Navy veteran gifted new roof as local workers donate their time for the job

Published 3:00 pm Monday, August 4, 2025

Medford man was faced with insurance cancellation and selling his home without a replacement roof; national program through Owens Corning steps up with help of Central Point-based business

Medford veteran and retired business owner Glen Erickson breathed a sigh of relief on Friday as he looked over a brand-new roof on his South Medford home.

Faced with replacing an ailing roof or selling his home, Erickson was provided the new roof, free of charge, via the national Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project and Central Point-based Pressure Point Roofing.

Medford veteran and retired florist Glen Erickson was the most recent recipient of a new roof under the national Owens Corning Roof Deployment Program. (Buffy Pollock / Rogue Valley Times)

Crews showed up last week and removed three layers of disintegrated and leaking decades-old roofing material. The “newest” top layer had been installed 30 years ago when Erickson purchased the home.

Erickson, who is turning 74 next month, said he had been stressing over how to afford a new roof for the past several years and was exploring low-interest loan programs before making his way to Rogue Valley Habitat for Humanity, which offered an unexpected solution.

The Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project, a nationwide effort to “show gratitude and honor the veterans who served our country and the families who support them,” was founded in 2016 and has helped more than 675 military members since its inception.

Brandon Thoms, operations and program director, said Habitat’s role in the new roof was minimal — some screening and paperwork.

“Owens Corning gave all the product and the rockstars at Pressure Point roofing did all the work and did not charge any labor,” Thoms said Monday.

Pressure Point Roofing owner Matt Stone said it was a no-brainer to help provide Erickson with a new roof. Stone said two dozen Pressure Point employees, including office staff and other non-roof-installing folk, donated their time last week to remove Erickson’s old roof.

Pressure Point Roofing crews partnered with the national Owens Corning Roof Deployment Program to provide a new roof for Medford veteran Glen Erickson, who faced cancellation of his home insurance due to the condition of his roof. (Courtesy photo)

“We paid our crews to install the new shingles, because it was during regular work hours, but the tear-off was completely donated,” Stone told the Rogue Valley Times.

“This time of year, when it’s hot, the last thing our guys want to do is go out on a Saturday, on their day off, and do what they do Monday through Friday. It was not mandatory. We just put it out there and said, ‘We’re doing this project,’ and we had everyone from office staff to field guys show up to help with tearing off the roof.”

Erickson said he was shocked and grateful at the generosity of those who helped get the job done and said it was touching to be thanked for his military service so long ago.

“I graduated from high school in 1969, in June. I was 17. About three or four months later, I turned 18 and joined the Navy,” he said. Following boot camp, Erickson was assigned to a Fighter Squadron V-92 and made two tours on the USS Constellation in 1971 and 1973.

With ties to Alaska and Southern Oregon, Erickson went to work for the Atlantic Richfield oil company for a decade before relocating to Medford, where he owned Corrine’s Flowers & Gifts for three decades before retiring seven years ago.

Prior to the donation, Erickson faced some tough decisions after his insurance company told him the roof would need to be replaced or his insurance could be canceled.

Of those who helped him out, Erickson said, “I don’t think they realize what this means.”

“Not only, you know, does it give you peace of mind, that you don’t have to worry about it leaking, things like that, but in my case… I had to either put a new roof on or I’d have had to sell the house,” he said.

Stone said cost of labor — by Pressure Point — and materials – donated by Owens Corning — would likely be valued at between $25,000 and $30,000. Erickson’s roof replacement was not Pressure Point’s first time participating in the national program, Stone said.

Medford veteran Glen Erickson points to a picture of himself during his years of service, from 1971-1974, in the U.S. Navy. (Buffy Pollock / Rogue Valley Times)

“To be able to help a veteran who has given of their time and who was willing to give their life for their country, there’s not much of a question whether we do it or not.”

Erickson said he was at a loss for words following completion of his new roof.

“I’ve been out of the service for 50 years, but to still be recognized for what I did back then, it was just a good feeling.”

For more information on the roofing program, visit owenscorning.com/roofdeployment.

Reach reporter Buffy Pollock at 458-488-2029 or buffy.pollock@rv-times.com. Follow her on Twitter @orwritergal.