In an effort to put competition aside and do something good for a small rural community, three roofing companies came together to replace the roof on Mount Pleasant’s All Saints Anglican Church on Tuesday, August 27, 2024.
All Saints Anglican Church was first constructed nearly 180 years ago, in 1845, and at the time, all the wood used to build the church was donated by local farmers. With under ten services a year and a small congregation, finding the funds to invest in a new $14,000 to $15,000 roof wasn’t always plausible.
The project was done in partnership between Brantford’s Jackson Roofing and Son Contracting, Hamilton’s Platinum Roofing and Exteriors, and Kitchener’s Roofman Inc., all of which are GAF Master Elite roofing contractors who donated at least one shingler and one labourer for the day.
Mike Jackson, owner of Jackson Roofing and Son Contracting, said that he organized the collaborative project after a close family friend had tipped him off about the church’s need for a new roof.
“We had heard about All Saints and its situation and so for the first time, we decided to put together a package where us and some of our competitors would come together for one common goal and make this happen for the community and this church,” said Jackson.
Cody Jackson, Project Manager and Construction Engineering Technician for Jackson Roofing, noted that many Master Elite companies will try to do at least one roof donation a year where all the materials and supplies are donated by GAF.
“We try to do at least one of these roof donations annually and usually it’s for Habitat for Humanity,” said Cody. “Really, if you’re a Master Elite roofing contractor, you should be going out and doing a job like this at least once a year for the community, especially because GAF, which is one of the oldest names in the roofing business, actually supplies all those materials and such.”
On the day, the companies got started bright and early at 7:00 a.m. and worked through the heat and humidity, finishing the entirety of the 2,500 square foot project in just under 12 hours.
While the Jacksons had initially contacted two other roofing companies to join them, figuring the project would take a maximum of four to five hours with all hands on deck, the other two never showed up, ultimately putting them behind.
“Not having the other two companies definitely pushed us back quite a bit, especially with the heat, but I’m happy to say we got it all done,” said Mike. “We had to strip everything off because of the wear and tear but the plywood was in good shape underneath. In the end we put all the underlayings in, like the leak barrier and roof deck protection, and everything else, so now the church has a nice long warranty with the manufacturer.”
During the project, members of the church also put together a luncheon as a form of gratitude for the workers.
“The Church provided a fantastic lunch for us and blessed the meal, which was really kind of them,” said Mike. “I personally got to learn a little bit more about the church and Father Bob’s history with not only this church but the others he’s involved with as well, and it was just great to sit, share a meal and chat with him. I’m glad we were able to help them and the church members out like this.”
Overall, Mike said he was thrilled that the companies could put their competition aside for a special project.
“Not too many roofing companies do this and in fact, I’m pretty sure this is probably the first time Master Elite contractors have worked together like this,” he said. “Under two per cent of roofers have that Master Elite status and so that’s actually the reason we had to reach out to other companies outside of the region and I’m glad the response was pretty darn good.”
Rhys Williams, president of Roofman Inc. agreed that working collaboratively was a great opportunity to see what they could do when they come together for a great cause.
“I thought it was a super cool idea because although we’re all competitors, we always go to trade shows, roofing seminars and manufacturer demos but we never get to work together,” he said. “It was really neat that we could all be friendly and help someone out together.”
His employee, Greg Wakelim, who was on site for the day, said that it was an overall pleasant experience.
“It was unfortunate to not have those other two companies, but all of the guys who were there got along well and we got the job done,” he said. “The church took care of us and made sure we were fed and Mike was more than hospitable with making sure we had cold drinks to keep us hydrated. In all, I really thought it was a good experience for everyone.”
Nick Rahimian, president of Platinum Roofing, had similar sentiments, saying he and his team were happy to be on board.
“I always encourage contractors, especially Master Elite contractors, to keep giving back to the community so when Mike reached out, I thought it was a really cool idea and I jumped on it right away,” he said. “It was just really inspiring and I know personally, I’m hoping that now that we’ve done this first project, we can find another chance to work together down the line. If we all put our differences aside and help when we can, I think the world would be a bit of a better place.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
