Not one time did I have a problem with my back, which surprised me because of the long hours and the sleeping conditions.

A lot of the people that were down there had never even worked on a roof before, had never touched a shingle in their entire life. Yet here they were with bloody knuckles from tearing shingles and they're up there with a smile on their face. We were all sore, getting up at 6 a.m. and going out to work, and there wasn't a single complaint.

Donna's mom paid for airfare and a rental car; it would have been a two-day drive. I decided to fly because I wanted to be in good shape to work when I got there. I'm glad I did because flying into the area gave us a great vantage point.

We fixed 10 roofs while we were there; that was the most any crew has completed to this point. We were pretty proud of ourselves until we looked at the area from the air and realized it's still just a drop in a five-gallon bucket.

The defining factor should be a supplier's ability to eliminate or reduce downtime, which is the biggest cost factor for a contractor.

Everyone has the same basic equipment and qualified people, more or less. The service level is what sets companies apart.