The original company, W.G. Bush & Co., was founded in 1865 by Major William G. Bush along the banks of the Cumberland River in North Nashville. The enterprise specialized in masonry, building supplies, sand and gravel and, by 1900, had grown into one of the largest firms of its type in the South. W.G Bush & Co. produced many of the materials utilized in the reconstruction of post-Civil War Nashville and its subsequent growth. In fact, most of the buildings on the Vanderbilt University campus were built from handmade bricks formed by the W.G. Bush Co. at the turn of the century.

Thomas L. Herbert, Sr., married Sara, William Bush’s daughter, and, in 1909, changed the business name to T.L. Herbert & Sons. The company range grew from building supplies to include general contracting leading to the eventual formation of several contracting businesses owned by the Herbert family, Herbert Materials Co., including three brickyards in North Nashville, an additional brickyard in West Tennessee and a barge line which dredged sand and gravel from the Tennessee River

Robert David Herbert, Sr., grandson of T.L. Herbert, followed the family tradition of carving out a niche and building a successful company. He focused his attention on the Roofing & Sheet Metal Division of the original T.L. Herbert & Sons Company. RD Herbert & Sons Company was incorporated in 1946, at the end of World War II, and established the tradition of quality workmanship, integrity and sophistication that continues today. From its earliest days, the company policy has been to provide the best service for a fair price, never sacrificing quality for expediency.

The expansion of the company can be attributed to R.D. “Bobby” Herbert, III. He worked his way up through the various jobs in the company and achieved his goal of running the company. Bobby used the economic recession of the 1970’s to create work by seeking the lucrative re-roofing market. When the shop and offices moved from Harrison Street to 3rd Avenue North, Bobby used the opportunity to create a new “state of the art” sheet metal shop.

For several years Betty Herbert worked alongside her husband and son learning the particulars of the industry and visiting job sites. Her strength kept the company going after the sudden death of her husband, Bobby, in 1998. Even during her years as President, she remained the voice of the RD Herbert & Sons Company as the receptionist fielding phone calls, dispatching maintenance crews, scheduling repairs and handling customer concerns. Houston’s mother managed the family owned business for 5 1/2 years before handing the reins over to her son. She has since retired, but her passion for roofing never left the company.

W. Houston Herbert, the fourth generation of RD Herbert & Sons Company (seventh of the W.G. Bush Company), took over the family owned business specializing in roofing, waterproofing, and sheet metal fabrication.

In 2017, Curtis Sutton purchased the company to add to the already massive Rackley Roofing Portfolio.  RD Herbert was the perfect fit to manage the niche projects they have been know for.  Rackley, known for its technology, is the perfect marriage for RD Herbert, a boutique company for custom work.  Now, Rackley Roofing and RD Herbert can install and repair any kind of roof.