What makes a good roofing company?
Pactiv is an international supplier of paper products and food service solutions. One of their over 50 manufacturing plants is located in Red Bluff, CA. Pactiv needed a reroof on their massive 200,000 square foot building by a top roofing company in Northern California. They found their needs met by Harbert Roofing’s dedication to craftsmanship and customer service.
Watch our Pactiv Jobsite Video!
“The best experience I’ve ever had with any company, ever.”
Harbert Roofing History
Harbert Roofing has been in Northern California for decades. Since 1980, we have roofed thousands of homes and businesses, gaining a reputation as a company of integrity, excellence, and innovation. We began the Pactiv building in late May 2018 and wrapped up by the middle of August. It was one of the hottest projects of the summer! Jeryl Shaw, Pactiv’s project manager, called that summer, “the best experience I’ve ever had with any company, ever.” He commended us for our inclusiveness, customer service, and tips on tasty street tacos.
We have worked on commercial projects since the early ‘90s. Before that, we were a smaller outfit sticking strictly to residential roofs. Howard Harbert Sr. started the company in 1980, brought Howard Jr. on a few years later, and, now, Howard Jr.’s son Bryce is on the roof, choosing to continue the heritage of hard work he comes from. But we don’t just work hard; we work smart. Since 1980, we’ve gone from a small residential crew to one of the biggest roofing companies north of Sacramento. As a 60-person crew, we work on over 100 houses a year while still thriving on the commercial side. We have completed roofing systems at View 202, Sierra Nevada Brewery, and many well-known spots in Northern California.
We are known for quality roofing and community impact. When we are not on the roof delivering a valuable solution, we are on the ground making our community a better place. Our involvement in Redding’s local events, support for Shasta County’s 4-H program, and quality roofs on the county’s schools are a testament to the kind of company we are on and off the roof. With a strong foundation, we move from roof to roof with a certain grounding you’d hope for from anyone working with heights.
Pactiv
When we climbed the stairs at Pactiv, it was done with three generations of momentum, legacy, and experience. Our skilled crew committed themselves to a high level of craftsmanship and unmatched customer relations throughout the project.
Our story started on the ground, where Bryce prepped Pactiv’s project manager Jeryl Shaw on the project’s timeline and the work the team would complete each day. The project was predicted to take two and a half months and 8,600 hours to complete. After all, it’s a 200,000 square foot roof and the middle of summer.
On day one, we lifted equipment onto the roof – a sweeper, a rocker, four-wheelers, and wheelbarrows. Surely this was the first time anyone from Pactiv saw someone drive a four-wheeler on their roof. Bryce and Jeryl walked the roof and discussed the project, and we gave Jeryl a grid for when each section of the project would be completed. Jeryl would later comment that he “was invited on the roof nearly every day to see the progress of the timeline Bryce had given him on the ground.” He was impressed at how “seamlessly the work and timeline matched.”
We started by removing rock and asphalt from the roof. This included sweeping up wild debris with the sweeper and collecting rock with the rocker (of course). After the rock was removed, we spent weeks ripping out sections of the existing roof sheet by sheet.
When the roof was just bare wood, we laid down installation atop the wood, followed by roof board, and covered with a sheet of single-ply membrane called TPO. This combination allows the roof to reflect the sun instead of absorbing it like rock roofs do. We then added adhesive and placed metal caps on the sides of the roof to weatherproof the surface. After each section was laid and sealed, we probed each seal to ensure the roof would be leakproof for years to come. Two and a half months later, Pactiv’s roof was complete!
At the end of the day, we are proud to have removed 200,000 square feet of a decade-old rock roof and replaced it with a longer-lasting, modern solution that comes with a 20-year warranty from the manufacturer.
With the roof out of sight and out of mind, Jeryl and his team can turn their full attention to operations under the roof.
A Taste in Tacos
Not every roofing project ends in tacos, but more of them should. We value spending time together, especially when a project is finished. After all, there’s almost ten father/son pairings on our team. With community as a company cornerstone, we like to eat together as often as we can. One of our favorite spots? Meno’s Street Tacos in Redding. Meno has been making tacos and serving them at private events for years. When we discovered just how delicious they were, Meno’s Street Tacos became a staple for our events.
Jeryl became a fast fan of Meno’s, too. He said that one of Pactiv’s favorite parts in the HRI experience came when the roof was complete and a taco truck appeared. Howard Harbert had asked Meno’s Street Tacos to come out for a celebration at the building so our employees and Pactiv’s could share tacos. Pactiv’s employees were so impressed with Meno’s tacos that, when the truck drove away, they asked Jeryl if he could ask Meno to come back a few times a year. Jeryl assured them he would.
Harbert Roofing’s project at Pactiv is a study of a roofing company that goes above and beyond for their clients. Through excellent craftsmanship, modern technology, and customer service, we left a mark on and won hearts at Pactiv - who has been telling the story ever since. From the ground to the roof, the experience left Pactiv proud that they were able to hire a local roofing company for such a large job. The timeline was successfully executed, the roof was flawless, and the celebratory tacos were delicious. With three generations of experience and a rich family tradition, Harbert Roofing proved once again why we are the number one roofing company north of Sacramento. While every project may not end in a taco feast, they all end with this kind of satisfaction.
