Like offensive linemen on a football team, roofers tend to go unnoticed until something bad happens.

“People only think about their roof if it’s leaking, right?” says Jason Stock, chief financial officer of Central Roofing, a longtime roofing contractor in Minneapolis. “Out of sight, out of mind. If water is staying out, it’s good. If it’s coming in, it’s the end of the world.”

Central Roofing has done its part to keep roofs from leaking for more than 90 years. The company started out as a “one-man shop” during the Great Depression and has since grown to serve clients across the country.

Local clients and projects include the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, the Hennepin County Medical Center, and the historic 1888 Masonic Temple in Minneapolis.

In the following interview with reporter Brian Johnson, Stock touches on the history of Central Roofing and the impact of COVID-19 on the roofing business as a whole, among other topics.