As crazy as it seems, Brandstetter’s Kangaroof, the company my father started 28 years ago, was awarded Fastest-Growing Company of 2025 by CertainPath. I, along with a few other members of Kangaroof, got the privilege to walk across the stage and receive this award. It was an honor to receive this reward, especially with how much work it took to earn it.
How Faith Became Our Foundation
When my father, Duane Brandstetter, started this company, he made sure to connect it to what he felt was most important. That was Jesus Christ. For the intent of spreading the gospel, he put scripture on the back of our business cards. It might seem small to others, but it was the seed of our culture. A reminder that this company and everything that came from it, was encompassed by faith in God.
When a Company Loses Its Foundation
Somewhere along the way, the company got off track. By 2021, the work environment was what someone typically imagines for a service company. Employees were having conversations that I personally did not want to be around. They didn’t enjoy work. They didn’t care about each other. There was little comradery between us. We had zero core values and it showed.
By 2023, I even dreaded going to work. I dreaded going to the same company that I was running. I enjoyed the business, I always have, but the business was the opposite of what I wanted to do. I questioned if this was even where I needed to be. I honestly questioned if God even wanted me in this position. In reality, it was just me trying to justify leaving.
Then God spoke to me.
The Moment Everything Changed
He said “I could work in the church, be a pastor, and tend to a flock. But those people chose to go to church that week. Those people need guidance just as much as anyone else, but I’m not calling you there right now. I put you in a place where there’s 20-25 people that would never step foot in a church. The flock is here at work. You wanna be a Shepard? Then pick up your staff and let me guide you into what we’re doing here with these people.”
God reminded me that when it comes to working, we have the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life. I’m just as much of an example of Christ and called to be a leader as I would be if I was leading a church. A co-worker of mine calls it “Work Place Ministry”.
At work, culture is the most important factor to a smooth company. We spend way more time with our coworkers than we realize. Most of the time we have at home is sleeping, running errands, and doing chores. If the majority of our energy is spent around the people that we work with, then we need to be in alignment with each other. Culture hinges on aligning the team together, helping everybody feel valued, and helping everybody feel like they’re part of a family working towards a common goal. In the center of that goal is faith.
How We Built Core Values That Stuck
At this point, we didn’t have written values. I took the time to read what makes a great company culture, and after meeting with the management team, we came up with Faith, Family, and Service. After further consideration, I asked “Why would we keep service as a value if we’re already in the service industry?” So, we changed Service to Excellence and I posted it everywhere. They read as follows:
Faith in Christ – Guides our every move
Faith in our system – Allows us to lean on each other
Our clients are family – We care about their satisfaction
Our team is family – We build each other up
Excellence for our lives – We give our all to everything we do
Excellence for the Lord – We work as we’re working for the Lord
When Employees Push Back On Culture
The implementation of values was the second time I believed God didn’t want me here. Employees, even up to management, didn’t want to adhere to the values we agreed on. I had to show how serious I was about this. There was one meeting where I really had to pull things together.
I threw a paper with our values in front of insubordinate managers. I said “Hey guys, which one of these core values are you exemplifying by this behavior?” Was it the best decision? Maybe not. Did I get my point across? Yes. For the time being, I had to maintain a tight leash on my managers.
I never let anyone go because of the values. God took care of that. Not only did he lead the wrong people out, but he also brought the right people in. The people that left were replaced with people of high integrity. That integrity is what leads to our clients and employees talking about how our company’s culture is beyond the culture of other companies.
How Our Core Values Made Us CertainPath’s Fastest- Growing Company
With all of our employees focused on striving to do excellent in everything we did, work took off. Leads multiplied, job conversions were high, and the team grew deeper together. All of this culminates into our achievement of becoming the fastest growing company out of all CertainPath companies.
At the end of the day, a company culture doesn’t build itself. It starts with understanding why the company exists, understanding what it stands for, and refusing to do anything that doesn’t match. With one mindset change and the determination to see it through, who knows what someone might achieve.
Question for you: What does your company stand for?
If you’re a property manager, business owner, or just someone interested in working with Brandstetter’s Kangaroof, we want to earn your trust. You can fill out our form here or you can follow me on LinkedIn here or call us at (513) 734-9000.
