Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Weather in Texas be like....

Winter storm warnings are already in effect for parts of Texas and moving East. Stay warm and safe y'all! 

Elves in Disguise 2013

We are grateful for another year and another opportunity to be a part of a holiday home makeover event for one special family through Elves in Disguise (New Hope Foundation). If you would like to learn more or get involved, you can contact New Hope Foundation through their website at www.newhopefoundation.com.

 

Toys for Tots

Outback Roofing is an official drop off location for Toys for Tots. Bring us your unwrapped toy from now through December 13, 2013. Mention this post and we will match your toy donation, toy for toy!

17618 Davenport Road, Suite 2
Dallas, TX 75252

Fall Family Fun Day

Be sure to bring your family to the Fall Family Fun Day on Saturday, November 9th at First Community Bank in Richardson, TX located at 1755 N. Collins Blvd. We will be there from 10am to 3pm, along with some other great vendors. There will be games and prizes for the kiddos as well as some gift basket give aways for mom & dad!

Safe Room Rebate Program for North Texas

Were you one of the lucky 825 people who were able to submit an application for the Safe Room Rebate Program today? We tried, but unfortunately the portal was already closed by the time we were able to get online.  In a press release issued today, the NCTCOG states they will reopen the portal in approximately two weeks so people can be added to the waiting list. In an interview that Molly Thoerner, the director of emergency preparedness for the North Central Texas Council of Governments, gave on WFAA Channel 8 (click here for video clip), she explained that limited funding is being provided to North Texans and even if you were not able to receive one of the initial rebates, they urge people to get on the waiting list so they can provide information to the state and FEMA to show the demand and hopefully get additional funding for future rebates.

Please help us in spreading the message so we can get as many people as possible on the waiting list so we can help get more funding!

Thanks!

Do you have a Storm Safety Kit ready emergencies?

Take time to prepare a Storm Safety Kit for #TXWX emergencies, a photo by Oncor on Flickr.

It is that time of year when all of the severe storms start rearing their nasty head. Along with a family safety plan it is a good idea to have a storm safety kit prepared. At our house, we keep our "safe closet" cleaned out and ready to use at a moment's notice during storm season. We stock the closet with an extra phone charger (our closet actually has an electrical outlet) along with our helmets, extra water, flashlights and safety kit. There is also a ton of information and informative videos that can be found on the internet on how to stay safe during a severe storm and how to determine the best place to take shelter in your home. We like this entertaining video from The Weather Channel.

We would love to hear what you have done to prepare for severe weather!

Is your business ready for the next generation of consumers?

Recently, a friend shared an article on Facebook about how kids these days (aka Generation Z or digital natives) are determining their social rank, popularity and even self worth by the number of followers, friends, and likes they have compared to their peers on various social media sites such as Facebook & Instagram. As a mother of a tween who is caught up in the throws of social media, the article totally hit home and is something that has been on the back of my mind ever since. (Click here to read article.) While the article didn't really have a concrete solution for parents, it encouraged having meaningful discussions with your children regarding the true valuations of self worth.

 

As logical thinking adults, you and I both know that no amount of friends, likes or followers establishes who you are or determines your self worth over another person. But, like it or not, our children are growing up with this subconscious mindset and it made me start thinking about how it applies in a business context. When these children grow up, graduate college, get a job, buy their first home and become consumers of my service, are they going to determine my worth as a business using these same social media principles? It only seems logical that they will "go with what they know." If that is the case, am I preparing my business now for that new generation of consumers?

 

As a roofing company, I wrestle with what is truly needed in regards to my online and social media presence. I am bombarded daily with offers by companies trying to sell me their service to make sure I am number one on the Internet and in social media. I am not selling an article of clothing that can be easily returned, nor am I trying to get you to come buy a cup of $5 coffee. I am selling a roof. A roof that will protect you, your home and belongings. Even more than that, I am selling you a service. Call me old school, but I do not think the roofing business will ever be totally reduced to online sales. This is a service that relies on me coming face to face with my customers, developing a good relationship, and then  consummating it with a handshake, as antiquated as those have become. As I slowly move into the social media generation (kicking and screaming at times, albeit!), I have come to accept the fact that you have to keep up with the times or you will get left behind. 

So... I sit, read, watch and update. I look at each Facebook like and celebrate over the total amount of likes and follows and lament when there is a lull.  I twit and tweet and pin. I even look at my competitors and colleagues who jumped on the social media bandwagon before me and, despite knowing better, my inner child takes over and questions my self worth against our number of respective likes and followers. Despite all this, I am not too worried. I figure I have a little bit of time before this new Generation Z of digital natives comes knocking on my door needing a roof. In the meantime, I will work on getting those numbers up so I will be ready for them when they do! 

 

Oh, and one more thing before I forget, can you help a mother out and go like my Facebook page!

- Jennifer Crutcher

Jennifer is a licensed insurance adjuster in the state of Texas, a Haag Engineering Certified Residential Roof Inspector and is passionate about consumer protection and education. She works at Outback Roofing, a family owned and locally operated company, where she is responsible for daily office operations. Jennifer resides with her family and two German shepherds in the Dallas area. A little known fact is that she secretly aspires to be an ice dancer!