International Roofing partners with customers to support immigrants

International Roofing and Siding, a Minnesota-based company, has decided to do more than give work to immigrants — it’s decided to give back. 

What’s happening: International proudly advertises its immigrant workforce, with Mexican and American flags adorning its logo. The company also donates $300 from every roof it completes to a pro-immigrant cause.

• Owner Trevor, who started in roofing sales 10 years ago, has always leaned on the “left side of the aisle,” he told Homepros. But when ICE began its crackdown in Minneapolis, leaving the Twin Cities decimated and his crews afraid to come to work, he reached a breaking point. 
• Pivoting from insurance work, Trevor filed a new “doing business as” and began advertising retail roof replacements under a new name, International Roofing and Siding. 
• “They’re more than just people on a roof,” he said of his crews. “They’re actual humans with families.”

State of play: In the U.S., unauthorized immigrants represent 32 percent of roofers, according to the Pew Research Center.

Zoom in: International’s brand allows Trevor to differentiate himself from other contractors, he said. He hopes to partner with local progressive politicians and non-profits to be a “preferred contractor” for customers who want to put their money where their mouth is.

• “I’m a small company with a small customer base,” he noted. “There’s probably more benefit for somebody like me to say, ‘Hell yeah, I’ll support every immigrant. Let’s go. Call me up.”
• Trevor said that many people love being able to choose a favorite non-profit to donate to. One customer donated to the Florence Project, which helps immigrants with legal cases against deportation, in honor of their mom, who had volunteered there until she passed away.

Yes, but: He’s shied away from his usual billboard campaigns and online marketing to avoid angry customers from the other side of the political aisle. He said his biggest critics are fellow contractors.

• Looking around, Trevor encourages other operators to do more than give free roofs to the less fortunate. “It sounds pretty amazing, but in the end, the cost to us is so minimal — it’s maybe a few grand,” he said. “There are some big companies out there that do great jobs, but they should… [be] setting the example of making donations or supporting an organization.”

Looking ahead: Trevor is not stopping here. His next goal is to build deeper relationships with his crews to help them with their daily needs. 

• “It’s just hard, because a lot of crews and laborers just don’t trust us,” he said. “When I asked them about where they live, [or] anything personal, I think they’re hesitant.”

His message to other contractors: “Find the right thing to do. I don’t know if it’s always gonna make their business better, or make people want to give them a call, but it takes a little bit of a leader to set the way.”