RoofersCoffeeShop https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/ Roofing Forum, Classifieds, Galleries and More! en-us 3 Ways to Deal With Product Shortages https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/post/3-ways-to-deal-with-product-shortages 3-ways-to-deal-with-product-shortages Wed, 09 Mar 2022 15:00:00 PST

By Sashco.  

Big picture trends to come out of supply chain disruptions and labor shortages.  

Everyone is feeling the effects of the pandemic through supply chain disruptions and material shortages. When your business depends on the quality performance of your projects, like Sashco sealants you obviously want to make sure you never run out. 

However, roofers seem to be able to pull through even the worst of economic circumstances, there are a couple of ways to navigate your business around the unprecedented. Here are a few tips on how. To balance homeowner demands with material shortages and supply chain disruptions. 

How do you navigate this? 

1 - Instead of calendar-driven resets, be nimble around your supply flow. Consider quarterly resets or just allocating a portion of shelf space to in and out products that you place as you secure. 

2 - Bring in off-shelf products to fill gaps in your assortment temporarily. 

3 - Offer store associate and shopper education on products that can be substituted, via email, website and in-store communication. 

Sashco resources 

See this webinar and tech bulletin explaining sealant technology swaps pros can make as they navigate shortages. 

Print this Sealant Technology Swap Cheat Sheet for in aisle. 

Learn more about Sashco in their RoofersCoffeeShop® Directory or visit www.sashco.com. 

Original article source: Sashco 

About Sashco 

Since 1936, Sashco has been a leader in high-performance sealants, caulks, and finishing products innovation for conventional home construction and log/wood homes. At Sashco, we’re driven by a passion to make products that work right the first time. Like you, we get frustrated by the toy that breaks, screwdrivers that bend, and tires that wear out too soon. That’s why you won’t find good-better-best product lines at Sashco. We only make high-performance products designed to work best for their applications. We like to call it “delighting the customer with a better way.” Visit www.sashco.com for more information.

]]> Can’t-miss Booths at the NERCA Trade Show https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/post/cant-miss-booths-at-the-nerca-trade-show cant-miss-booths-at-the-nerca-trade-show Tue, 01 Mar 2022 11:00:00 PST

By Evelyn Witterholt, RCS Reporter. 

The North / East Roofing Contractors Association (NERCA) is set to host its 94th annual trade show.  

This year’s North / East Roofing Contractors Association (NERCA) Convention and Trade Show is expected to have a great turnout. The event is set to take place March 1 – 3 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Although the deadline for registration has passed, we are currently offering a free pass that contractors can use at the door to attend the event. 

With nearly 200 booths and quality educational seminars, this convention is great event for contractors in the northeastern United States to attend. RoofersCoffeeShop® will be there at booth 529, so swing by and say hi to Heidi Ellsworth, Karen Edwards and Tim Ellsworth. At the booth we’ll be giving out our special 20th anniversary celebratory swag! 

National Women in Roofing (NWIR) will also be there at booth 130 and they will be hosting a networking event on March 2 at 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Members from the NWIR board of directors and local councils will be attending and time will be devoted to discussing empowering women in the roofing industry. Register for the event today! 

Here are some other booths work checking out: 

Learn more about NERCA in their RoofersCoffeeShop® Directory or visit www.nerca.org.   

About NERCA 

NERCA is the founder of the NEREF scholarship. They are the regional association for roofing contractors covering the northeast part of the country.  Their territory includes: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Delaware.

]]> Charis Babcock - Zero Failures Business Focus - PODCAST TRANSCRIPTION https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/post/charis-babcock-zero-failures-business-focus-podcast-transcription charis-babcock-zero-failures-business-focus-podcast-transcription Fri, 25 Feb 2022 05:00:00 PST

 

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of an live interview with Charis Babcock from Sashco. You can read the interview below or listen to the podcast.

Heidi:
Welcome to Roofing Road Trips with Heidi. Explore the roofing industry through the eyes of a long-term professional within the trade. Listen for insights, interviews, and exciting news in the roofing industry today.

Karen Edwards:
Hello and welcome to another Roofing Road Trips from Roofer's Coffee Shop I'm Karen Edwards. And today I am virtually road ripping over to Brighton, Colorado to visit with Charis Babcock brand manager at Sashco. Hi Charis, welcome to the show.

Charis Babcock:
Hi, thanks so much for having me today.

Karen Edwards:
It's great for you to be here. Why don't you introduce yourself to our listeners and tell us a little bit about you and what you do at Sashco.

Charis Babcock:
Yes. So as Karen mentioned, I'm Charis, I am the marketing manager over our log home products section here at Sashco. So we have two divisions, one for conventional construction and then the log home side. So I'm in charge of the log home side. I actually started at Sashco, I've been here are, oh, a little 17 and a half years now. Started out in customer service, having lots and lots of phone calls with homeowners and contractors and was able to use what I learned and move over into the marketing side of things. So I am now in charge of all of the marketing activities and programs and that kind of thing for both contractors and homeowners on our log side, but we do a whole lot more work with contractors than we do with homeowners.

Karen Edwards:
Wow. Well, welcome. I'm glad that you're here today because I'm really excited to learn more about a program that you have. And I first heard about zerofailures and I thought, oh, that means your product because you have such a great product that zerofailures, it's not going to fail. Contractors are going to be successful with it. And then I did a little bit more research and I learned that there's so much more to the zerofailures program and you're actually providing the tools for contractors to be successful in their businesses.

Charis Babcock:
That's right. So we started zerofailures back in 1998 and it was really born of wanting to reduce our liability. Believe it or not. I know that sounds a little bit self-serving but when it comes to log homes, it's a very specialty application. It is not like painting another structure. There is oftentimes a lot of log replacement that has to be done. And we found that a lot of contractors just didn't really even know how to get started on a log home project. And it meant that most of them ended up going to what we call OSU O-Sh university.

Karen Edwards:
Ooh. Yep.

Charis Babcock:
And we wanted to help reduce that. We knew that if we were able to educate them on the entire process of finishing a log home from beginning to end, it would mean success for them. And it would mean success for us and reducing all of our liabilities. So we partnered with another a contractor. We didn't want to do all the teaching ourselves. So we partnered with another contractor who had been doing log homes for a while and wrote the curriculum and started the class. And here we are, 21, 22 years later, 23, I can't even count 2021 to 1998. So I guess that's 23 years later. Having had hundreds of people go through this class and it's just been so valuable. And then three years ago, we, over the years we've had so many contractors comment about how they needed help with the business fundamental side of things.

Charis Babcock:
I'm sure much of your audience can relate to, I know how to work with my hands, I really enjoy working with my hands, but the whole idea of putting together a business plan, putting together a budget and growing my business based on the value of what I offer rather than paying from one job onto the next and funding the next job with the current job, that was a big problem. And really helping, them helping contractors set themselves apart from everybody else that they're competing with. And so we started the business fundamentals class to help contractors, number one, just run a better business from a financial standpoint, but also to help them find improvements that would help them do more with what they already have, because labor is always the biggest constraint. Labor is always the biggest constraint. You can't always find more people.

Charis Babcock:
And even if you can find more people, a lot of times it's going to cost more to keep those good people around. So how can I find improvements in what I'm doing now using Lean? What we call around here, Lean manufacturing, but Lean is not a new technique. It's been well known across the world for many years, but helping them apply it to their businesses. And it's just made a world of difference in the way that we are able to communicate with contractors and frankly, just helping them improve their businesses, helps us improve ours too. We are much better suited to come out with products and services to actually help them, rather than some idea that we come up with around these four walls. And, oh, let's hope that somebody likes it. Right?

Karen Edwards:
Right. Yeah. Because you're bringing contractors in, and hearing what their problems and pain points and issues are. So that helps you develop better solutions for those contractors.

Charis Babcock:
Absolutely.

Karen Edwards:
And I love your comment too. It's so true. A contractor is a very skilled craftsman and does good work, but doesn't necessarily have that knowledge and that training to run their business efficiently, profitably, and it's kind of trial by fire. You figure it out, you get burned in one area and you go to that OSU that you mentioned, university, and learn the hard way. And I think that by giving your contractors the tools to help them be successful, you're successful too. Like you said, you're developing the right products, your contractors are buying more products because they're selling more jobs and they're using more. So it's a win-win for everybody.

Charis Babcock:
Absolutely. And I think the biggest win is across the board. We love knowing that so many of our contractor partners are setting themselves up for the future. It's actually heartbreaking when we hear about somebody who is, 70, whatever, 75, a lot of these guys, they don't quit until they're 75. Because they just love doing what they do. But then they sell their businesses for the equipment and that's it. And there's so much more value there in their businesses with the relationships that they've grown over the years with different customers and vendors. And we want them to understand their value more. And so the business class has really helped them and the wood. So we teach a wood science class. It's all about the process of finishing a log home, understanding the science behind that, helps them to sell that to their homeowners and makes them more valuable.

Charis Babcock:
And it actually makes their business more valuable too, when you know why you're doing what you're doing, not just how I'm going to do it. And I've always done it this way. And I might know a little bit about, how to apply this product or why we, for roofers, why we put it under Lehman Auto or whatever you want to talk about with the technical side of things. When you can explain that to someone very clearly and differentiate yourself from somebody else, you can use that as value in your business later on when you sell it. You've put together a system of how to sell and that's worth something to someone. And if you keep track of your customers, that's worth something to someone. So helping teach the contractors at zerofailures, how to go about setting some of those things up.

Charis Babcock:
And we actually, everybody goes away with goals and we follow up with them on those goals. I'm a little bit of a stickler for accountability, but it's easy to come to one of those classes. Here I am, most of these guys they spent four days with us going through the wood science and the business focus class. And then if they go back and they don't have any goals that somebody is holding them accountable to, then the value of our class goes down too.

Charis Babcock:
So that accountability brings a lot of value to our class. And I hope, and I've been told, brings value to them too, because they know that Sashco is not just trying to get them in the door, hurting them in the door for the money for the conference and forgetting about them afterwards. We really want to see that they're being successful with what they've been taught. And we're always following up to see what's something new we can learn from them. The techniques that they bring to the class that they teach us is invaluable. We can have better conversations with them because we've learned what they care about and what they've learned and how they're improving.

Karen Edwards:
I think that, every building, every home has a roof, right? Whether it's a wood log home, if it's a office building and those, the key, there's critical areas between the roof, it was where it transitions to the rest of the building. So I'm sure that by coming in and understanding the science behind the wood and knowing that, oh, I do need to handle that transition differently between the roof and the side of the wood home, that really going to help contractors. And, and I'm wondering if you could tell me a little bit about who's teaching the science behind the wood?

Charis Babcock:
Right. So we actually have several people teaching. So our two senior chemists here teach about our products and a little bit about building science. It's funny that you, [inaudible 00:10:58] every year, right? Every home has a roof. Log homes are notorious for being inefficient energy wise, right at that joint between the roof and the log walls. And it's because logs move so much and they shrink over time and people don't account for that. The other reason is that so many log homes, they have those beautiful cathedral ceilings with the tongue and groove pine, and they haven't put anything underneath that tongue and groove pine between that and the actual roof structure to help insulate. And they lose so much heat under that. And then they call in a roofing guy and he's like, well, you really didn't follow great practices for construction. And it is a problem.

Charis Babcock:
So we have our chemists who teach about the products, but we actually have outside contractor by the name of Mark, who has both built log homes, and now is full time into restoration. And then we also have some people who teach thermography. And thermography is blower door to test finding those areas where there could be air leaks, and really informing our contractors on ways that they can go through and seal things up retrofit when it's necessary to bring in some other professional, especially professional roofer in order to help improve the energy efficiency of a log home. So we try to partner with a good number of professionals who know both log construction and our products in order to improve the buildings themselves and give the contractors, really set them up for success to make those changes when they come to a customer's house and they've had those complaints.

Charis Babcock:
So it's very important to us that we not be the only ones teaching. It's really important to us, that we bring in the people who actually do know what they're talking about. So that's really what we try to do in zerofailures. This is not a Sashco show. And in fact, that's one of the things when we first started out that we said, this is not going to be commercial for Sashco's products, because I can do that in a quick little webinar, or back in 98 before they really had webinars. We can have them in for an in person thing at a store, right.

Charis Babcock:
We still do those, but it was very important to us that it be about the science and be about the process and be about bringing in pros who know what they're doing so that they can be set up for success. Because again, I know I sound like a broken record, but their success is our success. And so I can't be successful at Zero, I can't be successful in my position here at Sashco. Sashco as company can't be successful unless we are setting people up to do things right. And that a lot of times doesn't mean anything about our products. So we're okay leaving the product conversation out in order to talk science and the technical, the building part of it.

Karen Edwards:
Excellent. I want to transition over to the business focus. I know Sashco is a family own business, and a lot of contractors are family owned businesses. So I understand that Les, your CEO does some of the teaching during the business session. And does he talk about that, about being your family business, but you're also the CEO, you're the owner, you're running this company and how to do that without fighting with your family members? Right.

Charis Babcock:
So both Les and Nick Birch, Les is CEO, Nick is actually our log sales manager. Both of them teach portions of the business focus class. And we do talk about that. How do you set yourself up as a family business and be successful? How do you avoid a lot of the pitfalls, the nepotism that could allow in somebody to do a job, and there are perhaps not the right person for that job. So how do you set your company up for success to do that? And so they do talk about that at zerofailures. And I think the phrase that we use a lot around here and that Les, Jeff, Nick have really set Sashco up for success this way. We are family owned and professionally operated. And what that means is, yeah, the family has ownership. They actually have two other people on the board.

Charis Babcock:
So it's not just family making the decisions. That's been one of the ways that they really professionally operate. They are making sure to get outsiders, giving their opinions and their thoughts and providing their expertise. So they don't get in a bubble. It's very easy to agree with your family and want to avoid some of that conflict that comes with a family owned business. So bringing in people who are not part of your family to the executive board makes a big difference when it comes to how the company is going to be run. And then the other part of that is hiring professionals to actually run the company, yes Les is CEO, but he is not COO. Jeff and Nick are not managed by Les, they have managers above them who are not part of the family. And they are held to the same performance review standards that anybody else in Sashco are held to.

Charis Babcock:
And it's funny because sometimes, this only happens once or twice a year when Les or Jeff or Nick will come into an all company meeting. And they have these hats that say owner hat, and they'll say, okay, I'm putting my owner hat on. And so we're going to have a discussion as owners, but the rest of the time they're functioning in their functional jobs, the way the rest of the company is. And I work directly with Nick, it's very easy to do. They've done a really great job of creating those boundaries. And I think that's probably the second thing professionally operated, but family owned and having very clear boundaries in place for how you are going to function in your functional role in the company. And we do talk about that at the business focus, because there's so much that can create conflict inside of a family owned business.

Charis Babcock:
And as long as you are open about that, and you have ways to deal with that, and you are set up to work through those things and have people come alongside of you and have those boundaries set up, it can be very successful. I think the other thing that the Burchs really did to set themselves up for success is that Les made sure that Jeff and Nick had experience working at companies outside of Sashco before they came to Sashco. And it provided them a different perspective. It provided them some of the experience that they just wouldn't be able to get at a family owned business because it is easy to just get pigeonholed by everybody. Oh, it's an owner. So he's going to be doing this one day. So we better have him do that. And so they were able to get experience out.

Charis Babcock:
Nick worked for Pepsi for a three years before he came to Sashco. And Jeff worked for an engineering firm for a few years before he ended up at Sashco. And both of them have moved around into different positions at Sashco as well, because we want to make, no matter who's working at Sashco, we want to make sure they're in the right seat. They want to make sure are there doing the right thing. And that goes for the owners as well. Les, for years and years was the CEO and also in charge of operations. And those two people who came in on their executive board said, you really need to hire a COO and not be doing this anymore. It's not your strength. It's not where your passion is. And so let's bring somebody in who is passionate about that to free you up to do the things that you are passionate about. And it's made for a much stronger company transitioned through that over the last, I don't know, five to 10 years or so, it's been so, and it's been very good for Sashco.

Karen Edwards:
That's excellent. I think that in addition to learning about that family dynamic and how to have those boundaries and those processes, that these zerofailures provide an opportunity for networking with contractors from different parts of the country. So you make those friends and you have somebody that you can pick up the phone and call and ask a question who isn't competing with you for the same job.

Charis Babcock:
Yes.

Karen Edwards:
You see that happen or yeah?

Charis Babcock:
Yes, absolutely. That happens a lot. And in fact, we always make sure to exchange business cards, but we also start an email string with everybody in that class. So they have everybody's contact information. They can give a call and say, Hey, if it's project related, I'm having an issue on this project. Or, the guy who teaches our wood science class, he came to business focus and made the decision to hire a business manager. He loves doing the hands on. He didn't want to do the business management side anymore, but it took a lot of changes in his mind to get him to that point where he is willing to let go of some of the business management side of things. So some guys have called him up and said, how did you make the leap to letting go of the business management side?

Charis Babcock:
And what did you learn at zerofailures that made it more palatable to you? We all, especially family owned, independent contractors, we're all a bunch of control freaks. We know that hands and everything, we want to control things. And at zerofailures, we talk a lot about taking that control and handing it off to other people, have a crew who can run things for you, really building them up to do those things for you. Not because they're not going to be done right, and done according to the way that you want them to be done in order to provide the highest value. But because you can take what you've learned all these years and what you've been doing and pass it off to somebody and build up more crews. And you're basically creating a way to multiply yourself. And that's a good thing. You guys do great work, you provide a valuable service to people. And when you pass that information and that knowledge along, you're duplicating yourself and making yourself more successful. And that's a good thing. You're leaving something behind.

Karen Edwards:
Every time you say, I wish I had one more of me. This is how you get one more of you, to clone yourself, duplicate yourself. I love that analogy. So now that we know all about zerofailures, tell me about how often do you have this? Yeah. How long is it? How do I sign up? I want to know more.

Charis Babcock:
Right. Okay. So our zerofailures, again, focused on log home finishing. We do it three to four times a year, generally in the winter and early spring, because that's when guys are not busier than a one arm paper hanger, right? Summer is the busiest time. You got to make hay while you can. So we try not to do a whole lot during the summertime. So it's usually October, November, we'll do one or two classes and then we'll do them again, January, February, March. I don't have dates set up for 2022 yet because Sashco is moving to a new building. And so, you talk about needing to duplicate. Well, we've got four people who normally have other job responsibilities who are all dedicated to our building move right now. And so I am resource constrained around here to do more zerofailures classes until we move into our new building.

Charis Babcock:
So I'm thinking it's going to be fall of 2022 when we do one again. And it's easy to sign up. You just go to zerofailures.com and you can sign up for our classes there. So I'm hoping to release new dates here probably in January, February, once we have a better idea of what's going to happen with our building move. And we are definitely interested in having people outside of log home finishing come to both the wood science and the business focus class. Because even though we're talking specifics of the wood, the science of wood and logs in the wood science, we're talking building envelope. And obviously that matters to a lot of your audience, obviously.

Karen Edwards:
Wow. That's exciting Charis, thank you for sharing that. We'll definitely have to keep our eyes out. And when that is available, we'll certainly promote that for you on Roofer's Coffee Shop.

Charis Babcock:
Absolutely.

Karen Edwards:
So is there anything that I didn't ask you that you think you'd like to add or that our listeners should know?

Charis Babcock:
The only thing that I would add is that prioritizing education for contractors is difficult. It's very easy to put that off to the side to say, get the minimum that you have to in order to maintain your license with the state. Right? But I would tell you that the more you prioritize your education, the more your business is going to grow and the more successful it's going to be. And grow with what you already have. Because sometimes contractors here grow the, I can't tell you how many contractors I've talked to who've like, I'm happy with the size of my business right now.

Charis Babcock:
Wonderful. But would you like to be able to pick and choose the jobs that you take rather than just taking every single job. Getting more education, especially around how to sell your services and how to value your services is going to be a life changer. Is going to be a business changer and it's going to make it so that when you get to that point where you're ready to retire, you're not selling your business for just the assets. This is not a fire sale. This is, I have an entire business with a clientele that I've built up, vendor relationships that I can pass off that is worth a lot to somebody who's going to be buying it. And you've now got yourself a bit more of a retirement plan. And so prioritize your education. It's very important and it's going to be a lot more valuable than you probably pay heed to it.

Karen Edwards:
Very well said. And I think it says a lot about Sashco as a company to put that kind of commitment into helping contractors be successful. So thank you guys for prioritizing education. Yeah. And thanks for taking the time today and going on this virtual road trip with me, we'd like to ask all our listeners, be sure to visit Sashco's directory on Roofer's Coffee Shop. That's where you can get the latest news and information about what's happening and maybe find out when the zerofailures class is going to be there for roofing contractors. And as always, we want everybody to listen to all of our podcasts because that's where you find out things like this. What's new, what's happening. Just visit rooferscoffeeshop.com, check out our read list and watch initiatives, you'll find all of our podcasts there or find us on your favorite podcast platform. Subscribe to be sure you don't miss an episode. And we appreciate you being here on this roofing road trip and we'll see you next time from the road. Thanks Charis. Bye everyone.

Charis Babcock:
Thanks so much.

Heidi:
Make sure to subscribe to our channel and leave a review. Thanks for listening. This has been roofing road trips with Heidi from the rooferscoffeeshop.com.

]]> Charis Babcock — How Educational Programs Make Your Company More Valuable https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/post/charis-babcock-how-educational-programs-make-your-company-more-valuable charis-babcock-how-educational-programs-make-your-company-more-valuable Thu, 10 Feb 2022 09:00:00 PST

By Cass Jacoby, RCS Reporter.  

Sashco representative Charis Babcock explains how educational programs like Zero Failures are a tool for contractor success.  

In Season 4, Episode 7 of the Roofing Road Trips podcast, Sashco’s Charis Babcock meets with RCS COO Karen Edwards to discuss the Sashco Zero Failures Education Program. The Zero Failures seminars are designed to help contractors identify their strengths and learn to leverage them, as well as find areas for improvement. This program ultimately paves pathways for growth that build a thriving company. 

Charis is the marketing manager of the log home products section of Sascho. “I've been here for a little over 17 and a half years now,” says Charis. “I started out in customer service, having lots and lots of phone calls with homeowners and contractors and was able to use what I learned and move over into the marketing side of things.” 

She tells Karen about how Zero Failures was started, and how the program is designed to be a tool for contractor success. “We started Zero Failures back in 1998,” says Charis. “We knew that if we were able to educate them on the entire process of finishing a log home from beginning to end, it would mean success for them. And it would mean success for us and reducing all of our liabilities.” 

This win-win program was further developed by partnering with contractors who have been doing log homes for a while and diversifying expert insight to add to the curriculum. “Here we are 23 years later, having had hundreds of people go through this class and it's just been so valuable,” says Charis. “I think the biggest win, across the board, is knowing that so many of our contractor partners are setting themselves up for the future.” 

Working with contractors to help them apply improvements into their business has been mutually beneficial, as contractors grow their business, Sascho has insight on how to create products and services that better cater to the needs of the contractors. “It’s made a world of difference,” says Charis of the program. “Helping contractors improve their businesses, helps us improve ours too.” 

Zero failure seminars take place three to four times a year, generally in the winter and early spring. Signing up is easy, simply go to zerofailures.com and you can sign up for classes there. 

“Prioritizing education for contractors is difficult. It's very easy to put that off to the side,” says Charis. “The more you prioritize your education, the more your business is going to grow and the more successful it's going to be.” 

Listen to the entire podcast for more information on the Zero Failures program and how to leverage education to grow your company.

]]> RoofersCoffeeShop® Will Be at IRE 2022, Will You? https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/post/rooferscoffeeshop-will-be-at-ire-2022-will-you rooferscoffeeshop-will-be-at-ire-2022-will-you Mon, 17 Jan 2022 18:00:00 PST

By Cass Jacoby, RCS Reporter.  

IRE promises to be one of the biggest events of the year, check out who will be at the expo! 

This year’s International Roofing Expo (IRE) promises many exciting events, products, classes and more. The expo will take place February 1-3 in New Orleans at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.  

RoofersCoffeeShop® will be on the beat, sharing information and broadcasting live on YouTube. Additionally, you will find President Heidi J. Ellsworth moderating a panel on how to work with young people who are interested in roofing. The session takes place Tuesday at 7:45 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. CT 

The Coffee Shop will join many great manufacturers, distributors and associations as they share new ideas with roofing contractors. Make sure you stop by our booth, number 249, and visit our RoofersCoffeeShop partners too:  

Don’t miss out, register today for IRE 2022!

]]> Stages of Company Growth With James Fischer https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/post/stages-of-company-growth-with-james-fischer stages-of-company-growth-with-james-fischer Sat, 01 Jan 2022 15:00:00 PST

By Colin Sheehan, RCS Reporter. 

Tap into a deeper insight on your organization and gain the clarity you need to be an effective leader in navigating business growth.  

James Fischer is a successful entrepreneur, consultant, educator, author and speaker. He is the co-founder of the Origin Institute which has conducted research on more than 700 companies and has breakthrough knowledge that will change how you understand business growth. James Fischer’s approach to company growth is not mechanistic, but integrated, which allows business owners to look deeper into their organization and realize the complexities that effect a company’s ability to grow. His book, Navigating the Growth Curve is available on Amazon and provides entrepreneurs and business owners with the perspective they need to lead their organizations through change. 

In this episode of Les's Corner, Les Burch and James Fischer discuss the stages of growth in a company and how contractors can successfully maneuver through these stages. Most people assume business growth is directly measured by the dollar volume which, as James and Les prove, is an incorrect assumption. 

“What I’ve found over many years of research and working with hundreds of companies is that to understand growth at a DNA level, you have to understand what makes the company complex as it grows,” said James. "The unit of complexity in any organization, it doesn’t matter what industry it’s in, is a single human being.”  

As more people are added to an organization it becomes more complex. As an organization becomes more complex the rules of management change. This is why James identifies the stages of company growth by the number of people in the organization, not the type of organization or the profit. Regardless of what products or services a business provides, James has found the same patterns in every company and confidently marks growth stages by the number of people in a business. 

“As you grow the organization, each person you bring onto your company has a suitcase in their left hand with all their great things that are happening with them [and] in the right hand they’re carrying a suitcase of stuff that may be stressing them out,” said James. "When you start having people come together, each one carrying their own suitcases, they start bumping into each other. So, you’re managing that complexity." 

The tipping point between each stage happens when the stage meets it’s “critical mass” or when a stage-one company of one to 10 employees becomes a stage-two company as that 11th person joins the team. When you hit that critical mass, the rules of managing the business change as well as the company itself. 

“What happens with a lot of companies and human groups, they start having more work come in the door and so they start throwing people at the work, [which makes] the organization becomes more complex,” said James. “And so, they didn’t necessarily address all the rules when they were in [an] earlier stage and those rules come back to haunt them.”  

Watch the entire video to hear more from James on how to lead your company through growth and to learn what stage of growth your company is in.

Learn more about Sashco in their RoofersCoffeeShop® Directory or visit www.sashco.com.

]]> IRE Brings the Roofing Industry to Life https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/post/ire-brings-the-roofing-industry-to-life ire-brings-the-roofing-industry-to-life Sat, 25 Dec 2021 09:00:00 PST

By Lauren White, RCS Editor. 

IRE 2021 did not disappoint and we can’t wait to experience it again in New Orleans in 2022! 

While I am not new to the trade show world, I am new to roofing trade shows. And the International Roofing Expo (IRE) 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada was an exhilarating and exhausting experience. As a writer and editor working remotely for RoofersCoffeeShop® I’ve interviewed people over the phone, had meetings via Zoom and written articles about campaigns, new products, project profiles and more.  But actually talking to people I’ve only “met” via email, visiting the booths, seeing and touching the materials and products I’ve only described, was a whole new experience and really made the roofing industry come to life for me. 

Vendors were excited to be in Las Vegas at a trade show, something that we’ve all been missing for a couple of years, and to be present for the contractors too. While it was a smaller show than normal, many commented that they enjoyed the slower pace because they could have a substantial conversation with anyone who walked by, which also meant I got to learn more from the experts!   

Read on for a glimpse of the conversations we had and what you can look forward to in New Orleans in just a few months! 

PABCO Roofing Products 

PABCO Roofing Products was eager to share with us about their Cascade Diamond shingles. They are the only company to have this shingle design, which pays homage to older shingles. Especially popular in North Carolina on more historic homes, the Cascade Diamond shingles look like slate from afar but cost a fraction of the price. These shingles ship across the U.S. even though the company is regional. The percentage of copper granules in the Cascade Diamond shingles is higher than others, making these shingles a preventative system to algae growing on a roof.   

They also shared with us about their Paramount Advantage shingles. These shingles have a tapered design, providing a unique look that also yields fewer sticking points with rain and debris. 

We learned a fun fact about their logo too! You’ll notice that the corners of the house don’t touch because “our house is never complete.” 

Leap 

Leap had a big presence at IRE. And there were a lot of new and exciting things they shared with us – new partnerships, new user interface and new hires! The integration with Company Cam was one of the main highlights, in addition to their new user interface. Leap is growing fast with new hires in sales, leadership and marketing. Contractors shared feedback about the site and Leap listened, resulting in an updated user interface. 

Breakthrough Academy 

Quick Tools for contractors! Breakthrough Academy (BTA) identified the top 10 issues contractors face and came up with these free tools. Designed to educate people and get quick info, Contractor Quick Tools are for people who are forward focused and want to incorporate tech into their company but are inundated with information, options and technical jargon. Contractor Quick Tools are interactive and include both a video and text, they’re fun and personable too. Each tool is free, downloadable and easy to use. Any tools that are documents have a blank and filled example because “blank documents are overwhelming,” Erin Scheel, manager of strategic partnerships for BTA, explained. A filled example and editable doc are provided for contractors to use. 

Owens Corning 

To help select their color of the year, Owens Corning hosted a women’s focus group.  The result? Aged Copper. Their booth at IRE was highly interactive with a mood board of their Aged Copper color of the year in addition to a nail zone challenge for their shingles and touchscreen quiz for contractors to test their Owens Corning knowledge. They were also very excited to talk about Design EyeQ, an online feature contractors can share with homeowners so they can visualize what their new roof will look like by “trying on” different colors and shingle options. 

JobNimbus 

With their main purpose to “Make more, work less” JobNimbus strives to help contractors boost their revenue by 43% and save their team 24 hours per week. They do this by helping contractors get: 

  • Organized – With the Work Orders feature, contractors can optimize processes and turn jobs into bite-sized instructions for other team members to complete. Additionally, JobNimbus will automatically upload and organize mobile photos into folders so you don’t have to. 

  • Efficient – From the calendar, assign work orders and get notifications instantly. Save time by easily automating tasks, emails and more. 

  • Professional – Create new estimates in seconds with the estimate template and capture signatures from anywhere with the e-sign feature. 

  • Profitable – Collect money faster and track invoices with ease all from one place.  The reporting dashboard view provides an in-depth review to maximize your revenue. 

Sashco 

The cobra nozzle! We were all too excited about this tool from Sashco. The Cobra Nozzle provides a quick fix seal for contractors’ lap joining needs. From their insights report, Sashco identified that contractors want all-purpose tools that will work in any weather.  And along came the Cobra Nozzle, a tool that produces a flat bead of caulking for flat joints. The Cobra Nozzle is self-tooling, cuts labor time in half and delivers up to 50% in material savings for contractors.  

Watch this video from IRE about their cobra nozzle.  

Bitec 

We spent a good amount of time speaking with the people at Bitec about their company culture!  They’ve been bringing new people in and growing, but also maintaining their family feel.  They’re all about fostering relationships, which was definitely exemplified in our conversation with them at IRE. While the culture is changing, one thing that remains the same is that they’re still willing to pick up the phone and have conversations with roofing professionals. 

Sherwin-Williams 

Phantom Metal Roof Sealant by Geocel was the main event for us at Sherwin-Williams. This color-matching sealant was designed for metal roofing substrates. With six translucent colors available – white, gray, bronze, green, blue, green – any metal roof color can still shine through and blend with the surface to not only look great, but also provide superior protection. This sealant saves time and money and is applicable in damp, cold and hot weather. 

MARCO Industries  

We were some of the first to hear that MARCO Industries launched their Python™ steep-slope ventilation line during IRE! This is their first debut into the residential market. The Python ventilation line has several ridge vent and static vent options available that are environmentally friendly. These products not only offer superior performance but are also easy to install.  

Their Python Weather-Tite™ rolled ridge vent is made of a high-performing, non-wicking modified polyester material, allowing you to cut where you want and use every piece, which means no waste! 

The rest of the products in their residential ventilation line are all made from no-break polypropylene material and include: 

  • Python Weather-Tite™ FlexFit (TM) 3-IN-1 Ridge Vent 

  • Python FlexFit™ 3-IN-1 Ridge Vent 

  • Python 65 Slant Back Vent 

  • Python 150 Round Vent  

Nearmap 

When we spoke with people at Nearmap, they wanted to emphasize that they provide flexible options that are tailored to suit YOUR business needs. Set up is quick and every Nearmap user has immediate access to MapBrowser, which is Nearmap’s web platform; no additional software is required. They have a variety of offerings depending on your visual map needs. These include: 

  • Nearmap Vertical: High resolution, top-down imagery 

  • Nearmap Oblique: Multi-perspective aerial view at a 45-degree angle.  This allows you to view four-directional aspects with a gallery of individual source images. 

  • Nearmap 3D: 360-degree immersive view of 3D textured mesh in 3D Viewer.  You can pan and zoom and measure heigh, length, pitch, area and elevation. 

  • Nearmap AI: View AI layers in MapBrowser to identify objects and other location attributes. Third-party integration is made easy with on-demand export and APIs. 

Conversations like these, and more, are what you can look forward to at IRE 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. You won’t want to miss this event! 

Register today for IRE 2022!

]]> Differentiate Your Business With Home Improvement https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/post/differentiateyour-businesswith-home-improvement differentiateyour-businesswith-home-improvement Sat, 18 Dec 2021 15:00:00 PST

By Colin Sheehan, RCS Reporter. 

COVID-19, raw material shortages and labor shortages – what's next? The time is now to diversify. 

With the Read, Listen, Watch® (RLW) initiative, RoofersCoffeeShop® has made it easier than ever for members of the roofing and construction industries to learn how they want, when they want. Whether you want to read a transcript, listen to a podcast or watch a webinar, the Coffee Shop has made it possible for you to learn your way. 

In a recent RLW, RCS President, Heidi J. Ellsworth, sat down with Matrix Roofing CEO, Wendy Marvin, and Nathan Ferraro of Sashco. Together, they discussed the importance of developing the right customer connections and products and how to channel these assets when diversifying a business. In this RLW, you will not only learn how to upsell performance products and build better relationships, but also how to use these strengths to deepen your company’s roots for long-term stability. 

When it comes to customer service, Wendy Marvin is an expert. She has built and maintained a solid and loyal base of customers for years, using performance products and quality services to garner respect and trust. 

“We really plugged into our customers and looked for ways to do more, be more, be different,” said Wendy. 

Nathan is a chemist turned marketer with a background in tech. He sells high-performance Sashco sealants that he describes as “over-engineered.” Meaning people can use Sascho sealants for just about anything with the assurance that the product will exceed expectations. 

"I've tailored my career to really focus on product development and how can we build a better mousetrap for people to use,” said Nathan.  

To kick off the conversation, the three discussed why diversification is vital for businesses today. They all agreed that, from the past years of COVID-19, material and labor shortages, quite a few worthwhile lessons have been learned about the nature of change, and how it affects business. Not everything can be predicted or controlled, for instance, and despite the many varied speculations about the future, it remains unknowable. 

“When you have multiple streams of income, and you'll hear that a lot in the business world [that] multiple streams of income are safeguards for you to be able to transition to something else when something isn't working,” explained Wendy. 

Diversifying helps businesses navigate disruptions like raw material shortages and maintain stability. It’s an effective strategy to maintain company health and longevity. For businesses impacted by dramatic changes, diversification becomes the lifebuoy keeping them afloat in turbulent waters. 

“You could have a stream of income that your company has relied on for 20 years and all of a sudden, it's going to be down for a month or indefinitely,” said Nathan. “We want to keep a healthy company that keeps people employed so they don't have to be nervous about where the next paycheck is going to be coming from and all that sort of stuff, right? And so, any diversification right now, I think, is just adding some stability where folks can feel like they know where their next paycheck is going to come from.” 

Read, Listen or Watch the entire discussion to learn more about diversification and steps you can take to deepen your company’s roots.

]]> Chimney Tuckpointing: Do’s and Don’ts for Selecting Mortar https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/post/chimney-tuckpointing-dos-and-donts-for-selecting-mortar chimney-tuckpointing-dos-and-donts-for-selecting-mortar Sun, 28 Nov 2021 09:00:00 PST

By Cass Jacoby, RCS Reporter. 

Why adding the right caulk when tuckpointing will deliver unmatched results to your clients. 

While the bricks in a chimney can last for decades, mortar has a shorter lifespan. The mortar can deteriorate over time due to harsh conditions or weather, but the bricks themselves can still be in good shape. Thus, tuckpointing comes into play.  

The most cost-effective option for homeowners is to repair the affected areas of their chimney. Specially formulated caulks, like Sascho’s Mor-Flexx caulk, ensure good adhesion on brick and other masonry services significantly extending the lifespan of a chimney. Additionally, caulking can provide an airtight, watertight seal between two materials, and can make a chimney more efficient.   

If you are looking to create happy customers to boost your reviews and gain referrals, then you will want to ensure you are using the best caulk to deliver the best results to your clients, so follow this guide for selecting the best caulk for the job. 

Do: Select a weatherproof product 

It might seem obvious, weatherproofing a chimney is crucial. It is the best way to prevent chimney leaks and will protect and preserve the chimney for much longer. A waterproof and high-durability caulk, like Mor-Flexx, is the key to creating a tight, long-lasting seal that permanently weatherproofs the chimney.   

Don’t: Choose a silicone caulk

Silicone caulk is a quick fix, but will likely crack and hardly last more than six months. Silicone caulks are not made to handle movement without pulling away or cracking. Using this type of caulk will likely require callbacks because it is not customized for brick-and-mortar adhesion. You will be much better off using a flexible caulk that maintains its elasticity over time.  

Do: Choose a mortar-compatible product 

Mor-Flexx has a textured matte finish which is a better match with a realistic mortar finish for all EIFS, mortar, stucco, concrete, stone installations and repair needs. Mor-Flexx blends well with the chimney and is compatible with latex paint and most oil-based paints, sealers and stains. It won’t cause paint gloss, making it easy to use on any color for a discreet repair. Mor-Flexx may look like mortar and stucco but it stretches like rubber, staying elastic year after year to provide strong, stable support.  

Don’t: Spend time mixing your mortar on the roof 

As a roofer, you know that time is money when you are on the job. Mortar mixing for a tuckpointing job can get in the way of a busy schedule, so you will want to choose a caulk that is simple to use and carry onto the roof. Forget the concrete powder, mix bucket and big trowel. Just squeeze in Mor-Flexx to repair crumbly mortar.  Mor-Flexx has a water-based formula for easy application and easy water clean-up without being a stinky, stringy mess. Mor-flexx even works on damp surfaces. 

Do: Prioritize longevity 

When tuckpointing your main goal is to prevent a complete repointing job down the road, so make sure your product is a proven, durable solution. You want to choose a caulk that is able to move with a future settling to provide long-lasting results. Mor-Flexx is an elastomeric with powerful adhesion, it won’t tear, crack or pull away, but will stretch. Mor-Flexx can stretch up to three inches wide with no slumping, staying where it is applied for a permanent, tight seal. 

Don’t: Select a product that stands out 

You want to maintain the aesthetics of the chimney by blending the caulk in perfectly with the existing mortar to create a seamless design. The textured formula of Mor-Flexx is so easy to apply, smooth out and clean up that even a novice can execute a seamlessly blended, beautiful repair on crumbly mortar. Plus, Mor-Flexx comes in multiple colors and is paintable to ensure a tuckpointing job that basically looks invisible and maintains the beauty of the chimney. 

Conclusion 

Ultimately, caulking is a solution in addition to typical mortar. When selecting a caulk for a tuckpointing job, it is best to go with a simple solution that looks good and lasts. Selecting a product with a weatherproof seal, that blends to easily disguise repairs and stays elastic over time so you don’t have to come back to do the same repairs will save you and your clients time and money. If you are looking to amaze your customers by delivering incredible results and add value to your work by reducing call backs and creating a beautiful finish, consider adding Mor-Flexx to your tuckpointing jobs. 

Learn more about Sashco in their RoofersCoffeeShop® Directory or visit www.sashco.com.

]]> Raising Industry Standards With Matt Risinger https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/post/raising-industry-standards-with-matt-risinger raising-industry-standards-with-matt-risinger Tue, 23 Nov 2021 15:00:00 PST

By Evelyn Witterholt, RCS Reporter. 

Sashco CEO Les Burch talks with Matt Risinger about how using high-performance products can save your company money and build trust with your clients. 

Matt Risinger is a building industry professional with over 25 years under his belt. His building company, Risinger Build, prides itself on meeting high standards for every project his team completes. He is also the host of “The Build Show” on YouTube, where he creates videos that aim to share his knowledge with the building world. He has come to be known as a nationally recognized expert on high-performance construction and his work certainly shows it. 

In this episode of Les’s Corner, Les Burch and Matt Risinger discuss the benefits of opting for high-performance products when working on any building project, regardless of cost. While using a cheaper product that looks nice may be more appealing to a client, it could actually cost your company in the long run. 

Matt started out in the industry working as a warranty manager. He told Les, “We typically said, ‘Oh it’s normal to see your house settle and have all this caulking crack and have this drywall issues and have all these warranty touch-up claims’. And it was several hundred dollars and at least a man day or two at every house going back and handling those issues.” 

As Matt progressed in his career by starting his own company, he wanted to save his own time and money by using quality products that wouldn’t require extra maintenance on his part. He cites Sashco’s own Big Stretch as an example of a high-performance product and that he’s been using it for 15 years. 

Matt advises you should always opt for a higher-quality product as opposed to a cheaper one. “Longevity, performance, durability and ultimately satisfaction for both you and the client,” is what he says separates a great product from a low-quality one. “That isn’t always necessary the most expensive material. Often it’s the material that is the right thing for the house” 

While a lower-cost product may have certain qualities you need, Matt says that they may not hold up over time. Not only that, but their degradation can lead to the need for a callback. “How much does it cost to come back and redo that? It’s not, at that point, the price of the caulking,” Matt says. “It's the loss of the relationship with the client, it’s the loss of trust and it’s the labor too.” 

Matt always takes the honest approach by telling clients what he thinks their house will need at the start of every project his company takes on. “I’m going to be really upfront with you on costs, including how I get paid,” he says. “And then together we’re going to choose the right things for the house.” 

Watch the entire video to learn more from Matt about the long-term value of choosing high-performance products.

Learn more about Sashco in their RoofersCoffeeShop® Directory or visit www.sashco.com.

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