing and Sheet Metal Inc., Tigard, Ore.

Why did you become involved in the roofing industry?
I am a third-generation roofing professional. My father, James King, was an NRCA past president and J.A. Piper Award recipient who ran Snyder Roofing and Sheet Metal for 55 years. I remember the smell of asphalt from the age of 4. When I was 8, my father took me to the shop on weekends, and I roamed the office and yard for hours begging him to start up an old roof tractor and let me drive. Our head mechanic wasn’t around on weekends to get the darn thing started, so I learned to work on small engines.

What was your first roofing experience?
My first working experience at my family’s business was washing the exteriors and cleaning the interiors of company trucks. I loved doing it because I took pride in how our trucks appeared in public but also because I earned a small fortune returning cans and bottles for a nickel apiece!

What is the most unusual roofing project of which you have been a part?
When I was 18, I was dispatched for the summer to a project where we removed coal-tar pitch from one large roof section and fiberglass insulation and built-up roofing from another. I later concluded my father purposefully sent me there to learn how difficult roofing work can be and how hard roofing crews work. The experience solidified my appreciation for field workers and what they deal with.

What quality do you most admire in a person?
Authenticity

People would be surprised to know ...
I’ve played hockey all my life and gotten to know many people through the sport. Former National Hockey League player Red Berenson watched me play a game when I was 45 years old, and afterward he said: “You know Kyle, that was a lot like hockey but much slower.” My team still travels to Europe once a year to play in tournaments.

What is your roofing industry involvement?
I’ve been actively involved in roofing contractors associations since my dad first encouraged me to get involved more than 20 years ago. I currently serve on NRCA’s board of directors, and I served as president of the Associated Roofing Contractors of Oregon and Southwest Washington and president of the Western States Roofing Contractors Association. I can’t say enough about the invaluable experiences I gained and people I’ve met participating in these associations.

What is your favorite stress reliever?
Golf because it forces me to be humble and stay calm. I enjoy being outdoors with my friends and watching their golf-related stress relieves mine!

My favorite part about working in the roofing industry is ...
Working with the hard-working people at our company, within the roofing and waterproofing industries, and within the building owner and management industries we serve.

What is your favorite food?
Macaroni and cheese—my grandmother used to make it each year on my birthday, and I have forever loved it. These days any macaroni and cheese is fine by me!

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? Why?
I’d visit Snyder Roofing and Sheet Metal’s sister company, NRCA member Hamaken Roofing Co. Inc., Sapporo, Japan. I formalized the relationship between the companies when I was in my early 30s. The Hamaken Roofing family was so kind to me.

What song are you listening to over and over?
“She’s Crazy for Leaving,” by Rodney Crowell. It’s a simple song for a simple guy.

What do you consider your most rewarding experience?
Being part of the birth and life of my 26-year-old daughter, MacKenzie.