As you drive by the main office of Horch Roofing on Route 90 in Warren, take a closer look at the company sign, complete with its very own red standing-seam metal roof. Beneath the sign rests a broken wheelbarrow with a huge rock sitting on top.
So what’s the story with the wheelbarrow?
Peter Horch started his roofing company in 2003 and while he worked on homes and businesses throughout Midcoast Maine for a number of years, the pace of growth was slow. In 2007 Peter said to himself, “I think it’s time to grow the company, we need to do this.”
At this point Peter and a small crew, including his longtime employee, Devin Deabler, were working on back-to-back jobs. Sometimes after a long day on the roof, they would come back to Peter’s house, which was also the base for Horch Roofing (now the Office building), and have a couple of cold beers after the long workday was over. One day, Peter brought up the idea of growing the company to Devin. “This is it, we need to grow the business. We’re getting busier, the phone is ringing; this is a good thing.” Devin agreed. It was time to grow.
At that time, the Horch Roofing office only had space for one truck due to all the trees on the property. The large trucks that delivered the shingles couldn’t come down the driveway due to the tree branches. Peter said to Devin, “ Let’s grab my chainsaw and cut down some trees so we can expand and make a bigger lot out back.” Peter took his chainsaw out to the driveway and got to work clearing land to expand. “It was a controlled mess,” Devin said. “He just started cutting down trees out there.”
As Peter cut down trees, Devin helped by clearing away the logs and branches, making room for Peter to keep cutting. He used a wheelbarrow to carry the big logs away. They made quite a bit of progress that day, when suddenly the wheelbarrow broke. It would not carry anything else. “Way to go, Devin,” Peter said. “Here’s our only wheelbarrow, and you just broke it!” Then Devin picked up a big boulder and smashed the broken wheelbarrow. “It’s really broken now, isn’t it?” Devin replied. They both laughed.
The wheelbarrow stayed broken but Horch Roofing continued to grow in the years following that day. Trucks came in and out, more trees were cleared, and a new shop went up. The broken wheelbarrow stayed in the same spot for four years before it was moved to its current place underneath the Horch Roofing sign. To Peter, Devin, and the entire Horch Roofing team, the wheelbarrow represents the path of growth that continues today.
Since the day the wheelbarrow broke, Horch Roofing has:
Expanded from a 300 square foot office site in Warren to a 8,500 square foot site that includes 3 individual buildings housing our asphalt, metal and gutter shops
Employed 14 full time asphalt, metal, gutter, repair, and EPDM crews
Become a fully-insured company, protecting our clients with $5 million of liability insurance
Purchased a total of 55 trucks and trailers
Opened a second office in Westbrook, Maine with a South Portland location opening Fall 2021.
The amount of growth since that day in 2007 is astounding. Peter Horch is now President and CEO of Horch Roofing and on the Board of the National Roofing Contractors Alliance, Devin is the Production Director overseeing the Metal, Gutter, and Small Projects divisions, and the company employs over 50 hardworking men and women. The broken wheelbarrow resting under the red roofed sign represents the hard work that went into making Horch Roofing the successful company that it is today.
Horch Roofing is Maine’s trusted roofing contractor. We have been roofing homes from Kittery to Castine since 2003 and serve the communities of Maine from our offices in Warren and South Portland. We have a dedicated Northern Maine sales estimator serving Hancock County and Bar Harbor. Horch Roofing installs Standing Seam Metal Roofing, Asphalt Shingle Roofing, EPDM Rubber Roofing, and Seamless Gutters for both residential and commercial roofing projects. We offer free roofing and gutter replacement estimates. You can call us at (207) 273-1111, or contact us online.