Building Roofs and Communities

Ryan Gregory helps cover his community in more ways than one.

Ryan is president of Wyoming Roofing, a residential and commercial roofing company. His business provides all types of roof systems as well as insulation, awnings, and gutter protection. Additionally, the company manufactures metal roofing.

Residential roofing options include asphalt-shingle, metal, stone-coated metal, natural roofing, low-slope systems, and concrete tile. A variety of commercial choices also are available.

Wyoming Roofing has its main office in Sheridan and a branch in Gillette. Overall, the firm employs about 32 people, who take pride in maintaining high standards in craftsmanship and superior customer service.

“We’re mostly a retail company that’s set up to do insurance work,” Ryan said. “We’re not like a storm-chasing company, which is typical for the roofing industry, and which typically fail.”

Targeted marketing is a vital part of the company’s success. “That’s a key focus,” Ryan said. “We spend a lot of money on social media and search engine optimization.”

The company trucks also are “branded” with logos and contact information, and Wyoming Roofing’s reputation and commitment to the community generate abundant word-of-mouth referrals.

Getting Started

Before buying the business in 2012, Ryan contacted Susan Jerke, the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network’s regional director for Campbell, Crook, Johnson, Sheridan, and Weston counties, for help with start-up questions. Since then, Susan also has helped with such matters as human resources issues and training grants.

“She was just a great advocate,” Ryan said. “It’s a wonderful service. I don’t know if I would have been able to do it without her.”

Experiencing Growth

Under Ryan’s leadership, Wyoming Roofing has experienced steady growth. In addition to its branch office in Gillette, the company envisions several more branch offices in coming years. “We plan to have five offices in the state of Wyoming by 2021,” Ryan said.

Justin West, president of First Northern Bank of Wyoming, has worked with Wyoming Roofing both as one of the bank’s customers and as a roof provider for the bank’s new 10,000-square-foot mortgage loan, trust, and investment offices.

“They are probably one of the most professional companies you will deal with,” Justin said, adding that its people are friendly and responsive, and operate with a high degree of integrity.

Giving Back

Wyoming Roofing’s community commitment goes well beyond its products and services. “We want to be the company that gives away roofs,” Ryan noted. And under the auspices of several programs, it does just that.

There’s the “Nominate Your Neighbor” program, launched by Wyoming Roofing in 2014. The purpose was to provide a new roof to a person or family in need that also had made a significant contribution to the community. The first recipient was a woman of modest means who knits baby blankets for every newborn at Sheridan Memorial Hospital.

Then there’s a partnership in Gillette to provide roofs for outstanding teachers, mentors, or coaches.

Owens Corning and its “Platinum Preferred Contractors” like Wyoming Roofing — in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity — also provide roofs to military veterans through a “Roof Deployment” project.

David Robbins, who retired from the U.S. Army in March 2018, received a roof through the program for his house in Sheridan.

“It was pretty amazing for me being able to come back into my hometown and to be received like that,” he said. “Wyoming Roofing was awesome on it, and Ryan was super professional. Obviously, I was pretty humbled by the experience.”

Subsequently, David’s father hired Wyoming Roofing to provide a roof for his cabin, so David also got a taste of working with the company as a regular customer. “Both times, Ryan provided really great service, and I have nothing but great things to say about him,” David said.

Wyoming Roofing even found a way to help provide a roof for a deserving Johnson County veteran who didn’t qualify under the Sheridan County program.

The company also donates a portion of its net profits to the Wyoming Community Foundation and supports a variety of local youth and civic activities.

“Our company, the whole team, we’re focused on how we can give back,” Ryan said. “We’re heart-felt Christian people with families, and we love to give back.”

Earning Recognition

Ryan’s success and commitment to his community is what led Wyoming SBDC Network Regional Director Susan Jerke to nominate him for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Small Business Person of the Year award in 2019. Ryan was selected as the winner for the state of Wyoming and traveled to Washington, D.C. for a special banquet recognizing the state winners.