subject: Roofers And Sub Contractors: How To Find Meaningful Philanthropy In Your Own Backyard [print this page] In September, Joyce Skipwith, a Gwinnett County resident, was left without a roof or her money when an unscrupulous roofer left town suddenly. Over a year ago, the ersatz roofer knocked on Ms. Skipwith's door and told her that her roof was worn out. That may have been the only truthful thing he ever said. Next, he helped the homeowner apply for an insurance payout to cover the cost of a new roof and then left town with the money. But he didn't do the work.
After seeing a news story on television, Atlanta-based Superior Roofing offered to replace the woman's worn out roof free of charge. Superior Roofing's owners just felt it was the right thing to do.
"There are many good roofing contractors in Atlanta and it's a shame that this nice lady had such a bad experience. It gives all of us a black eye," said Ron Herring. "We couldn't sit idly by while she suffered like this."
Superior Roofing recommends that businesses take an active role in their communities, and try to help in whatever ways they can.
Here are some tips for finding philanthropic efforts in your own backyard:
1) Set up Google alerts for your industry's hot topics, for mentions relating to your geographic area.
2) Ask around for charitable efforts that have local roots.
3) Invite your employees to share the charities that are the most meaningful to them and explain why.
4) Keep your ear to the ground, wherever you are. Your next chance to help someone could be right around the corner, on the news, or mentioned on Facebook!
5) Establish a rapport with other related companies, and let them know they can count on you when it comes to doing the right thing (i.e. suppliers and installers, etc.)
6) Be an active part of your community in both personal and business arenas. Get involved with your church, your children's schools, your chamber of commerce, and your industry groups.
It was actually Kevin Yates at Commercial Roofing Specialties who saw the story first. He asked his boss if the company would be willing to donate the materials for the job and the immediate answer was, "without a doubt". Kevin then contacted Superior Roofing, a customer of theirs, to see if they would provide the labor.
Superior Roofing jumped on the chance to help. Both companies were anxious to fix the problem because it was the right thing to do.
