Claremore is about to be put on the map for something more than Will Rogers. We’ve got a whole team of people in town about to make their debut on HGTV! (Now, I don’t have cable, so I’ll have to wait six years for it to be on Netflix, but all the rest of you can watch soon!)
Craig Abbott owns Contractors & Associates (also known as C&A Roofing and Construction and C&A Paint and Remodel) here in Claremore. The company lives in the cute little house on Will Rogers Boulevard, tucked in between Long John Silver’s and El Banquete. (I bet the staff eats a lot of Mexican food.) Last year, Craig received a phone call from a man claiming to be from HGTV; it turned out, he was legit. After more phone calls and some video interviews, Craig and his team were hired to be the contractors for a new HGTV series originally titled “Five Figure Flip.” The pilot aired last year before going through a revamp; now it’s called “Flipping the Heartland” and will begin airing late this summer. The crew was originally approached about redoing a roof on one of the project homes, but when Craig informed the recruiter that C&A can handle a lot more than roofs, they were hired to be the contractors for four separate episodes.
Like one of my favorite country artists, Blake Shelton, Craig is originally from Ada. Craig is a friendly guy, with the same kind of twang and similar facial hair to Blake. Perhaps it’s an Ada thing? After graduating from college at East Central University, where he played tennis, Craig moved to Claremore to be close to family. Shortly after, he landed a job doing insurance inspections. In ’08, he started C&A Roofing & Construction as a side business. Things were going so well that he began working his company full time just one year later. He opened an office in the old Mr. Swiss building on Lynn Riggs, using his skills to completely renovate the space. Hungry for a new project, he then moved to C&A’s current location at 1321 W. Will Rogers.
Today, Craig has a large team which enables him to supply a contractor for just about any project. Contractors & Associates can handle roofing, remodeling jobs both big and small, flooring, windows, pretty much anything a homeowner can dream. While large-scale remodeling jobs are easy for C&A, the team also takes care of smaller handyman jobs, such as ceiling fan installation or patching a hole in a wall. The goal for Craig and his team is perfection; if a customer is unhappy for any reason, they’ll fix it until everyone is happy.
In addition to contracting jobs, C&A also boasts an impressive showroom with all the latest in vinyl windows, flooring, countertops and more. Customers can schedule an appointment to browse for ideas and advice in a peaceful environment.
Craig enjoys living in Claremore with his wife, Shanna, and their three children, Peyton, Deaken and Addey. All three kids play sports, and that keeps the Abbotts busy! The family also enjoys spending time at their cabin on Grand Lake (it’s available to rent for vacations!).
One of Craig’s favorite bits about living in Claremore is the ability to enjoy a small-town community with a large city nearby. He holds pride in running into folks at the grocery store who take the time to thank him for his work, or who make it a point to recommend C&A to others. As he told me, “I have to do a good job; in a town this small, I see my customers all the time, and I want to be able to hold my head up when I go into town.”
To make an appointment to shop the showroom, to rent the Grand Lake cabin, or get an estimate, call C&A at 918-637-6634. Visit them on the web at caroofingconstruction.com, and be sure to follow them on facebook!
Keep it local, Claremore.
-MCM Staffer Ashley,
who can’t even operate a hammer,
but is glad she now knows who to call
