Wray Roofing

Kevin Wray has been in the roofing business for more than 45 years. His grandpa was a roofer. His dad was a roofer. So it was no surprise he started a roofing company.

Talking to Kevin, he remembers his early days around roofing. Many of those memories are with his younger brother, Rick. “As a kid working up on roofs, it was fun,” says Kevin. “My brother and I, we worked a lot together. We grew up just carrying hot buckets and running kettles.”

In the late 70s, Kevin and Rick started Wray Roofing. All they had was $600 and a truck for collateral. “Andy, Kevin’s son, who is currently a manager at Wray Roofing, says, “He likes to joke that he started the company and had nothing more than a Chevy LUV pickup and a ladder.”

Money may not have been something they had a lot of, but work ethic wasn’t scarce. Their approach to business was passed down from their grandfather: “Roof the right way, the Wray way.” That stuck with Kevin and Rick. “It's not always the easiest,” says Kevin, “but when we walk off a roof, we really work hard to make sure that we have it done and have it done right.” In fact, Kevin remembers finishing his first roofing job the morning of his wedding.

Their work-hard mentality helped them win business, but the first four to five years were not easy. “Growing up in the roofing business, you have these ups and downs. It's very challenging,” Kevin says. “We definitely went through some hard times, but we were always very fortunate to have support around us.”

Now, nearly 50 years later, Wray Roofing employs 85 people and has seen steady growth. “In today's day and age,” says Andy, “you can't have an aggressive growth strategy in a business without a strategic banking relationship. So to have that person that you can go to, that you can call upon in times of need, is simply an absolute.”

“INTRUST Bank goes above and beyond simply in the fact that they're reliable,” he continues. “They are trustworthy, and we can count on them to provide the solutions we need.”

One of the biggest challenges this Midwest company faces throughout the year is maintaining consistent workflow. “Managing cash can be challenging,” says Andy, “and we need the support of INTRUST in that way.

“The business we’re in is very seasonal,” he explains. “And we plan for that. But cash is king. And we know that, when some of those storms hit, we need a line of credit that can support us. Without being able to tap that kind of resource, we would have to send employees home without a paycheck.”

For Kevin, what he appreciates most is INTRUST’s long-term support. “If you don't have a bank that you can believe in, and they believe in you, then you can't build your business,” he says. “To have that is just so comforting.” But that comfort didn’t happen overnight. “Trusting a bank is something that takes time,” says Kevin. “I want to go in, and I want to be able to say, ‘Okay, this is my dream. This is my vision.’ And they always come through.”

“I think if you're not going forward, you're going backwards,” says Kevin, looking to the future. “So I've always felt like I had to challenge myself to take that next step every year.

“I'm very proud to see this company grow. This is our life.”