Lake Grove-based Chief Cornerstone Roofing first opened their doors for business in 2017, and ever since has made a name for themselves as the go-to company when it comes to repairing and installing roofs, siding, and gutters, with each job carried out with skill, precision, and professionalism.
However, despite his business having been open for just seven years so far, owner-operator Kevin Miller boasts a lifetime of experience climbing on top of people's abodes and affecting expert repairs, with his early formative years guided by a close family member.
“I've been in the roofing industry since I was 14 years old, when I started with my grandfather's roofing company,” he said. “It all started one time when we were having a family party and my grandfather saw me climbing a tree. He asked me, ‘Kev, you're not afraid of heights?’ And I said no. So he said, ‘all right, beautiful, tomorrow is Saturday and you're not going to school, you're going to work with me!’ I started laughing and then I agreed.”
Miller's grandfather started him from the ground up in the roofing business, working him hard and teaching him how to do things the correct way.
“When I started, he had me carrying the shingles and cleaning up the entire property. He looked at me dead in my eyes and told me, ‘listen, if I'm going to teach you, I'm going to teach you right. I'm not going to teach you as the owner's grandson, I'm going to teach you as my laborer. And remember, I'm going to work you the hardest out of every man that I have,’” he said. “Looking back, I really have to thank him for that, because I can literally build an entire home completely on my own now. I know every aspect of how to install a roof...metal roofs, shingle roofs, cedar roofs, synthetic roofs, flat roof systems, literally every roofing system out there, I know it.”
Once Miller reached the age of 16, he was entrusted with the task of ripping, cleaning, and installing roofs for his grandfather, often completely by himself.
“Back in the day, that's how it was. It wasn't eight or nine guys, it was like two to three people maximum,” he said. “But the reason why my grandfather did that is he wanted me to understand how hard the roofing industry is, and he wanted me to understand that the guys that I have on the payroll, that they're not just regular people. They're specialists.”
“He told me, ‘once you understand this, you'll understand every guy that works for you, and you'll take pride in what they do,’” Miller added In regards to his grandfather's sagely advice.
With his career path in life now seemingly preordained, Miller's grandfather expressed his desire to bequeath his company to him upon his retirement. However, that was not to be in the cards, as while Miller appreciated his grandfather's gesture, he nonetheless felt a desire to strike out on his own and to create his own company from the ground up instead.
“I fell in love with the business, and I just wanted to make my own name,” he said. “I wanted to be sure that I never hear a homeowner tell me that they got a bad job. You see so many homeowners that have such horror stories, and they tell you that they hired this guy or that guy and they did this or that to them, they price gouged them, or they didn't install the correct material or do the job up to code. I wanted to make sure nobody ever said that about the jobs that I did.”
Miller then went on to incorporate and open Chief Cornerstone Roofing in 2017; the company specializes in roofing, siding and gutters, with every job performed by knowledgeable and skillful professionals who always go above and beyond to make sure their work is up to code and done the best it can possibly be.
Chief Cornerstone services all of Suffolk and Nassau counties, and Miller continues to take a very hands-on approach in his role as owner, personally handling all of the estimates and heading up his crews when they steadfastly perform jobs for their many satisfied clients.
In addition, Chief Cornerstone also handles skylight installation and chimney repairs, and Miller’s workers possess certifications from all of the major shingle manufacturers, constantly taking classes to remain at the very forefront of the field in order to keep their skillsets sharp.
It readily appears that the roofing business runs in the Miller family's blood, because just as his grandfather passed his extensive knowledge down to him back in the day, he is now currently passing it on to his very own son.
“My son Johnny is 11, and he could build your house,” he said, laughing. “No joke, he could build an entire home.”
Looking back on his childhood fondly, Miller said that he takes a great deal of pride and satisfaction out of being shown the ropes by his grandfather, and taking those skills to go on to create his own successful business; one driven by the principals of hard work, strong skills, and extreme professionalism when it comes to customer service.
“When I deal with homeowners, I tell them that ‘your roof is our reputation.’ And when they hire me, I tell them that I don't bleed blood anymore, I bleed asphalt,” he said. “My grandfather taught me skills that were ahead of their time. Other contractors have only started doing the type of installs within the past five years or so that my grandfather and I were doing 20 years ago. My grandfather was definitely a man ahead of his time, and everything he instilled in me, I bring to my customers to this very day, and now I'm passing that down to my son as well.”
To find out more about Chief Cornerstone Roofing, please call 516-273-6428 or visit their website at https://chiefcornerstonecontractorsinc.com.