Twin sisters Denise Korinek and Kim Smith have the kind of personalities that fill a room effortlessly. They’re outgoing women who never run out of fun things to say. Some might tell you it takes something pretty big to leave them speechless.
Something roof-sized, you might say.
But when they found out that they were one of the winners of White Castle Roofing’s 2016 Free Roof Rescue, there weren’t words. Just some happy tears.
Oh, there were words later…lots of them. “We were stunned,” Kim said. “Absolutely stunned…amazed…flabbergasted…flummoxed…”
“That’s a good word,” Denise laughed, then added, “AND very blessed.”
White Castle Roofing advertising director Kiley Eaton with Kim and Denise
Blessed is a word the twins use often to describe themselves — evidence of their consistently sunny outlook, despite outward circumstances sometimes pointing a different direction.
Kim and Denise had worked with Subway in the 90s, becoming franchisees in 1997, before taking a leap of faith and opening their own restaurant, Two Twins Cafe, in 2009. For a while, the restaurant enjoyed a bustling following. But eventually, the recession caught up, and the cafe needed to be sold.
Meanwhile, a deteriorating roof was leading to damage in their home — and their health. As their friend (and physician), Dr. Brian Boes, noted, the water damage was a secondary cause of adult-onset asthma symptoms, in addition to the problems it was causing to their house’s structure, leaving the home unable to be insured. But there just wasn’t the money to replace it, and while they have a great circle of friends, the job was too big to tackle without the expertise of a professional. That’s when Dr. Boes heard about White Castle Roofing’s Free Roof Rescue and nominated the twins for a new roof.
“We’re firm believers in paying it forward,” Denise said. “We’ve been lucky enough and fortunate enough to be generous, in the past. We were able to freely give, and be there for people. We’ve gone through a little bit of tough times recently, but our friends have been there for us. And now it’s come full circle. Brian Boes really started the whole ball rolling with White Castle Roofing. And you all did the rest…you selected us as the recipient of this…”
“This fantastic project,” Kim finished.
“This generous project,” Denise said.
Denise shows off the progress being made on the new roof
The Free Roof Rescue is just one way that White Castle Roofing is able to give back — but we like to think it’s full-circle too. We’ve been so blessed by our community, and the amazing people who live in it, who have allowed us to operate and grow tremendously. We believe in operating with integrity, being a company that stands behind our word and our work, one our customers can trust. And like the twins, when our community has supported us and given us the ability to be generous, we believe in paying it forward.
With a new roof, Denise and Kim can have a new insurance policy to cover their home. “And that is peace of mind,” Denise said. “You just never know when catastrophe can hit. Well, look at that hailstorm in May!”
“Praise the Lord for White Castle that offers a tremendous opportunity for those less fortunate in this community that can’t afford to put on a roof,” Kim said. “We’re still amazed that this is happening. It’s like a dream.”
“I don’t know when we would have ever been able to get our roof done,” Denise said. “But there it is! Finished.”
To nominate someone you know for 2017’s Free Roof Rescue, head over to our Community page. You might see or hear our new commercials, featuring Denise and Kim, on local TV and radio — or check them out here!
TV commercial:
Radio commercial – extended edition: