Elite Roofing has been a family run business for over three generations, and this is something that we take great pride in. Working so closely with family is a great privilege for us, and the knowledge that we are able to pass down through the generations has become invaluable to our clientele.
Recently, one of our clients, Steve Peros Sr, passed away. A few years passed since we last worked together. Steve is a man who ran his business with the same integrity and ethics that we strive for. In the early years of our business dealings together, Steve taught me the idea of win-win in business and the ethical treatment of others. In Biblical parlance, we call this Milei DaChassiduta – which means going above and beyond what is expected of us in ethical situations.
We are told by our Sages that such actions are extremely well regarded in heaven. Steve was the principal at Central Erin Property Management together with his wife Trudy and sons, Steven and Tony. We quoted him for a roof replacement project on a residential apartment building in the early 2000’s, as I recall. After our submission, Steve called to inform me that our price seemed too low. As you can imagine, I was fairly surprised to get this kind of phone call. Very rarely does a potential client tell me we don’t charge enough. He asked me to review my price, and in doing so I realized we had made an error in our costing worksheet. I asked for the right to re-submit my quotation and added back part of the real difference thinking that I should not betray his overwhelming kindness.
In the end, we were awarded the project and all proceeded well. I never forgot that phone call, and the important lesson it taught me. As Divine Providence would have it, Steve called us a few months before his passing to price a new residential condominium project that he was overseeing in downtown Oakville. I was able to remind him that I never forgot his kindness and the life lesson he taught me.
I also told him that I did my best to repay his kindness by “paying it forward.” Many times over the past fifteen plus years I have had the opportunity to suggest to someone who was quoting us for work or materials that their pricing seemed to be too low. These actions managed to help us create business relationships based on mutual trust and responsibility that have benefited both our company and our suppliers/subcontractors greatly. May his memory be for a blessing.
