Manitoba Chamber of Commerce
Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/70344
Wheat City Roofing has many high-profile projects, including renovations on this McDonald's restaurant on Leila Avenue. Photo credit: Darcy Finley ON TOP OF THE WORLD ROOFING by Liz Katynski BUSINESS IS ALWAYS LOOKING UP AT WHEAT CITY Darren McCallum isn't just the general manager of Wheat City Roofing. You might say he was raised on it. "One of my first memories of the company was visiting the job site with my father as a young child and having lunch," he says. Darren's grandfather, Richard McCallum, founded the company in Brandon in 1948. Richard taught his son, Bruce, the business and in turn, Bruce brought his own son onboard. "There's a certain amount of pride in being part of a third-generation family business, and the passing along of its traditions," Darren says. Richard McCallum ran the business out of his garage until 1952, when he built a shop at 1522 Frederick St., which is still the company's home base in Brandon. In 1973, an addition 46 MBiz June 2012 was built to accommodate the growing business and in 2000, it expanded further onto a neighbouring lot. The company took another leap forward after it bought the commercial and industrial portion of another roofing company's business in 2006 and opened a Winnipeg office. "From 1999 to the present, we have increased our volume of business by four to five times," Darren says. This summer, the Winnipeg office is moving to a new facility on Bergman Road. Now a full-service envelope company, Wheat City conducts 99% of it business in the commercial and industrial sectors. The company supplies and installs flat roofing products and steel components of buildings, including exterior cladding, along with finishing, insulation and air barriers and metal roof systems. It's also an authorized dealer for Robertson Building Systems pre-engineered steel buildings. While the company hasn't always offered roof inspections, it promotes them now as a way to extend the life of a roof. "We maintain a roof by offering roof inspections to assess them and if we find anything, we provide a quote. Some businesses have their roof inspected annually, and some do it every six months," Darren says. "A roof is the most integral part of a building. It might be out of sight and out of mind a lot of the time, but it is the highest priority. Like a vehicle, it requires maintenance. It is cheaper to inspect it and maintain it than to replace it." Recent projects include work on the Headingley Women's Correctional Facility, McDonald's restaurants in Winnipeg and Walmart store expansions in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Darren, who plans to take over the company when Bruce retires, says it's all onward and upward. "We feel good in accomplishing something and seeing what we have accomplished. We stand behind what we do, and we take great pride in our work quality and safety practices," he says. "We really emphasize the importance of taking ownership of what we do." www.wheatcityroofing.com WESTERN