ANTIS ROOFING & WATERPROOFING engaged in Philanthropy that will knock your socks off

“I chase impact.” This might well be the moto for philanthropist and CEO Charles Antis, who founded Antis Roofing & Waterproofing some three decades ago.

By all accounts, he’s caught it.

Antis serves on a dozen national and local boards, including the Orange County United Way Board of Directors, United 2 End Homelessness Executive Council and the Habitat for Humanity OC board; he is a founding partner of California Love Drop; and he’s a member of the California State University Fullerton Center for Leadership Board of Directors. And as a member of the National Roofing Contractors Association board, he co-initiated the national adoption of all 165 Ronald McDonald homes across the country.

Locally, he serves on the Ronald McDonald House Orange County Board of Directors, where he’s co-chair of the capital campaign that raised over $14 million of the $12 million goal during the pandemic to double the size of the house.

Antis had his first encounter with Ronald McDonald House Orange County in 2014 when his twins were born prematurely. The offer of a modest granola bar at the Ronald McDonald Family Room in the hospital inspired Antis to engage with the organization; he quickly offered to maintain and care for the roof of the house.

For Antis, helping families placed in vulnerable positions is close to his heart. In fact, he thinks its “unimaginable” not to help the children that Ronald McDonald House serves. That’s why he’s chair of the organization’s Rock the Socks campaign, an ambassador program designed to increase community awareness about the Ronald McDonald House Orange County and support its families by wearing the nonprofit’s signature socks on designated special days. The website for the campaign proudly displays the motto, “Our heroes don’t wear capes – our heroes wear socks!” A video touting the effort features Antis showing off his socks.

“Charles is a very dedicated and active board member,” says Noel Burcelis, Executive Director of Ronald McDonald House Orange County, “Most importantly for me, he is a good person of character, he is enthusiastic about life and simply seeks to make the world a better place.”

In the eyes of those he helps, there’s no doubt that Antis himself is capable of heroics. But to him, it’s something anyone can do, and he wants to share his secrets. An upcoming book is Antis’ effort to provide a roadmap for corporate social responsibility.

“I’ve learned that if I share it, it feels like I can keep it. Philanthropy is the love of mankind. It’s the opposite of ‘me, me, me.’”

To those for whom the task of getting involved might be daunting, Antis offers his philosophy on the “magic of maybe.” Says Antis: “We learned just not to say no. With this, everything is possible.”

Antis, the roof and waterproofing expert, is adept at relaying real-life experiences in terms of water. He offers this analogy for the shift he sees in the corporate world: “If water flows down the river and you dam it up, the water starts to flow in new directions – that’s what’s happening in business.”

He recommends that those considering getting involved find causes that align with their personal values. “Purpose matters more than ever,” he says.

So where do you start, with so many organizations in need of help?  “Ask yourself: ‘If I could do anything and money wasn’t a motivator, what’s the thing I can do for the world that fulfills me?’ Imagine the highest form of what you would do and take the first step.”

To put in perspective, Antis offers this of his own journey: “We’re a relatively small roofing contractor and once we stopped to ask what we thought we could do, there was no limit.”

[Article published by OC Register, Sunday, November 25, 2021]