Arry’s Roofing Named one of Best of the Best in Tampa Bay

 Arry’s Roofing is a winner in the 2019 Best of the Best People’s Choice Awards presented by the Tampa Bay Times.

In the Tampa Bay region, more than 87,000 votes were cast to determine the leading businesses in more than 150 categories.

The 2019 Best of the Best People’s Choice Awards were created by the Tampa Bay Times. This is the section’s inaugural issue.

The companies received nominations from the public earlier this year. The top three vote getters won a spot on the 2019 Best of the Best list. The rankings will publish in the Tampa Bay Times on Sunday, June 16 and will be available on tampabay.com.

“The Tampa Bay Times undertook this project to help support local businesses with the reach that only Florida’s largest and best newspaper can,” said Marti Galloway, Times marketing manager. “We hope Tampa Bay readers appreciate the Best of the Best, see their favorites recognized and discover new businesses to support.”

For a complete list of the 2019 Best of the Best in Tampa Bay, go to www.tampabay.com/best.

About the Tampa Bay Times
The Tampa Bay Times is widely considered one of the Top Ten newspapers in America and has won 12 Pulitzer Prizes. It is Florida’s largest newspaper and publishes tampabay.com – Tampa Bay’s largest local news Web site. Additionally, the company publishes the free weekly tbt*, an edition of the Tampa Bay Times, and Bay magazine.

Nemiah Smith accepts the FRSA S.T.A.R. Award

Spotlight Trophy for the Advancement of Roofing (S.T.A.R.) is an awards program designed by the Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association (FRSA) to recognize members’ unique and outstanding projects completed in the state of Florida. A panel evaluates the entries for inclusion and outstanding performance in each of six categories. The six categories are Low Slope, Steep Slope, Specialty Metal Fabrication and Installation, Sustainable, Community Service Project/Charity Roof, and Unique/Miscellaneous. FRSA’s S.T.A.R. Awards and Officer Installation Dinner during the 95th Annual FRSA Convention and Expo featured a presentation profiling the winning industry projects.Read Full Article

When the founder of Arry’s Roofing Services Inc. says his company operates in good faith, he means that literally. As head of a devout Christian family, James “Arry” Housh sees a higher calling to roofing and reroofing mostly high-end houses and commercial buildings in the booming Tampa Bay region of west-central Florida.

“My wife Becky [company financial manager] and I feel God will bless His people as long we bless others,” says Housh, who in 1990 founded the company that he runs with sons, Matthew and Stephen in the picturesque little city of Tarpon Springs on the Gulf of Mexico. “We give glory to God and he blesses us with wisdom and fortitude.”

Such wisdom and fortitude is needed in the secular as well as spiritual sense in the Florida building trades, as the heavens above aren’t always merciful to those who toil below.

Locals swear they can set their watches by the heavy rains that mark the summer’s late afternoons. The sun swelters almost year-round, adding further stress to shingles, tiles, vents and barriers, and the materials used to hold them together. Mold and moss never sleep, and rooftop leaks stain ceilings and walls and can even threaten the integrity of an otherwise sturdy structure. Tropical storms blow in from the gulf or South Florida with such ferocity that insurers may be left scrambling for quality roofers.

So while Florida roofing may be a day in the sun, it’s no picnic. It takes quality work to get in the good graces of homeowners and homebuilders, and Housh paraphrases scripture when emphasizing his company’s mission statement.

“We won’t do unto others that we won’t do unto ourselves,” he vows. “We build every roof as if it’s our own. We understand, as most people do, that we are not perfect and mistakes will happen, but as long as we know about it, we will do everything in our power to make it right—every time. In fact, one of our mantras around here is that ‘your character is not necessarily defined when things are going right, but rather when things go wrong.'”

Start to finish

With 135 employees, many there for the long haul and trained in all the complexities of roofing, ventilation, insulation, storm repair, skylights, gutters, insurance mitigation and creative long-term payment plans, Arry’s Roofing is a one-stop operation. A thorough inspection and free estimate precedes a project that doesn’t end with installation and repair; Arry’s Roofing sets up a maintenance plan, schedules roof cleanings and provides inspections after the inevitable storms.

Master Elite-certified to work with GAF shingles—a rugged make perennially ranked best or near-best by homebuilders—Arry’s Roofing is confident its work will stand up to whatever challenges time and nature may pose, even if it costs more in the short term.

“People should look upon a roof as a need, not a want,” Housh says. “When you use the best components & workmanship, as we do, your roof lasts much longer and it’s worth paying more. You can’t buy Michelin tires for the same price as an off-the-shelf brand. The same goes with roofing; spending a couple thousand dollars more could extend the life of your roof another 10 or 15 years, and that’s a very affordable price to pay. But if price is all you’re concerned with, you might just get five to seven years out of your roof.”

Housh adds that to achieve that Master Elite designation—shared by just 3 percent of roofing contractors nationwide—the company’s executives and crews had to complete rigorous training to ensure that its installation methods and procedures met the standards established by North America’s leading manufacturer of residential and commercial roofing.

And with the best components and a crew that includes many men and women who are making a career at Arry’s Roofing, Housh can confidently offer a comprehensive 20-year workmanship warranty on all services (new roof systems), in addition to the guarantees provided by the manufacturers.

“You can rest assured that if anything goes wrong after the work is completed, we’ll be right there to repair or replace the problem area,” Housh emphasizes.

Going by the Good Book

With sheltering the unfortunate a prominent part of Christian teachings, Arry’s Roofing does its part through various charitable endeavors, often enlisting its vendors to contribute materials and manpower for a genuine community effort.

Arry’s Roofing is the regional sponsor of a national coalition called No Roof Left Behind, which takes applications from needy residents and lets the community decide who’s most in need of a free roof replacement valued between $12,000 and $15,000. The company also has topped off houses built by Habitat for Humanity, and has aided many veterans who have had trouble keeping up with home repairs.

“These projects are a lot of fun, and no one bears too much of the cost,” says Housh, explaining that GAF can be counted upon to supply shingles while another national company, Allied Building Products, provides the underlayments. A couple of local businesses, Boyle’s Aluminum and Screening, and Bozarth Contractors, pitch in. There may be a catered lunch (provided by Sonny’s BBQ) and activities such as fun houses and face-painting for the children.

“We do our part to help people undergoing hardships,” he says. “We believe in relationships. We’re not in it for the recognition.”

That said, word of mouth remains his preferred way of marketing Arry’s Roofing, and if the charity work contributes to bringing in other business, Housh can see it as part of a greater plan.

Customers come first, he says, with employees a close second. The folks who toil under that Florida sun have incentives that include bonus pay and the ongoing opportunity to advance, educate and grow themselves. Housh would rather retain good people than rely on journeymen and day laborers, as a lot of contractors do.

“We are family owned & operated and this premise extends to our employees,” he says.

And should his workers need spiritual counseling, Becky Housh presides over regular bible study.

One teaching might seem especially appropriate: Matthew 7:24-29, which symbolically beckons everyone to build their house—be it literal or metaphoric—on a strong foundation. Housh sees to it that faith is the foundation at Arry’s Roofing Services Inc., and he’s happy to provide a reliable covering as well.

Arry Housh was interviewed by Mimi Lawson about our upcoming project with No Roof Left Behind.

BY: Christie Post

CLEARWATER, Fla. – Owning a home is expensive, especially when things break unexpectedly.

Joe Liles knows. The 60-year-old veteran works as a janitor.

After paying his bills, there isn’t much left. So when he ran into a leaking and rotting roof, repairs were out of the question.

“I had buckets, a big trash can, totes that I was catching water in, and it would still be about two or three inches of water on the floor,” he said.

To keep his mortgage, he had to get a new roof.

Down on his luck, he entered the No Roof Left Behind contest, not once but twice.

“The second time I said, ‘I’m going to win this,’ and I did. I put a lot of effort into it,” Liles said.

Out of hundreds of entries, he finally won a $20,000 roof last year. He won by getting the most votes online.

“I would have these fliers with me, and be at a Circle K and tell people, ‘Will you take the time to vote for me?’ To win you really have to hustle,” he said.

Right now there are three different contests going on at the same time. There is one in Pinellas, Hillsborough and Sarasota County. That means three people can win a free roof.

“Everyone has a unique story. It’s awesome they are different. From elderly to a younger couple we did that really couldn’t move a child into her home until we got them a new roof. We were able to get them a new roof, make it a safe environment,” said Mathew Housh with Arry’s Roofing who is doing the Pinellas giveaway.

Liles says the contest has been life changing, a new roof that freed up his hard earned money for other unexpected repairs.

“It totally changed my life that I knew I would have a home to live in the rest of my life. It was overwhelming,” he said.

If you want to enter or nominate someone go tohttp://noroofleftbehind.com/program/fl

Since everyone can’t win, here are some ideas if you’re having roof problems.

You can first trying patching it. That can cost a couple hundred dollars and give you time to save for a new roof.

Depending on what type of roof you need, choosing shingles over tile can save you thousands.

And try financing. There average roof costs $10,000. If you have good credit, monthly payments can be as low as $150.

The good news: Roofs last about 30 years, so it’s likely you will only need to buy one in your lifetime.

From ABC Action News