Sarasota roofing firm provides pick-me-up with crane for water skiing nonprofit

A roofing company was working with its crane on Longboat Key in the weeks after Hurricane Milton when the superintendent received a phone call. It was someone from Ski-A-Rees, the nonprofit that performs water ski shows on City Island, asking if the company could help: The group’s bleachers had been thrown into the water during the hurricane. Could Sutter Roofing help get them out with its crane?

“I heard them talking about it, and they said we’re too busy,” Doug Sutter, president of Sutter Roofing, recalls of his team. It’s true: his Sarasota-based company, with $82.78 million in revenue in 2023, has been on nonstop calls since Hurricane Milton. But he felt strongly that it should lend a hand to a group in need. “I said, ‘That’s a great organization for the community. We’re going to help them out.’ We have the equipment and expertise to do that, so I told them to make it happen, and they made it happen.”

Once Sutter Roofing got the call from the Ski-A-Rees, it took a couple of days to coordinate, according to Sutter. At first, he says, his employees thought they might have to take a swim, but the crane ended up getting the job done. Afterward, he says, the team experienced the gratification that came with providing assistance to an organization in need.

“It feels good to help,” Sutter says. “We want to be a good corporate citizen and take care of things.”

Courtesy image

Ski-A-Rees is a "really good organization," he adds. "I know a lot of people who went through there and sent their kids through there."

Even before Hurricane Milton arrived, the home of the Ski-A-Rees was damaged. During Hurricane Helene, the group’s costume shed was ripped open and outfits strewn across the water and trees, while its clubhouse was deemed a total loss due to storm surge, according to a GoFundMe page the group set up after the Sept. 26 storm. The campaign had raised $1,375 of its $25,000 goal as of Oct. 30.

Less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene left the Ski-A-Rees site in tatters, Hurricane Milton blew through Oct. 9 and tossed the bleachers into the water. The group had to cancel its fall shows as it rebuilds.

"One step at a time, we will get this site fixed back up and ready to perform again soon!" the Ski-A-Rees posted on Facebook Oct. 25, sharing the news of the bleacher rescue.

Courtesy image

Both before and after the storms, Sutter says his company has steered its resources toward local causes.

Prior to Hurricane Milton’s arrival, “we helped out on Siesta Key with a bunch of dumpsters to help get all the debris out of Siesta Key Village,” Sutter says, since there was still much to be picked up from Hurricane Helene. Sutter Roofing also helped with roofing damage at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall and was on-site at the Museum of Science & Industry in Tampa the day after Hurricane Milton because of a roof blowoff, Sutter says.

In the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, Sutter estimates Sutter Roofing has received about 2,000 calls for service. Usually after a big rain event, he says, the commercial roofing company may get 100 calls.

“We’ve added about six trucks since the storm,” he says. “We’re seeing a definite uptick in business. Our service division is super busy. We’re running 40 trucks every day trying to take care of people’s needs. We’re whittling it down.” Tall buildings on the beaches sustained most of the damage from the winds, he says, and his company has been working from Clearwater to Boca Grande on repairs.

Currently, he says the company is booking projects into next year, noting Sutter Roofing was already working on new construction and other jobs when the storms hit. However, he says, his crews will make time to help organizations in the community that are in need.

“If you’re a nonprofit that sustained some damages, we want to help you,” says Sutter. “When the community suffers, we all suffer, so we do what we can to help people out.”