Horch Roofing is honored to announce that they have won the prestigious Cumberland Crossing by OceanView Environmental Leadership Award for its exceptional commitment to sustainable practices in an industry that generates 100,000 tons of waste each year in Maine alone. In 2010, Horch Roofing began their Reroof and Recycle Program, recycling 100 percent of their roofing waste, which is converted into recycled products and paving materials.
When Peter Horch started his roofing company, he would drive his pickup truck full of roof waste to the Camden dump and turn downhill into the landfill to unload it by hand. As time went by and his business grew, he stopped making those trips himself. One fall, Peter had to fill in for an employee, and he was stunned by what he saw. The same hole at the landfill that he’d driven down into five years earlier had become a huge mountain that he now had to drive up onto to deposit his roofing debris.
“I then realized that I was driving up over my own debris – debris that I’ve pulled from peoples’ roofs,” said Horch. “That mountain is never going to go away. It will be there until my great-grandchildren are living here. And I thought, ‘I just don’t want to do it anymore.'”
While that realization stayed with him, it wasn’t until he attended the Juice Conference in Camden in November 2009 that the idea really began to form. “The conference was about being creative and innovative, so I asked myself what I could do differently. We already offer every type of roofing. We are already different enough in our professionalism, so I thought I could do something else with our debris,” explains Horch.
“Each year Maine produces over 100,000 tons of re-roofing waste that ends up in landfills,” says Horch. “We realized that our company alone was generating about 2 tons (4,000 lbs.) of waste each day accounting for over 1,500 tons (3 million pounds) a year. We wanted to do something about our share.” So on April 1, 2010, Horch Roofing began their Reroof and Recycle Program, recycling 100% of its roofing waste.
The Cumberland Crossing by OceanView Environmental Leadership Award, which honors companies that embrace and set the standard for sustainability, was presented by the Institute for Family-Owned Business (IFOB) in partnership with MEMIC at the annual awards in October. The Maine Family Business Awards season recognized exemplary Maine firms that demonstrate excellence in family involvement, business success, and commitment to employees, customers, the environment and community. From 166 nominations, 40 semi-finalists competed to receive seven awards. An independent panel of judges, facilitated by Anne Hussey, partner at Quad Group and board member of Hussey Seating Company, selected the winners from among 24 finalists.
This award continues recognition of Horch Roofing’s deep commitment to the environment, professionalism and quality service.
Horch Roofing is coastal Maine’s trusted roofing contractor. They have been roofing homes from Kittery to Castine since 2003 and serve the communities of Maine from offices in Warren and South Portland. They also have a dedicated Northern Maine sales estimator serving Hancock County and Bar Harbor. Horch Roofing installs Metal Roofing, Asphalt Shingle Roofing, EPDM Rubber Roofing, and Seamless Gutters for both residential and commercial roofing projects. They offer free roofing and gutter replacement estimates. Call (207) 273-1111 or contact us online.