For a European business school graduate, building a successful roofing company was never part of the plan. Greg Garcia came to Calgary on vacation with his wife, and the beauty of the Rockies, abundant work opportunities and an appealing lifestyle made him want to stay.
“I was not supposed to stay here. I came from France with $300 for a vacation and 20 years later, I’m still here,” says Greg, founder and president of Calgary Elite Roofing®. “After I started working in construction, which was not my background, I went from subcontracting to having enough money to be able to get my own company going.”
He combined everything he’d learned about roofing with his strong set of values to launch Calgary Elite Roofing® in 2006. As he gradually grew his subcontracting business, Greg surrounded himself with like-minded people who aligned with his core tenets: honesty, integrity and respect. He found an ally in Robbie LaPierre, the general manager of a roofing company for which Greg subcontracted extensively. Over the next eight years, the conversation between the two professionals evolved into the possibility of teaming up to take Calgary Elite Roofing® to the next level.
“You can either jump off or you can stand there and watch, and look back in 25 years and say, ‘Man, I wonder what would have happened.’ That’s really it,” says Robbie, vice president of Calgary Elite Roofing®.
They considered it carefully, weighed the risks and jumped off in 2014. Robbie, known as Robbie the Roofer®, brought with him three decades of experience and a determination to create something industry-changing for Calgary. Together, they did just that. The team has grown from the two partners around a kitchen table to a core team of 25, expanding exponentially during hail season with carefully vetted and trained crews. Their experienced Red Seal-certified crews provide replacement and repair as well as exterior elements including siding, soffits, fascia and troughs for clients across the province. While the company was built on residential services, the newer commercial arm of the company continues to be a significant growth area for Calgary Elite. More and more, clients are contracting the knowledgeable team to deliver personalized flat and pitched roofing solutions for everything from high-rise buildings to condominium complexes. They have become a one-stop exteriors shop, restoring roofs after catastrophic weather damage and wear, as well as offering comprehensive inspections to make maintenance easier.
Growth has been steady and organic, allowing Greg the Spartan and Robbie the Roofer® to build the business the right way with the right people. Within two years of joining forces, Calgary Elite became the first roofing company ever named the ATB Small Business of the Year by the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, was honoured with the Customer Service Excellence Award and was a finalist for the Environmental Stewardship Award for their dedication to recycling materials. Since then, Greg was voted Business Leader of the Year in the construction and renovation category by Business in Calgary magazine in 2021 and the Calgary Chamber Volunteer of the Year in 2023. The company also received the 2023 Torch Award for Large Business from the BBB, recognizing its ethical behaviour and positive community impact.
While they are proud of the business accolades, recognition for their community work holds particular significance. Robbie, a born-and-raised Calgarian, prioritizes giving back and incorporated philanthropy and community outreach into the company when he joined. French companies tended to operate with a more individualistic, business-driven mindset, making the concept unfamiliar to Greg at first. It didn’t take long, however, for him to recognize its value and weave it into Calgary Elite’s culture.
“I don’t like to put it out there because I don’t want people to think, oh you’re doing that for marketing to get more business. But on the other hand, if you don’t talk about it, you can’t promote the help. I think it would be more beneficial for everybody to say this is what we are doing so others can create their own initiatives for their people,” says Greg.
Their efforts have inspired employees and industry peers alike to find their own ways to give back. They are proud to help others pay it forward, whether within the roofing industry or beyond it. From serving on industry boards to donating to worthy causes, sponsoring the Calgary Roughnecks to replacing a roof for free for a woman battling cancer, Calgary Elite does all it can to make people’s lives better.
“I believe that ‘yours is a life that someone else would give anything to have’. As long as I keep that in my head, I seem to get that tap on the shoulder just at the right time. The right thing is always going to come along,” says Robbie. “We have a fantastic admin team that has brilliant ideas about how to help people that really need it. Honestly, it’s one of the reasons I get up in the morning and do what I do.”
That help can be as simple as a cash donation to support KidsCancerCare’s Camp Kindle or partnering with Country 105 each month to give $1,000 to ease the burden on a family in financial crisis. It can also be as unconventional as riding a bull for charity, which both Greg and Robbie did. While Robbie was thrown off a bull named Death Zone in 3.5 seconds, Greg had an easier ride on Flubber and won the buckle.
“Flubber stopped at 7.5 seconds. I watched Greg jump off his back, pat him on the flank and walk away. My bull wanted to kill me,” says Robbie with a chuckle.
It was a great cause and an unforgettable story. After all, while building a business requires sustainability and prosperity, creating memories and stories matters even more to the duo. By treating the business like a family, Calgary Elite has fostered the stability of long-term, loyal employees who are invested in its success. In return, Greg and Robbie ensure employee safety remains the priority. The COR-certified organization adheres to rigorous, non-negotiable safety protocols to protect crews on the job. The owners also take care of the people behind the positions, offering full benefits and RRSP matching, encouraging continuing education and promoting a healthy work-life balance.
It isn’t always easy, but Greg and Robbie agree that the journey has been worth the struggles. After 20 years in business, Calgary Elite has become a trusted fixture in the industry. From incorporating technology to improve safety and service to providing rapid responses to insurance claims and emergencies, the company is poised for future expansion into restoration and developments across the West. No matter how large it grows, Calgary Elite Roofing® promises to deliver big-city results with small-town service, just as they have for two decades and counting.
“We’re always going to answer the call. We’re going to be there when Calgarians and Albertans need us the most,” says Robbie the Roofer®.
In the end, their legacy isn’t measured in shingles or square footage. It’s measured in the strength of the relationships and the community that they’ve built along the way.
240023 Frontier Cres. #17
Rocky View County, Alberta T1X 0N2
Phone: (403) 478-2580