Let me tell you a story about a man we'll call Uncle George.

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George was born into modest beginnings. His father barely graduated high school but had one really good idea and the guts to run with it. George inherited that same spirit, and then some. When George took over the family flea market and Bay 101, he didn't stop there. He kept going. Strip malls. Commercial properties. Airwood Helicopters. A growing portfolio that stretched further than most people would ever dare to imagine.

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Here's the interesting part, George was almost illiterate when he started. But he was hungry. He read everything he could get his hands on. He became well-traveled. He studied. He improved his communication skills day by day, year by year. And somewhere along the way, a team of sharp administrators took him under their wing and taught him how to run a business from the ground up.

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Everything George touched turned to gold. Not by accident, and not by luck. He welcomed partners, not to take from them, but because he genuinely wanted to help people win alongside him. Anybody who partnered with Uncle George walked away happy.

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The Helicopter Principle

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George had 12 children. He taught his sons business from the time they were young, practically from the time they could walk. Eventually, they were the ones running the day-to-day operations. George provided the capital. He provided the vision. And then he got in a helicopter and went to have fun.

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Some of his strip malls? George couldn't have told you what they looked like. He never visited them personally. That is not a flaw in the story. That is the point of the story.

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When you build a portfolio that large, you cannot babysit every asset. You have to build systems. You have to build teams. You have to hire professionals who are passionate about the work you are not passionate about. Because if you try to do everything, you end up doing nothing well. You burn yourself out. And nobody in a helicopter has time for that.

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George loved to be hands-on with the things that energized him. Put him near a bobcat or a tractor and he was right at home. But the strip malls? That is what George Jr. was for. And George Jr. took it seriously. He hired property maintenance companies to handle the details. He put systems in place. He built layers of accountability so the investment stayed protected and the owner could stay lifted.

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What This Means for Commercial Roofing

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Here in Northwest Indiana, there are standout brands and holding companies that own dozens, sometimes hundreds, of commercial properties. Large portfolios. Absentee owners. Structured hierarchies designed to keep everything running without the top of the chain getting their hands dirty.

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If you walk into that world asking to speak to the owner, you are going to wait a long time. You are probably never going to get there.

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But Kenny? Kenny is the facilities maintenance manager. Kenny is the guy who gets a call when a roof starts leaking and water starts pulling ceiling tiles down at a tenant's location. Kenny is the guy whose job is on the line when things go sideways. Kenny is the guy you want to talk to.

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And when you talk to Kenny, you are not selling him a roofing project. You are helping him protect the investment. You are helping him make a smart, informed decision that keeps the building owner happy, keeps the tenants productive, and keeps the property performing the way it was meant to perform.

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Because here is what a roof leak really means at that level. It is not just water coming through a ceiling. It is lost product. It is liability. It is potential mold and air quality issues. It is insulation degradation. It is one problem that touches everything inside the walls. Every decision impacts every other decision, and a building owner with a well-structured hierarchy needs the people below him making decisions with that kind of depth and intelligence.

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The roof is the last thing you put on a building and the first thing that creates problems when it is neglected. It is the final layer of protection over everything else in the structure. It deserves to be treated that way.

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The Danger of Oversimplifying

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One of the biggest mistakes people make when managing large assets is reducing complicated decisions down to A or A. They think they have two options when they actually have an entire alphabet in front of them.

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Option B exists. Option C exists. There are roofing systems, materials, and approaches that most facility managers have never heard of because nobody has taken the time to educate them. The world is moving fast. New solutions are coming to market. Staying curious and staying informed is not just good practice. It is the difference between a building that protects its owner and a building that is quietly becoming a liability.

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Uncle George improved himself because he stayed curious. He started barely able to read and ended up a well-traveled, well-studied man who built a legacy worth passing down through generations. That is what genuine commitment to learning looks like.

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George is gone now. But the lessons he left behind are alive and worth carrying forward. Build smart teams. Protect the investment. Know your role in the hierarchy. And always, always consider the whole alphabet before you make a decision.

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The roof comes last when you build a building. Make sure it is bright, resilient, reflective, and built to last.

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