Arry Housh came to the roofing industry in 1978 and worked his way up the ranks to become vice president of operations for a roofing company. In 1989 he left to found Arry’s Roofing in Tarpon Springs, Fla., along with his wife, Becky. Eventually they were joined in the business by their sons Matthew and Stephen. Becky, Matthew and Stephen joined Arry on the stage at Best of Success to share the joys and struggles of running a family business and detail the incentive plan they implemented to help the company gain control over its cash flow. Their presentation was titled “How to Successfully Run a Family-Owned Business — And Incentivize Your Employees.”
“Becky and I started Arry’s Roofing Services Inc. from our home,” Arry recalled. Becky and Arry both came to the business as managers from their previous careers, and they clashed early on. “I had to accept that he was the head of the company and the final decision maker,” recalled Becky. Arry’s Roofing soon evolved from a sole proprietorship to a family business. Early on, Arry knew he had an important decision to make for the future of the company. Would they develop a succession plan or exit strategy? “We had the talk early, as the boys were teenagers at the time,” said Becky. “This allowed us the opportunity to plan for this over the next few years.” Arry outlined the benefits of a family-owned business, including the ability to build long-term partnerships with suppliers, vendors and customers. As a family, they could more easily join forces to form a singular company voice — and develop a clear succession plan.