12 Questions With Collin Kruse

Introduction to Rescue Roofing

Hello. I see you guys are on site here. Would you mind if I ask you a few questions?

Absolutely.

Awesome. Can you introduce yourself and tell us what Rescue Roofing is all about?

My name is Colin Kruse. I am the owner of Rescue Roofing and Rescue Roofing is about putting a quality roof on every project we step on.

Four Generations of Roofing in Tampa

Awesome. What does it mean to be a fourth generation roofing company in Tampa?

It's something that I'm very proud of. You know, it's pretty rare. A lot of people in Tampa have moved here over the years, but my family's been doing it since the '50s. My great-grandfather, my grandfather, my mom, my dad, and now me. So it's just something we're really proud of.

Awesome. How far back does your family's roofing history go in the Tampa Bay area?

My great-grandfather started in the '50s. Him and his eight kids started the roofing company. My great-grandfather got killed in a motorcycle accident. So my grandfather and his seven siblings all jumped in to continue running the company. My papa actually had to quit school and go to work, as well as a sibling. Fun fact, my great aunt was the first female contractor in Florida. So that's pretty cool. But yeah, the whole family's in construction somehow, someway.

Family Stories and Memories

Awesome. What are some stories you remember hearing about your grandfather and great-grandfather in the roofing business?

My papa roofed a high-rise in downtown Tampa in the '80s and they flew the material up with a helicopter, their tar kettle, and in the contract they said nothing about bringing it down. So there's still a tar pot up in downtown Tampa on a high-rise. That's pretty cool.

And what are some of your favorite memories of your grandfather and how did he influence what you do in the business today?

Man, my papa, he was an awesome guy. Some memories, Fox's Corner in Odessa. I was probably eight years old, maybe ten years old, helping him on a weekend. He was working on a flat roof. And I said, "Papa, I'm going to go down and get something to drink." And he goes, "All right, go to the water hose." So I go down to the water hose and turn it on without letting it run through, and I scald my mouth. And I remember never again did I ever touch a garden hose without letting the water run through it first. And I remember being scared to tell Papa because I wanted to be, you know, a tough guy. So that's a memory. There's lots of memories. Growing up, we didn't have daycare. Me and my siblings and my cousins, we were at the roofing company. I was actually homeschooled there one year. Whenever we got home from school, we'd go out back and pop into his sheet metal shed. I remember helping him being gutters at like twelve years old. He was helping me, teaching me how to drive nails at like three or four. My mom has some really cool pictures and we have lots of memories at the roofing company as kids.

Lessons and Values

What's the biggest lesson you've learned from the generations before you?

Just old school work ethic and values. You shake somebody's hand, that's your word. Just doing the right thing.

How has the roofing industry changed since your family first started roofing in Tampa?

One thing I can think of off the top of my head is back then we had to hand measure. When I first started roofing, we were hand measuring everything. You'd set a ladder up, bring a tape measure, pen and paper, and draw it up. Now everything's satellite imagery. So that's pretty much a time saver there.

What family values have remained the same through all four generations?

Just doing the right thing. No matter if it's a small project or big project, honoring your word, honoring your contracts. If something goes wrong, you fix it. Own up to it. Yeah, just doing the right thing.

What Makes Rescue Roofing Special

Why is being family-owned and operated important to your customers?

I would say it's important. You know, you're not supporting Wall Street with private equity. You call into our office and my mom or my niece is going to answer and they're legitimately happy to help different homeowners and property associations. So you get a happy phone call going in, then we send an estimator out. They're just happy to be there and help. Our production crew is happy to install a quality roof and have consistent work. And I mean, that's just something to be proud of, that we're family-owned and operated for sure.

What makes Rescue Roofing different from other roofing companies today?

I mean, we still do repairs. So we'll literally roof a mailbox for you if you want. We'll do small jobs, large jobs. There's a lot of companies that will come to your roof and tell you that you've got to replace it. Well, don't get me wrong, there are some roofs that are non-repairable, but we're going to do our darnest to repair it and get you back another year or two.

The Future of Rescue Roofing

What do you hope the next generation says about Rescue Roofing twenty-five years from now?

In twenty-five years, I would hope that my son Forest is working with me or running the show. And I would hope people still think that we're just quality people who do what we say. Show up when we tell people we will. Just doing the right thing in twenty-five years, even in five, ten, twenty-five years. I just want to be known for always doing the right thing.

Last question. If your grandfather could see Rescue Roofing today, what do you think he'd be most proud of?

If papa could see Rescue Roofing today, I would say he'd be proud to see that my mom, his daughter, and his great-grandbaby, my niece, is working with us. That we're still family-owned and operated and that we continue to just do the right thing and follow in his footsteps. And if we go out to a job and we shake your hand, honestly, we don't even need a contract. There's so many people these days that will screw us over, so we had to have contracts. But we tell you we're going to do something, we do it. And he would be very proud of that. I think, I hope he's not with us anymore, but I often think about him looking down and just being proud of us as a family.

Contact Information

Awesome. And if someone needs an estimate, where can they find you?

Someone needs an estimate, our phone number is right there on the truck, but it's 813-661-ROOF. The word "roof" spelled out, 7663. You call into the office, my mom or my niece is going to answer the phone, and we can get an estimator out sometime same day, worst case next day, and we can get you an estimate worked up within a day or two. Yeah, so call 813-661-ROOF.

Awesome. Thank you so much.

Thank you.