Details

Rick Steinrock

  • Steinrock, president of American Roofing & Metal Co. Inc., Louisville, Ky., with his family on Thanksgiving 2002. Pictured from left to right: Joy Steinrock, Josh Steinrock, Heidi Steinrock, Steinrock, Diane Steinrock, Matt Steinrock, Abby Steinrock, David Williams and Melissa Williams.

Professional Roofing: What is the most unusual roofing project you've performed?
Steinrock: A 500-square (4500-m²) reroofing project on a warehouse. This job was unusual because we finished on a Friday afternoon and were back at the same job Monday morning starting over. We finished on Friday, off-loaded the equipment and were out of there. On Sunday night, the building manager called me at home and said the building had bad leaks and I better get over there. I walked in the building, looked around and told him, "This isn't a leaky roof—this is a missing roof." A small tornado had hit the building and removed the top course of concrete block, wood nailers and metal deck along the front of the building. We had the building dry by Monday evening and went on to replace 300 squares (2700 m²) of damaged roofing materials.

Why did you become a roofing contractor?
I don't think I had much choice. My dad was a roofing worker "from the time he was old enough to reach the handle on the door of the truck." He worked for his dad, who was a roofing contractor. I've really never done anything else.

What was your first job?
I was a janitor after school in a medical office building. Several of my buddies played—uh—worked there, too. We had a lot of fun.

What was your first roofing experience?
When I was 14 years old, I helped my dad, his two brothers and my cousins install gravel on some apartment roofs during summer break. I remember having tremendous satisfaction because I could contribute to what they were doing. They were real men!

What do you consider your most rewarding experiences?
Making decisions and solving problems based on my understanding of the Bible and my faith and then often seeing remarkable things happen.

What do you consider a waste of time?
Self-promotion.

What is your biggest pet peeve?
People who won't pay their bills without getting hassled. That really gets to me.

What is your favorite stress reliever?
Besides spending time with my wife, Diane, it is fishing.

What are the most challenging aspects of your job?
Recognizing the needs of our company as it grows and knowing who is suited to take on additional responsibilities or change job duties. Recognizing how my role needs to change as the company changes is a big challenge. On a daily basis, knowing how to best invest my time also is challenging.

What is your roofing industry involvement?
American Roofing & Metal is a member of NRCA and the Kentucky Roofing Contractors Association (KRCA). I served as president of KRCA in 2002, and I currently am chairman of the board. I also serve as a board member with NRCA and am a member of NRCA's PAC Advisory, Affiliate Relations and Work Force committees.

People would be surprised to know ...
I was a roadie for two rock 'n' roll bands—Buster Brown and Black Mountain—in the early '70s.

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