- April 24, 2024
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Stephen Rende, of Rende Roofing, has built and paid for every roof the Habitat for Humanity Flagler County Chapter has built since its inception in 1994.
Stephen Rende, owner of Stephen M. Rende Roofing Inc., started his construction career at 13, as a laborer for his father’s New York-based building firm. At 17, he was made a foreman, and at 20, he relocated to Palm Coast to start his own company, which would eventually donate 70 roofs to Habitat for Humanity, one for every house the nonprofit has ever built in Flagler County.
“I do it because they need it; the people that are less fortunate than I am,” Rende said, sitting in a cluttered, house-like back office in Hargrove Grade. Upstairs, he has a personal gym; at the opposite end of his office are antique-looking daybeds, chairs and lamps; three tropical fish tanks are built into various walls.
“It makes me feel good,” he said. He said he’ll continue to donate the roofs, regardless of how broke he might be right now because of the dry economy.
At his business’ height, about six years ago, Rende employed just under 30 workers and built more than 150 roofs a year. Today, he employs 10, all on salary to ensure quality control. The number of roofs he builds fluctuates, he said, but is nowhere near what it used to be. He had to adapt, sell a couple company vehicles, stop stockpiling materials.
“It humbled me, you know?” he said of his hardships. “But that’s OK.” He believes God is testing him.
Until last year, Rende supplied at no charge all materials and labor for every Habitat roof. Now, even though he can only afford to pay for part of the materials, he has no plans to put a halt on his donations.
There are certain things he said he isn’t willing to compromise.
Offering little other explanation for his philanthropy, Rende points a finger. “I’m not doing it to get advertisements,” he said. “(It’s just) because I want to. It’s the right thing to do.”
Within the next few weeks, Rende will install his 70th roof on a Habitat for Humanity home. Since 1994, each two-day, $4,200 job has saved Habitat enough funds — about $350,000 — that the organization has been able to add about five new construction projects to its calendar.
For more information, call 445-4789.
OTHER HABITAT SUPPORTERS
Stephen Rende is “an incredibly generous man within our community,” said Lindsay Elliot, Flagler Habitat for Humanity executive director. And he’s not the only serviceman in town to support the Habitat mission.
Other contributors include Kurt Umback, of KC Electric of Palm Coast, who has supplied and installed all of the wiring and electric for every home the nonprofit has erected; Darrell Cone, of Dozer Services, who has cleared every lot; and U.S. Blinds, which has contributed extensively to local Habitat homes.
