Partners in trust

“Surround yourself with people who are better than you.”

That’s the advice Dan Delfino would give to anyone who wants to succeed as a general contractor. As someone who began working in cement at 13 and as a laborer for masons through college, he has a natural affinity for operating within the trades.

So, when he ended up being awarded the contract to rebuild the shipping department for Cast Specialties in Warrensville Heights after it had been heavily damaged by a tornado, he put together a trusted team of hand-picked vendors. When he interviewed various roofing companies in the area, Spartan StormShield was one he was familiar with after working with the company on several previous residential jobs.

The Trust Factor is Key

“After getting to know Joel Arlia, one of the owners at Spartan, I was pleased to see they also did commercial work,” says Dan, whose company is called DREAMCOMTRUE LLC. “In fact, he told me they’ve expanded their commercial crews over the past few years to keep up with demand. Their quote came in around the middle, neither high nor low. I’ve learned over the years to stay away from the lowest bid and highest bid. I hired them right away.”

He explains the scope of the work took place on the one-story brick building in two phases. It began with a new main roof replacement in 2022, since the previous roof was damaged by debris caused by the storm. Then the extensive rebuild construction work began in December 2023 and was finalized by October 2024.

“Since the shipping department had been demolished, we had to start from scratch and hired an architect to draw up plans before building it from the ground up,” Dan says. 

A concern he says for general contractors, who can’t wear every hat at once, is effective communication. 

“Joel took the time to review what he felt were the best product options to fit the job,” says Dan. “He clearly communicated the choices and made things easy for me. Based on his knowledge, expertise and recommendation, we replaced the preexisting gravel ballast to a 60 mil fully-adhered, mechanically-fastened TPO roof system. During the installation, he communicated with me every step of the way. The crews’ competency put my mind at ease.”

He said Joel walked the roof with him when the job was completed and that it felt like an accomplishment to get Cast Specialties’ shipping department back up and running smoothly.



“One thing I have learned from working with Spartan over the years is that if any issues pop up on a job, they take care of them right away. They are impeccable about being responsive. Timing is everything overseeing a complex job like this, with many moving parts depending on others to flow smoothly. I had built a trust with this company and enjoyed peace of mind knowing the job was well done.”

Armed with product innovation and trusted craftsmanship from highly trained crews, Spartan StormShield lives up to its reputation for installing “the roof system to last your lifetime.” The company is headquartered at 309 Silver Street in Akron. Spartan StormShield installs and repairs roofs for homes and businesses all over Northeast Ohio. Call 330-SPARTAN (330-772-7826) or visit SpartanStormShield.com.