Life isn't so bad in the gutter

COLEBROOK — When it comes to running their small business, Alan and Mandy Truskoski have made it a family affair.

The husband-and-wife team has owned and operated Gutter Gal for more than three years. The small business installs, maintains and repairs seamless gutters for private homes and commercial businesses.

The Colebrook couple offer leaf protections systems for their customers as well.

“They do help protect your home,†Mandy said of the gutter and leaf systems.

Before they opened Gutter Gal, the two had worked for larger companies. And while they had good, solid jobs, the couple began to think about opening their own business and working for themselves.

“We were punching in and punching out,†Alan said. “But we were both looking for something that we could do together.â€

Originally, the husband-and-wife team installed the seamless gutter systems together. But as the business began to grow, it soon became clear that they would have to split the duties, with Mandy taking the measurements and providing the estimates and Alan installing the gutters.

“I grew up in a family business, so customer service is very important to us,†Mandy said. “We really want to work with people.â€

The two attribute much of their success to the careful craftsmanship of their work and the high grade of materials they use for each project.

“It’s not apples to apples in this business,†Alan said. “We use a high quality gauge of material … because you have to sell what you believe in.â€

Gutters are a key component in protecting a home from water damage, Mandy said, managing the flow of rainwater away from a building’s roof to ensure it does not weather a home’s siding and painted outside walls or find its way into the basement.

Gutters not only protect a home physically, but can also help protect its long-term monetary value.

“People frequently are looking to invest into what they already own,†Mandy said. “And so they [gutters] are something every house in New England should have.â€

Although the two have been tapped for projects throughout the region, the majority of their work comes from servicing local homes and businesses.

“We don’t mind traveling. And we do do work all over the state … but we also do a lot of homes in this town,†Alan said of Winsted and the surrounding area, adding that the company recently installed the new gutter system for the Colebrook Consolidated School.

“All our estimates are free and done in a timely fashion,†Mandy said.

One of the company’s most unique features is its logo: a cartoon image of Mandy up on a ladder as she installs a gutter.

“We wanted it to be something bright and exciting,†Alan said. “And the logo really caught on.â€

But while the logo has become a popular sight around town — the two have even trademarked the image to allow for the possibility of franchising the business in the future — Mandy said it is the affordability and overall quality of the couple’s work that is responsible for the Gutter Gal’s continued success.

“We are honest and hard working. And when we do a job, we stand behind it,†she said.

For more information about the Gutter Gal, visit theguttergal.com/main or call 860-605-5492.

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