The whole story, in my own words.
KHARY
.
PENEBAKER
More than the pieces
you found online.
The scattered version of me out there has never added up to the real one. So here it is, in order.
My mother died by firearm suicide when I was 22 months old.
That is not where my story ends. It is where it starts.
She had easy access to a gun and no easy access to mental health care. I found out how she died when I was 18. It took years before I could do something with it.
Start at chapter 01- Born
- Cincinnati, October 22, 1977
- Raised
- Cincinnati, by my dad, Eric, and my mom, Paula. Milwaukee from 12.
- Home
- Pewaukee, Wisconsin
- Work
- MetalMaster-RoofMaster, McHenry, Illinois
Real story.
No script.
I was born in Cincinnati on October 22, 1977. I was 22 months old when my mother, Joyce, died by firearm suicide, and that loss became the thing that shaped everything. My father, Eric, raised me in Cincinnati. When I was 7 he married my mom, Paula, and they raised me together until we moved to Milwaukee when I was 12.
In 2002 I started a commercial roofing and sheet metal company out of my garage with nothing, and built it into one of the top five roofing firms in Wisconsin. When the recession hit, it ended in an involuntary Chapter 7 in 2011.
I climbed back, learned sheet metal inside out, and went on to help grow another company from about $5 million to $35 million with 180 people, working across EPDM, TPO, GAF products, JM insulation, and the full building envelope.
In 2016 I ran for Congress in Wisconsin's 5th district. I lost, and I learned more about leadership in that campaign than in a decade of business. From 2017 to 2023 I served as DNC Representative for Wisconsin.
Now I am Division President at MetalMaster-RoofMaster, running the Upper Midwest division of a commercial roofing and architectural sheet metal company out of McHenry, Illinois. What I care about has not changed: leadership under pressure, mental health, racial equity, and what resilience actually looks like when it is tested.
Nine chapters.
One record.
Joyce, and the mother I never got to remember.
From the worst day to testifying for change.
Changing the people who write the law.
The part I am not supposed to say out loud.
A company out of my garage, with nothing.
Fell in love with sheet metal. Got fired. Built again.
A 49-year-old company, and a real rebuild.
Anne, Josie, Kyan, and Sydney.
Common sense, practical, and possible.
One color.
Two worlds.
On a roof, orange means be seen. I have been up there since 1996.
- 2002Started a company out of my garage with nothing. Built it into a top five Wisconsin roofer.
- 2011Lost it in an involuntary Chapter 7. I did not run from the debt.
- 2026Division President, MetalMaster-RoofMaster. Upper Midwest, out of McHenry, Illinois.
Orange is what hunters wear to stay safe. It became the color of the gun violence prevention movement.
- 2012Became a local spokesperson. Testified at the local and state level.
- FellowEverytown for Gun Safety. Universal background checks and a red flag law, not bans.
- 2021Board president, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin C4, through 2024.
Built. Lost.
Built again.
Every job, every loss, every campaign. The wins and the Chapter 7 sit on the same line, because they happened to the same person.
-
1977Born in CincinnatiRaised in Cincinnati by my dad, Eric, and my mom, Paula.
-
1996First roofGot into roofing in high school.
-
2002Garage to companyTop five in Wisconsin, union shop.
-
2011Chapter 7Lost it. Then Metal-Era, and codes work.
-
2014$5M to $35MGrew a regional roofer to 180 people.
-
2016Ran for CongressWisconsin 5th district. I lost.
-
2017DNC memberWisconsin, through 2023.
-
2026MetalMasterDivision President, Upper Midwest.
Media features.
Every link works.
From the job site.
A new post most days. Safety, crews, leadership, and what the trades get wrong about all three.
All postsMy story of survival can help save someone's life.
Depression made my mom think the world, my world, would be better off without her. She was wrong about that.
I have attempted suicide three times. I have called the lifeline more than once. I am still here. I got air in my lungs, and I got a story to tell.
One woman wrote to tell me that because she read my story, she chose not to touch a gun. It's just a bad moment, not a bad life.
I share my pain with you so you don't have to experience it. Reach the help. Ask for it out loud. Keep going.
The real
story.
Reporters, old friends, new colleagues, anyone. It comes to me, not a booking desk.
The whole story, in my own words.
KHARY.
PENEBAKER
I am a builder.an advocate.a father.an operator.
More than the pieces you found online.
So here it is, in order.
My mother died by firearm suicide when I was 22 months old. That is not where my story ends. It is where it starts.
Start at chapter 01Nine chapters. One record.
One color.
Two worlds.
On a roof, orange means be seen.
Orange is what hunters wear to stay safe. It became the color of the movement.
My story can help save someone's life.
I have attempted suicide three times. I am still here. Reach the help. Ask for it out loud. Keep going.
Every resource, Get helpThe real story.
Get in touch© 2026 Khary Penebaker. Based in Wisconsin.