Born and raised in New York, Mayra never imagined her path would lead her here. She first came to Dalton as a teenager after her father was visiting family and ended up purchasing an affordable commercial building at a price unimaginable back home. What began as just a visit quickly turned into opportunity as her older sister opened a small business in the new space, and Mayra followed, helping out while finishing high school.
“Dalton wasn’t part of my long-term plan at first,” Mayra says. “But little by little, it felt like the right place to be.”
From Visitor to Resident: Discovering Dalton
The slower pace, the people, and the sense of closeness she felt here stood in sharp contrast to the city she grew up in. And it was in Dalton that she met Victor Hernandez, who came in one day while she was managing her family’s store. They were married just a year later.
Victor, who immigrated from Mexico as a teenager, was already working in roofing in the area, with years of hands-on experience. What he didn’t yet have was ownership. That spark came when the couple realized how much of Victor’s labor was being undervalued by larger contractors.
“We looked at each other and thought, ‘Why can’t we do this ourselves?’” Mayra says. “Victor was doing so much of the work. The rest, we could learn.”
Launching Hernandez Roofing: From Employee to Owner
They officially launched Hernandez Roofing Company in 2016, with Victor handling the jobs and Mayra managing everything behind the scenes—billing, insurance, marketing, and building a website from scratch. Calls started coming in. Word spread. Referrals followed.
“Dalton believed in us early,” Victor remembers. “That meant everything.”
That belief is something the family does not take lightly. They make a point to operate with integrity. Victor insists on doing right by people, customers and employees alike. Mayra credits that philosophy for the company’s steady growth.
“He won’t leave a job if someone’s unhappy,” she says. “We stand behind our work. That’s non-negotiable.”
As the business grew, so did their roots in the community. Victor earned his official citizenship, and Mayra joined the Dalton Chamber of Commerce, which helped her see herself not just as a business owner, but as part of a network of people chasing similar dreams.
“I realized I wasn’t alone,” she says. “Everyone here is building something.”
Integrity, Community, and Lasting Impact
Today, some of the company’s proudest moments are etched into Dalton’s landscape, from fixing neighborhood roofs to sponsoring local schools and youth sports programs. They’ve also done commercial work at Manly Jail Works and major projects on downtown buildings, medical offices, and local carpet mills.
“Every time we drive by, we think, ‘We were part of that,’” Victor says. “That’s special to us.”
Through it all, family has remained at the center. After serious medical complications following the birth of their youngest child, Mayra was forced to step back and trust her team—one of whom had been hired just a week earlier and was able to step into the gap so she could remain home.
“That’s when I really knew, God had already lined everything up,” she says. “So we just stay focused on our mission: Do right by people. Stand behind our work. Help our neighbors.”
People and place matter, and Hernandez Roofing’s story is a testament to the opportunity Dalton creates for small business to thrive, when built on hard work, faith, and community connection.
“I always say, if someone like me can do it,” Mayra says, “anyone can. Especially here.”
