CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – In 2025, Army veteran Keith Cherry paid a national contractor thousands of dollars for roof repair work that never began. Now, after a report by Clarksville Now, local businesses have stepped forward and replaced Cherry’s roof free of charge, and he getting his money back.
Previously, Clarksville Now shared the story of Ryan Thompson, a disabled veteran who said he’d been ghosted by a national contractor known as Evolve Construction & Restoration. The day after the initial report, a former employee of Evolve shared that there were others who faced the same problem, including Cherry, whose finances were falling apart, and with his wife in Hospice care.
Shortly after Cherry’s story published, a number of local businesses and organizations reached out to Clarksville Now to offer help. Among them were Windstar Roofing, Action Roofing and ABC Supply.
The three businesses ended up partnering to complete repairs and replace the roof, finishing the job two days after Memorial Day. Windstar Roofing and Action Roofing went in on the labor, while ABC Supply donated materials.
‘I really feel such a closeness with people now that I never had before’
“I hadn’t rested a night with this constantly over my head, trying to figure out where to go and who to go to,” Cherry told Clarksville Now on June 3. “Once my story was shared, people reached out and got it done. That revitalized my belief in people. I really feel such a closeness with people now that I never had before.
“Strangers went out of their way to help me, even when I saw no way of getting help. I thank all of these people, I really do, because I’d probably had to move out,” he said. “I’m grateful that I didn’t have to lose everything, because I was on the verge of it.”
Mike Beard with Windstar Roofing and Robert DeBord with Action Roofing both said it was a miracle Cherry’s roof wasn’t in worse shape than it was.
“With Mr. Cherry’s roof, it’s probably a four-pitch roof, but he didn’t have any active leaks on the inside,” Beard said. “I think he had more than 20-30 shingles missing. … But yeah, he didn’t have anything like you would have expected.”
Cherry said with the roof repaired, he’s slept better than he has in years. “I haven’t ever felt so good in my life,” he said. “To know that there are people out there that really do care. If I see anyone in need of help, I will give them help, I don’t care who they are.”
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People in similar situations should try contacting police or pursuing litigation, Cherry said. But he said so many people can’t afford to do that.
“I can’t emphasize enough, if anyone is out there that’s going through the same thing, get on Clarksville Now, read those stories and contact somebody. See what they can do, because I was surprised. I just happened to be on my phone and clicked Clarksville Now and saw someone going through the same thing I was going through. And he (Ryan Thompson) helped me.”
Evolve reimbursing clients in Clarksville
In addition to getting a free roof replacement, Cherry has also gotten most of his money back, and Ryan Thompson has as well, thanks in part to a shakeup at the top of Evolve Construction & Restoration. Around two weeks ago, the Solvane Group, led by David Carlson, acquired the Evolve platform for $50 million.
Cherry said after Clarksville Now’s reporting, he was contacted by Carlson, who reached out to him about refunding the full amount. “I talked to David Carlson, and he said he was going to make us whole,” Cherry said.
“Sure enough, on Tuesday, I got the check in the mail. He gave me part of my money, but he took out a 15% for fees. But they did nothing, they did absolutely nothing. If you didn’t do anything to earn it, you don’t deserve to be paid nothing.”
Clarksville Now confirmed with Ryan Thompson that he, too, was reimbursed.
“David Carlson of Evolve Construction & Restoration acknowledged that Mr. Cherry, as well as myself, were inappropriately handled by Evolve under previous leadership,” Thompson said.
Thompson said that with the refund, he’s going to hire someone to repair his roof. He also thanked The Gutter Guy of Clarksville and Chandler Premier Gutters for installing new gutters and downspouts on his property, free of charge.
Jerame Chandler of Chandler Premier Gutters said he wanted to help a community member in need, especially with his son previously serving in the military.
Evolve’s new owner refunds 30-40 customers over $500,000
The new Evolve owner, Carlson, said he has spoken with countless clients in the past 2 1/2 weeks, including Cherry and Thompson.
“I’ve heard all kinds of stories, some good, a lot of them bad,” Carlson told Clarksville Now. “It’s unfortunate, but I chose to get into this situation for a reason. I jumped in knee-deep into purchasing Evolve Construction, and I realize there are a lot of issues. I have a long track record in the industry, I’ve done a lot of great and wonderful things, created a lot of jobs and taken care of a lot of people.
“I hate to see when a company struggles and runs into a situation like this; it makes everybody look bad,” he said. “Evolve’s foundation is solid, but it has some infrastructure issues. But for the most part it is a solid company with solid employees behind it.”
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Carlson said while reviewing the purchase of the company, he recognized the potential it has. “It’s going to take quite a bit of work, but I’ve refunded 30-40 customers already in excess of half a million dollars. I dropped over 30 liens that I felt just wasn’t necessary. I’ve let go of several employees.
“Several salespeople have left, and honestly, I’m OK with it because a lot of stuff was overpromised and oversold. That shouldn’t have been done, and unfortunately it was. So, those types of people we don’t need with our program, representing Evolve.”
Cases of Ryan Thompson, Keith Cherry
Carlson said in the case of Thompson, his case was one that should have been addressed, but it wasn’t. He said that’s what led to Thompson being reimbursed his full amount. As for Cherry, Carlson said Evolve paid has all funds they had received.
“There’s one thing in there, there was a public adjuster fee or something to that effect. I’m still digging into it, and I’m not done yet,” Carlson said. “I’m hoping by mid-next week, we can take care of him.”
Carlson said, though, there have other customers who have been opportunist following the recent reports. “Just as we had bad salespeople that overpromise and overcommit, we have other customers too. So, it’s very difficult for us to say, ‘Here’s everything for everybody.’ We have to study and analyze, which we do; we take the time and go through them.
“The biggest thing is, we’re communicating with our customers finally. That was something that was missing. Since I’ve been on for two weeks, we’ve started a communication department and that’s all we do.”
Carlson said while they still have ways to go, he thinks everything should be resolved within the next month.
| PREVIOUSLY:
- Veteran ghosted by company with similar complaints in 5 states, questions arise about CEO
- Former employee speaks out on complaints about national contractor’s practices in Clarksville
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