If there’s a street in Portage la Prairie that Dan Huberdeau hasn’t driven down, either he’ll be headed there eventually or it doesn’t exist.
“I feel like I’ve been down every street and back lane at some point, trying to get a trailer into a backyard or getting an estimate done,” he says. “Yeah, I know my Portage streets pretty well.”
The third-generation owner of Watson’s Roofing & Siding, Huberdeau actually worked a couple years for the previous owner before acquiring the now-65-year-old business. It was, and remains, work he loves and is very much committed to.
“I don’t think you’ll find anyone who will work harder for a customer than me,” he says. “I’m up at 5:30, I go to bed at 10, and often I’ve worked right through that entire time.”
Hard work, a stellar reputation and a capable, reliable staff have allowed Watson’s to expand both their service area and scope of work. They do a lot of work in and around Gladstone, Treherne, Austin, Elie, Elm Creek and Winnipeg. Huberdeau speculates that around 25-30% of his jobs are east of Eli, with the rest spanning all the way to Austin and Sydney. And in addition to roofing, Watson’s does a lot of siding and, more recently, insulation.
“We acquired Attic Insulators on April 1 of this year,” Huberdeau explains. “I’d always wanted to do insulation, so this was a good fit for us. We’re already on the roof. Let’s open it up and do the insulation.”
As for siding, Watson’s installs a lot of vinyl as well as fibre cement and wood composites. They also do eavestroughs for a complete water system.
“It makes a world of difference when you have a nice, larger eavestrough sloped the right way, draining the water to the right place,” says Huberdeau. “It’s all water management. That’s what we specialize in.”
Then there’s the roofing, which is how Watson’s made its name all those years ago. Huberdeau, himself, has been working in the industry for about 30 years, and in that time the technology involved in roofing systems has changed dramatically, and for the better.
“The big question I get is, ‘Will my new shingles curl?’ No, they won’t. They’ll last. They’ll sit flat their whole life. We use a fibreglass matted shingle that lasts twice as long as the shingles we installed when I started at Watson’s. We’re talking 30 years minimum, and they’re warrantied up to about 40 years.”
Naturally, Watson’s has seen it all when it comes to Manitoba roofs.
“I’ve done all the big, difficult jobs around Portage, from City Hall – which is a metal roof – to all the big churches,” Huberdeau explains. “We’ve also done cedar work and standing seam metal roofs, which have no exposed fasteners. That's what’s on City Hall.”
Given their reputation for long-lasting, quality work, it’s hardly surprising that Watson’s Roofing & Siding continues to grow. The business is currently looking to hire someone to help with sales and production. Some knowledge of sales and construction procedures would be an asset, but isn’t necessary. It’s the right kind of person Huberdeau is after.
“Right now we’ve got a good group of guys working for us,” says Huberdeau. “I like to treat the guys as well as our customers. It’s not just me selling jobs to homeowners; it’s me selling jobs to my employees. If the employees are cheerful, customers will know they’re doing a good job for them.”
Overall, Huberdeau wants the customer experience at Watson’s to be seamless and helpful from start to finish.
“From the first phone call where someone in the office takes your information to scheduling the appointment and having me come out and provide a quote, right through to completing the work, my goal is to give someone a good experience,” he says.
Watson’s Roofing & Siding can be reached by calling (204) 857-4816. Further information about the company, including a gallery of completed work and a form for requesting a free quote, can be found on their website.