Keeping It in the Foamily

Spray Foam Magazine – Late Summer 2025 – The Lawrences have been a fixture in and around the Las Vegas area since Dennis and Michelle Lawrence founded Black Canyon Roofing over 30 years ago. Five members of the family currently work for the company, so SFM called them up to chat about what a day in the life of a Lawrence is like. Spoiler alert: it’s equal parts foam, fun, and family.

What’s your spray foam origin story?  

Dennis: In the early 80s, I was doing construction demos and working as a busboy at night. I had a newborn son and just wasn’t making enough money. An acquaintance had gotten a job at a spray foam company for double what I was making at the time. So, I went and got a job with them, installing wall and roofing foam, doing lots of out-of-town government jobs on military bases.

Ten years and a couple kids later, I got sick of the traffic. We moved out closer to family near Las Vegas, and I started working for a roofing company here. I learned so much about that industry and met so many great people that when my employer’s company went under, I decided to start my own. By then I had three kids with one on the way. My wife Michelle was working at night and I was working all day. It was tough.

We bought a cheap foam machine for $500 bucks from a backyard seller, and rebuilt it with hand-me-down hoses, then rigged up a little trailer to my ‘72 Ford pickup. After that it was just a matter of getting my contractor’s license and making those first couple phone calls.

Within a few years, we were able to buy a Foam-Cat machine and finish building out our box truck rig. Since then, we’ve added new foam and coating rigs and a power washing rig. All that with eight grandkids in tow. At some point, almost every adult in this family has worked for this company, even if just for a summer or two.

Andrew, was it pretty natural for you and your siblings to come work for Black Canyon, or did the idea take some warming up to?

Andrew: Well, when I was in junior high, I got in a little trouble, ended up suspended for a couple days. My dad said, “If you keep messing around in school you’ll end up working on a roof forever, so let’s see how you like it now.” We woke up the next morning at five, stopped at the gas station for a Big Gulp and Skittles, then worked all day. By the end of the week, I got a nice little paycheck, and I thought “Damn, this isn’t too bad.” I went on to play football in high school and after graduating, went right back out into the roofing thing, and it’s been providing for my family ever since.

What’s the division of labor look like nowadays? Do you call the shots as a team, or is someone the de facto “boss?”

Michelle: It’s not true, but he always calls me the boss. I don’t install the roof, but I get the permits and collect the checks, and keep a first name basis with our many suppliers. 

Dennis: My sons Andrew and Dylan pretty much run the show at this point. I spray some foam, and they’ll help with that or do the coatings. Andrew takes a lot of calls, and Michelle takes care of the billing while Kayla holds down the office.

My oldest son Walter has gone off to start his own unrelated company, but he was the brains behind Black Canyon. He was only in junior high when we started, but he helped me sort out the contracts and paperwork, and to study for tests and all that. My daughter Brooke doesn’t currently work for us, but has before.

What’s the best part of working for/with your family?

Andrew: It doesn't feel pointless. There’s not a sense of feeling taken advantage of, because you’re working toward something as a team. It’s a dynamic like nothing else. One minute we’re all hanging out, dirt biking or going on skiing trips, the next we’re on a roof at midnight trying to fix an emergency before a storm rolls in. We’re all working toward the same goal, not just after a paycheck. 

Any challenges with having a family name attached to a business?

Andrew: We’re in a small town. Our city is only about 15,000 people. 

If you do poor work– and especially if it’s major, critical work like roofing, you’ll hear about it eventually. It’s also different, because unlike spray foam wall installation where you spray it then cover it up and never hear about it again, if the roof goes bad in five to 15 years, people around here are going to remember not just the business, but that it was us. We don’t take that lightly.

Still, it’s a relief knowing that no matter what issues may arise on any given job, we’re all going to step up and handle it, together. There’s a huge sense of ownership.

Does any family drama ever boil over onto the job site, or vice-versa?

Dennis: It’s always stupid stuff, never anything major. When they were young I’d hashed it out with my sons, but they know not to mess with me anymore [Laughs]. We all have our roles, and it’s pretty chill nowadays. We know what we’re about and what we’re working toward.

What wisdom do you have for families who are considering going into business together?

Andrew: Working with family as a small business feels inevitable, because it can be hard to find people you trust. But, don't let the business eat up too much of your life outside of it. Balance. It’s easy to wind up talking or arguing about work for hours, and that goes double when your coworkers are your spouse, parents, and siblings. At the same time, working toward a common goal everyday does end up bringing everyone closer. 

Dennis: For my sons taking over the company in the future, my one rule is that if anyone in the family ever needs a job, they always have one here. We try to remember that everything is a season, and try to look out for each other when times get tough. 

Have you taken on any notable jobs you’re proud of? Or a signature job you do often?

Dennis: We’ve done a lot over the last 30 years. A big City Hall building, lots of Casinos… but my personal favorite are mobile homes. Quick and easy to spray a lot in one day. I feel like we’ve been doing a ton of those lately.

How have things changed, business-wise, since you started Black Canyon three decades ago?

Dennis: For us, not much is different between then and now. Same equipment, same 50-50 mix, no problems. I’m proud to say we went the first ten years without using a computer. It’s been 30 years of keeping it old-school, and it works for us.

What’s your family’s motto?

Dennis: Work hard, play hard. For bonuses this year, we’re planning a trip to Hawaii.

Andrew: Stuff like that gets you out of bed in the morning, beyond just paying bills and providing. 

Dennis: We like to party, but not the smoking and drinking kind. We go to church on Sundays, and when we’re not working, we’re out in nature. We go out on Lake Mead a lot since we’re five minutes away, and we also do a lot of fishing. Hunting as well– deer and elk. 

Here’s a curveball before we wrap up– if your family business had a reality show, what would it be called?

Dennis: Oh, Dylan’s good at this kind of stuff. Hey Dylan, what’re we gonna name our reality show?

Dylan [in the distance]: Team Lawrence!  

Published by Spray Foam Magazine

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