Business View Caribbean | August 2022

93 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 9, ISSUE 8 ROOFTOPS S I L I CONE DI STR I BUTORS INC . that those key elements are on display and that the employees, as well as the clients, come first. With a background in the construction trades and a love of the industry, Bressi took over the reins of Rooftops Silicone Distributors Inc in 2013 after receiving word from his stepmom that the tight-knit family business might be in financial trouble. “In 2010 the economy was very soft here,” Bressi recalls. “We always follow the U.S. about two years behind in everything that happens there. So, if there’s an issue there in 2008, we are going to see it in 2009 or 2010.” Raised in St Croix, US Virgin Islands, Bressi developed a keen recognition of the unique construction issues indigenous to the region by watching the family business and working in odd construction jobs at the tender age of 15 and 16. From then on, he was involved in general construction and building houses and small office buildings. Bressi clarifies, “When I say roofing, I mean we do it like it is supposed to be done. It is done to very high standards. It is not the ‘Chuck in the truck’ guy where there is a toolbox and roller pads and a guy who claims that he can take care of your roofing problem.” Bressi goes on to explain, “We will get a call three years later to fix a problem and just shake our heads, which is, unfortunately, the case because roofing is one of those businesses that you don’t need a lot of startup money to start. But to do the real jobs and really have some juice to back yourself up, you’ve got to have the insurance and you’ve got to have the benefits for the employees, and you’ve got to have all the right things.” Acutely aware that in order to secure the big jobs and keep clients satisfied while living up to the reputation that Rooftops has earned over the years, the company must focus on ensuring