Meet the Team

Michael Chan is a founding member of The Durable Slate Company and has played a pivotal role in its growth and development since its inception. With decades of leadership in historic preservation and traditional roofing, Michael has guided the company through numerous award-winning projects.

His dedication to preserving historic craftsmanship and fostering innovation has made the company a national leader in restoration.

John is a nationally recognized expert in historic roofing and a passionate advocate for preserving traditional roofing methods. He started slate, tile and copper roofing at The Durable Slate Company while on college summer breaks in 1986 and joined the company full-time in 1989 after graduating from UCLA. After working through the ranks in the field, he became a principal of the company in 1992. In 1996, he relocated to open the Cincinnati branch, then went on to open the New Orleans branch in 2006. During this time, he worked on over 10,000 slate and tile roofs all over the United States and Europe.

John’s expertise in slate and cooper roofing has led to his role as a board member of the National Slate Association. He also served as the organization’s president from 2012-2018, tripling the typical term limit for the position. Over the years, his lectures and educational outreach have influenced best practices across the industry.

Gary started his career at Durable Slate in 1989 working in the field. He became a distinguished artisan and earned numerous accolades throughout the years, including the Builder’s Exchange Craftsmanship Award in 1995. Having held numerous technical positions in the company, Gary was able to master the Durable Way and rose to the level of Executive Vice President of Operations in the company.

With over three decades of experience, Gary is a master craftsman and a nationally recognized leader in historic preservation. He is on the National Roof Contractors Association’s Board of Directors and serves on their Government Relations, Residential Contractors, and Global Strategy Committees. Gary is also Chairman of the Board, serves on the Education and training Committee, and is a registered training instructor for the Slate Roofing Contractors Association. He has also been certified to purchase and install historical mortars provided by the US Heritage group.

As President of Durable Slate, Gary ensures that Durable Slate’s projects adhere to the highest standards of craftsmanship and preservation excellence. In 2025, he became a principal of the company.

Joe has been with The Durable Slate Company since 2004, bringing a wealth of expertise in safety management. Certified in OSHA compliance, fall protection, and scaffolding safety, Joe has developed and implemented comprehensive safety protocols that ensure a secure working environment across all project sites. His leadership has been instrumental in maintaining the company’s exemplary safety record.

Michelle officially joined Durable Slate in 2002, but her journey at the company started much earlier. She began stuffing envelopes as a kid and in high school, she distributed flyers on the weekends. After becoming a full-time employee, she assisted with calls in the estimating department and eventually became the Director of Production. In her current role as AVP of Administration, she oversees the hiring of all new staff and ensures that employees are maintaining a high standard of quality in their work. She also is Co-Chair for National Women in Roofing’s Columbus Ohio Council.

For over 30 years, Jodi has proven herself to be an asset to the Durable Slate team. As Assistant Vice President of Estimating & Sales, she targets, oversees, and coordinates the estimating and sales for the company with the goal of expansion.

Julie Butler, who has been with The Durable Group since 2016, combines a strong academic background with hands-on preservation experience. Holding bachelor’s degrees in Historic Preservation and History, along with a Master of Arts in Historic Preservation,Julie has contributed to high-profile projects such as the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and World Heritage Sites like St. Trophime Cathedral. Her expertise in quality control, material conservation, and extreme weather adaptations makes her a leader in the field. As of 2023, Julie also serves on the board for Preservation Maryland.

Shane began his extensive career in the construction business in 1994, joining The Durable Slate Company in 2001 as a foreman. He worked his way up to AVP of Quality Control and was later promoted to International Sewnior Project Manager.

With over two decades of experience, Shane has mastered the crafts of masonry, slate, tile, and sheet metal restoration. His commitment to excellence and creative problem-solving has earned him leadership over many complex restoration projects, and he has consulted for and worked on thousands of historic buildings, including churches, lighthouses, museums, statehouses, and more. Shane’s ability to balance client needs with preservation goals makes him an indispensable member of our team.

Mark started at Durable Slate in 2003 as a field team member. As Assistant Vice President of Quality Control, Mark directs the training of new employees and ensures that staff are qualified for their positions.

Ryan started in the field at Durable Slate in 1997. His exceptional workmanship over the years allowed him to advance to the Branch Manager position.

Justin started his career at The Durable Slate Company in 1999 as a roofing apprentice. With over 20 years of experience and extensive training that has touched all our disciplines, Justin is an invaluable member of The Durable Group’s management team.

His leadership training and thorough knowledge of our roofing and restoration services led him to his position as Branch Manager for our field office in New Orleans, Louisiana and our Mid-Atlantic office in Savage, Maryland.

Throughout his career, Justin has spent considerable time traveling the United States, helping to establish The The Durable Group’s reputation as the nation’s premier slate, tile and copper roofing contractor and historic masonry & stone preservation and restoration company.

The Durable Way is our company philosophy and you'll find it posted in every branch office. More than a motto, it reiterates our commitment to timeless roofing work, customer satisfaction, employee advancement, and market growth. That's a lot, but it can be summarized easily: "A thing worth doing is worth doing well." We apply that idea to everything: every blueprint, every copper nail, every leaky chimney job. Everything we do benefits from that clarity of purpose.

That's what it takes to make an exceptional roof: conscientious employees with world-class training, using proper tools, to transform the best materials into a roofing system that will survive a century (or longer).

Our Assessment, action planning, and implementation strategies are unique to historic roof repair. Many of the “basic principles” and diagnostic techniques used by generic, modern day roofers do not apply to historic roofing. Slate, tile, and copper roofing each have different properties as compared to asphalt roofing, requiring different approaches. 

We’ve worked on countless old roofs, some dating back 300 years or more, and have learned how to best respect those differences. With such breadth of experience, we know what works and what doesn’t for every kind of historic roof and any kind of roofing or copper gutter problem. 

Our senior technical expert, John Chan, serves on the board of the National Slate Association, and is one of the leading experts in slate and clay tile roofing in the country.

Many clay tiles made 50 – 100 years ago are no longer manufactured and the only way to match them is with reclaimed tile. Complicating matters further, many types of slate that were used on older buildings are still quarried but have weathered to a shade that can be vastly different than the freshly quarried. With one of the largest stocks of re-claimed slate and tile in the country, we can provide matching pieces for most slate or tile restorations, making for a seamless slate roof repair or clay-tile replacement.

Choosing new materials is equally as important. Factors such as weathering, the quality of the clay or stone at the time of quarrying, cleaving and cutting, etc, help determine the lasting durability of your new slate roof or repair. For new roof installations, we use only materials and suppliers with proven track records so your historic roof continues to stand the test of time.

Our artisans have been honed to keen edge through training and real-world application. Generations of accumulated experience from expert slaters, not to forget thousands of completed roofing and renovation projects of all kinds, provide our craftsmen with the extensive practice and knowledge necessary to complete any historic roofing project.

Sadly, inexperienced slate and clay-tile roofers produce an inferior product. This means trouble down the line, like leaky chimneys, falling slate tiles, cracks, discoloration, and other dissatisfying or dangerous problems. The work of a skilled artisan can last a hundred years. Why dishonor your historic roof with anything less than the best?

Our artisans stand among the best world-wide.

Our Quality Control staff ensures that every single job is completed to the same uniformly high standard. They are responsible for the training and apprenticing of our personnel in the Durable Way.

This high standard of integrity in the company has lead to multiple awards for ethics and integrity including the International Award for Marketplace Ethics from the Better Business Bureau. 2019 North American Properties Award for Our Lady of Peace Chapel, on Xavier University, and frequent Super Service award’s from Angie’s List, given to the top 5% of companies who sustain a superior service rating each year.