Hunter Merrill (right), President, and Adam Gheen, Vice President, lead both business-related and charity-related efforts of Mountain Roofing Inc.

Mountain Roofing Inc. installed an EPDM roof, which features functional efficiency, at SunTrust Plaza in downtown Roanoke, Virginia.

According to a top manufacturer’s ongoing evaluations, Mountain Roofing Inc. does great work. According to several charitable organizations, the Roanoke, Virginia, company also does an awful lot of “good” work—make that “good deeds.”

Where the rafters meet for those two activities is the company’s emphasis on quality “end results,” says Hunter Merrill, President.

“Some people I’ve known who had kids with severe health problems couldn’t afford health insurance, and so to help them and others in need, we started giving to Children’s Miracle Network.”

That was in 2006. Thirteen years later, his company still donates $500 every quarter to Children’s Miracle Network and hasn’t missed a quarterly gift. The local recipient organization is Carilion Children’s, a part of Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

“We could not be more fortunate for the kind and generous hearts at Mountain Roofing Inc.,” says Erin Henderson, program director of Carilion Children’s. “Thanks to their support, we are able to offer our children the best care available as close to home as possible.”

For the past three years, the company has placed even greater emphasis on charitable giving as a regular part of doing business. Besides putting roofs over the heads of businesses and homes, they have assisted in helping potentially hundreds of people in need in various ways.

In addition to Carilion Children’s, Mountain Roofing Inc. is a regular contributor to local outposts of Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House Charities, and the American Heart Association.

“We believe in helping others in need,” Merrill says. “When we count all that up, we give about $50,000 a year to these charitable organizations.”

Climbing Higher

Giving just came naturally for Mountain Roofing Inc. and its employees over time. The company partnered with the National Roofing Contractors Association to provide free roof repairs and other services five times a year to the Ronald McDonald House Charities Southwest Virginia in Roanoke. The company dispatches a team every so often to do repairs, clean gutters and whatever else is needed for the home, which provides accommodations for families with children being treated at nearby Carilion Children’s. When an employee announced participation in the Heart Walk, the local fundraiser for the Roanoke chapter of the American Heart Association, the company kicked in $2,500—and has given every year since.

“Thanks to generous gifts such as Mountain Roofing Inc.’s, the American Heart Association is able to fund lifesaving cardiovascular research conducted here in western Virginia and provide high-quality preventative educational programs in our local communities,” says Elizabeth Vail, senior director of development, American Heart Association, Roanoke.

Using his specialty to make a difference, Merrill also donates five free roofs a year to sweat-equity homes being built for those in need through the region’s Habitat for Humanity in the Roanoke Valley. Merrill serves on the organization’s board as well.

“Mountain Roofing Inc. has been an exceptional partner,” says Brian Clark, Roanoke Habitat’s Director of Construction. “Their support of Habitat for Humanity is a testament to their undeniable commitment to the community.”

Results on the Roof

Besides caring for roofing for organizations caring for people, Mountain Roofing Inc. stays on top of its mission to provide excellent roofing for its customers, too. The company has won the coveted Carlisle’s Perfection Award for six straight years and has captured a place on Carlisle’s Perfection Council, an elite group of winners always scoring in the “perfection” range, a total of three times.

Mountain Roofing Inc. has never scored less than a perfect “10” from the inspectors for Carlisle SynTec Systems. The secret, according to Merrill, is self-inspecting its finished roofs not once, but twice, even before Carlisle inspectors show up on-site.

Carlisle, a leader in the commercial single-ply roofing industry, conducts the inspections to determine which roofers win the Perfection Award for exceptional installation quality. Winners often make up the top 5 percent of all U.S. and Canadian applicators of its roofing product.

Mountain Roofing Inc.’s services include new construction, reroofing, repairs, sheet metal fabrication, maintenance, historic restoration and asbestos removal. The company is qualified to install all major roofing manufacturers, including Carlisle SynTec Systems, Firestone, Fabral, Duradek, GAF, CertainTeed and Owens Corning.

Boots on the Roof

Merrill is a 25-year veteran in the roofing industry. He started Mountain Roofing Inc. 20 years ago with just a pickup truck for what mostly amounted to roof repair jobs. He still runs the business with certain principles like decentralized management, open-door collaboration and fostering an enjoyable workplace.

Adam Gheen, Mountain Roofing Inc.’s field supervisor, brings 20 years of experience to the mix. The company’s crews include roof mechanics who are professionally skilled and experienced in all roof systems, including EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer), TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin), standing seam metal, copper, slate and shingle roofs. They are equally capable of roofing low- or steep-slope roofs.

While most of its jobs are commercial and industrial, Mountain Roofing Inc.’s projects range from a $300 roof repair to a $1.5 million mall, school or office building contract.

Mountain Roofing Inc. completed a major roof replacement at the main entrance of the Towers Shopping Center, Roanoke, even while the 50 tenants kept their shops open. The scope of work included a complete tear-off of the old roof and the installation of a new white TPO roof system over tapered insulation. The roof area featured many roof levels (totaling several thousand square feet) that were all connected with parapet walls of varying height.

“I attended the rooftop inspection with the Carlisle technical representative, and the roof passed inspection with a perfect 10 rating,” says Ellen Cleveland, property manager, Towers Shopping Mall at The Rappaport Companies.

Mountain Roofing Inc. also did its part to restore the old F.W. Woolworth Company department store building in downtown Roanoke as it was converted to luxury apartments and retail shops. The company added a new TPO roof system, replacing the roof deck and stabilizing the building. In the second phase, Mountain Roofing Inc. completed the HVAC penetrations, added copper gutter and downspouts and performed other exterior sheet metal work.

“This was a complicated project that required everyone on the project to work together to be successfully completed,” says Phillip Payne, the owner’s representative. With projects like these—and the ongoing heart it has for charitable causes—Mountain Roofing Inc. continues its standing as an excellent addition to the Virginia region. Mountain Roofing Inc. performs great work—and does lots of “good” deeds in the process, as well.