Absolute Roofing

The fear of rainy days prevents most people from ever taking the leap and starting a business. But for Mike and Gina Mansker, rainy days were the only way. Through them, they built a life, a family, and a legendary company that is not only a spectacle of business strength but also a game changer for many in our community.

It was unlikely that a couple with little more than a tool belt to their name would survive the headwinds that faced the construction industry twenty years ago. They had no savings, no investors, and no bank loans to help them get started.

“It was find work or go hungry,” says Lindsay Massenberg, their oldest daughter and director of HR. “Most days, we didn’t see our dad until the sun had gone down,” she said. “He never missed a ballgame or an important moment, but in between, he was working his butt off.”

Twenty years later, Absolute Roofing has built a reputation, a team, and a footprint that would be the envy of companies twice their age. As they look back on the last two decades, a second generation is in awe of what their parents built from very humble beginnings.

“To start with, the roofing business is very unpredictable,” says Micah Haught, production manager and youngest daughter. “Most roofing companies start after a big hail storm when there is a lot of work to go around. But fast forward a year or two later, they fail because they don’t know how to manage their money when there isn’t another storm to get you by.”

That frugality, the daughters say, is a key ingredient to Absolute surviving and now thriving.

“My dad knew everything about roofing, but my mom was behind the scenes managing every penny,” says Massenberg.

That husband-wife teamwork was also a crucial ingredient.

“He has so much respect for her, and he knew he Absolutely couldn’t do it without her,” she added.

In an era still overshadowed by traditional gender roles and in an industry that often defaults to a gruff and tough approach to management, Mike and Gina Mansker forged something special: a true partnership in marriage and work.

“To this day, they are 50/50 partners in this business,” says Micah. “They have been role models for not only our marriages, but how we hope to take this business into the future.”
Family and business are seldom an easy combination. But this second generation, two daughters, their husbands, and even the grandkids are all on board for the ride.

When asked what will be the same and what will be different twenty years from now, there is no shortage of conviction:

“Our mom and dad built this on 1,000% honesty. Where many companies would take the easy money, they would refuse to let someone turn in an insurance claim on their roof if it truly didn’t need to be replaced. They would take the less-profitable repair work to do the right thing,” says Lindsay. “So we will always, always do that no matter what.”

“Another thing is that they never got too proud or arrogant,” says Micah. “They are very much under the radar, never taking the glory or attention for themselves.”
That humility is quite evident; neither Mike nor Gina were aware this article was being published.

“It’s not their style to accept this much attention, so yeah, they probably would have politely declined,” Micah laughed.

As for the future, they are grounded in the fact that nothing in this business happened overnight, and that any future expansion will happen the good old fashioned way; with the patience and hard work that they watched their parents live out since the early days. “We have visions of adding additional markets in the future, but only if we can remain a family-focused business, do the right thing, and do the best quality work possible,” says Lindsay. “That is the Absolute way.”