Hurricane Maria Taught Him What a Classroom Couldn't
Before there was a BC American Roofing, there was a hurricane, a lot of damaged roofs in Puerto Rico, and a young laborer named Andrew who spent his days learning what a roof looks like when it fails — and what it takes to put one back together right.
Nobody hands you a textbook for that kind of work. You learn on-site, roof by roof, mistake by mistake, until you understand not just how a roof goes together, but why so many of them come apart when it matters most. That’s the education Andrew got, years before he ever ran a crew of his own.
"The person managing a roofing project should actually be standing on it. Not managing it from a spreadsheet. Not checking in by phone at the end of the day. On it."
— THE BELIEF THAT BECAME THE COMPANY
From Laborer to Superintendent to Licensed Contractor
It's one thing to hold a philosophy on a single roof. It's a different test entirely to hold onto it while managing thirty crews at once.
Hurricane Maria
Laborer in Puerto Rico
Learning what a roof looks like when it fails — and what it takes to put one back together right.
30+
Crews as Superintendent
Overseeing more than thirty roofing crews and multiple subcontractors across different job sites.
2023
Roofing License
Not a formality — the next logical step for someone who’d already spent years doing the actual work.
2024
Contractor License
And with it, a company built around one stubborn idea: in-house supervision on every single job.
Coming home to build something different
Florida is Andrew’s home state, and when the time came to build something of his own, that’s where he came back to do it. BC American Roofing — legally Blue Collar American Roofing — is what came next: a company built specifically around the idea that shaped Andrew from the beginning. Every job gets in-house supervision. No exceptions, no subcontracted crews standing in for us on the days it’s inconvenient to show up.
Here's the Part Most Roofers Won't Say Out Loud
A lot of them subcontract the actual labor and manage the paperwork from a distance. You call a name you recognize, and a crew you’ve never heard of shows up to do the work.
THE INDUSTRY STANDARD
- Subcontract the actual labor, manage the paperwork from a distance
- You call a name you recognize — a crew you’ve never heard of shows up
- Decisions get delayed; problems get discovered too late the actual labor, manage the paperwork from a distance
- Nobody with real authority is standing on the roof
THE BC AMERICAN WAY
- In-house supervision on every roofing job — always, no exceptions
- Owner is on site, managing the progress and making calls in real time
- Any problems get caught when the old roofing comes off, not afterwards
- A real person answers the phone and vets your situation personally
Homeowners are left hoping a phone call two states away is enough to keep a project on track. It isn't. So we don't work that way.
The People You'll Actually Talk To
BC American Roofing isn’t a call center with a fleet of subcontractors behind it. It’s a small, specific team — and you’ll likely talk to all three of us before your project’s done.
Andrew Chebator
OWNER
Andrew’s found his calling when Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, prompting him to join relief efforts. Read more about Andrew.
Joy
OPERATIONS MANAGER
The person who actually answers when you call, and the one vetting your situation personally before anything gets scheduled. Read more about Joy here.
Jessie
PROJECT MANAGER
Keeps projects moving once they’re underway, coordinating the details that make the difference between a job that drags and one that doesn’t. Read more about Jessie here.
Credentials That Actually Mean Something
We’re a Metal Roofing Alliance member and an authorized Brava dealer — and we could leave it at badges on a page. We’d rather tell you what they actually mean: manufacturer-backed training on the specific materials we install most, not general roofing experience applied to a new product for the first time.
Metal Roofing Alliance
Member — manufacturer-backed training on the metal systems we install most.
Authorized Brava Dealer
Trained specifically on Brava composite tile, not learning it on your roof.
CCC1335151
Florida roofing contractor license.
CBC1268199
Florida building contractor license.
Why This Story Matters to Your Roof
None of This Is Really About Puerto Rico
…or superintendent titles, or the year a license got signed. It’s about what those experiences left behind: a specific, stubborn belief that the person responsible for your roof should be standing on it — not managing it from somewhere else.
That's still true on every job we take on today.
Curious to see our team in action on your roof?
We work throughout St. Petersburg and the surrounding Pinellas County area, from established residential neighborhoods to commercial corridors and everything in between. Schedule an inspection today.