Scudder Roofing & Solar

Marina knows how to set a mood in December. Lights trim neighborhood streets, families gather for the tree lighting at Vince DiMaggio Park, and the Rotary’s senior dinner fills the community center with the kind of chatter you only get when neighbors linger. It’s a small-town cadence with a big heart—exactly the kind of place where a family business can grow up and give back. For Scudder Roofing & Solar, the holidays are simply another chance to do what they try to do all year: show up for people. Scudder began 43 years ago when Founder and Chair Pete Scudder and his wife started a roofing company, adding solar more than two decades later. Today, 106 employees call the Marina headquarters home, and CEO Jennifer Scudder—Pete’s daughter—leads the day-to-day.

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Marina is a very special location,” Jen says. Her parents chose it on purpose—close to Salinas, close to Carmel, and close to the customers they’d serve for decades. “It’s a centralized hub for the whole peninsula—we can reach out to the community in a pretty streamlined fashion.” Proximity matters during the holidays: close enough to pitch in, close enough to feel what the season means for neighbors. For Pete, it’s all about people, beginning with the team that makes community work possible. “Our greatest asset is our team,” he says. “When we employ one person, we're taking care of the entire family in a sense. We feel that responsibility to make sure that we’re taking care of the whole family unit. We believe in that wholeheartedly.” For years, Scudder led with instinct: serve customers well, keep your word, invest in the team, say yes when the community needs a hand. Five years ago, they put that philosophy in writing so no one would mistake it for mere slogans. “We finally articulated our core values,” Pete says. “Customers first, integrity always, promises kept, unparalleled craftsmanship, community-minded, and a thriving team.” The list is posted around the shop. “If we ever drift, we can look up and remember what we’re about.”

If there’s a through-line from the first roof to today’s projects, it’s a quiet insistence on care—for craft, for customers, for the people doing the work. “He’s always been humble about board service and donations,” Jen says of her dad. “I used to tell him we should talk about it more so others could join in. What I’ve seen is employees getting inspired to get involved—from small ways to big ways—because it’s part of who we are.” Pete calls it legacy, but not in a self-congratulatory way. “Our core values are the glue that keeps us together,” he says, turning the spotlight to his crew. “When we have the right people in the right places, and take care of them, then they take care of us. Then we can grow the business, and when we do well with that, we can give back to the community.” It’s a feedback loop that’s even more visible this time of year in Marina. A tag pulled from a giving tree. A coat added to a collection bin. A quick online gift. None of it grand. All of it cumulative.

– Pete Scudder, Founder and Chair, Scudder Roofing and Solar

It’s amazing to see how our team gives their time and resources to causes they believe in.”

Whether it’s writing checks or lending ladders, Scudder shows up in ways that actually get work done. Over the years, the company has supported organizations its leaders know and trust, including CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for youth), Rancho Cielo (hands-on training and trades pathways for young people), Meals on Wheels, Boy Scouts, Goodwill, The Salvation Army, Hospice of the Central Coast, SPCA, Salinas Soccer Complex, Girl Scouts of Monterey County, Chartwell School, Marina Rotary, Hartnell College, and Salinas Rodeo. Youth-focused programs get particular attention—Pete and Jen both see investing in young people as investing in the community’s future. Inside the company, generosity has become a habit. “We give an annual award for community service,” Pete says. “It’s amazing to see how our team gives their time and resources to causes they believe in.” Folks on the other side of the invoice notice it, too. “I’ve had customers tell me they chose us because of our community involvement,” Jen adds. “It connects us on a deeper level—you realize you share the same commitments.” This year, Scudder is joining KSBW’s Share Your Holiday—a community effort that supports The Salvation Army’s work across Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito counties during the holidays. The aim is simple: spotlight the Share Your Holiday drive and encourage donations so local families can have a warmer, brighter season. Like other local sponsors, Scudder is lending its voice to invite neighbors to participate—through gifts of new, unwrapped toys; warm clothing and blankets; food; bottled water; or monetary contributions. It’s one more way a longtime Marina business tries to meet the moment with the same steadiness it brings to work the rest of the year.

Scudder Roofing & Solar won’t be the loudest voice in the room about their giving. They will, however, be among the first to ask their neighbors to join in. “We’re grateful to live and work here,” Jen says, “and grateful for every small act that helps a neighbor feel it, too.” Join KSBW, The Salvation Army, and local sponsors like Scudder Roofing & Solar to Share Your Holiday. Whether it’s a toy, a warm blanket, or a simple donation, every bit of generosity adds up—especially here at home.

By Monica Vanover on November 19, 2025