Details

Leonard

What is your position within your company?
I am vice president of Architectural Sheet Metal Inc., Orlando, Fla.

What is the most unusual roofing project of which you have been a part?
My company helped create a ride at an Orlando theme park. We had to design and build full-scale mock-ups of the structure and figure out how to clad it with metal while making it look like a circus tent. We spent months modifying the mock-ups until everyone agreed on the final design. When the project was finished, people told us they didn't know the tent was made of metal, so we know we did a good job.

Why did you become involved in the roofing industry?
The roofing industry is in my blood—my parents started Architectural Sheet Metal when I was young, so I grew up in the industry. I tried to avoid getting involved, but when I was 18 years old I tried it out, and the rest is history.

What was your first roofing experience?
When I was about 9 years old, my dad dragged me to a project to help him install a small roof. I was supposed to help on the ground, but instead I slept in the truck. My first experience getting paid for completing roofing work happened when I was fresh out of high school. My five best friends and I installed polyisocyanurate insulation, DensDeck^® Roof Boards and underlayment on large schools in central Florida.

People would be surprised to know ...
I am an Eagle Scout, and I love to run obstacle races such as the Tough Mudder and the Spartan Race. This year, I ran an eight-hour Tough Mudder race from midnight to 8 a.m. I hope to one day run the 24-hour World's Toughest Mudder.

My favorite part about working in the roofing industry is …
The roofing industry is a diamond in the rough. I see amazing work being done by great people. We get to choose so many different ways of completing our work, and we can show it off when we're finished. I wish others could see roofing as more than just a dirty job.

What's the most exciting/adventurous thing you've done?
I climbed and summited Mount Rainier with my dad. We trained on the mountain for six days and dropped down into an ice crevasse while being anchored only by snow and other people.

What was your first job?
My first job was working as a laborer for Architectural Sheet Metal. I have never worked for a different company.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? Why?
China—there is so much to see there from mountains to cities to oceans.

What is your roofing industry involvement?
I am a member of the Central Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Association and the Professional Construction Estimators Association of America Inc., and I serve on the Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association Inc.'s board of directors. I also am an NRCA member and serve on the National Roofing Legal Resource Center's board of directors.

What is your favorite food?
I love carbs—bread, rice, you name it!

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I dreamt of being a mammologist—I wanted to travel the world and see all the mammals that live in it.

What do you consider your most rewarding experience?
Becoming a dad—it's the scariest, happiest, hardest, most "-est" thing you can do. There is no one right way to do anything, but the feelings I have for my kids is something I will cherish forever.