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Hoping
for a positive spin on the industry’s less-than-stellar
reputation, PTL Contracting is giving away a roof this summer.
Roofing business is planning unusual
marketing campaign
By Brian Johnson
F & C Staff Writer
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| A small,
family-owned roofing company in Anoka wants to give something
back to older folks who have weathered life's ups and downs. PTL
Contracting Inc., which specializes in residential and commercial
roof, gutter and attic insulation projects, announced in late
February that it's going to build a roof for some lucky Twin Cities
area senior citizen as part of its "Christmas in July Contest."
Eileen Leyendecker, who co-owns PTL Contracting with her husband
Paul, noted in a press release that the contest is the company’s
way of giving back to older Americans who persevered while "world
wars, depressions, rationing and technological developments raged
around them, sometimes changing their lives." Anyone 65 or
older who lives within an hour's drive of Anoka and has a household
income of $30,000 or less is eligible for the project, which includes
installation, labor and materials not to exceed $10,000 in value.
Minneapolis-based Allied Building Products Corp. and Valley Forge,
Penn.-based CertainTeed Corp. will donate materials for the contest.
Winners will be selected from a pool of applicants who submit
a one page letter describing why they -- or a senior they know
-- deserves a new roof. Letters are being accepted through May
31, and the winner will be announced in June. The project will
be completed in July. From a personal standpoint, the contest
is billed as a small way of saying thanks to older Americans.
From a business and marketing perspective, it inspires some positive
publicity for an industry that's often portrayed in a bad light.
"All the stories written about contractors, or the vast majority
of them, seem to be negative -- how contractors are ripping people
off one way or another," Paul Leyendecker said."I think
if more |
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contractors would do this ort of thing, it would really help the
industry." Eileen Leyendecker said she and Paul had often
talked about doing the contest. They decided to move forward this
year after discussing the idea with Mary Shafer of Rhino Tactics,
a Pennsylvania-based advertising/marketing agency that specializes
in the construction industry. Eileen anticipates that the contest
will become an annual event. |
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Paul
Leyendecker, co-owner of PTL Contracting in Anoka, acknowledges
that the roofing industry doesn't enjoy the best of reputation.
He's hoping to help change that view by donating a roof to a low-income
older resident of the Twin Cities this summer.
F&C photo by Bill Klotz |
"We're going to wait and
see how it goes, but I think we'll do it once a year,"
she said. "I think we'll really enjoy it."
The Leyendeckers started PTL
Contracting in 1986 and gradually developed a good reputation
in the roofing business, according to Paul.The company reached
a key turning point in 1997 when the Leyendeckers hooked up
with the Certified Contractors Network, a group of contractors
from throughout the country who meet four times a year. Among
other things, CCN helped the family to "sell jobs instead
of just going out and bidding on jobs like we used to do,"
Paul Leyendecker said. "Things have gone much smoother
since then, and the business continues to grow." Today,
PTL Contracting does 150 to 200 roofing jobs per year in the
Twin Cities area, with 1.5 million to 2 million in annual
sales. By comparison, roofers who responded to the National
Roofing Contractors Associations 2000 Management Performance
and Financial Survey reported average net sales of 6.1 million.
Although PTL Contracting is on the small side of that average,
the Leyendeckers have few complaints. Paul said business has
remained good during the economic downturn, in part because
a lot of the company's work involves reroofing projects rather
than new construction, Moreover, the company has been able
to maintain a good crew of workers. "We've gotten a lot
of people calling, looking for work," Paul said. PTL
Contracting has 18 employees (including the Leyendeckers)
and adds to its workforce during the busy spring season. Unlike
many other roofers who use subcontractors, PTL employs its
own crews, Paul noted. Among the employees is the Leyendeckers'
oldest son, Nick, who began working for PTL Contracting in
1997 at age 15. Younger son Tony, 11, is anxiously waiting
in the wings. "I've got mixed feelings about that,"
said Paul, with a laugh, when asked about his younger son's
desire to be a roofer. "But he's interested. He's a worker
and he's very mechanically inclined." One way or another,
Paul said, the business will likely keep going into the next
generation. But for now, at least part
of it’s focus is on an older generation.
Reprinted with permission, from the Tuesday,
March 12, 2002 Issue of Finance and Commerce
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