Value Added: Wagner Roofings husband-wife team keeps the lid on Washington history

Many entrepreneurs make it a point to keep their business and personal lives separate.

And then theres Sheila and Chuck Wagner.

Sheila is a no-nonsense administrator who is Mrs. Inside to Chucks Mr. Outside at Wagner Roofing, a 100-year-old company specializing in historical preservation. Their division of labor is an example of what happens when a family business gets it right. They built the company into a $12million-a-year enterprise with profit margins easily exceeding 10percent a year.

We complement each other, said Sheila, sitting at her desk in their Hyattsville headquarters. I am behind the scenes helping keep all the parts moving so he can do what he does best, which is seeking out jobs. As someone said, there is nothing without a sale.

Chuck has literally climbed all over the nations past, from the National Cathedral to the Old Post Office and Clock Tower, from Mahan Hall at the United States Naval Academy to Thomas Jeffersons Monticello.

The 71-year-old architecture buff knows the back story to many landmarks. He will tell you a compact car could fit in the gutters on the National Cathedral.

He says its a shame you cant see the stamped copper crests atop the Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall (1929) from the street.

He knows that Georgetowns Tudor Place began with an $8,000 gift from George Washington, and that students at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Kensington lined up to touch the cross before it was hoisted atop its steeple following the 2012 derecho.

We are in the business of preserving history, Chuck said.

Sheila oversees human resources, bookkeeping, billing, scheduling, purchasing and the million-and-one other unglamorous details that make for a successful business.

See the rest here:
Value Added: Wagner Roofings husband-wife team keeps the lid on Washington history