Stepping up to stand together

By Emma Peterson. 

When faced with an impossible scenario, the roofing industry rallied to keep this veteran and his family safe and dry. 

Veteran Tom Westphal and his wife Kate knew they needed a new roof on their Tennessee home. Their old asphalt roof was deteriorating rapidly, causing leaks and damaging some of their personal belongings. They decided that it was time to switch to metal and began the search for a contractor to do the installation. Unfortunately, after they paid someone to come out and work on the roof, they had a bad experience.  

Speaking to Wate News, Tom explained, “When we paid them they said it would be next week when they’d be here to take care of it. Suddenly their tire was flat on their trailer and they couldn’t come.” Long story short, the materials for the roof were left on Tom and Kate’s property — just not put on their roof! 

The good news for Tom and Kate was that their local roofing company rallied to stand behind them. In particular, Phil Fries, who operates Flow Roofing of Knoxville and is also a veteran, didn’t like what had happened to the couple and decided he and his crew would install the roof for free.  

And Phil wasn’t the only member of the community that stepped up. Mason Burchette, the owner of True Metal Supply, made sure that all the materials needed for the work were available, also free of cost to Tom and Kate. Mason explained his motivation, “Our values align with the values that Phil and Flow Roofing have. When he alerted us to this person in need, we were more than happy to help.” Phil only had praise for Mason and his team, “I know that at any time there is someone in need and we want to help, they are the first ones to raise their hands. We are partners 50/50 on all these things.” 

In no time at all, crews were ripping off the old, damaged shingles and installing the new roof. Tom was tickled, saying, “I’m so impressed. Their workmanship is spot on, they’re perfect.” They worked from sunrise to after sunset for two days to get the couple the roof they had been waiting over a year for. Phil explained the process, “We tore everything off that was on the roof that was creating problems for his family. Inspected to make sure the decking and everything was good, and we put on a brand-new lifetime metal roofing system for them.” Tom and Kim were beyond grateful, saying, “The dread, the dread is gone. The dread of having a house falling down around us is gone. Our house is safe.” 

Image source: Wate News