Ken Baden sits down with Cory Smeallie, owner and CEO of TrueShield Exteriors LLC in Northeast Ohio, for a candid conversation that covers far more than roofing. Cory shares his remarkable backstory: a 2010 factory accident that cost him his right thumb, a subsequent battle with opioid addiction, homelessness, and multiple rounds of treatment before getting clean on April 10, 2014. From there, he stumbled into canvassing, then found his way into roofing sales under mentor Josh Diamond Burger, where he discovered both a skill and a calling. After nearly a decade working for others, Cory launched TrueShield Exteriors just over a year ago, doing $300K in year one and now pacing toward $3–5 million. He and Ken dig into the evolving insurance restoration industry, the value of proper documentation over magic sales scripts, the power of relationship-based marketing, and how Cory is building a team and company culture with real longevity in mind — even hoping to pass it on to his son one day.
🌐 TrueShield Exteriors: https://www.trueshieldexteriors.net/
📸 @neighborhoodroofer: https://www.instagram.com/neighborhoodroofer/
🌐 Baden Consulting: https://www.badenconsulting.net/
🌐 The Kitchen Table Podcast: https://www.thekitchentablepodcast.net/
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 — Introduction & Welcome
0:18 — Ken introduces Cory Smeallie from Northeast Ohio
1:13 — The record-breaking Ohio hailstorm & what it means for roofers
3:21 — How Cory got into the industry — 10 years in roofing
4:26 — Finding roofing sales through a Facebook video from Josh Diamond Burger
6:00 — Cory's rocky past: the factory accident, opioid addiction & homelessness
7:11 — Getting clean April 10, 2014 — how recovery led to opportunity
9:00 — What roofing attracts people in recovery & the instant gratification culture
10:38 — The "chuck in a truck" era vs. being a true professional in the space
12:01 — Stop looking for magic scripts — documentation and consistency win
13:17 — TrueShield Exteriors: just over a year old, $300K year one, pacing $3–5M
14:07 — Bringing his dad up from South Carolina as production manager
15:15 — Doing small jobs for free to build trust and earn word-of-mouth referrals
16:19 — Book recommendation: Beyond the Hammer
17:03 — Growth plans, longevity, and building something his son can inherit
18:00 — Why he started his own company: controlling the customer experience
20:02 — Baden Consulting's vision and what the right investing partner could unlock
21:06 — Running the business daily: playing sales manager while building the team
21:33 — His top retail rep: a former X Games racer turned roofer
23:12 — Finding talent in unexpected places (the gym, a gas station)
23:50 — Hiring a current EMT/firefighter and paying for half his schooling
25:00 — Building a culture where people want to show up
26:07 — How to find Cory and TrueShield Exteriors online
27:27 — Wrap-up & closing