Tag Archive for: Jacob Law

Stonewater Scholarship Awarded To 10 High School Seniors

For the third straight year, the Stonewater Roofing Scholarship is helping high school seniors inch closer toward achieving their dreams. This time, a total of 10 graduating students from DFW to Arkansas each received $1,000 prizes. This is the most number of students that Stonewater has ever awarded in a single year.

It’s time to meet the 2023 Stonewater Roofing Scholarship winners!


Arianna Medina

Arianna Medina: Arianna is a senior at Georgetown High School and the first winner from the Central Texas area. She plans to study psychology at UT San Antonio in the fall. Having volunteered at child advocacy centers and seeing the mental struggles that some kids face, she strives to help children get through the difficult times in their lives. Arianna also leads an organization called The Locker which helps provide school supplies to young students, much like Stonewater’s own #ClearTheList initiative.


Carson Wallace

Carson Wallace: Carson attends Spring Hill High School in Longview and wants to pursue a career in education. He is an avid reader and lifelong learner, but he struggles with ADHD. He is thankful for the teachers in his life who recognized his difficulties early on and helped him overcome them. Carson now wants to follow in their footsteps and inspire future students to become the very best version of themselves.


Cooper Madden

Cooper Madden: Cooper is the first homeschooled student to win the Stonewater Roofing Scholarship, and he plans to attend LeTourneau University in Longview this fall. Cooper’s family has always had an interest in business, and this Carthage student is no different. In fact, he told his story to Stonewater from the perspective of a roofing salesman, knocking on doors and asking to check the roof for scholarship opportunities. Very clever, Cooper!


Dylan Rose

Dylan Rose: Dylan is the first student outside of Texas to be awarded a Stonewater Roofing Scholarship. He attends Ashdown High School in Arkansas, and he will be going to UT Austin later this year to study computational engineering. His love for nature brought him to a love for math and science. He wants to develop new methods of clean, renewable energy, all in an effort to help protect the environment that he loves so dearly.


Hailey Pitman

Hailey Pitman: Hailey is a senior at Longview High School and will be heading to Kilgore College this fall to study kinesiology. She has been an athlete and dancer throughout her early years, but often struggled with injuries that kept her sidelined. She now wants to help other athletes prevent such injuries, or continue past them. Her greatest dream is to one day be an athletic trainer for the Dallas Cowboys.


Ivy Brackeen

Ivy Brackeen: Ivy will be attending Southwestern University in Georgetown after graduating from Lindale High School. While she appreciates art in all forms — and even made her own a Stonewater Roofing painting — her ultimate goal is to become a stop motion animator. On top of that, Ivy is also studying ASL and doing work within the deaf community to help them gain a greater appreciation of the visual arts.


Juliana Cueva

Juliana Cueva: Juliana has big goals after she graduates from Palestine High School. First, she’s going to Oklahoma State to get a medical degree in dermatology. Then, she wants to return to Palestine and open the town’s first dermatology practice. She also wants to take her skills beyond borders, volunteering in places where medical care is not readily available. Juliana had alopecia as a child, and just wants to help others to feel confident in their own skin.


Maliyah Ransom

Maliyah Ransom: This senior from Trinity High School in Euless suffers from Crohn’s disease, and spent much of her younger years in and out of hospitals. That inspired Maliyah to pursue architecture at Prairie View A&M in hopes of designing children’s hospitals. She wants to make medical care less frightening and more fun for kids. In her free time, Maliyah appreciates artwork. She loves to paint and design her own clothing.


Savannah Solis

Savannah Solis: Savannah’s been an exemplary student at Chapel Hill High School in Tyler, and has a long list of achievements that make her stand out from the crowd. However, the one thing that few other kids can say is that she wrote a children’s book at just 15 years old. (You can order it on Amazon!) Savannah respects police officers and their families, and has dedicated her life to thanking law enforcement for their service. She will be studying criminal justice at UT Tyler in the fall.


Tyler Galbraith

Tyler Galbraith: Tyler has a deep appreciation for the sky, both meteorology and astronomy. Much like a roof, he thinks that it is taken for granted, and only acknowledged during severe storms. That is why, after graduating from Tyler Legacy High School, he will be attending Texas A&M Corpus Christi to study atmospheric science. Tyler wants to continue learning about the sky, the weather, and anything else going on above our heads.


Seniors were asked to submit short videos outlining their plans after graduation, the inspiration for choosing that path, and what the scholarship would mean to them and their family. This year, Stonewater Roofing expanded the contest area into new markets including Texarkana and Austin. Dozens of students shared their stories.

“We were thrilled to be able to open up this scholarship opportunity to more students in more areas,” added Stonewater Roofing COO and co-owner Jacob Law. “We awarded prizes to kids in Georgetown and Arkansas, and even our first homeschooler. It’s the most students we’ve ever awarded at one time, and we hope to continue expanding even further in the future.”

Stonewater Roofing is very active in the communities that we call home, and encouraging students and educators is particularly special for our team. In addition the annual scholarship, the company runs a #ClearTheList contest each year to help teachers get the supplies that they need for their classrooms.

“There are so many ways that we could give back to the community. We hear from organizations every day,” Law continued. “And while we wish we could help everyone, we really strive to invest in the future, invest in some really bright students, and invest in the resources that help educate them.”

Stonewater Roofing is thankful to GAF, ABC Supply, and the other partners who helped make this year’s scholarship possible. We would also like to thank the schools and educators who shared the Stonewater Roofing Scholarship information with their senior class. And, of course, a huge thank you to the students who took the time to submit videos. We love hearing your stories, and it is such a pleasure to meet so many inspiring young individuals.

Stonewater Helps 12 Teachers Get Classroom School Supplies

Stonewater Roofing continued its late summer tradition this year by hand-delivering overloaded boxes of school supplies to East Texas teachers as part of the company’s #ClearTheList campaign. This marks the fourth year that the roofing company has given back to area educators by buying up items on their classroom wish lists.

This was Stonewater Roofing’s biggest school supply drop yet with a total of 12 teachers receiving stacks of books, games, paints, and other learning tools. More than 450 items were delivered to campuses, elementary to high school, from the Longview area to the DFW area.

In order to be considered for the contest, applicants were asked to submit a short video explaining why they — or the teacher who they were nominating — deserved to have their classroom wish list cleared. The following list of winners were selected from those video submissions.

  • Deedra Evans, Cheney Hills Elementary School in Richland Hills
  • Yessenia Hernandez, East Side Elementary School in Jacksonville
  • Michelle Hill, Pine Tree Primary School in Longview
  • Sara Loredo, Three Lakes Middle School in Tyler
  • Katie Martin, Jacksonville Middle School in Jacksonville
  • Jenelle McClure, E.J. Moss Intermediate School in Lindale
  • Lauren Moore, Hallsville East Elementary School in Hallsville
  • Stephen Niedrauer, Tyler High School in Tyler
  • Ashley Poeschl, Stanton-Smith Elementary School in Whitehouse
  • Tracee Pouliasis, Truman W. Smith Children’s Care Center in Gladewater
  • Shannon Stewart, Boles Junior High School in Arlington

Each teacher had a special story to share with the Stonewater Roofing team. For instance, Hill is a first-year kindergarten teacher after changing careers following a battle with cancer. McClure feels teaching’s financial burden twice as hard each year, because her husband is also an educator in Lindale. Pouliasis works at the only facility in Texas that teams with a public school district to provide in-house education to children suffering from congenital disorders or debilitating injuries.

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In addition to those lucky educators, Stonewater Roofing also helped out a member of its own family. Megan Henley is a fourth grade teacher at Bullard Elementary School in Bullard, and the wife of Stonewater Roofing safety manager Rick Henley. “While the contest was being held, we found out about Meg’s own classroom needs,” said COO and co-owner Jacob Law. “It only made sense to help her out as well, and we did so with funds separate from the contest to make sure that it didn’t take away from any of our applicants.”

The #ClearTheList movement began as a social media effort to help educators get necessary school supplies. School districts are unable to keep up with this demand, which forces teachers to purchase materials for their students using money from their own pockets. Many teachers started relying on the kindness of online strangers, posting their Amazon wish lists on social media with the #ClearTheList hashtag. The campaign quickly went viral.

Stonewater Roofing employees delivered all of the school supplies to the winners in the first few weeks of August, just in time for the start of the 2022-2023 school year.

Longview Voters Choose Stonewater As “Best Of East Texas”

The votes are in, and Longview News-Journal readers selected Stonewater Roofing as Best Roofing Company in the newspaper’s annual “Best of East Texas” competition. This marks the 30th year for the honor and the first time that Stonewater has taken the top prize.

The “Best of East Texas” competition recognizes local businesses across all industries including retail, dining, and home services. In order to even be considered for the contest, companies had to first be recommended by their customers during a month-long nomination phase. Then, the top three companies in each industry were put into another month-long vote. Winners were chosen for each category by the newspaper’s readers.

Best Of East Texas 2022

“It was an honor just to be nominated, and everyone at Stonewater is extremely grateful to now win,” stated COO and co-owner Jacob Law. “We certainly owe this award to our customers, both past and present, who cared enough to make their voices heard. It speaks to the quality of our work and the relationships that we build, that people actually want to spread the word.”

“We do things the right way,” continued Law. “We’re honest. We’re reliable. Our customers really want to recommend us to their friends and strangers alike.” In fact, Stonewater Roofing has more than 600 positive reviews across their locations in Longview, Tyler, and Bedford.

So, if you need someone to help with your roof, it makes sense to choose the one that your neighbors love — the only one that has been voted “Best of East Texas.” We’ve got offices in Austin, Nacogdoches, Texarkana, Longview, Tyler, and Bedford! Contact the local experts at Stonewater Roofing for a free damage assessment, or request a free energy assessment to find out how you can save money by switching to solar.

Stonewater Employee Proves Roofing Industry Isn’t Just A Man’s World

The construction industry is often thought of as a boys club. Jobs are typically filled by tough guys with muscles like superheroes. But don’t tell that to Tayler Burkett. As one of Stonewater Roofing’s new project managers, she is proving that roofing is no longer a man’s world.

“I’ve had people tell me that this is a man’s job and ask me if I was ready for what I was getting myself into,” said Burkett from her latest project site, a home in an exclusive east Tyler subdivision. “I don’t think that females come short of many things. We’re as capable as men.”

“I think anybody can do anything that they set their mind to,” Burkett added.

More than a thousand people across the country agree with Burkett and have joined National Women in Roofing, an organization created to help advance the careers of women in the roofing industry. Stonewater Roofing has been approved as a company that supports females.

The coronavirus pandemic pushed Burkett out of restaurant management and forced her to explore other options. With some encouragement from friends, she decided to try something completely different. Burkett joined the Stonewater Roofing team in May. “I just took a leap of faith and went with it,” she said. “I love Stonewater, so it’s somewhere to make a career.”

“Stonewater does pride itself on its diversity,” explained COO and co-owner Jacob Law. Indeed, the company includes employees from various backgrounds. “We’ve got a lot of women and men in the same roles, project management, office staff and otherwise. What it does for us is it just creates a whole and cohesive team.

“We just want to make sure we have the right people in the right positions, regardless of exactly where they come from. Whether they be male or female,” Law continued, “we want to make sure we have the right person in the position that’s going to be able to serve the company’s needs, but also take care of our customers. We don’t really care who that is, as long as they can get the job done and get it done right.”

The project manager must be able to effectively communicate with both the property owner and the construction crew, ensuring that everything is done the Stonewater way. “I don’t see any difference with a woman or a man out here as a project manager, as long as they’re authoritative,” said CCO Shay Burton. “It’s all about getting your crew’s respect.”

“They work well together and I work well with them,” Burkett said of her crew. “We’re all in the same team, working toward the end goal, which is making the customer happy, doing things the Stonewater way, always following the same guidelines no matter male or female.”

Burton agrees. “Tayler’s doing good,” he said. “There’s still things she’s going to learn along the way. We expect everybody to do that. But she’s calling, she’s asking questions, she’s getting her hands dirty, she’s getting in there with the crew, elbows deep. Couldn’t ask for anything else.”

Yes, You Have To Pay Your Deductible For Roofing Claims

Do you have to pay your insurance deductible? It is a question that confuses many homeowners, and Stonewater Roofing hears it often. In nearly every situation, the answer is yes.

Most people have not needed to make a roofing or home repair claim with their insurance company, but may have done so with their car insurance. It’s a very similar process. You have a set deductible for your car insurance. Then, when you get into a fender bender, you can take your car to the shop. You pay your deductible, the shop fixes your car, and you get your car back.

The same thing occurs with the roofing insurance claim process.

In most states, including Texas, homeowners are required to pay that deductible. However, many roofing companies will offer to absorb the cost. This is illegal. You should not trust a company that is breaking the law.

But also, if a company does not ask you to pay your deductible, where does that money go? It is likely coming out of the materials or the quality of the roof that they are installing on your home. “You want to be careful with your contractors,” stated Stonewater Roofing COO and co-owner Jacob Law. “Make sure that everybody is doing things above board and the correct way, not only by you, but also the insurance company and state regulations.”

Most contractors understand how a deductible payment can impact a family after a storm. They will likely offer financing options to cover the deductible and minimize the hardship.

In summary, yes, your deductible does need to be paid. Make sure that you hire a contractor who understands this and can guide you through the process the correct way.

Stonewater Uses Only The Best Roofing Materials From GAF

Do not get sold by sales tricks. Choose a company that uses only the best materials from GAF, the nation’s largest roofing manufacturer.

Go ahead and ask your roofing contractor if they are going to use GAF materials. See if they don’t try to sell you on something that is supposedly “better” (actually just cheaper for them). If they are using GAF materials, be sure to find out if your roof will have a full GAF system: synthetic underpayment (not black felt paper), real starter shingles, leak barrier protection and attic ventilation.

If it is not a full GAF system, you will not get the GAF Wind Proven Warranty of unlimited wind speeds.

“You may also want to inquire how you can get a 10-year or even a 25-year labor warranty,” added Stonewater Roofing co-owner and COO Jacob Law. “Unfortunately, most will not be authorized to offer it to you.”

When you choose Stonewater Roofing, the full GAF system is standard. If your project is an insurance claim, we only require that you follow the law and pay your deductible. You will receive the full GAF system at no extra cost.

Together with GAF, Stonewater Roofing helps you protect what matters most!

Stonewater Remains Open To Serve Your Home & The Community

East Texas officials have been forced to take drastic action in an attempt to prevent the coronavirus outbreak from spreading even further. Longview and all of Gregg County are under a ‘stay-at-home’ order until at least April 9, and now Tyler and Smith County join that order until at least April 10.

“The purpose of this order is to further protect the health, safety and welfare of Smith County,” said Judge Nathaniel Moran.

This means that non-essential businesses (retailers, salons, theaters, gyms and more) will be closed until the order is lifted, while only essential businesses (grocery stores, pharmacies, service providers, banks and more) will remain open. Smith County created an infographic to show citizens the difference between essential and non-essential businesses.

Smith County Infographic: Essential Vs. Non-Essential

(Click To Make Larger)

We are proud to assure you that Stonewater Roofing is deemed an essential business, as we work to protect you and your property from the elements. This means that roof work will continue uninterrupted with both new and existing customers. However, with offices in Tyler and Longview, we will not be visiting homes or commercial properties for door-to-door sales purposes.

But there is still an innovative way for you to get a new roof on your home or business while the order is in effect. Remote Roofing by Stonewater allows you to communicate with us via text message and video conferencing, receive and sign digital documents, and make payments using our secure online portal. Should you choose, the whole process can be done without ever opening your door. It’s simple and safe, and now is the perfect time to consider using this option.

“Our office is going to be reducing staff and following CDC guidelines to keep ourselves and our clients safe, but all offices remain open at this time,” stated Stonewater Roofing COO and co-owner Jacob Law. “Don’t be afraid to reach out to us if you’re having a problem. We are allowed to move around and take care of you, and we can do that safely.”

In addition to the roofing service that we provide to homes and businesses throughout East Texas, we at Stonewater Roofing also strive to give back to our community. With that in mind, we are exploring numerous ways to help out area senior citizens and others who may be struggling to survive this crisis. “We’ve got a few things lined up that we’ll be actively doing to assist our community,” Law added.

This is an uncertain time, and nobody can definitively say how long it might continue. But it is important to remember that we are all in this together, and Stonewater is here for you.

This article was originally published on March 27, 2020.

Elementary Drumline To Play At Texas Revolution Game

Indoor football fans at the Texas Revolution game in Frisco on April 14 will also enjoy a rousing performance by the Caldwell Arts Academy drumline. “We love showcasing our students and the talents they have,” explained Bobby Markle, principal of the Tyler Independent School District campus.

The drumline is even more impressive because it is made up entirely of elementary students.

In fact, the Caldwell kids are the first competitive elementary school drumline in East Texas. “We were looking for outlets for these kids to perform. Elementary drumlining is not a big thing in Texas. It’s usually reserved for middle schools and high schools,” Markle said. “These are not just elementary students who picked up percussion and are going to struggle through cadences. These kids really have a God-given talent.”

That talent is now taking the Caldwell drumline to Stonewater Roofing Field at the Ford Center in Frisco, home of the Dallas Cowboys and home field for the Texas Revolution indoor football team. The Revs square off against the Amarillo Venom at 1:00 PM on Sunday, April 14, with the pint-sized drummers as featured entertainers.

The Ford Center and Stonewater Roofing Field welcome Texas Revolution fans to Frisco.

“Our kids get to perform on some pretty big stages just because of what our school does, but there’s not a bigger stage than where they are going on Sunday,” Markle added. “These kids will surprise a lot of those audience members. These kids are kids, don’t get me wrong, but they are professionals.”

The afterschool drumline program began with some parents who had experience in percussion and wanted to share their own talents with the younger generation. “At the time, we were having some discipline issues and issues with engagement. I thought, what a great outlet for young men to be able to beat on something. They want to do it anyway,” recalled Markle. “Once we got started, it just took off and has really been a robust program for us that will continue not only as a drumline, but as a part of our percussion curriculum.”

Stonewater Roofing COO Jacob Law (a former drum major) and CMO Trent Spradlin (a former drum captain) contributed educational and financial resources to the program. Spradlin is also one of the drumline directors. Students practice two days each week, learning discipline and character development, along with a little bit of rhythm.

“I just think communities need to be engaged in things that are positive,” Markle said. “We run into a lot of distractions in our communities around differences and things like that. But you get these kids on a drumline and see all the adults and children watching, smiling… that’s what community is about. It’s about the great things in your community, and this drumline is one of them.”

Elementary Kids Prepare For Drumline Competition

A growing East Texas company is encouraging growth of the arts in the Tyler Independent School District. The Caldwell Arts Academy Drumline is the first competitive elementary school drumline in East Texas. Students from first through sixth grade auditioned for the group and are gearing up for competitions in early 2019.

Stonewater Roofing, a Tyler based commercial and residential roofing company, has a special appreciation for these types of programs. COO Jacob Law (former John Tyler High School Drum Major) and VP of Communications Trent Spradlin (former Robert E. Lee Drum Captain) have contributed financial and educational resources to the organization.

Directed by Spradlin and Travis Sutphen, students practice two days each week learning discipline, character development and a little bit of rhythm.

Spradlin hopes that the district sees the benefits, internally and externally, that this program provides, and expects similar programs to develop over the coming years.

If it weren’t for the support and flexibility of Stonewater Roofing, the program would not be at the level it is at currently. With the growth of the company, Stonewater Roofing will continue to provide support for groups like the Caldwell Drumline, not only here in Tyler, but in all of their service areas throughout Texas.

A version of this article originally appeared on KLTV’s website.

City Limits Apartments Residents Happy With New Roof

The weather in Texas can change in a minute, and it is often unforgiving. Powerful wind gusts. Hailstones that are the size of baseballs. A violent tornado. The remnants of a Gulf Coast hurricane. No matter what Mother Nature is throwing your way, safety is the top priority.

Few people understand this better than the owners of multi-family dwellings.

That is why Stonewater Roofing is proud to have just completed a project at the City Limits Apartments in far north Dallas. The residents of this 406-unit complex can rest easy, knowing that they are well protected from the harshest elements that Texas has to offer.

“One thing Stonewater brings to the table with these multi-families is our knowledge of the industry,” said COO Jacob Law, adding that the company is able to make sure that projects are not only done properly, but also smoothly. “We want to make sure that things go on as smooth as possible on a day-to-day basis.”

“These apartment complexes are going to stand for a while,” Law continued, “and they’re going to need to satisfy their residents.” Those living in the three-story Dallas apartment buildings seem to be quite pleased with the results.

“We had a resident come out today, and she said she’s been living in this particular apartment complex over 10 years. She’s a home nurse. She came out to thank us,” Law recalled. “She’s needed to get in and out of the apartment with her client a few times, and our guys have been there to assist.”

But it’s not just Stonewater Roofing that had the woman and others smiling. “The residents here seem to be pretty happy,” Law said, “that not only we’re out here doing it, but that the owners took the time and investment to make this property better.”

Stonewater Roofing works closely with property owners and insurance companies to make sure that multi-family buildings like this get the proper roof installed by highly-skilled and experienced professionals, all at an affordable cost.