From OFS Participant to Business Owner: Levi Doherty Builds His Own Path
- hhodsdon2
- 10 minutes ago
- 4 min read
When Levi Doherty pulls up to a job site today, he’s not just another contractor. He’s the owner of Doherty Chimney, Roofing & Exterior LLC — a growing company serving communities across southern Wisconsin.
But more than two decades ago, Levi was a teenager looking for direction. He found Operation Fresh Start (OFS).
“I was here in 2000-2001, when you were on Winnebago Street,” Levi said. “I didn’t finish the program. But I was here for quite a while. It was like a safe haven.”
At 16, Levi came to OFS during a difficult season of his life. He was living in a group home and needed stability — and an opportunity. When someone told him about a program that would allow him to work toward his GED while learning construction skills, it caught his attention.
“They said they’d teach you how to build general construction," he said. "That piqued my interest.
Learning the Trade
On George’s crew, Levi learned the fundamentals of construction, lessons he still uses every day.
“I remember installing vinyl siding — outside corners, inside corners, J-channel, roofing systems, drip edge, framing a wall — headers, studs, top plates, and sole plates. I learned all of that at Operation Fresh Start,” he said. “How to read a speed square, run a chalk line, and use all the hand tools, I never lost it.”
He also remembers something else: breakfast.
“There was a lady here named Sydney," he said. "Every morning I’d come in and get a full breakfast — milk, fruit, bagel, oatmeal, whatever. She told me once, ‘You’re the only kid that comes in here and eats a full meal.’”
For Levi, that meal meant more than food.
“For kids who don’t have much, that means the world,” he said. “I looked forward to coming here.”
Though Levi didn’t complete the program at the time, the skills and the experience stayed with him.
“It was a really good experience,” he said. “It definitely helped me build skills in what I do nowadays.”
Choosing a Different Path
Years later, Levi found himself working in manufacturing. True to form, he outworked expectations, consistently exceeding production goals.
At a performance review, he was told that if he kept it up, in two years, he might earn a few dollars more per hour.
“I called my wife on my break and said, I’m not going to sit here and be a cog in the wheel.”
He soon walked away to try something new.
Levi teamed up with a friend and started doing chimney work. That expanded into roofing, siding, and full exterior projects. In March 2025, he made another bold move, stepping out to create his own business.
“A lot of the guys came with me,” he said. “We killed it last year. We did really good.”
Today, Doherty Chimney, Roofing & Exterior LLC employs nine crew members and handles everything from chimney restoration and roofing to siding, decks, and concrete. Levi typically serves customers within an hour of the Madison area, including Beaver Dam and Janesville.
“We’ve got a really good name already in just one summer,” he said.
Levi was OFS Board Secretary Steph Harrill Kyle's contractor.
"He replaced our roof, siding, and has done work on our chimney," she said. "Through that work and learning about his OFS connection, we’ve built a nice relationship."
"His business is taking off because he’s really great," she added. "He's honest, hardworking, and thorough."
He currently stages equipment from his family’s farm in Poynette and his garage in DeForest, with plans to secure a dedicated shop space in the next few years.
“In five years, I want a solid home base to work out of,” he said. “We’re growing. It’s a process.”
Building for Something Bigger
Levi credits much of his growth to perspective and purpose.
“When you fail enough times in life, you have to fight for everything you want,” he said. “You don’t always figure it out right away.”
Marriage and fatherhood shifted his focus.
“Having kids... You start living for something other than yourself,” he said.
Today, in addition to running a business, Levi coaches youth wrestling — investing in the next generation the way others once invested in him.
“It’s about fulfilling things that give more meaning to life,” he said.
When asked what his life might look like if he had never come to OFS, Levi paused.
“Hard to say,” he said. “I probably would still be in the trades, but Operation Fresh Start definitely helped me build the skills I need today.”
More than 20 years after walking through OFS’s doors, Levi is proof that seeds planted early can grow over time, sometimes in ways no one can predict.
Now, he’s building more than roofs and chimneys. He’s building stability, opportunity, and a future.
Looking for exterior work? Doherty Chimney, Roofing & Exterior LLC serves southern Wisconsin communities within an hour of DeForest. Contact Levi at 608-720-0451 or Dohertyexteriorsllc@gmail.com.