MISSOULA — Many homes suffered roof damage by the windstorm that hit Missoula on July 24. Now, thanks to a local roofing company, one Missoula veteran is able to get a new roof — at no cost.
“Our insurance only paid for about a third of what this roof would have cost. So I had to come up with the balance” said retired U.S. veteran Lawerence Hauglum who lives in Missoula.
Missoula-based Mighty Dog Roofing was able to give Hauglum a new roof after the windstorm left it in need of replacement. It's something that they were more than happy to do.
“At Mighty Dog Roofing, one of our core values is community and we don't want to just be a business that's within the community that just, you know, just does jobs and brings in money and does that. We want to make sure we're giving back out to the community as well," company owner Nick Whitehead said.
"We've got four veterans that work for me, including myself that, that's just a soft spot in our heart. We like to be able to take care of our veteran communities, especially older veterans that are retired on fixed incomes, anything we can do to help them out, you know, that's what we want to do,” Whitehead told MTN.
For Lawerence — who also goes by Larry — Mighty Dog Roofing giving him a new roof was something that came as a surprise.
“I was never expecting it, but I'm grateful for it. And it's probably the second-best thing that's happened to me in my life. So the first thing was when I married my wife 57 years ago. Then I get this” chuckled Hauglum.
Helping a veteran hits a personal spot for Mighty Dog Roofing, as each year they seek out a veteran to give a roof to.
“It's great as a veteran myself. I like to give back to other veterans that we can. Larry had some storm damage and with the insurance company — with the policy that he had — wasn't going to cover everything for him. So we're stepping in. Owens Corning is providing the shingles for us, we’re providing the labor and he's going to get a beautiful roof that will last forever, or for a long time” remarked Whitehead.
“It's come full circle and I really appreciate it. This is like I say, the second best thing that's ever happened to me” said Hauglum.
The new roof comes just in time for the winter and provides much-needed help to a veteran who otherwise may not have been able to afford it.
