Certified Contractors Network

Jon Aikele – Roof Max
I would like to nominate Jon Aikele for Best Boss in 2010. I have worked with Roofmax for the past 2 years and Jon has made me feel like family. Jon has involved me in many different aspects of his business and has allowed me to develop my professional and managerial skills. From sending me to Sales Boot Camp to taking me to motivational talks, Jon has constantly given to not only me, but to all his employees.

Jon’s office door is always open and he takes the time to ask for opinions. Ultimately, Jon will make his own decisions for the company, but he always welcomes input. When giving directions he is never forceful and gives us the freedom to make our own decisions. Jon recognizes that the success his company enjoys is a result of the talented people he employs.

Recently, Jon took the ENTIRE company on a chartered fishing trip in the San Francisco Bay. This was done not only to improve company morale, but to reward us for a job well done.

Tim Brown Sr. Rain Gutter Specialties
Always willing to answer questions

He does it all. As this year was tough for all, he dug in his pocket to ensure that his employees were taken care of. He did what it took so the guys were handled and their families were taken care of.

He works on a daily basis with the crews, not from a desk but with a pouch on. He teaches the guys and works everyday with them. He manages well so that the company is still run to allow him to work with the guys.

Every morning he is with the crews playing and joking with them. He really has all of their respect and they will jump through walls for him.
It has been said on numerous occasions that he is not only their boss but a best friend and father.

He truly cares about each guy and wants the best for them. He puts them first before his own wants and desires. He also leads by example: there isn’t a man in the company that can out work him. Even though he has 30 years on them. He is the ultimate boss.”

Tom Brown North West Roofing
Tom is the most caring and compassionate Boss any of us have ever had. He is able to recognize when we are all getting too stressed out to be effective, and will have everyone drop what they are doing and take us paintballing, rafting or skydiving. This year, he offered everyone in the office Healthcare. Annually he takes everyone in the Company on an all expenses paid trip to a tropical location. As a result of his generosity, he has fostered some of the most loyal employees a contractor could ever ask for.

It’s not only his generosity that makes Tom stand out, but his entire attitude towards life. There is no issue he can’t resolve, no catastrophe he can’t manage. His confidence is inspiring to the rest of us. We are all so fortunate to have an employer like Tom, and I think everyone should know that.

Marcus Clay – M&C Roofing Inc.
Last year, Marcus really got serious with the CCN process and while I was still not fully on board, by himself alone he wrote 1.9 million dollars in business, and still ran his company.

When he finally got me fully convinced that this program worked, I was fortunate enough to have a boss that believed in me enough to invest the dollars that it took to send me to sales boot camp. At first my thinking was allright! I have a full week away from the office to relax and chill out, but by the morning of the second day of boot camp, my whole way of thinking was drastically changed. I actually “”felt”" a life changing shift within, in that place where some people might call a “”gut feeling”", but let me tell you, it was a much deeper change than a gut feeling, it totally changed my life.

To have a “”Boss”" that is willing to invest in me, and his employees that way, deserves to be, “Boss of the Year”. I am forever gratefull for what that one act of faith has done for my life.”

Michael Driscoll – The Roofing Store
Mike is not your typical boss. His compassion for others becomes evident the closer you work with him. Mike has incredible drive, ambition, and perseverance. His positive attitude is such that others cannot help but notice and follow suit. Leadership begins at the top and as a boss Mike values his staff, which empowers them to be proactive in any situation that arises. Mike is a hands on boss who is more than willing to jump in and help as necessary. Mike has made changes within the company adhering to the Certified Contractors Network processes and procedures, which continue to contribute to the overall success of the company and its staff. Mike believes in continuing education. Mike encourages employees to continue their education on their own accord as well as provides the means for employees to participate in product and skills training. Mike believes in the CCN process and fosters active participation of employees by providing them with the means to attend.

Chris Dunn, Integrity Roofing & Windows
He listens. He puts everyone else first. He wants others to exceed himself. He is quick to teach. He works way too many hours! He wants what is best for the company and not necessarily for himself. Go Chris!

Frank Istueta – Istueta Roofing
Frank leads by example and implements positively reinforcing programs. He continuously is investing in making sure that the company succeeds and continues to grow to its fullest potential.

Frank encourages his employees to attend CCN conferences/boot camps the same as he does every year. He is constantly reading and sharing with us what he learns because he wants us to stay ahead of our competition and on the leading edge of the industry.

He is an individual with a vision and will that can conquer whatever he sets his mind to; and the human quality to be the conscious boss he is. Frank is understanding and compassionate with his staff; he is fair and always looks at the solution rather than the problem. He is disciplined and respectful and sets the example by having an open door policy.

Frank is an outstanding boss with the highest level of integrity and commitment.

Voytek Opalski – Opal Enterprises
Voytek Opalski is by far, the smartest business man that has come across my plate! Voytek’s #1 quality is his patience. He has NEVER jumped to conclusions with any situation. He is the problem solver for Opal Enterprises and never complains when EVERYONE needs his attention all at once.

The way Voytek handles upset homeowners, blows me away. He is never condescending but also never throws any employee “under the bus”. He truly does understand homeowner concerns.

Voytek is the reason Opal stands for quality. As he was an installer himself, once upon a time, he knows that the only way to install a project is the absolute right way. Because Voytek cares about credentials, so does his sales force, production manager and administration team!

Voytek is ALWAYS level headed and fair to the bone. He makes sure his installers are paid well, that his customers want to refer us out and that his employees want to be a part of the team.

Voytek, you are strong & flexible and everyone at Opal truly appreciates what you provide to us all!

Steve Rennekamp – Energy Swing Windows
I started with the company (Energy Swing Windows) 4 to 5 years ago. When I first started with Energy Swing Window, I was not aware of the person that would be my boss. WOW, did I get a surprise! I have met a man that would be an inspiration to me. Inspire me not to only do better with my business world, but also in my personal life. This person is not just as a boss, but a role model.

As I learned over these few short years, Steve has a number of different awards. The most recent award won is “Business Person of the Year” from Westmorland County. Steve has been a member of CCN, and won a number of different awards through this organization. He has been a helpful and involved member for a number of years. Most important Steve has led the company and me down the “Doing the Right Thing” path. This to me is not only as for doing the right thing for the customer, the company, or the employee, but doing the right thing in life itself. With this approach we (ESW) were able to win the “2008 Western PA Better Business Torch Award for Business Ethics”. This is the first time a home improvement company has ever won this award. We are also appearing to be one step ahead of others in this home improvement field.

I would like to say on an every day to day base, I can go to Steve. I can go to him and speak with him on anything that might come to play. His door is always open, as for his mind and heart. With Steve Rennekamp the founder, owner, and president of Energy Swing Windows, the company has been successful for the last 11 years. We will continue to do “The Right Thing” and be successful as we move forward! Thank you Steve for being you!!

Steve Rennekamp – Energy Swing Windows

We would like to let you know our thoughts as to why Steve would be a worthy recipient of this honor. From every aspect, Steve exemplifies what it means to be a real business leader, not only at Energy Swing, but with suppliers, outside organizations, and within the community. Steve is constantly striving to create win/win/win scenarios between Energy Swing’s Clients, employees and the company.

The number one “win” that Steve strives for is with Energy Swing’s clients. Since he founded the company, Steve has built a culture where the client comes first. That is probably the primary reason why 76% of Energy Swing’s business comes from repeat business and referrals. This is an outstanding record in an industry where a typical home improvement company is lucky to get 25% of their business through previous customers. At all of our company meetings and our bi-weekly TQM meetings, Steve reinforces the precept that the client is number one, and that it is our job to over-deliver. In fact, more than 70% of our clients tell us they received “Greater Value” than they expected, while the balance of our clients say they received “Equal Value”. Nobody has ever said they received less value than expected from Energy Swing. Steve is constantly promoting the need to over-deliver on the commitments Energy Swing makes to its clients, and he reinforces this to us on a daily basis in both his words and actions.

The second “win” Steve works to achieve is with Energy Swing’s employees. Steve works very hard at building a team of client-focused individuals. He makes sure that everyone in the company not only understands their roles, but how their roles fit in the overall process of delivering value, not only to Energy Swings’s customers, but to each other. Communication is extremely important to Steve. He believes that the only way to deliver value is to have clearly defined processes that everyone understands. He constantly strives to make sure that everyone understands “the reason behind the work”. Understanding the reason why gives us, individually and collectively, the ability to perform our roles while contributing to the team effort.

No matter what, Steve is never too busy to talk with us on an individual basis. He seeks input from us, not only in our particular area of expertise, but also in the overall business processes of the company. He uses his 40+ years of business experience to mentor us in a wide breadth of subjects, such as marketing, human resources, manufacturing, technical, sales, just to name a few. He is the consummate educator. He willingly spends time with us to explain the intricacies of a subject and what we can do to accomplish our goals. He also is a strong believer in individual employee development by promoting training and exposure on a national and local basis.

In achieving the third “win” for the company, Steve is constantly working to promote the name of Energy Swing in the Western Pennsylvania community, as well as in the industry and markets where Energy Swing is involved. He is an active participant in a number of industry groups, such as CCN. He is also a mentor to other contracting and non-contracting companies throughout the country who call on him for his insights and counsel. In seeing his interactions with Energy Swing’s suppliers, it’s obvious to see that he has the respect of his peers. Steve has also been the recipent of many national awards, and has been on the cover of, and quoted by, a number of industry publications. As a result, Energy Swing’s name is not only known locally, but nationally as well.

Nothing exemplifies Steve’s leadership and character more than the selection of Energy Swing as the recipient of the Better Business Bureau’s 2008 Torch Award for Business Ethics. While everyone in the company contributed to this effort, it was Steve’s direction and guiding principles that led the way and built the culture that made it possible. Even more significantly, Steve was also recently named the Westmoreland Chamber of Commerce’s 2010 Business Person of the Year.

We would like to strongly recommend Steve for this honor, because he personifies what every business leader and boss should hope to be. Most of all, we really enjoy working with him.

John Rogers – Rogers Roofing
John this year has taken the bull by the horns. He took our company to new heights by stream lining our production unit (with the help of the production managers) – we have no B employees. Worked with admin on advertising, insurance, in order to get the best bang for our dollars. Handled issues with clients that were beyond the norm. Made vast improvements in our overall day to day operations. Is a member of our sales team and has sold in excess of 1,000,000 dollars. Each day with his attitude and his excitement for our company and the people around him, he makes it a lot easier to work. He is constantly looking outside the box for improvements to move forward. Leaders lead by example not by dictating policy. John is a true leader and sets the bar for excellence within our company. John knows not only the business of roofing, but knows what all aspects of doing roofing involves. He understands our employees and always has time to listen. That’s why I have stayed with him for 34 Years.

Scott Siegal – Maggio Roofing
Scott has taken on a lot of responsibilities with running both CCN and Maggio yet he still is willing to set aside time to help out with resolving issues that we as sales persons rely on at times. This year has been an incredibly busy year for Maggio and due to the storm damage that occurred in winter, his expertise in dealing with insurance companies helped us as salesmen win a large number of jobs that we could never do with out him. He continues to support all his employees and has never turned his back on any issue that he might help smooth over for that particular person.

His main goal is to build and make Maggio a bigger and better company by introducing new ideas and ways to not only increase revenue for the company but increase our sales which in turn benefit us. He is not only extremely generous and sensitive to everyone’s needs, but will always back and support his staff.

It is my pleasure and honor to nominate Scott. Besides he’s my brother and I owe him big time.”

Scott Siegal, Maggio Roofing
I believe that Scott deserves this award for many reasons.

Scott, will set up the ideas and the guidelines in our company and give us the leeway to carry out the process, which in turn gives us the confidence and the positive attitude to do our jobs. Scott is always willing to listen to a new idea or maybe a better way of accomplishing a task which is very important to a employee. Scott is always trying to better his company and employees with knowledge and leadership.

Scott is willing to take time to sit down with an employee and discuss any issue on a job and to educate you on how you could have handled it better or maybe used a different approach. I am a person who has not worked for too many people in my life and I will say that I really can appreciate all that he does to make sure that I succeed in my career. I knew without a doubt that when the economic crisis hit the country that Maggio Roofing would survive due to the efforts of Scott and his forward thinking…I was right!”

Scott Siegal
Scott has a business mind that makes him the kind of person that is always seeking innovation for the company and employees, making changes that will allow the company to grow by implementing new ideas. Plus, it doesn’t matter how busy he is, he will take the time to listen to anyone that comes with an issue and usually has the knowledge to solve it and if not, he finds the way. He is THE BOSS!

Scott Siegal should be considered for the Best Boss award for many reasons, but this year especially for his Vision. In a down economy, Scott has worked day and night to keep Maggio’s doors open and its employees working. We have not had to reduce anyone’s work hours nor their pay during these tough times. Scott has consistently searched for new ways to keep Maggio in our community’s eye, and this includes educating the community about Solar Integrated roof systems and the benefits to them and the environment. As busy as Scott is with all that is going on in his businesses, he is in our office each day and still somehow finds the time to visit job sites, converse and joke with us in the office, and in busy times even run lead calls. And, although many times the only consistent thing that Scott can do is to change things on us (software, systems, products, and procedures), this is also the reason that we all support and follow his Vision 100%. Scott is not only a Boss that we can believe in and follow; he is also one that we whole-heartedly trust.

Troy Timmer – Timmer Roofing, Inc and RbA of Billings
Troy has, as always, put his customers and employees first through this very challenging year. Troy expanded his roofing business to another Montana location this year in March, and at the same time achieved obtaining the RbA dealership for most of Montana, as well as, Northern Wyoming. Troy lead through example to see both companies through this transition, especially after both areas were hit with severe hail storms.

The immense workload has made Troy and his managers evaluate all the systems in place and work to organize our processes that saw an increase from 5 lead calls a day to up to 50. Through it all Troy has shown his leadership abilities, and intelligence in coming up with new ideas to aid us in the processes we have. He is never a person to ignore someone’s request for assistance or guidance, and has increased his personal workload to assist his management team, including personal sacrifices which show us all just how committed he truly is to his employees and customers.