Gil Olson Raises the Roof: Advanced Roofing Systems Ltd. Celebrates 25 Years By Nerissa McNaughton
G
il Olson knows roofs. Before he founded Advanced Roofing Systems Ltd. in 1989, he was roofing under the direction of an employer. “Knowing him,” laughs Olson’s sales manager, Al Shaw, “he started Advanced Roofing because he has that entrepreneurial spirit. He wants to make things grow and develop.” Olson merely smiles in reply to this compliment, but the evidence speaks for itself. Advanced Roofing has indeed grown and developed, holding steady during times of economic downturn and never lowering the quality of their work during real estate booms. Olson certainly has that entrepreneurial spirit, and some of Edmonton’s most famous roofs proudly support this fact. Like most entrepreneurs, Olson launched his business from his house. Always one to think big, he wasn’t content to confine the business to a spare bedroom or corner of the garage. He converted the front of his house, the living room and the dining room, into his workspace. “I tell people I used
to live at the office,” Olson jokes about those early days. It wasn’t long, however, before Olson was able to reclaim his house space. The business grew quickly and he relocated the base of operations to a building that had office space, bays and a yard. At the present location, Olson had the foresight to purchase an adjacent building as they are rapidly outgrowing their existing space. Once the latest expansion is complete, Advanced Roofing will have more office space and a bigger yard, but thankfully the problem of the yard is easily solved for the time being. “We’ve been very lucky because all of our equipment is being used,” Olson points out. “We aren’t using the yard because all of our equipment is in the field.” Advanced Roofing roofs residential and commercial buildings. That is, when they are not bringing history back to life. In the late 2000s, it was Advanced Roofing that restored the iconic Iron Horse roof. For Olson, this is one of his favourite and most memorable projects to date.
Advanced Roofing Systems Ltd. • 25 Years • Page 1