About Us
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Our Story
Rice Roofers was founded in 1979 by John Stroman, a native Houstonian born and raised in the city. John received a full athletics (football) scholarship at Rice University and graduated in May 1979. John and his brothers put a roof on their Aunt Judy’s house in the summer of 1979. The excellent work done by John and his siblings was noted by Aunt Judy’s neighbors, resulting in a snowball effect that led to the formation of Rice Roofers.
Rice Roofers accomplished the majority of their work on weekends, school vacations, and summer breaks after accepting a coaching position at Kinkaid in the fall of 1979. During the summers, Stroman stated he would hire several Kinkaid teachers and students.
Customers seemed to be waiting in line to have their roofs installed at Rice Roofers, although Stroman conceded that this did not last long. That’s when John Stroman started driving around Houston looking for houses with older-appearing roofs and knocking on their doors. Stroman claimed to have had some success with jobs ranging from $2,000.00 to $3,000.00 (remember, this was back in the early 1980s).
“I knocked on the door, and a woman dressed in English-style horse-riding clothes answered,” Stroman continued, describing a deal he remembered landing in the Tanglewood area in 1981. “Really?” she exclaimed when I informed her she required a new roof. “All right, how much is it?” I climbed up on her roof, measured it by hand, and returned to my truck to calculate a price for her. I went back to her house and knocked again, telling her that the cost of fixing her roof would be roughly $5,000.00. “All right!” she murmured, shrugging her shoulders. “Let’s go!” Stroman remembered this contract because he said it was one of the bigger ones he’d ever landed! Keep in mind that $5,000.00 was not a small sum in 1981.
Stroman chose to broaden his horizons by engaging in general building and rehabbing of both residential and commercial properties because business was consistent, and he trusted the individuals he had working for him. Rice Roofers has been at this location since 1981 when John Stroman renovated the warehouse offices where we conduct our business.
In 1984, Stroman decided to redirect his energy to Rice Roofers and devote his full attention to the project. He began placing advertisements in local newspapers and circulars. He put an advertisement in the Bellaire Texan, as seen in articles starting in 1985 until their last issue in July of 1990, and the Green Sheet. Stroman has also advertised in the Village News & Southwest News.
Rice Roofers has become a company unlike any other here in Houston, Texas. John Stroman created a business that gives their customers peace of mind knowing their home and their loved ones are safe. “When Quality Counts” has been Rice Roofers’ slogan, and it does not need to be explained. When customers call Rice Roofers, they know they are getting a quality product installed, and the quality of workmanship will match.
In 1990, John Stroman began to consider expanding his roofing company. That’s when he got in touch with Bob Coale Jr. through a connection he had while coaching at Kinkaid. Coale Roofing and Distributing Firm, a Houston roofing company, founded in 1927, was founded by Bob Coale Jr.
In late 1990, John and Bob met. Stroman made Coale an offer because he wanted to buy Coale Roofing and Distributing Company. Following Bob’s acceptance of the offer, lawyers were hired to draught contracts, meetings were held to negotiate the details, and papers were signed. John never heard from Bob Coale Jr. after submitting the completed contracts in 1990. Bob Coale Jr. may have developed “COALE-feet.” However, in late 1994, Bob reached out and wanted to make a deal.
In 1995, John Stroman bought Coale Roofing and Distributing Company, which had been in business since 1927, and renamed it Coale Roofing, Inc. John Stroman was the owner and president of Rice Roofers and Coale Roofing Inc. until June 2020. John Stroman built a company, made a lot of money in most years, used those profits to buy another roofing company, and now he’s sold both of them to Cesar Alvarez, the current owner.
Hannah Stroman Bray, John’s youngest daughter, is grateful for a wonderful and inspiring father who taught her so much. I am a proud employee of the family-owned and run Rice Roofers as the current Office Manager.
Why Choose Us
Seasoned Experts
Our team consists of multi-family employees that have proven their reliability over the past decade.
Customer Satisfaction
Our roof specialists work one-on-one with their customers from start to finish. We follow a customer-centric approach!
Competitive Warranties
Limited Lifetime Material Warranty paired with a 10-year or 25-year workmanship warranty.
Premium Quality
In order to meet our client’s needs and ensure the quality of our work, we provide a final roof inspection after installation.
Insured Roofers
To secure the safety of our customer’s home and our employees, we carry General Liability insurance as well as Worker’s Compensation insurance.
