We all have a story to tell about how we ended up in the Roofing Industry, but with Louie Leger, as the saying goes, “You can’t make this stuff up!” One of the first things I do every morning is checking LinkedIn to see what my connections are up to, and that usually means getting a little boost from Louie’s morning greeting. He is always upbeat and positive, but the other day he posted something a little more thought-provoking and I wanted to hear more. In today’s podcast, you’re going to hear the rest of the story.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

• The inspiration from Louie’s daily LinkedIn posts
• How and why he got the nickname, “The Roof Guy”
• Louie’s interesting journey: born in Haiti and got in a boat at age 7 with family and several others to take a shot at a new life; they got picked up by the Coast Guard, spent 6-7 months at Guantanamo Bay, and they were sponsored by a church in Indiana, where they settled
• Dealing with a new country and a new language
• How Louie went to Indiana University and ended up in the roofing business, starting out delivering shingle samples, then worked as a salesman, and then ownership of the company
• Louie’s big question about where he came from and how people would react if they knew the truth---and the surprising feedback he’s received
• The importance of taking the time to get to know each and every individual
• How Bone Dry Roofing was founded in 1989 by someone who was a big influence on Louie’s life; their philosophy is to take care of the customer
• Bone Dry has 235 employees and operates offices in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee
• Bone Dry is a specialty exterior home improvement company, specializing in roof and roof repairs, along with gutters, siding, masonry, and concrete work
• How the majority of their business comes from word of mouth advertising
• How they do both commercial and residential properties
• How Bone Dry recruits a strong labor force and retains good employees
• The emphasis on Bone Dry on employee training
• How to get younger people into the roofing business
• The need to educate people on how great the roofing opportunity is
• Showing people that roofing is more than just installing shingles
• Challenges the roofing industry is facing right now: finding and retaining good employees
• Creating the environment and culture in your business where your people see a future and a career, and not just a paycheck
• Promoting an environment that includes families of your employees in fun activities
• When at all possible, try to promote from within
• Louie’s #1 piece of advice: “There is no such thing as too small of an opportunity. Everyone has to start somewhere. Be prepared for your opportunity, and if you don’t find an opportunity, then make one.”

Resources:

Find Louie Leger on LinkedIn 

Email Louie: [email protected]

Find Bone Dry Roofing Inc. Louisville on Facebook

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