Creating A Roofing Company
Beginnings:
Weddle and Sons got its start back in 1998 when three brothers--Eric, Allyn, and Tim—agreed to help some friends replace their old farmhouse roof. The boys, ages 17, 15, and 13 respectively, had their hands full with the steep two-story house with its 4 layers of old shingles, but after completing that project they figured they could manage just about any job. Maybe this had more potential as a summer job than mowing lawns (though they did a little of that on the side too).
Initially they called the business “E.A.T. Roofing,” using their initials. It didn’t take them too long to reconsider that when they heard their suppliers snickering every time they called in to order materials. The name “Weddle and Sons” didn’t score highly for creativity, but it accomplished the dual purpose of getting rid of “EAT” and also implying some adult involvement in the firm. To be fair, Weddle—Mark Weddle, their father—did play a significant role helping the boys get the business going, and has been at various times a financer, landlord, lead generator, company officer, and once or twice got up on a roof to help out too. He continues to be a trusted advisor to the company.
We acquired our first decent pickup truck in 2004 and felt pretty powerful until we realized it got 8 MPG.
In June 2001, Weddle and Sons incorporated in the state of Kansas. By this time, all three boys were old enough to drive and the company boasted 2 trucks (one of them an old dump truck with an unwieldy manual transmission) and 1 highly-impractical utility trailer. What they initially lacked in operational efficiency, they made up for by hard work and long hours… and by hiring lots of their friends.
Growth:
Over the years the company has grown consistently and is firmly established as a leading roofing contractor in the Northeast Kansas region as well as expanding to other regional markets. In 2013 the company brought on long-time friend and experienced roofer Sam Lyon to help open a branch in the Lincoln, Nebraska area and later moved to an office near 70th and O Street. In 2017 the company expanded to the Front Range of Colorado as Professional Roofing and Exteriors joined the WSI group. Professional Roofing began serving the Denver / Fort Collins markets in 2001 and brought a long history of commercial and residential expertise to our company. In 2018, we opened our Kansas City Metro office and expanded to serve the entire Omaha Metro market as well.
Clark, born in 2009, is the first of the next generation of roofers.
Our approach to safety has evolved dramatically from our first couple of years.
Outlook:
We believe that our multi-location regional model provides great value to our customers and allows us to remain intensely local in our client and community relationships while realizing economies of scale in purchasing and administrative support. This expanded footprint also allows us to quickly shift resources to respond to storms and other demand spikes, as well as develop deeper product and application expertise that can be shared within the company.
We are thankful for the scores of current and former employees who have helped build a solid community-based business and are looking forward to many more years of delivering great service to clients.