‘We’re building a place that people want to stay long term’

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This article was published 07/07/2025 (402 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The physicality, challenge, changing scenery — there’s a lot Reg Woitowicz likes about roofing.

The 51-year-old’s career has taken him all over Manitoba, including working atop the legislative building and Esplanade Riel in Winnipeg.

“It’s amazing to see different areas of the province, as well as different areas of the city,” Woitowicz says. “We’re never in one place (for) long periods of time.”

In September 2021, Woitowicz joined Transcona Roofing Ltd. People he knew at the Winnipeg company had told him good things about the business and owner Rich Marchetti. After he was hired, he found those things were true.

Today, the service foreman describes Transcona Roofing as a place where morale is high and employees are honest, caring and interested in working together as a team.

“I can’t say enough good things, to be honest,” Woitowicz says. “I’ve been in roofing 30 years and it’s amazing what his (Marchetti’s) vision is and what he’s bringing to the company.”

Located on Dugald Road, Transcona Roofing is a full-service roofing and waterproofing contractor for the installation, repair and maintenance of all manner of flat roofs on industrial, commercial and institutional buildings.

The company was established in 1959 with two employees and one asphalt kettle. Today, there are 85 staff members and annual revenue is about $17 million.

The company has completed more than $500 million of roofing and waterproofing construction, and looks after 800 roofs under its trademarked RoofCare+ management program.

A few years ago, Transcona Roofing adopted the slogan “Installing confidence.” Those two words encapsulate the quality and assurance the company wants to give customers, as well as the way the company invests in its employees.

Marchetti wants staff members to discover their talents, grow in their abilities and progress in their careers.

“I always say: you spend more time here than you do with your family and friends and loved ones — it better be a good place,” he says. “We want to make sure we’re building a place that people want to stay long term.”

“I can’t say enough good things, to be honest. I’ve been in roofing 30 years and it’s amazing what his (Marchetti’s) vision is and what he’s bringing to the company.”– Reg Woitowicz

To that end, the chartered professional accountant and certified project manager has worked hard over the last dozen years to make Transcona Roofing an enticing place to work.

When he joined the company as the controller and a minority partner in 2013, it wasn’t unusual for the police to show up and arrest staff members for non-work-related issues.

“It was a different world,” says Marchetti, who purchased the company in 2016. “It took us a long time to turn things around from kind of a rough, tough environment where there was still drinking on the job.”

Around that time, Marchetti noticed younger people applying for jobs with ambitions to make roofing a career. Marchetti knew if he wanted to keep them around, he would have to work on the culture at Transcona Roofing.

That started with establishing himself as someone employees could trust. Construction workers are difficult to win over and their respect has to be earned, Marchetti says. He did that by repeatedly doing what he said he was going to do and ensuring there was open communication.

Field staff meet with head office staff regularly.

“We’re all on the same team and our job is to make sure (field staff are) successful,” Marchetti says. “It’s not the field that works for the office, it’s the office that works for the field and I think we’ve proven that by just delivering consistently.”

The company offers regular professional development. No one is laid off during the off-season. Instead, roofers spend January and February in the office, taking courses to advance work and leadership skills.

Marchetti mentions numerous leadership courses that employees have taken, including CliftonStrengths, a personality assessment that identifies an individual’s natural talents and how they can be developed.

“We’ve invested a lot of money in these young, upcoming leaders because we know we’re just building the foundation for tomorrow,” he says.

Leadership consultant Wendy Hofford has worked with Transcona Roofing staff for the last four years, and says the company is unusual in the construction industry.

“I think that’s been the game-changer: letting people bring what they’re naturally gifted at and letting them do those things,” says Hofford, president of WH Strategic Drive Inc., adding she’s worked with many construction companies. “I’ve never seen an owner who is as invested as him (Marchetti). He’s put a lot of effort into raising his people up.”

Marchetti is always progressing, Hofford adds.

“He really wants to make his roofing company elite and a place where people want to come to work, and where customers want to be a part of it because of the culture that they have,” she says.

Derek Young has worked at the company for nearly a decade and agrees with Hofford’s assessment. The 41-year-old service foreman has worked for other roofing businesses in the past and describes his current employer as the best company he’s ever worked for.

“The people that work here care extremely,” says Young, who works with his son Noah at the company. “That’s what makes it a good community.”

“I’m so proud of the team we have here. They’re the ones actually making the work happen and keeping our customers happy.”– Transcona Roofing Ltd. owner Rich Marchetti

Thanks to the buy-in of staff and the help of outside professionals, Transcona Roofing is a place where employees prize safety, integrity, quality work, customer service and continuous improvement, its leadership says.

The company is currently renovating its Winnipeg headquarters. What was once a 1,400-square-foot space will be 4,500 sq. ft. when staff move back in in September. The renovation includes additional meeting rooms where employees can train and collaborate.

Marchetti says what he most enjoys about his work is the challenges involved: “Every day is something new.”

When he looks at the next 10 to 15 years, his goal is for Transcona Roofing to be an employee-owned company. Staff work hard and deserve to own a stake in the business, Marchetti says.

“I’m so proud of the team we have here,” he says. “They’re the ones actually making the work happen and keeping our customers happy.”

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca