Letitia Hanke – Roofing Contractor of the Year Is Building a Legacy!

Letitia entered roofing by accident as a 19-year-old receptionist and bought the company in 2004 after her boss offered to teach her the trade and sell her the business.

Roofing in California requires separate licenses for each specialty (roofing, sheet metal, solar) plus a law exam, and a business license for every city you work in - she carries around 70.

Northern California roofers rely less on hail-storm replacement and more on new construction and wildfire rebuilds; 5,500+ structures burned in the 2017 Tubbs Fire alone are still being rebuilt.

Hiring young, untrained workers and teaching them your own way beats hiring 'seasoned' roofers who think they already know everything.

Her Next Gen Trades Academy trains youth 16-24 for the trades, where workers can start around $16/hour and reach $23-30/hour within a year.

She funds the nonprofit by donating up to 5% of net profit and includes the cause in her sales brochures - some customers sign contracts specifically because of the mission.

260 contractors now participate, hiring and mentoring graduates by referral; the model is being piloted out of state and expanded nationally through her BNI network.

Building a nonprofit gave Letitia her 'then what' - a purpose and mission beyond running a successful company and a plan for a meaningful retirement.