Small Business of the Month – May 2021: White Castle Roofing

In 1985, two local Nebraska boys, Mike Hansen and Steve Biegert, started a roofing business together. Their shared commitment to hard work, honesty, excellence, and customer satisfaction were hallmarks of not only how they lived, but how they wanted to do business.

“Everything we did, we did ourselves,” Hansen said. “We tried to do a job our customers really appreciated and that we would have liked done for ourselves.”

With such a profound commitment to quality and service, it didn’t take long for word to spread about White Castle Roofing. Even today, the majority of their new business comes from referrals from previously satisfied customers.

“We were interested in referral business,” Hansen said. “We weren’t chasing hail storms or storm damage; it wasn’t insurance work. We just wanted to do a good roof for a homeowner and have them have us back.”

Now, 36 years later, White Castle Roofing has grown to include three locations (Lincoln, Omaha, and Grand Island), more than 100 full-time employees, year-round crews, and seasonal residential roofing crews.

But, throughout the years, the values the company was founded upon have never wavered, and the business remains as steadfast as its motto: Built with trust. Proven by time.

Winning Insights from Our Winner:

Providing Excellent Customer Service

“The best customer service comes from genuine care and effective communication,” Hansen said. “Throughout the process we take extensive notes and actually listen to both the issue that needs addressed, and the person’s story. In fact, we keep a supply of notecards handy for those times when a caller just needs a pick-me-up. A roof may be the reason they called, but sometimes a person just needs to be seen, heard, or loved, too.”

The Value of Chamber Involvement

“Membership in the Greater Omaha Chamber has helped our business inexpressibly. We’ve benefited from both the networking opportunities and from the recognition of being twice named a Greater Omaha Chamber Business Excellence Award recipient in the field of Philanthropy. Sharing the news of our awards with both potential customers and influencers in residential roofing has helped grow our business.”

Impacting the Community

White Castle Roofing strives to be a generous company. Three community initiatives that reflect this commitment are:

Grand Give & Away: Each month during the primary roofing season, they will select three customers at random who have paid in full to receive a $500 rebate on their roof. They will then donate an additional $500 to a charity partner of their choice. “We are blessed to be a blessing to other people and have the opportunity to serve in that way,” said Charissa Hansen. “Since 2011, we’ve given over $1,000,000 to local charities making a difference.”
Free Roof Rescue: “Every year, we provide a free roof to three households facing very difficult circumstances. This initiative is extremely personal for us, because we know it can be humbling to ask for help, and that’s something we don’t take lightly.”
Habitat for Humanity: White Castle Roofing supplies at least two roofs to the annual Habitat for Humanity Builders Blitz event in Omaha, which transforms an entire city block in one week. They also provided the roof for Habitat for Humanity of Lincoln/Lancaster County’s Build #150 in 2017, the much-celebrated 150th home built in Lincoln. “We’re always looking for ways to help out the community, and Habitat is a great way to do that,” Jake Hansen said. “The best part for me is seeing the homeowners face light up when they have a new house.”

Best Tip for Small Business Owners

“Value relationships and strive to be good a neighbor and a trusted contractor. Because of our commitment to uphold our end of the relationship, we’ve determined that more than half of our new business comes from the referral of a happy customer.”