Today we’d like to introduce you to Jesse Summerlin.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve always been in construction in some form or fashion. When I was 16 years old, I went out to the East Coast with a couple of my uncles and built a house with them. I have loved construction ever since.
Born in Houston, I moved around a lot when I was younger because of my dad’s job. I spent my elementary years in Southern California, lived in Ohio for a couple of years, then moved back to Texas at the beginning of high school. I then went to college at the University of Oklahoma and have been in the metroplex ever since. Following my education at the University of Oklahoma, I interned at Ryland Homes and then worked for a restoration company started by my firefighter friend. While doing the restoration side, restoring flooded or burned-down homes, I worked hand-in-hand with insurance companies. I saw the value there and got my license, working as an adjuster for Farmers Insurance for a few years. It was a great experience gained on the insurance process, specifically how to assess, document, and submit damage discovered during storm damage. But I found my way back to my calling in construction. Working at a desk as an insurance adjuster wasn’t for me; I like working with my hands best. I love meeting with customers too and being on the job sites. Being outside helping to restore my customers’ storm damage and getting them back to normal is one of the rewarding aspects of my job.
After leaving Farmers Insurance, I worked for a well-respected local roofing company. I later transitioned into working for a full-service general contractor as a sales and production manager for them. My eventual goal was to be on my own. Through my work experience, I learned about the best practices from other companies while slowly building my company, Dwell Roofing & Exteriors. I began the company in 2011 and have been enjoying it ever since.
My business is certainly a culmination of all my past experiences. Leveraging my expertise in customer service, operations, construction, roofing, and insurance has made Dwell Roofing & Exteriors a great success. I set myself apart from my competition because of my insurance background, which is a huge asset. Many of our competitors claim they are “insurance specialists,” but aside from a few tricks they may have picked up from a seminar, most know very little about the insurance process and how to truly maximize the outcome to their customers’ benefit when going through the claim process. In other words, when your property damage is assessed, the cost and scope are very subjective, and that same damage can sometimes vary tens of thousands of dollars depending on who is inspecting and repairing it.
As a business owner, I also believe in quality. To me, it’s not about the cheapest price but rather the greatest value and quality of work. Building things that will last and stand the test of time is what it is all about for me. We always put the customer first. In addition to taking care of the exterior of a home, including the roof, gutters, painting, and fencing, my dedicated team and I also do some interior work. If a leak or a tree branch caused damage on the inside of the house, we can do texture, drywall, paint, and flooring. We do it all.
I have some advice for readers. Usually, when we get called, it is because of a possible roof leak or a wind or hail storm that has just passed through. I would suggest calling us to come out BEFORE filing an insurance claim to assess the damage so that we can determine if the issues you are experiencing warrant filing a claim. That can potentially save you a lot of time and money in the long run.
When I’m not working, I love to travel. Prior to having kids my wife and I traveled to 38 different countries. Now with the little ones, we have rediscovered the immense natural beauty of our country. We have made a goal of visiting every national park in the US . Last year we visited Yosemite and Redwood, this year we spent time in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons.
A favorite quote of mine is by Mark Twain: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” It is true; getting out and exploring the world beyond the little bubble or comfort zone we typically find ourselves in makes it easier to see the world through the eyes of someone else. That new and different perspective allows us to be more open-minded and accepting of others, and grateful for how fortunate we are.
We have lived in Plano since 2007 when I purchased a home. I intended on flipping the house but ended up falling in love with it instead.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Life is full of ups and downs, I don’t believe the most wonderful things in life would be as enjoyable without the bad things to give you perspective. Oddly I welcome the bad for that reason, also because there is always something to be learned from the experience. An example; when I was in my 20s I had a car accident and almost lost my right hand, after 2 weeks in the hospital, half a dozen surgeries and over a year of rehabilitation I was able to recover almost completely but that experience taught me how fragile life is and not to take it for granted.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Dwell Roofing & Exteriors?
We have been in business now for over 15 years serving all of DFW and the greater North Texas area, local & family owned.
We specialize in full roofing systems for residential and commercial properties, in addition all other trades on the exterior of a home such as siding, paint, windows, fencing, gutters etc.
We specialize in handling storm related property damage, with our extensive background in insurance we help make sure our customers aren’t taken advantage of especially not that the insurance industry has taken a negative turn regarding coverage.
Our project managers own the job from start to finish, no sales guy followed by a different person managing the project.
We are VERY customer centric, as difficult and disruptive as larger construction projects can be we excel at making it easy on the customer and offer turnkey full service solutions that cover multiple trades.
We are NOT private equity backed.
We are the most rated business on Yelp which is no small feat as every review needs to be verified and unsolicited.
I am most proud of the wonderful support we receive from our customers. There’s a certain amount of fierce loyalty that we get from some of our customers that I never thought would be possible.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Outside immediate friends and family, I have found that the easiest way to find mentors and networking is by having a hobby outside of work. It is very important to break up the week to minimize the monotony of a weekly routine to have some “me time” this helps prevent burnout and provide mental space to organize your thoughts.
Mine is sailing, I originally met a group of guys that race Wednesday nights on Ray Hubbard, it’s not only a lot of fun, but through that I continue to get better, meet a new and diverse group of people and yes, have earned some business from it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dwellroofing.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwellroofing/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DwellRoofing/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dwell-roofing-&-exteriors
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DwellRoofing
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dwell-roofing-and-exteriors-plano
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/dwellroofing/
