Boren Roofing stays on top

Boren Roofing has been in business since 1954 — and in Iola since 1990. 

The roofing company, begun by Ron Boren’s father, is “A family enterprise,” Ron’s wife Katy Boren said. “We hope it’s here for generations to come,” she noted. Sons Cory and Dillon and daughter Raven also work there, ensuring that dream is on track. “It’s one of the things we feel most blessed about,” Katy added, “That our children are right here with us in the company.”

Boren’s is the only commercial roofing company in Iola, the family said. They moved the business from Eureka in 1990 after doing a number of jobs here after a fierce hail storm.

The Borens “were impressed with how well the town was kept up,” Katy said. “Our family was growing and it looked like Iola was, too.” 

To protect against storms, Boren’s offers Class 4 hail-resistant shingles, use of which may provide homeowners with a discount on their insurance, Ron noted. Other shingles — especially composite roofing — is fire resistant. That, too, can lower homeowner insurance costs, Ron said.

The Borens understand their materials and methods thoroughly.

Some roofs — installed by Boren’s more than 30 years ago — are still in good shape, Ron said.

One product, Tamko Awaplan, is known for such longevity. “It’s a modified granular surface sheet roofing,” Ron explained, used for commercial buildings.

“We’re approved by the manufacturers for both commercial and residential roofing projects,” Katy added.

Manufacturer approval is also required before a company can offer product warranties, she added, which Boren’s does.

“We try to stay abreast of all the new applications and products,” Katy said. “But you have to hold to industry standards.”

Newer products carried by Boren’s include “green” roofing materials — those made of recycled materials. 

Luigi Italian clay tile and concrete tile are other options, as is faux slate — which weighs much less than the real thing, allowing the look of stone without having to shore up one’s rafters, Ron said.

In addition, new hanging methods allow the use of true slate tile without much rafter reinforcement, Katy said.

The family also installs tin roofs, which many believe last longer than shingles, Katy said, but they do so using standing seams only, Ron noted. “With screw-down roofs, everywhere you have a screw you have a leak,” he said.

For commercial applications, Katy said the best choice is modified roofing. 

“Modified roofing has a polyester mat embedded in it,” she explained. “It expands and contracts with the changing weather and temperatures we have in Southeast Kansas,” making a more durable roof, she said.

Boren’s Roofing has roofed Neosho Memorial Hospital in Chanute as well as “a lot of schools and churches” in the area, Katy said.

“We constantly advocate working locally because that’s how you grow a community,” she observed. “You invest in the future for your children and their children.”

For do-it-yourselfers as well as anyone remodeling or clearing out a home, the Borens rent industrial-size rolling dumpsters. The containers are delivered to and picked up from a site, saving a homeowner countless trips to the landfill.

“It’s a convenience,” Katy said.

Boren’s Roofing, at 306 N. State St., is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The office is closed from noon to 1 p.m. for lunch. Call Boren’s at 365-7663 (ROOF).