Membership taking roofer to new heights Joining a `necessity’
According to Dale Shoemaker, the planned transformation of Preferred Roofing & Remodeling into a leader in its field would have one important pre-requisite: The company must become a member of the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce. Since signing on last fall, Shoemaker has relied on the Chamber for all kinds of assistance, including networking, cost-savings on business services, and even guidance in setting up a presence on the Internet. “To me, joining wasn’t an option or a luxury,” he said. “It was necessary to achieve our goals. It would give us instant credibility.”
When Dale Shoemaker sat down with his father-in-law, Rick Feltner, to figure out what it would take to move Preferred Roofing & Remodeling Specialists Inc. to the top of its field in Greater Cincinnati, Shoemaker was adamant about one thing. “I said we needed to do this the right way,” said Shoemaker, who left a position as sales manager for C:Tel Cellular two years ago to join Feltner’s family business in the Eastgate area.”To be a city-wide roofer, we needed a Yellow Page presence that we didn’t have; that was obvious. But we also needed to join the Chamber. To me, joining wasn’t an option or a luxury. It was necessary to achieve our goals. It would give us instant credibility.”
Chamber offers answers
For Shoemaker, who knew a little about the Chamber because of C:Tel’s affiliation with Chamber partner Cellular One, it was the answer to the many of the questions that can vex a growing company: How will we raise our profile throughout the city? How will we afford the insurance we need? How will we meet the unexpected challenges lying just around the corner? Shoemaker said the benefits started immediately. “We instantly realized big cellular savings by going on the Chamber’s program,” he said. “The bill for Rick’s phone dropped from $180 a month to under $100 the first month. I remember Rick thought there was something wrong with the bill.”
The company now has four cellular business lines, and just added four more lines on the Chamber plan’s “member-employee” feature, which extends savings to the personal lines of Chamber-member employees. “Like any business, we must communicate with each other efficiently, and this helps us do that,” said Shoemaker, who is also switching Preferred Roofing’s long-distance phone service to the Chamber’s discount plan through Cincinnati Bell Long Distance.
Taking the business on-line
But Shoemaker wants to do more than save money. He’s looking to do something he says no other area roofer is doing: Market through the Internet. And after attending the free Internet workshop at the Chamber June 26, he intends to use the Chamber as his guide.
“Four of our major roofing manufacturers have interactive web sites now, and we need to be connected,” he said. “We’re signing up with the Fuse access service through the Chamber, and we plan to set up our own web site. We intend to fill a niche that no one else in our business is filling.”
But while Shoemaker relishes the cost-saving programs and technological opportunities his Chamber membership offers, he really enjoys the “people” aspect what he calls the “fun side.” “You can go to the breakfasts, the workshops, the after-hours events, and really have a good time,” he said. “For instance, we attended a Business After Hours a while back during our slow season, and someone we met there called us back later and gave us some good winter business business we wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.”
Ask and ye shall receive
Shoemaker has also learned he can just pick up the phone, call the Chamber and get what he needs. “Just tell them you’re thinking about getting involved in the Chamber, and they’ll take it from there hook you up with people who can help you. I think a lot of people don’t know about everything the Chamber does. “Membership is not just a plaque on the wall. There’s so much that we haven’t had time to do yet,” he said. “But you have to take the first step.”
As Preferred Roofing continues its quest to be the leading roofer in the area, Shoemaker is going to make sure the Chamber is with him every step of the way.”You’d be foolish not to look at Chamber membership as a great opportunity,” he said. “You couldn’t kick us out of this organization.”
Membership: ‘Much more than a plaque on the wall’
What does the Chamber mean to a small but growing business such as Preferred Roofing & Remodeling Specialists? According to vice president Dale Shoemaker, it means many things:
Stature in the business community
“Joining was necessary to achieve our goals. It would give us instant credibility.”
Savings
“We instantly realized big cellular savings by going on the Chamber’s program.”
Bottom-line value
“It’s a great opportunity. You couldn’t kick us out of this organization.”