Hanover’s Blue-Collar Workforce Builds Community
By Lisa Cordiano
In Hanover and the surrounding areas, the work of building a community is not abstract. The roofs over local schools, businesses and homes weren’t raised by distant corporations or anonymous crews—they were built by people who live down the road, sit beside their neighbors at Little League games, volunteer at local nonprofits and answer their phones at
5 a.m. when a storm rolls through.
Ranging from a third-generation commercial enterprise with more than 425 employees to a one-man shop built on craftsmanship and individual relationships, this region’s construction workers show that “blue collar” is more than a job description; it is a culture shaped by work ethic, accountability, service and skill. It lives in the rhythms of early mornings and late-night preparations, in dads teaching kids how to swing a hammer and in neighbors helping neighbors long before contracts are signed.
At the largest end of the spectrum stands Conewago Enterprises, a company that started in 1956 by Donald B. Smith as Conewago Contractors, offering construction services.
It has since grown to employ more than 425 people serving the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond in commercial construction. Yet despite its scale, Conewago is anchored firmly in the values of the community that shaped it. At its core, those values center on family.
“We’re a construction company, but we’re also a family,” says Adam Hicks, vice president of risk management. Hicks started at Conewago as a young summer intern and grew into leadership positions over the next 25 years. After graduating from Lock Haven University, he was also offered a position with Coca-Cola in Georgia, but his fiancée at the time (now wife), Stacey, wanted to stay local in Hanover, where they both grew up. “It’s one of the better decisions she’s made for us,” he laughs. Being back in Hanover meant raising their children near extended family as well as building a career inside a company where the third generation of the founding Smith family now holds senior positions.
That sense of family is a practice. Hicks makes a habit of visiting job sites regularly, not as an executive doing rounds, but as a colleague checking in. “I know most of our employees by name,” he says. “And if I don’t, I make an effort to start a conversation and learn about them and their families.” In a company this large, intentional relationship-building facilitates a continuing culture of care.
Conewago’s scale and history give it a rare combination of capacity and versatility. With its precast plant, steel division and multiple trades under one umbrella, Conewago has worked on projects ranging from million(plus)-square-foot warehouses to the construction of the new Hanover YWCA building. The YWCA project reflects Conewago’s commitment to building community infrastructure that matters. Made possible by an $11.8 million capital campaign, the new Children’s Learning Academy will eventually serve 225 local children. “This community trusts us to build the places where they gather, learn and grow,” Hicks says.
The same stewardship extends to Conewago’s employees. The company invests deeply in training and recruitment, partnering with local schools, developing apprenticeship pathways and creating opportunities for advancement in both field and office roles. Hicks’ position includes oversight of human resources, and his philosophy is straightforward: “I don’t care what someone knows when they walk in. If they have the right mentality—if they’re self-starters who want to learn and grow—we can teach them. We put an emphasis on hiring quality individuals who believe in our core values—Commitment, Can-Do Attitude and Creativity—and then the rest becomes easier.”
Conewago may operate at a regional level, but its work and its workers remain rooted in the community that raised them.
Ream Roofing has been part of the region’s visual landscape for four generations, its name visible on trucks, job sites and commercial buildings across Adams and York counties. When Donnie Sanders purchased the company six years ago—the result of what he describes as a handshake-level act of trust with former owner Matt Ream—he stepped into a legacy that mattered deeply to the workers who built it. His first priority was simple: treat people well. “If you take care of your people,” Sanders says, “everything else works. People want their voices to be heard, to know that you care about them. I take that extremely seriously. I can’t do my job without them, and they need to provide for their families and enjoy life.”
One of those workers is Zak Arnold, a foreman at Ream who grew up on a farm between Hanover and Littlestown. “Living on a farm, you learn how to do just about everything,” he says. Growing up, Arnold helped his dad take care of all the maintenance on the farm, including plumbing and electric. “We didn’t call anyone—we did it all ourselves,” he says. “Hands-on labor is what I do. Building things and putting things together is my knack.” That early training turned into a work ethic that enables Arnold to make it through the long days of hard work required in the commercial roofing industry. Whether the temperature is 110 degrees or 10 below, the work goes on. “Not everybody is built for this,” he says. “You have to want to show up.”
Arnold also notes firsthand the consequences of a shrinking trades workforce. “Kids don’t grow up learning this stuff anymore. They’re not on farms; they’re not fixing things. Schools don’t teach it. The construction community is shrinking.” He says he will encourage his own kids to spend at least one summer on the roof with him, regardless of whether or not they intend to go to college. He believes hands-on labor develops skills everyone should know.
Like Conewago Enterprises, Ream Roofing’s impact extends well beyond construction. Sanders, who volunteers on the Adams County Arts Council Board of Directors, sees roofing as a form of art: each structure is a puzzle; each problem is a design challenge that requires vision to create something lasting. In a time when fewer young people are entering the trades, he is committed to building a workplace where the next generation feels valued, challenged and supported.
A few miles down the road, the story of Triple R Roofing begins with a disruption—the kind many people experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. When co-owner Doug Meckley was let go from a previous job, he took the leap into business ownership. He and his business partner, Travis Wenrich, started Triple R in August 2020 with a simple intention: serve their community with roofing products and services that are affordable and built to last.
Triple R is a smaller company than commercial giants like Conewago and Ream, but they are leaders in the residential roofing space. Echoing the sentiments of both Hicks and Sanders, Meckley stresses that relationships are a driving force for his business.
Case in point, while Meckley was coaching Little League, a player’s dad invited him to attend the church where he is a pastor. The two soon discovered that their children were in the same class at school, and Meckley, his wife Amie, and their three children quickly found a welcoming sense of connection as part of the congregation. Through that community, Meckley met Stepheney McArdle, who now handles Triple R’s financials. She, in turn, introduced Meckley and Wenrich to Gissella Santos at a moment that all describe as “meant-to-be.” Today, Santos is “the voice of Triple R,” managing leads, scheduling projects and handling company correspondence.
Santos says the culture is what makes Triple R a special place to work. “Family comes first. That was one of the first things Travis said to me during my interview, before I even had to ask about it,” she says. Flexibility is not a perk but a principle—one that allows Santos to balance work with school events, doctor appointments and the rhythms of raising children with her husband, who has a much less forgiving schedule working in Baltimore. “Anytime anyone asks me what I do for a living, I can’t talk it up enough,” says Santos. “It’s so wonderful to work for Travis and Doug. They’re so caring. I always know I can both work and take care of my family.”
Triple R has also distinguished itself through its offerings. The company installs Atlas shingles featuring copper granulation (a product designed for durability and resistance to discoloration) and offers Roof MAXX treatments to extend the life of older roofs. These services reflect the company’s commitment to honesty: recommending repairs rather than a replacement when that’s what a homeowner truly needs.
At its core, Triple R Roofing is a relationship-based business. “People trust who they know,” Meckley says. For a small company serving the local community, that trust is everything.
If Ream Roofing and Conewago Enterprises represent the broad scale of blue-collar impact, and Triple R Roofing represents the strength of a small-but-mighty team, Durham Handyman Services represents the most direct, personal relationship between a craftsman and a homeowner.
Owner Corey Durham is a second-generation carpenter who learned the trade the old-fashioned way: at his father’s side on job sites where precision mattered and quality was non-negotiable. Today, Corey runs a one-man operation that allows him to maintain the standards he inherited and to build the close, ongoing relationships that define his company.
Many of Durham’s customers are older adults, some with homes they’ve lived in for decades. He not only completes repairs and upgrades but also becomes a trusted presence, returning year after year as homes age alongside their owners. “I love hearing my customers tell me their stories,” he says. Those customers call him not because he is the biggest contractor in town or because he offers the lowest prices (which may or may not be the case), but because he treats their homes with the care of a craftsman and the respect of a neighbor.
Durham’s commitment to keeping the business small is intentional. Growth, he says, often means training someone who will eventually leave to become a competitor—a reality echoed by Doug Meckley at Triple R. Instead, Corey prefers to be hands on with every project, knowing the work will reflect his name, reputation and his family’s legacy.
His first priority, though, is his 15-year-old son, Trent, who is beginning to explore the work he may pursue as he grows into adulthood. Trent is currently learning to work on cars, so Durham adapts his business to support Trent’s interests—oil changes and brake jobs now appear on Durham Handyman’s list of services. Corey is passing down not just skills, but values: patience, integrity and the satisfaction of doing a job right.
For Durham, community is built one home, one relationship, one satisfied customer at a time.
What Does “Blue Collar” Really Mean?
Across all of these companies, the definition of “blue collar” isn’t simply manual labor. It is:
Responsibility—showing up early, working hard and standing behind your work
Skill—solving problems that require hands-on knowledge and precision
Pride—leaving something better than you found it
Service—showing up for neighbors, churches, community organizations and families
Connection—knowing the people you work for and working where you live
Legacy—passing down craft from one generation to the next
It is, as Sanders put it, being “paid for what you can do,” but also for who you are: reliable, accountable, durable—like the buildings and homes these workers create and maintain.
A Blueprint for Community
In Hanover and surrounding towns, construction work is more than a trade; it’s a culture. The people who climb ladders in August heat, repair storm-damaged roofs in sub-zero temperatures or finish trim long after the sun goes down are also the people who volunteer at local nonprofits, serve at church dinners, coach local sports teams and keep the region’s homes and businesses safe.
They build with their hands.
They strengthen with their presence.
And in the process, they create something far more enduring than shingles and siding.
They build community.
If you build it, they will come: American Dream Athletics
In addition to overseeing the operations of large commercial companies, Adam Hicksof Conewago Enterprises and Donnie Sanders of Ream Roofing both serve on the board of a brand-new local nonprofit named American Dream Athletics. Also serving on the board of directors for this new organization are Board President Ryan Henry, an officer of the York Regional Police department, Board Vice President B.J. Wilke, owner of local laser engraving company Wilke Enginuity and Derick Groft of Groft Noel CPAs & Business Consultants. What do these five men have in common besides living and working in the Hanover area? Their children play baseball and softball.
Recognizing a shortage of fields in the area as the number of club sports teams continues to increase, and being aware that not everyone has the time or resources to get their kids to a field more than an hour away from home for practice or games, this group has come together with the goal of building a beautiful, sustainable baseball and softball complex, complete with indoor training facilities for their community.
The group has been attending township meetings and is presently considering two possible sites for the project. Raising money to purchase the land will be the first step. Eventually, Conewago and Ream workers will assist with construction on the site. It’s just another example of how local workers and businesses shape community.
