By Cass Jacoby, RCS Reporter.  

Excellent customer service is all about putting yourself in the customer’s shoes, which Go Roof Tune Up exemplifies through how they work with their customers to educate them on making the best decisions for their roofs.  

RoofersCoffeeShop® is proud to present the honor of R-Club Roofer of the Month to Go Roof Tune Up.  

Go Roof Tune Up™ specializes in repairing roofs. Comprised of certified roofing professionals and expert craftsmen, Go Roof Tune Up is dedicated to promoting the longevity of a roof through roof maintenance. Focusing on roof repair over replacement, Go Roof Tune Up inspects the entire roof system, and provides a written report with photos on every property they evaluate.  

Marty Stout is the President of Go Roof Tune Up. “Primarily our focus is trying to educate people about the condition of their roof and what they can do to prolong the life by doing minor repairs that will help them get better life cycle out of their roof,” Marty tells RCS. 

This sustainable approach ensures that people get the most out of their roof before they get a new one. By focusing on education, Go Roof Tune Up shows homeowners how their roof can be repaired and extend the lifespan of the roof to 30 years. “The common problem that people have with contractors is many people are afraid that if they hire, if they have a contractor come to their house to do some work, that he's going to try and upsell them on something,” says Marty. “So we dispel that by just the name and our tagline is don't buy a new roof if all you need is a roof tune up.” 

Providing excellent customer service is about helping educate and working with the customer for Go Roof Tune Up. “Superior customer service is making sure that your customer is educated on what the expectation level is and if you can't deliver, then help them understand where the break down is, what the difference is and help them find someone who can deliver what they're looking for,” says Marty. 

Not only is it a greener alternative to replacing the roof, Go Roof Tune Up also helps homeowners save money and help the budget so that an inevitable roof replacement makes more financial sense. “It's a big investment. If you have a house in today's market, a new roof could cost you $15- $20 thousand,” says Marty. “One of the other things that we give people in their report is, your roof is okay now and you need some repair and do the repair. We can give you a five-year warranty and off in the future this is how much money you need to be budgeting for a new roof .” 

At the end of the day, Go Roof Tune up is about doing right by customers and employees alike. “We try hard. We try to be a little bit different. There's a lot of people out there but we have really good staff. They all understand how to repair things and how to make things work and so that's ultimately our goal,” says Marty.  

Listen to the entire podcast to hear more about how Go Roof Tune Up goes the extra mile to help their customers and learn more about why they are our R-Club February Roofer of the Month.

By Cass Jacoby, RCS Reporter.  

Learn how the roofing community gives back through foundations and education in this heartwarming Coffee Conversations. 

Season 3, Episode 6 of Coffee Conversations, sponsored by ABC Supply, hits home with an episode on giving back through roofing foundations.  

Join Heidi J. Ellsworth and Trent Cotney with foundation representatives including Dave Lawlor, president of the Roofing Alliance; Chuck Chapman, chairman of Davis Memorial Foundation; Mike Silvers with the FRSA Educational & Research Foundation and George Patterson of the Chicago CRCA Foundation to talk about what charity means in the roofing industry.  

Listen in to hear our panelists speak passionately about the top way to secure the next generation of roofers through giving back to foundations that support scholarships, research and education. Trent and company discuss how supporting the roofing industry this way helps new and old roofing professionals alike grow professionally and thrive in our industry.  

Trent kicks off the conversation by addressing why giving back is such a huge part of the roofing industry, highlighting how working with these foundations helps the industry rise to new heights while grounding the growing industry in what really matters.  

“Being involved with each of these organizations intimately is a great opportunity for me to focus on what's truly important,” says Trent. “We have all got to make a living, we've all got to make money, we all have to deal with the day to day, but for me, it's about being able to affect positive change. I think the foundations are the perfect way to do that in our industry.” 

Chuck, chairman of the Davis Memorial Foundation concurs with Trent, affirming that giving back through foundations “is really, truly dear and near to my heart as well because I've been in this industry for a little longer than I would like to admit, so it's only fair and I really truly believe that it's a great way to give back.”  

Among conversations of gratitude to work in an industry that is so centered on doing good within the community, quite a few panelists express the huge amount of good these foundations do for the industry as a whole.  

“It's all an uplifting experience and I'm very, very proud to be here and to help the conversation,” adds Dave. “Since 1996, the Roofing Alliance has committed and allocated a large sum of money, $5.8 million to different research, education, technical programs, et cetera. All that to say the Alliance makes a very significant impact on the roofing industry as we look toward our next 25 years.” 

Other panelists similarly discuss ways that their foundations are making a positive change in the community. George Patterson of the Chicago CRCA Foundation talks about what the roofing community's focus on charity has meant in terms of scholarships. “We give out annually about $25,000 in scholarships and it's recurring for four years,” says George. 

John of the FRSA adds that his foundation similarly uplifts the roofing community. “We were able to give out 21 scholarships and that comes from the different fundraisers we do, the members of the foundation, the endowment,” says John. “We also produce roofing-specific seminars and provide the information that really matters to the contractors.” 

“We happen to have an endowment with the University of Florida called the Earl Blank Endowment that helps fund all kinds of research having to do with roofing,” adds Mike. “But often we join together with the Florida Building commission, the University of Florida and FRSA to look at different issues that are affecting the roofing industry.” 

The entire day of this Coffee Conversations, Cotney Construction Law matched donations made to these four roofing foundations up to $2,500 per foundation. Learn more about each of the charitable programs during this unique and exciting Coffee Conversations!   

Listen to the entire podcast to hear the heartwarming ways these companies are giving back to their communities and make sure to donate and spread the love to the industry!

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of an live interview with Heidi Ellsworth, Trent Cotney, Chuck Chapman, Dave Lawlor, George Patterson and John Hellein. You can read the interview below, listen to the podcast here or watch the webinar. 

Heidi Ellsworth:
Good morning everybody as you're joining. We're going to just be a few minutes while everybody gets on this exciting episode of Coffee Conversations and we'll be starting just momentarily.

Heidi Ellsworth:
All right. Let's get started. Welcome everybody to Coffee Conversations. My name is Heidi Ellsworth and I am with RoofersCoffeeShop and Coffee Conversations today is somewhat of a repeat from last year because it was so amazing. In our second to the last Coffee Conversations of this year, we always want to go into the holidays, celebrating what the roofing industry is really all about and what the roofing industry is all about are how many people are constantly giving back through the foundations, through all the charities, through the all caught doing good initiatives that you see out there. And we are so excited today to really take a Coffee Conversations and focus on that. It is going to be great.

Heidi Ellsworth:
So before we get started, just remember, this is all about you, the engagement. We want all of you to let us know what's happening. I already see things coming through the chat. So thank you Bill McHugh for already chatting and being engaged. Everybody, we want to have your comments, your questions. We may even bring a few of you on to visit with these gentlemen. So we will be looking for engagement. We're going to do some introductions and it's all being recorded. So what we're really going to ask is you share this out with the industry overall. And here's the exciting part about today. This is going to be looking at not just learning more about the foundations, but Trent Cotney, who is the spearhead behind this who has been so active, is also going to be matching funds up to $2,500 per foundation. So all today. It has to happen today. So we are going to be talking about that this whole time.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Before we get started, again, remember this is going to be recorded. It will be out within a couple hours so you'll be able to share it out, share it with everybody else. And also, I would be remiss if I didn't thank our sponsor today, ABC Supply is sponsoring this Coffee Conversation and talk about giving. When you look at what they've done with Make-A-Wish, with the Home For Our Troops and all of their support of all of the foundations out there in the roofing industry, it is incredible. So I would really recommend going to the ABC Supply website, checking out what they're doing, get involved and from RoofersCoffeeShop and all of the foundations in the industry, a special thank you out to ABC supply.

Heidi Ellsworth:
So Trent, this is so exciting to be doing this for a second year in a row. You are just so amazing. Let's kind of talk a little bit about this giving back initiative that actually lives on RooferCoffeeShop year round and you sponsor that, you're a part of constantly pushing the industry, but on this one day, you really help the industry focus in on some of the foundations that are doing such amazing work in the roofing industry. Can you talk a little bit about that?

Trent Cotney:
Sure, absolutely Heidi and first, thank you for having us. It's always a pleasure to be on RoofersCoffeeShop and I think you and I kind of share a similar mentality where I feel very blessed and fortunate that my livelihood is based off the roofing industry, my employees livelihood, it puts food on my family's table for and has for generations. And for me, some of the best stuff that I'm able to do is giving back. It's what keeps me passionate about what I do. And being involved with each of these organizations intimately, I work with their associations, but I also work with their foundations and support them. It is a great opportunity for me to focus on what's truly important. We have all got to make a living, we've all got to make money, we all have to deal with the day to day, but for me, it's about being able to affect positive change. And I think the foundations are the perfect way to do that in our industry. So again, thank you for having us today. I've been excited about this for a while so I'm glad we're able to do it again.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I am too. So let's just talk a little bit about these are the four foundations that were picked for today for us to highlight and to really talk about and I'm going to introduce all of the leadership gentlemen who are here today from those foundations in just a minute, but Trent, kind of talk a little bit about your involvement with these different foundations.

Trent Cotney:
Sure, absolutely. So starting at the top, the Chicago Association Foundation, CRCA Foundation, I am a trustee and I've worked very closely with them. Obviously we provide pro bono legal and things of that nature, but it's a great organization. They're dedicated to not only providing scholarships, but also looking at other avenues like research and other things that they're doing. Just a great group of people and a really organic group that got together to help the industry. So love being a part of it. I knew that George is here today, I know Bill's on the line, we've got others as well. I see Mitch and Mark, some of the other people that have participated in the past. So it's great that they're here and love being part of that organization.

Trent Cotney:
The alliance, I'm a member of that as well. I got involved probably five years ago at this point. And they do tremendous work. Not only do they have a great scholarship program, but they support Ronald McDonald House and I'm sure Dave will be able to talk a little bit more detail about kind of what they do, but great group of people. Just had a meeting here recently and very happy to be a part of that. That's NRCA's foundation and obviously we provide pro bono work to the extent that it's needed. Western states, Davis Memorial, again Chuck has done a tremendous job as well as staff just making sure that everything is on point. Great scholarships. At the expo that was here recently, they raised a ton of money, did a fantastic job, great event. And again, it's just a fantastic organization that services Western states and that region, so.

Trent Cotney:
And then FRSA, the educational and research foundation, I've been a part of it for probably going on 20 years now, supported it in a variety of different ways. I've supported through a scholarship. I don't know what the exact level is called, but I'm an equivalent of like a governor level member. And I continue to support it because they not only provide scholarships, but are also actively involved in doing research in the state of Florida, which as most of us know has got significant building code, hurricane requirements, everything else. So just a great organization. And we've got John and think Mike Silver may pop on as well.

Trent Cotney:
So great group of people and like I said, everyone that's on the line here, these guys are my friends and girls. These are the people that I work with on a daily basis. And it, to me, this is what keeps me going, right? I've gotten to a point in my career where I want to be passionate about doing something and I think helping and giving back, there's no better feeling than that, right? Obviously, it's being philanthropic, it's giving, but it makes you feel good too. So I encourage anybody that's listening to this, now's the time to give, where at the end of the year all of these are 501(c)(3)s and they all have the ability for per charitable write offs. So it makes sense even from a tax perspective and I encourage you to give now. Like I said, we're matching $2,500 per foundation so it's just a great time to do it.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Wow. Thank you Trent. I work on so many of these foundations with you or involved with them, doing different things and RoofersCoffeeShop supports every one of them. So I'm with you. That passion and that ability to really give back and be a part of this, you get so much more back than you ever give. It's incredible. And that is, I have to tell you all there, you're going to see this as the leadership of these foundations, all the gentlemen who are here today, visit about that. So we're going to go through each one of the foundations because we want you to be aware of what they're doing. It's so instrumental for our industry right now. And so we're going to start with that and remember, you can donate at any time during this whole thing. I sound like an NPR, but you can donate at any time.

Heidi Ellsworth:
And Megan is going to be putting all of the... Oh, and I forgot to mention, of course, Megan Ellsworth, our award-winning producer is in the background taking care of us, but she will be putting all the links for all the foundations. So as we're going through these, you'll see the links to the foundations. You can also find this on the giving back page on RoofersCoffeeShop where it's easy to find the links to donate and find out more about these foundations. So don't forget as we're going through. So the first foundation that we're going to talk about today is one that is very near and dear to my heart because I happen to be a trustee on this, on the Davis Memorial. Chuck Chapman, who is the chairman of Davis Foundation. Chuck, I'm so happy you're here today and I'm so happy we get talk about Davis. This is awesome.

Chuck Chapman:
Oh, thank you, Heidi and thank you Trent. Really, really appreciated your support Trent. Since you've become a very, very gracious supporter of Davis Foundation, we've really been able to take things to a new level. And of course, to my fellow trustee, Heidi Ellsworth and RoofersCoffeeShop, thank you so much for putting this on again this year. We really appreciate it. Any opportunity to raise money for the foundation is greatly appreciated. So having a forum like this today is really awesome. And again, thank you ABC for sponsoring the event. Really happy to be here. I am honored and it's a pleasure, like Trent and Heidi have already talked about, to be able to give back to the industry and be the chairman of the Davis Foundation. It is really, truly dear and near to my heart as well because I've been in this industry for a little longer than I would like to admit, but it has afforded a good lifestyle, it afforded my family a way to exist if you will. So it's only fair and I really truly believe that it's a great way to give back.

Chuck Chapman:
The Davis Foundation operates under the auspices of the Western States Roofing Contractors Association. It was formulated back in 1996 and actually got off the ground in 1997, when it became incorporated. It started with some seed money that was donated by Pacific Coast Building Products. And since that time, we have awarded over 150 scholarships, totalling in an excess of $650,000. And it would not be possible to have done that without the support of people like you that are out there watching today. RoofersCoffeeShop, Trent Cotney and I could name so many more, but the support from the donators of everybody that contribute every year has just been absolutely outstanding. So we're happy you're here. And as I like to say give early, give often.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Well, you know what? Chuck, one of the things I wanted to definitely point out is we have watched and I mean, the fact that you and I every year get to go through and read all of these submittals from students who are the looking for scholarships. And it just gives you such hope for the future because you see such amazing kids and not just kids, it's all ages who apply for scholarships with the Davis Foundation. And so I just got to put one thing out here as a thank you, Megan Ellsworth, who is, as I said a minute ago, our producer works for RoofersCoffeeShop, got her degree from University of Colorado, Denver with the help of a scholarship, applying for it and getting a scholarship. And there's a lot of kids out there in the roofing industry who have been through this program. Talk to us a little bit about the quality of the applicants and also of the scholarship winners, Chuck.

Chuck Chapman:
Well, the sad part is that we're only giving out 10 scholarships a year.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I know.

Chuck Chapman:
That may sound kind of odd to say that, but when we get in excess of 80 or 90 applications every year, I'd like to be able to give out that many scholarships, but unfortunately it's just not possible. But you're absolutely right, Heidi, reviewing and seeing the quality of these young people that are hopefully going to pay for my social security, it's amazing and it's very heartwarming and it goes way beyond on just the academic portion of it. The vast majority of these young folks that are applying every year are volunteering themselves already in various different types of foundations and medical professions, at retirement homes. Their extracurricular activities are absolutely amazing and they're off the charts. And so reading those stories about what they're doing to support their communities already, most of them are still teenagers, so it's absolutely fantastic and heartwarming to see them being able to do that.

Chuck Chapman:
Megan, absolutely. It was our pleasure to have awarded her a scholarship. I think we've got at least a couple more scholarship winners that are on board with us today. So we're really, really glad to have them. And that's one of the nice things that we do every year at the convention is that we usually bring back some former scholarship winners to share of their story with the group and tell everybody how it was for them and how the money was used for them and every one of them, their story is just a little bit different, but yet nonetheless amazing.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. You know what? In fact, Megan, if we can do it, I think we have somebody who here who is another scholarship award winner from Davis who's just real quick going to talk about the effect it's had on his career and his life. Brent Robinson, are you there? There he is. Good morning Brent. Maybe. You might be on mute.

Megan Ellsworth:
I think you should be. Ah, there we go.

Brent Robinson:
Hey.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Hey.

Brent Robinson:
Hello guys.

Chuck Chapman:
Hey Brett. How're you doing buddy?

Brent Robinson:
Doing good.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Thank you for joining.

Brent Robinson:
Yeah, I really appreciate you guys reaching out to me this week. Yeah, Davis, and I was thinking back to when I, I think it was 2011 or 2012, when I was just finishing my last couple terms of college at Oregon State and the Davis, I knew nothing about it, but my dad Stan Robinson owns Pacific West Roofing here in the Portland area. At the time, I was going to school at Oregon State, didn't really know what I wanted to do, but this opportunity came along and it... I'd never won a scholarship. I never had an opportunity. And this was one of the most impactful things to me. And they flew me down to Vegas, I got to meet. It was the first time I'd been around anyone in Western states.

Brent Robinson:
And just everyone just supported you. Their arms just came up to you, just felt so loved. It's just an amazing group of people who run this, who are truly doing it from their hearts. I got to sit in a couple board meetings a couple years later, really see how much work it takes on the inside of just hey, we got to fix this application and the details within it. And it's just you guys have put in so much work to this and given back. During that time, it was huge. I was finishing, I was taking 20 credits. I was finishing my last term of school. I was paying for it and this scholarship helped ease so many just stressful situations just finishing out your last couple terms of college.

Brent Robinson:
I didn't know what I quite wanted it do and I was doing some internships. I ended up going to Boeing for about six years, but it really, the scholarship really sprung me up into my career. But as I spent those next four or five years at Boeing, I kept coming back to the show. I kept coming back down to Vegas. I was like man, these guys are so much fun. I'm not really in the roofing industry, but I want to come down and hang out. I think they brought me down in 2015 and I got to speak at the gala at the show, the fundraiser. And just ever since that scholarship, it's like, man, I feel like I'm a part of this family. I'm able to hang out with these guys every year. It's been tough the last couple with COVID and everything. But through that, I got to see into the industry on another level. And six, seven years later, I'm back. I'm working for Stan. I run the production for our company. I'm fully ingrained into the industry now.

Brent Robinson:
I think that Davis is obviously outreaching past just people that are doing just roofing, but it is really a big reason because of the scholarship through Davis that I was more interested in the bigger picture and the relationships and the business side of the roofing world because I'm a business student and that's kind of the world I was going down. And it definitely has had a huge piece in terms of me being in the industry now, which is awesome and I love what I do. So I'm so thankful for all of you guys that have given all these kids opportunities. And my sister ended up getting the scholarship a couple years back as well. I mean, it's been huge and you see all these kids, you see... I still have my, I was trying to bring it, I still have my plaque, all the details of it, but yeah. It's an amazing thing and I'm so excited this is continuing to go on, recommend what Larry and Mary did.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. Thank you so much. This just warms my heart because we go to all these meetings, we're going to talk about this next with the alliance. I know we talk about this all the time. How do we get this next generation? How do we get the professionalism of roofing? How do we take it to this next level? And you, and I'm going to sorry, but proud mama mama and Megan are both in roofing and involved and as part of this. So thank you. Thank you Brent so much and thank you, Chuck. This is Davis, very close to our heart, so. But I want to make sure we have time for everybody else so we're going to keep going. So Brent, stay tuned, keep watching.

Brent Robinson:
Thanks.

Heidi Ellsworth:
So the next foundation is so similar and Dave, I know there's so many of the same stories with scholarship recipients and so much more. So Dave Lawlor, who is the chair of the Roofing Alliance, which is the foundation of the National Roofing Contractors Association. Dave, thank you for being here today and let's talk about Roofing Alliance.

Dave Lawlor:
Yeah, it's great to be here, Heidi, to support this conversation, support you and Trent and everybody here. It's all an uplifting experience and I'm very, very proud to be here and to help the conversation. But my name's Dave Lawlor, I manage roof sales at the rock installation company, Rock Wall. I'm current president of the Roofing Alliance and it's always my pleasure to be involved in this type of thing. The alliance specifically, as we celebrate our 25th year. The Roofing Alliance is the, as Heidi mentioned, a foundation of NRCA and we have members who are, in my opinion, who's who list of the roofing industry, suppliers, contractors and others. We're also always looking for new members so operators may be standing by, I'm not sure. But everyone's joined to offer their time and expertise and dollars to make the entire industry better and stronger. Since 1996, the Roofing Alliance has committed and allocated a large sum of money, $5.8 million to different research, education, technical programs, et cetera. All that to say the alliance makes a very significant impact on the roofing industry as we look toward our next 25 years.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I want to also just point out too, Dave, and then just again, another personal experience, but when we were getting ready to start National Women in Roofing, the first group we went to was the Roofing Alliance. And through the Roofing Alliance, they funded the start of National Women in Roofing. And I'm not sure if everyone knows that, but those are the kind of projects along with scholarships and research, but also innovative things that initiatives within the roofing industry.

Dave Lawlor:
Well, there's no question about that. And it's a good point. National Women in Roofing, we think about the roofing industry of old is sort of male dominated certainly, but to me, the face of the Roofing Alliance is there's no specific color, no specific gender. Everybody's welcome at the Alliance to be able to lift their entire industry. But that was an important piece, in my opinion, was supporting women in roofing. Obviously again, in a male dominated sort of business inviting everybody in to lift an entire industry is what we want to do, no matter the ethnicity, gender or whatever. So that's a really good point, Heidi.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. Well, and one other thing I just want to point out. This is the part that always kind of makes me smile because you go from the Melvin Kruger scholarships to supporting newest organizations like National Women in Roofing and other groups too on funding research. In fact, George probably will have a little bit to say about this too, but funding research on the moisture and concrete. And you kind of think huh, moisture and concrete? But that gets the most attention at the Roofing Alliance meetings. Everybody's interested in it. So tell a little bit about some of the research.

Dave Lawlor:
Yeah. Lots of effort, lots of money has been put toward research, again, with that basic position of lifting the entire industry. I think the moisture in concrete was a big research funded project, for sure. And really it's about understanding what can make our roofing industry better. So if we know there's an issue with moisture in concrete, alliance puts money toward understanding that better. Now we can make better decisions on how we develop our roofing systems over top of concrete, as an example. But the list is very long for the support that the alliance has provided the roofing industry with. Study of silica in roofing to satisfy OSHA requirements, a study of owner decision making. Bill Good would say hey, spoiler alert, it's not all about money.

Dave Lawlor:
Ergonomics for roofers and mitigating workplace injuries. So we can teach people how to lift and how to be on the roof and do the work without hurting themselves so they can have longer, less physically impactful careers. Wall of wind. Understanding wind effects on roofing systems. So again, we can make the industry better, make these roofs last longer. And that's what it's really all about as a short list, Heidi, of some of the things the alliance has supported.

Heidi Ellsworth:
So I would say to everybody out there, as you're looking at this, Megan's going to put the link to the Roofing Alliance. Definitely the funds go to... Funds can go towards scholarships with the Melvin Kruger Scholarship, but you also have all these other initiatives that are going on plus a whole group of helping your own, which goes to help people within the roofing industry. So as you kind of look at this, look at that big picture of the Roofing Alliance. We'll talk a little bit more about that, but I do want to mention, Dave, you have a couple of people right now, Michelle Boykin and Jennifer Stone, who both say, I may be biased, but National Women in Roofing is the best. We appreciate the support. So they're saying thank you and ladies, I'm so happy you're on.

Dave Lawlor:
Okay.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Okay, let's go so we can hit our next foundation. And this is the CRCA Foundation out of Chicago. George Patterson is the chair president. I may not always have the title, right George? But we are so happy you're here today. Tell us a little bit about CRCA Foundation.

George Patterson:
All right. First of all, thank you. Thank you Trent. Thank you Heidi. I appreciate it. Thank you ABC Supply. I was told about this about a week and a half ago. It's near and dear to my heart. In 2015, I had a past president's meeting and a couple of the gentlemen cornered the chairman of the NRCA, Rod Petrick and myself and said hey, give more money to help out people. And I said okay. Rod and I, we kind of felt guilty. We've always given, but we felt like okay, what can we do to help out? So I asked all of these past presidents what can we do? What can we do to make things better? We've been given money since 1996, we've given over $700,000 in scholarship money, but we didn't have a foundation. So I was like okay, what can we do to help out?

George Patterson:
And one of the gentlemen said you need to do philanthropic installations. Okay. We need to give more money to foundations. So we looked at our financials and said yeah, well, let's see what we can do. So in 2017, we started the CRCA Foundation. And we give out annually about per year $25,000 in scholarships and it's recurring for four years so that we give out $100,000 a year in scholarships. We also have, as you mentioned a little bit earlier, the research projects. We helped in the original amount of money through the CRC and the CRCA giving Matt Dupuis and the late Rene Dupuis money for the concrete moisture installation.

George Patterson:
And then we've given more money that just recently to Matt at SRI to do some more research. So that's part of our thing is we do research. We end up doing technical stuff. We also have the scholarship and then we do the philanthropic. Unfortunately over the last two years with COVID and with the industry wide issues with the material, we haven't been able to do as much philanthropic stuff, but hopefully next year or the year after, we'll be able to do more.

Heidi Ellsworth:
George, I love that. So as you kind of... I just find it so fascinating when you and Rod and the team just kind of came together and said we just need to do this. I know when I was involved with starting National Women in Roofing, I had no idea how much work it would take. How did that work and now to have such success in bringing so much back to the industry?

George Patterson:
Well, it helps with the McHugh Company by working with the CRCA. Bill and Linda McHugh do so much work and Jessica worked there. We just basically asked them to say hey, we want to start a foundation. What's it going to take to do it? And they came through, did everything we needed to do, gave us the bylaws, told us what we needed to do. And then we contacted Trent and Trent's been a tremendous help with getting everything together so that we're doing everything the right way. And we have a lot of people helping out that are willing to give time and that's the one thing that my mentor, Rod Petrick's been my mentor for a lot of things, and he said that his father told him you got to give back to the industry. And if there's nothing else that I, I mean, I do listen to Rod a little bit, but if there's nothing else that I've heard from him over the course of time, it is give back to the industry and that's something that both him and I do and there's many people in CRCA that do the same thing.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. You guys just have an amazing organization and are doing such great things. So Megan's going to put that link into the chat. When you really think about this, what the Chicago CRCA Foundation does, not with the scholarships, but also I love that giving back, doing philanthropic initiatives, that really brings everybody together too. I mean, it takes it one step further.

George Patterson:
Yeah. What's really nice is even this coming Saturday, we're having our annual dinner. We're auctioning off some items and Trent gave us a nice World War II, or no, from 9/11, a data from 9/11 that was made special for us. So we really appreciate that Trent. Thank you.

Trent Cotney:
Yeah, absolutely.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Wow. Well, anybody in Chicago, be sure you go to this and do it and also click the link and please look at donating towards this. If you're in that Chicago land area, I know there's a great pride and amazing people. So, okay. Let's go to John Hellein with Florida FRSA. John, tell us about what FRSA is doing.

John Hellein:
Yeah. Thank you Heidi. It's good to be here. Good to see the other people, the other foundations and hear what they're doing across the country. It's challenging as a director of the FRSA Educational and Research Foundation. There's so much going on and Florida has such a... We're in a special year this year, this is our 100th anniversary for the foundation. And so the foundation started in 1922. And so we'll be in Daytona beach, which is the location of the first convention. So in July next year, we'll be in Daytona Beach again to celebrate the 100th anniversary. The foundation has been around for 40 years now so they started in 1982. And so it's got some history too and it's just really, as the director, it's challenging to just know how much is going on.

John Hellein:
It's such a robust community, a roofing community in Florida and there's so many generous, just generous contractors throughout the state. So they assess the grassroots. And then the manufacturers, I think of people like Tanya Steele, just in the 2019 convention, she won our $5,000 raffle, which is one of our fundraisers. And she, if you were there on the show floor, she immediately turned around and donated the $5,000 to the foundation. And so Tanya is a perennial supporter of the foundation. And she's not the only one, just an example of the kind of support we get from manufacturers. People like ABC Supply are supporters of the foundation as well. And then of course, Trent. With the service providers, Trent is a stellar provider or supporter of the foundation. And Trent, we really appreciate your support, not just today, because this is just a really small part of what you do for the foundation.

John Hellein:
There is just as... Scholarships is one of the things we do. And so there's a name scholarship for Trent. And so every year that name scholarship is given out in Trent's name. And that's because he supports that, provides for that. And so really appreciate the support. And then also just the affiliates throughout Florida. We've got affiliates and I know South Florida, for instance, I think they raised some ungodly amount of money for Make-A-Wish Foundation. And so there's so much and it's hard to keep track of all the stuff that's going on, but as the foundation, we produce seminars for and they're roofing specific seminars because contractors can go just about anywhere, go online and get continuing education credits, which they need. They can get that from anywhere.

John Hellein:
But what we do is produce roofing specific seminars and provide the information that really matters to the contractors. And then we keep track of that for them so that they know that they're meeting the requirements every two years. We do research and I think Mike Silver will come in in a little bit and talk about some of the research we do. But just as a for instance, last year, the codes committee had an issue and they wanted to do some research. And so they came to the foundation and the foundation was in a position again because of the generosity of all these groups of the contractors, manufacturers, all the groups. Because of their generosity, we were able to provide $10,000 for research on an issue that really affects the citizens of Florida.

John Hellein:
And Michael hopefully talks, I won't get into that too much, but let Mike talk about that. And so that the seminars, the research and then the scholarships in 2021, we were able to give out 21 scholarships and that comes from the different fundraisers we do, the members of the foundation, the endowment. And so it's really, again, just challenging to keep track of everything and the generosity that's going on, so.

Heidi Ellsworth:
My very first show in the roofing industry a long time ago was Florida show. And I have been part of that family for so long and have seen all the great things every year that come across through the foundation and through the fundraisers and everything that's doing. And there is Mike Silver. Good morning Mike. How are you? You might have to come unmute Mike.

Mike Silver:
Okay.

Heidi Ellsworth:
There you go.

Mike Silver:
Thank you. Really.

Heidi Ellsworth:
So glad to have you both.

Mike Silver:
Good morning [crosstalk 00:38:43].

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. So John's got us y'all teed up, share a little bit about what you're doing for research for the industry.

Mike Silver:
Heidi, as you know, I've been involved in our foundation and pretty much since the inception. I'm the old guy on the trustees, have been doing this for a long time and really enjoy the educational side of our business. As far as research and our foundation is concerned, there are different things that we're able to do. The Florida Building Commission does research projects as well. Most of those go through the University of Florida. We happen to have a endowment with the University of Florida called the Earl Blank Endowment that helps fund all kinds of research having to do with roofing. But often we join together with the Florida Building commission, the University of Florida and FRSA to look at different issues that are affecting the roofing industry.

Mike Silver:
A couple examples as a few years ago, we did a major research project into the corrosion resistance of roofing fasteners. Was very interesting, went out and gathered roofing fasteners from supply houses around the state of Florida and tested them and were quite surprised with some of the results and we're able to get some code changes made to help with that. Another real big one for us, there was in the existing roofing sections of the Florida building code and it's also in the international building code, there was a section that required a roof diaphragm analysis during re-roofing. It was big problem. A lot of people don't even realize it's there but as you know, we have pretty strong enforcement in Florida through the building officials and it was causing a lot of problems for our industry.

Mike Silver:
We did research on the cost of complying with that requirement and through that, we were able to make some fairly significant code changes as well. We are currently looking at tile underlayment. When tile underlayment transformed a little bit from hot mop systems into self adhering systems, there were some issues that came up and we wanted to do some testing to see what the differences were. It was very interesting, kind of had started a conversation throughout the industry, realizing that there's a significant difference between self adhered membranes and hot mop membranes and how they react to the fasteners. Again, we will be looking at code changes in our code cycle. So it's very helpful and I can't say enough about the support we get from Trent and also from you Heidi. This is a great opportunity and so hopefully we'll get some nice donations in and get Trent to match those and thank you so much for the opportunity.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Thank you Mike, thank you John and thank you Florida for everything you do. I see it at every convention. This is such a commitment to it as there is with every single one of these foundations. It is across the board. So I wanted to encourage everybody out there. Please consider these donations today to these foundations as you... I know I'm going to say it again, but Trent is matching up to $2,500 per foundation today only. So don't procrastinate. Today's the day. I kind of wanted to bring and, sorry, and I also want to encourage everyone questions. You've heard everything about these foundations now, all these amazing professionals who are giving so much back to lead these foundations. If you have any questions, please bring them up. I have a question. We talk a lot at times about the importance of building the reputation and professionalism of roofing and how important that is.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I mean, pretty much every single committee meeting you go to, association meeting you go to, everybody's like how do we continue to make the professionalism of the roofing industry not only known throughout the construction, the trades, but through our communities and across the board? And I think one of the ways that I've seen that had or has had an incredible impact. So I want to start with Dave. I want to talk a little bit, because you didn't mention it, the Ronald McDonald House and that initiative and what the Roofing Alliance has done. I think that's so important. So maybe share a little bit about that and then I'd like to go to each of our gentlemen today and ask them. And you're on mute, Dave.

Dave Lawlor:
Sorry about that. Yeah, thanks. Thanks. I made that mistake. So the alliance supports on a yearly basis the Ronald McDonald House Charities. That's one thing, with an amount of money every year, but then the Alliance has taken on and had through members and even non-member adopted all 165 roofs of the free standing RMHC buildings. So this is happening with contractors giving their time, materials manufacturers offering product to keep these buildings warm and dry and without any issues for leaks or anything. It's a fantastic position that the Alliance has spearheaded and everybody's gotten on board. Imagine 165 buildings, each one being adopted by a local roofing contractor and then being supported by materials manufacturers. It's mind boggling to me. I think it's absolutely incredible. And at a recent meeting in Chicago, we celebrated that. On the Thursday evening thing, we had a dinner to honor that position with everybody who's taken part in that and I think it's fantastic. So I can't say enough about that, Heidi, and thanks for bringing that up. I appreciate it.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. Well, I think it's so important because through these funds and through these donations, the alliance is able to do that. And the alliance was the first and I'm sure Ronald McDonald House is now working with other trades, but was the first trade to step up and do something like this. And Rod Petrick is on today and Rod, you did so much to make that happen, both with the alliance and everything you do with Chicago. So I just want to give you a shout out and as our chair of the NRCA. Thank you for being here and everything you'd do. And it just, that's the professionalism that we're talking about that really is making a difference in our greater community and I would say greater world, really.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Chuck, we just had a note in here. When you talk about professionalism and what's going on, but Chris Schmotz, hello Chris, he said, "Appreciate all that these foundations do." He's a Davis Scholarship recipient. "The funds that helped me stave off alone my senior year of college and gave me the wiggle room on shoestring budget." Sorry, I can't talk very well. But obviously, it made a huge difference in his life, but it also, I think, introduces roofing to these young folks. So maybe talk just a little bit more about what you've seen the scholarships being able to rise the awareness of roofing.

Chuck Chapman:
Well, I think the big thing is that each and every one of these scholarship award winners are very much like Chris or Brent or Megan and I've been able to visit with a lot of them over the years. And it's really like having 150 ambassadors out there promoting the roofing industry. Each and every one of them are so positive about having been awarded that scholarship and they can't say enough about our industry. I think most of us have heard Rudy Rebel talk about the image of roofing and be proud to say I am a roofer. And these 150 ambassadors out there preaching that every day has really been able to promote that and continue to show other people the value of the roofing industry, because that is a big hurdle that we've had to overcome over the years. And it's really nice to know that at least just from the Davis Foundation, we've got 150 ambassadors. And with, you include all the winners from all of these other foundations and we've got a lot of people out there preaching the virtues of the roofing industry.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah, I think so too. I think when you're looking at all of this out there and George, you talked about that you did so many scholarships and before you started your foundation. So what are you hearing from some of the recipients of those scholarships before and now with the foundation?

George Patterson:
And one of the greatest things, and I think Brad said this in the past is when we have our scholarship dinner where we bring back some of the people that have won the scholarship and then we honor the people that are winning the scholarship, it is by far the best dinner meeting that I go to throughout the year. Being able to sit at a table with the parents of these, let's say, young adults getting ready to go to school and then having them come back and discuss what they went through and how the money has helped them through whatever they had, books. I'm sure some of them used it for beer money, but whatever the case is, it's satisfying. It's fulfilling just listening and you feel pride because you've helped them out in a little way to get them to what they need to do for their future and their successes in life.

George Patterson:
And we've had people come back and get up there and talk and discuss how it's helped them out, how they paid for their books and how they didn't have to have that worry, how they could sleep a little bit better at night, how it helped their parents who have other children that they have to raise. And just taking little bit of the stress off of a person's life. It's tremendous feeling.

Heidi Ellsworth:
And I would definitely push out there to everyone listening and everybody who's going to listen to this later on today that that's what this is all about. The foundations are really our ambassadors. We talk about the kids being the ambassadors, but these foundations are the ones who are out there really showing what it's happening. And John, maybe you can kind of bring us home on this topic of raising the level of our roofing industry image and professionalism and what you see, how that has worked in Florida.

John Hellein:
Yeah, there's, again, there's so much, but a couple of things that occur to me is the two things that the foundation is involved in. One is an apprenticeship program. And so in August, we had a group of graduates from that apprenticeship program here at the FSRA headquarters building. And that was a three year program. And so they had, during that time, there's on the job training, but then there's also instruction of people like Mike Silvers, giving... So a professional who's been a part been a professional roofing contractor in Florida for decades and able to communicate what he's learned during that time to these workers and help them to develop not only skills, but then the professional perspective and how they can move up through education and applying themselves. And so there's an opportunity to move up within the roofing industry.

John Hellein:
And so that apprenticeship program, there's basically three locations throughout, for south Florida, central Florida and over on the West Coast where that apprenticeship program is going on. And so that's one thing. And another thing that we're involved in is the Future Builders of America Leadership Summit. And that's a gathering every year of high school students. And so we have an opportunity to present roofing as a viable trade to these students who are, they're at the point where they're going to either choose to go to school or enter into a profession. And so where they're able to present a presentation, but then also hands on activity. And there's a great response from the young men and women in that summit.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Wow.

John Hellein:
Again, it raises the awareness and because of the people involved like Mike, just by his involvement and the involvement of the other people, it raises the professional awareness that this is, hey, this is a real thing. This is a real profession. And look at the seriousness and the quality and all the things that are a part of this profession.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. It is. It's amazing. And we talk about this all the time about how we're going to get that next generation and you all are doing it right now. I mean, you aren't talking about it, you're doing it. Trent. As you look at this, you work with all four of these foundations on a regular basis, what are you seeing on the professionalism and the image of roofing because of the hard work of the foundations?

Trent Cotney:
So that's a great question, Heidi, and I think everyone answered it in a way that, that I think shows that the foundations are dedicated to sort of raising the conversation and making roofing more professional. To me, it's the action of giving back the investment in our future through scholarships, doing these research projects, everything else. I think what that does is it shows that we as an industry, not only do we care about what we do, but that we are concerned about what our future is. We are giving back. And I think externally, that shows that we're, hopefully, we are changing perceptions that are out there. I can tell you firsthand working with each of these foundations and their associations, it is nothing but professionalism. It is at the highest level, the contractors, the manufacturers, players, everyone that's a part of it, everyone is there to give back to the industry and to kind of elevate it.

Trent Cotney:
That's what I think this is about is at the end of the day, as we approach the end of the year, it's important. I'm very humbled and I feel just very fortunate to be a part of this. I love this industry. I love it. And for me, it is I feel a duty to give back. It's something to me where regardless of what success that each of our businesses have, at the end of the day, I want to be able to look back and know that I made a difference, that I made some positive change. And I encourage everybody that's listening to this, whether you're live or hearing it on replay, give back. These are the focal points. These foundations are the ones that get the money together, that give out the scholarships, that do all these great projects and what better time than at the end of the year. I mean, like I said, 501(c)(3)s, it's tax deductible and your support in the industry that supports you. I think that about sums it up.

Heidi Ellsworth:
It does. Well, Trent, before we go, I would love... We are doing a push today to, and I mean, everybody should think about this by what we're doing today. We have four possibly, who know how many, but I know with the Davis, this is a scholarship. This is a scholarship today that is going to come together. And so think about those kind of things. But Trent, I would love for you to talk and encourage everybody on how can they be involved year round, not just today, but year round.

Trent Cotney:
So the one thing I'll say about each of these foundations is they're incredibly welcoming, as are the associations. It gives you a chance to really get around people that are all focused on the same thing. So get involved, become a member, volunteer. There's tons of stuff that doesn't involve even giving money. It could be giving time. But obviously from a donation standpoint, because we're matching the day up the 2,500, it's a perfect time to do that. Next time you're at an association meeting, ask about it. Ask about what they do, get involved, figure out what you're passionate about. And I guarantee you that there's people that are part of these foundations that will embrace you, just like they embrace me. Being a lawyer, I'm always like oh God [crosstalk 00:55:56]. Everyone couldn't have been nicer and we're all there for the right reasons. And that's the key thing is we want to give back, we want to do good.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I love it. So real quick, I want to go quick round table because I know everybody has fundraisers throughout the year. So I want everyone to donate today, but I also want you to get involved throughout the whole year because it is so amazing. So I'm going to start with Chuck. Chuck, what's the fundraiser they should attend in 2022?

Chuck Chapman:
Well, everything happens at the convention in Las Vegas. There's three events. We're thinking about a fourth, but it's a work in progress. Thanks to Heidi's idea. We'll see if we can pull it off. But we'll be shooting clays tournament, we have a golf tournament and we have our silent and live auction, which is part of the welcoming event, the night that the convention starts. And the nice thing about COVID, if there is a nice thing about COVID, is that it forced us to take our auction online, which has been extremely successful. So all of the silent items are online, that usually starts about a month before the convention and closes the day that the convention closes. So keep an eye out for that. The link I believe is going to be up and Megan can put you too to our Bidpal site. We encourage you to go to that. And if you can come to Vegas and participate in either the shooting clays or the golf tournament, we'd love to have you.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I love it. So you can donate, you can attend. There's so much to do. Dave, for the alliance.

Dave Lawlor:
Yeah, the alliance, I'd say... I can't say it better than Trent said it earlier, but join or come to a meeting. We have a meeting in Sarasota, as most of us know on the call here in April and we invite prospective members to see what that's all about. I'll give you a fair warning though, once you see the inside of a meeting and you're in this business, it's going to be hard not to become a member. We also have the Melvin Kruger Scholarship that can be donated toward and all that information is on our website. So I just encourage everybody to get involved and if you want to see what it's all about, come to a meeting.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yes. Pete Schnotz, thank you for being on. He just said that he donated $1,000 to Davis. Thank you. Oh my gosh. Okay. George, your party this Saturday, the fundraiser, tell us about it real quick.

George Patterson:
Yeah. We have our annual dinner this Saturday, downtown Chicago. We have some silent auction items. Please, I guess bid on it. Let's see what we can get. We have a golf founding in July. Please come to a meeting. We have six or seven of them throughout the year. We are always looking for volunteers to help out with the committees and to help out and hopefully with COVID hopefully ending soon, we can get some more philanthropic installs on out there, help some people out and do what we can. So please volunteer, please donate, help out. And thank you Trent, thank you Heidi.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Thank you George. Okay, John, bring us home. The big Daytona Beach.

John Hellein:
Yeah. So we'll be in Daytona Beach again for the 100th anniversary. And so the big fundraiser for us, and it happens at the convention, but we also brought it online in 2020. And so the auction, it will be a live event there at Daytona. And so we, every year, we raise about $30,000 through the auction. And so it's a major supporter for us, for scholarships, for all the different things. And so I did send a link and people can donate now and then in July, that auction will be live. And that, again, that is a big fundraiser for us and it has been very successful even as we moved online.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I love it. I love it. Gentlemen. Thank you. What a great success. Trent, thank you so much. I think you're in trouble, my friend. Things are looking good.

Trent Cotney:
Good. Well done.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Thank you. Thank you so much. And thank you all for being on today. This to me, it feels, I don't know. I just love this with the holidays. This is the way to be looking at it. Please, please consider donating to these foundations today or get involved, whatever works for you. Be involved because you will never regret it. You get way more in return than you ever give. So thank you again for being with us gentlemen. Chuck, Trent, Dave, George, John, everyone else, thank you.

Dave Lawlor:
My pleasure. Thank you.

John Hellein:
Thank you very much.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Thank you. And thank you all for being on. This is recorded. This is going to be going all day long. So be sure to donate today for that matching gift and then join us on December 16th when we're going to have the experts from roofing technology, Think Tank, on the last Coffee Conversations of the year. I can't believe we're already going into 2022. So January 16th, we're going to have Anna Anderson, John Kiso, Scott Reilly. We are going to have them all here talking about technology for 2022. Please continue to be a part of everything we're doing and we will see you in a couple weeks. Have a great day and thank you for being on Coffee Conversations.

John Hellein:
Happy holidays.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Happy holidays everybody.

Trent Cotney:
Thank you.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Thanks.

By Ryan Quinn, Chicago Roofing Contractors Association (CRCA). 

It is essential that employers know and consider the risk involved when making the decision to work in potentially hazardous weather conditions. 

Even in the best of conditions, roofing is a hazardous occupation. When weather and other environmental factors come into play, hazards can quickly escalate and put employees at risk for injury and illness, as well pose a risk of property damage and injury to the public. It is essential that employers know and consider the risk involved when making the decision to work in potentially hazardous weather conditions. 

Cold weather 

Cold weather presents multiple safety concerns. In addition to the presence of ice and snow presenting slip & fall hazards, cold weather can also lead to cold-related illnesses such as frostbite and hypothermia, which if not addressed promptly, can have lasting effects on the human body. If left untreated, hypothermia can be potentially life-threatening. It is extremely important for employers to train employees on the hazards of working in cold-weather conditions, as well as the signs and symptoms of cold-related illnesses and how to properly address them. 

Hot weather 

Working in hot weather, especially on rooftops, can be exhausting and dangerous for employees. Conditions such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke are extremely serious heat illnesses that if left untreated, can be fatal. Employers must provide workers with rest, shade, and should consider incremented workloads that will allow for more frequent breaks for new workers in order to acclimate them to site conditions. As with cold weather, employees must be trained on the warning signs of heat-related illnesses. 

Rain/dew 

Weather conditions may be unavoidable, but certain conditions can make roofing operations much more hazardous. Rain makes slip and fall accidents more of a possibility, especially when working with slippery-when wet materials such as membranes. Early morning dew on slippery-when-wet surfaces such as tile, metal and membranes, can also lead to slips and falls.  

Ultimately, employers will need to consider suspending operations when conditions make the job more hazardous, and at the very least, consider implementing additional fall protection controls and systems to make the job safer for employees. 

Snow/ice 

In addition to slip & fall hazards, snow can also hide additional structural hazards from view, such as skylights, that employees may fall through. Employers must determine the appropriate fall protection system to use for snow and ice removal, and may need to increase the level of protection if the system being utilized may be insufficient to protect employees from existing hazards. For example, if a warning line system is utilized, a fall restraint or fall arrest system may need to be additionally implemented for some job tasks being conducted. 

Deicer should be spread on walking surfaces such as stair towers and rooftops as soon as possible after winter weather. Ensure proper footwear is worn by employees. Boots with proper tread are necessary to help prevent slips and falls in snow and ice.  

In some cases, a competent person may be required to ensure the structure is safe for employees to access when bearing the additional weight of snow before beginning any work to remove snow and ice. 

Lightning/storms/inclement weather 

Roofing is one of the trades with the highest work-related fatalities as a result of lightning. Lightning is most likely to strike the tallest objects in the area, which can often include rooftops and ladders. Lightning is able to travel outside the area of the storm or rain, sometimes reaching distances of up to 10 miles. There is no safe place outdoors during a thunderstorm, which makes preparing an emergency action plan that includes a lightning safety protocol an essential step for employers. Training employees on what to do when an emergency situation arises is a critical step in helping to ensure employees are able to make safe decisions.  

Even more important to avoid extreme weather conditions is pre-planning. Checking the weather forecast before work begins can eliminate the need to activate an emergency action plan. Knowing when severe storms will begin and pulling off the job before employees are put at risk is a good management practice. 

High wind 

While working on rooftops, employees may be exposed to high wind conditions. The following are the definitions of “high wind” as determined by OSHA: 

1. The wind could blow an employee from an elevated location, 
2. The wind could cause an employee or equipment handling material to lose control of the material, or 
3. The wind would expose an employee to other hazards not controlled by the standard involved. 

OSHA normally considers wind speeds of up to 40mph during normal operations, and 30mph during material handling to be the maximum allowable, unless the employer takes additional precautions to protect employees from hazardous effects of wind. High winds can throw employees off balance, especially when large pieces of material they are moving by hand are caught by high winds. 

High wind may stop work for the day, but make sure materials are sufficiently secured to prevent them from being blown off the roof before leaving the jobsite. Airborne materials can cause injury to employees and the public, as well as property damage.  

Ultimately, the responsibility lies with the employer to utilize appropriate safety precautions, formulate a suitable safety plan and program (OSHA 1926 Subpart C–General Safety & Health Provisions), train employees on fall protection systems (1926.503(a), as well as regularly inspect jobsites for hazards and train employees on hazard recognition/mitigation for safe roofing work (OSHA 1926 Subpart C–General Safety & Health Provisions). 

Learn more about CRCA in their RoofersCoffeeShop Directory or visit www.crca.org/. 

Original article source: CRCA 

About Ryan Quinn 

Ryan Quinn is a Safety Advocate at CRCA Associate Member Firm Assurance with a focus on the construction industry. His main responsibilities are to facilitate safety trainings and jobsite safety audits, update safety manuals, ensure OSHA compliance and be a reliable safety resource that clients can depend on.  

Prior to joining Assurance, Quinn was a Safety Accident Investigator for New York City Department of Design and Construction (NYC DDC). In this role he investigated approximately 30-40 construction accidents per month, including those involving major injury and severe property damage for the purpose of determining a root cause, and to provide suggestions to prevent future accidents.  

Quinn earned his Bachelors’ degree from Ohio State University and currently holds his Associate Safety Professional designation. For more information, contact rquinn@assuranceagency.com or www.assuranceagency.com. 

Cotney Construction Law announced the success of their 2020 yearend fundraising drive supporting several roofing foundations.

Through a Giving Back campaign with RoofersCoffeeShop®, they helped raise $23,450 in donations for four different roofing foundations.

The four roofing foundations involved in this campaign were the Chicago Roofing Contractors Association Foundation, Florida Roofing & Sheet Metal Contractors Association Educational & Research Foundation, Roofing Alliance Melvin Kruger Endowed Scholarship, and Western States Roofing Contractors Association’s Davis Memorial Foundation. Each of these foundations support the roofing industry through various means, such as scholarships, education, charitable programs and research.

“Trent Cotney and the Cotney team continue to live their core values of giving back,” stated Heidi J. Ellsworth of RoofersCoffeeShop. “By using the power of digital marketing and overall promotional drive for greater causes we all win. Cotney is the leader when it comes to roofing industry support and respect.”

Giving back has always been a core value of Cotney Construction Law. Since inception, Trent Cotney, CEO, has sought to affect positive change in the roofing industry and one of those ways has been donating his time, treasure, and talent to roofing foundations.

"Not only are the roofing foundations vital for the current generation in roofing, but they also ensure that roofing continues to be a significant player in America’s future workforce. I am blessed to be able to help these foundations raise money that will go towards helping sustain and elevate the roofing industry,” Trent Cotney stated.

Cotney matched donations made during the December 2020 campaign using their connections, advertising dollars and social media promotions to encourage donations. This resulted in substantial donations generated for 2021 scholarships, research and education through these influential foundations. Cotney encourages all roofing professionals to continue supporting roofing foundations in 2021 and beyond.

Contact Cotney Construction Law for additional information.

Learn more about Cotney Construction Law in their RoofersCoffeeShop directory or visit www.trentcotney.com.

About Cotney Construction Law

Cotney Construction Law is a global law firm that provides representation for the construction industry. Experienced in the representation of businesses and professionals in construction disputes and transactions, Cotney is a well-known advisor and legal counsel in the construction industry. The firm’s practice areas include construction law, litigation, arbitration, contract review & drafting, immigration, employment, OSHA defense, licensing defense, bid protests, lien law, bond law and alternative dispute resolution. For more information, visit www.cotneycl.com.

By Karen L. Edwards, RCS Editor.  

Consider supporting an organization that gives back to the roofing industry.  

This is the time of year that many students are receiving their acceptance letters to different colleges and trade schools. Many of them may be facing challenges securing the money for tuition – especially after the economy has been so affected by the coronavirus pandemic.  

That is why our roofing industry foundations are more important than ever. This December, your gift will be multiplied through the generosity of Trent Cotney and Cotney Construction Law.  He is matching donations to the following four industry foundations up to $2,500 total: 

• Chicago Roofing Contractors Association - CRCA Foundation 

• Florida Roofing & Sheet Metal Contractors Association - FRSA Educational & Research Foundation 

• Roofing Alliance - Melvin Kruger Endowed Scholarship Program 

• Western States Roofing Contractors Association - Davis Memorial Foundation 

Tune into the December 17 Coffee Conversations at 6 am PT/ 9 am ET as Heidi and Trent discuss this giving back initiative.  

If monetary donations are not possible this year, another way to give back is through the materials you purchase and the suppliers where you purchase those materials. Many of our manufacturers and suppliers have foundations that give back to the community or provide scholarships to help support the future of the industry.  

For example, SOPREMA is a leading manufacturer of commercial roofing, waterproofing, wall protection and civil engineering solutions and they set aside $20,000 each year to award $5,000 scholarships to students pursuing careers in construction, architecture, engineering or similar fields.  Their application period is open now through March 31.   

If you are not sure how your manufacturers or distributors support the future of the industry, be sure to ask your sales representative. It’s important that the businesses that make their profits from the roofing industry give some of those dollars back to support the future of the industry and to make our communities stronger.  

Some RCS partners who have formalized giving programs include: 

• Beacon Building Products Beacon of Hope Program 

• GAF Roofs for Troops 

• Owens Corning Roof Deployment Program 

• SRS Distribution’s Raise the Roof Foundation 

As you look ahead into 2021, it's important to think about how you can make a difference for others and for our industry.  

Stay up to date with the latest roofing industry news when you sign up for the RCS Week in Roofing e-news.  

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of an interview with Trent Cotney of Cotney Construction Law and roofing foundation representatives including Kyle Thomas, President of the Roofing Alliance; Chuck Chapman, Chairman of Davis Memorial Foundation; Mike Silvers with the FRSA Educational & Research Foundation and Rod Petrick of the Chicago CRCA Foundation. You can read the interview below or listen to the conversation here.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Good morning and welcome to Coffee Conversations. My name is Heidi Ellsworth, and I'm an RCS partner with rooferscoffeeshop.com, and I want to welcome all of you here this morning. Today's Coffee Conversation is near and dear to my heart, and these are the people who make such wonderful things happen in our roofing industry. So today, we are going to be talking about roofing foundations, the foundations that are out there, they're doing research, granting scholarships, helping our community and the community outside roofing to succeed and to do better. So today, we have asked Trent Cotney, who is the sponsor of today's Coffee Conversations, Cotney Construction Law, to be here with us and talk about the importance of giving back. 
And Trent, in return invited four representatives from the four foundations, the Roofing Alliance, the Chicago CRCA Foundation, the FRSA Foundation, and the Roofing Alliance to visit with all of us today, to tell us about what is going on with these foundations and how all of you can be involved. So before we get started, a few housekeeping. 
In your on control panel as part of the GoToMeeting, you will see a place for chat and questions. Please, please put your questions in their, comments, success stories, how much you love these foundations. We will share that as we go throughout this morning's Coffee Conversation. And Megan Ellsworth, is in the background and she'll be chatting with you, asking you questions, and if you want to come on and ask any of these gentlemen questions throughout the morning, they will be here for you to visit. So before we turn this over to everyone, I do want to introduce our guests. As I said, today we have Trent Cotney, with Cotney Construction Law. Thank you for being here, Trent. 

Trent Cotney:
Hey, it's great being here. 

Heidi Ellsworth:
Thank you. And thank you so much for being a sponsor of Coffee Conversations. This giving back, I know you and I talked about it a lot. This is really important. I also want to introduce Chuck Chapman, who is the chairman of the Davis Memorial Foundation. Good morning, Chuck.

Chuck Chapman:
Morning.

Heidi Ellsworth:
And Mike Silvers, who's with the FRSA, and also was one of the founding members of their FRSA Foundation. Good morning, Mike. 

Mike Silvers:
Good morning, Heidi, and the rest of y'all. 

Heidi Ellsworth:
And, Rod Petrick. Rod, has been instrumental in launching the CRCA Foundation, and is a long time CRCA member, I can't even go through the whole resume. But he is also the NRCA chairman. So Rod, thank you so much for being here. 

Rod Petrick:
Thank you Heidi, good morning everyone. 

Heidi Ellsworth:
Good morning. And last but definitely not least, Kyle Thomas, who is the president of the Roofing Alliance, [inaudible 00:03:07] NRCA Chairman. And I'm sorry, but I just got to say this, Kyle, one of the coolest people because he has been doing the student competition, which is one of my favorite events, through the Roofing Alliance for years. So we've worked together a lot on promoting that. So Kyle, thank you so much for being here today.

Kyle Thomas:
Thank you Heidi, good morning everybody.

Heidi Ellsworth:
So we are going to get started. And our first stop this morning is to talk about the Cotney Construction Law Giving Back campaign. So Trent, tell us a little bit about this brainstorm, what you're doing, and on how this is all working.

Trent Cotney:
Sure. So I got to thinking it's at the end of the year, right? And everybody starts thinking about donations that they're going to do to charitable organizations. And for me, I feel very blessed to be a part of the roofing industry. It's put food on my table, my employees tables, my family's table for generations. And I was kind of taught you give back your time, your talent, and your treasure. And to me, I'm very involved in a lot of associations throughout the US and Canada. And one of the things that I've noted is that the foundation's that are set up, they do great work, right? They provide scholarships, they provide training, they provide an avenue to get new people into the industry, which I think is critical especially now with a lack of skilled labor. In addition to that, there's a lot of great research projects that come up. 
So what I wanted to do is I wanted to incentivize people to give. It's important because I know what great work each of these associations do, I contribute to all of them, but I wanted to incentivize people to give. So what we are doing is we are matching up to $2500 at the end of December for anybody that contributes to one of these associations. And I have a very special announcement that I will say at the end of this presentation, so stay tuned to the end because I am going to sweeten the pot even more full. So how about that?

Heidi Ellsworth:
Awesome. That's great. I love it. I love these little surprises. So, okay. We really want everyone out there to be involved. We want you to understand all the great things that are going on. And Trent and I we talk about this all the time. How can we get more people involved, how can we really promote the great things these foundations are doing? So this morning, you're going to get to hear about what these foundations are doing, and just how incredible they are. And so first off, I would like to introduce Chuck Chapman, with the Davis Memorial Foundation. And I am a little prejudice because I'm also a trustee of Davis Memorial Foundation, which is just such a great honor. So, Chuck, thank you for being here. Tell us a little bit about Davis.

Chuck Chapman:
Well, thank you Heidi, and Trent, thank you once again, you never disappoint. And I really appreciate your support of the Davis Foundation as well as all of these other organizations, and making this possible today with your sponsorship. We really appreciate it. The Davis Memorial Foundation was started in 1996 by the Western States Roofing Contractors Association. We became incorporated in 1997, and it was started by seed money donated by United Building Products.

Chuck Chapman:
We support students in the Western United States who are associated with the roofing industry. And since our inception, we had over 142 scholarships to the tune of over $600,000. It's really, really wonderful to be able to support the families and the students involved with our industry by way of these scholarships, so we are very fortunate that the foundation has trustees. I am fortunate and blessed to be the chairman of the foundation. Heidi Ellsworth, is one of our wonderful trustees, Mr. Dennis Ryan with Waterproofing Associates is another one, Greg Bloom from Beacon Roofing Products, Bill Baley from C.I. Services, and last but not least, our administrator and trustee Mr. Joel Viera, who is also the Western State executive director. And those are the six people that we have for administering the foundation, awarding the scholarship, and really spearheading all of our fundraising.
All of the money is obtained through three primary fundraising vehicles. One is the Golf [inaudible 00:07:54] Shooting Clays Tournament. Happens every year until unfortunately what happened around with COVID. We were unable [inaudible 00:08:03] those events, but we were able to have our auction this year, an online version. And we were somewhat able to raise a fair amount of money for the foundation. And that is now going to be live pretty much year round. And if you want to donate, you can access that through our Davis Memorial Foundation website, which is up there on the screen right now. And if you want to donate, you can click on that and go right to our auction. And if you personally want to buy a scholarship and have it named, either in your name or your company's name, you can do that as well. It's a $5,000 scholarship award. We had five of them last year. Trent, was one of [inaudible 00:08:49]. Thank you Trent. It is really, really a wonderful way to support the foundation. So that's a primary way we can raise money for the scholarships and we really appreciate everybody contributing.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Chuck, thank you. Thank you so much. And there's all kinds of comments going on up here about how great this is bringing it together. Megan, has the link in the chat to donate. And I do just want to real quick say the kids we're seeing coming out of the Davis Scholars program, are being supported in so many ways and many of them are coming back into roofing, which is what it's all about, trying to grow the professionalism. And I have to say, I'm Megan Ellsworth, who is part of the roofing industry working for RoofersCoffeeShop, was a proud recipient of a Davis Memorial Scholarship. So from our family, thank you. Yes.

Chuck Chapman:
There are a lot of sons and daughters of roofing contractors, or people in the manufacturing, or distribution network that weren't originally in the industry, but have circled back around and come back, and come back into the fold. So that's really wonderful and absolutely amazing to see. 

Heidi Ellsworth:
It is. It really is. It is so great. Okay. So we are now... Thank you Chuck, so much, and we're going to come back. We're going to be asking some questions and talking a little bit more, but this is just the introduction. So I would like to introduce Kyle Thomas, with the roofing Alliance, again, another association I work with, very near and dear. Kyle, tell us about the Roofing Alliance. 

Kyle Thomas:
Thank you, Heidi, and thanks, Chuck. I could talk forever on Roofing Alliance, so you guys I'll try to keep it brief so we can all have time to share. The Alliance is the foundation of the NRCA. The Alliance promotes the advancement of roofing through research, education, technology, and charitable programs. So back in the mid 90s, the NRCA leadership got together and felt there was already a National Roofing Foundation but it wasn't doing much. So really forward thinking leaders back in the early to mid 90s get together and put a plan together to create the Alliance. And I don't think anyone back then expected the success it was going to have, but they started in 1996, so we're coming up on our 25th anniversary next year. So we'll be celebrating 25 years next year.

Kyle Thomas:
They started with going to contractors and getting commitments of $50,000 apiece, spread over a five year payment term. And they jumped out of the gate basically with about $8 million worth of commitments right off the bat to create the endowment. So they started the endowment basically in 1996. In 2007, some of the same forward thinking leaders created a second endowment for scholarships called the Melvin Kruger Endowment Fund. So we've got actually two funds right now. The two endowment funds that operate are general services or general fund, and a scholarship fund.
At this point, we've handed out almost $900,000 in scholarships to over 130 students to the Melvin Kruger Endowment Scholarship Fund. We've allocated almost $6 million overall in projects that support our mission. Our fund is grown. Membership continues to grow every year. So we started with $8 million in commitment. Like I said, we've allocated almost six million and our fund is sitting at over 11 million right now. Of course, the stock market's doing what it's doing. In fact, it always vary depending on the volatility of the market. But in other words, point being, we have allocated a lot of the funds that have been raised, but we continue to raise funds, and we continue to gain membership every year.

Kyle Thomas:
The four pillars of the association of the foundation is technology and research, education and training, philanthropy, and sustainability. And here again, I could talk forever. But just a few brief points about what we're doing in those pillars, education and training. We partnered with Clemson University and they have created full credit, three hour credit courses at Clemson University, so a student can go to Clemson and take the... We're working on the second three hour class, and there'll be a third. So there'll be actually nine credit hours of roofing specific education at Clemson. But we're also making that program portable where we can pass it out to other schools. Just one of the things we're doing, the Alliance helped fund the beginnings of the ProCert initiative that the NRCA is moving down right now. So we put some seed money in on that and help the NRCA get that kicked off. The student competition that Heidi, mentioned, has been a really fun endeavor that we've engaged with.
On the philanthropy side, I can't take credit for this. Mr. Petrick, who's on the panel today really pushed this one. But the Alliance partnered with Ronald McDonald House Charities and we challenged, or Rod, challenge our membership to adopt the standalone Ronald McDonald Houses so that if they had a roofing need, the Alliance would take care of it, or Alliance members and NRCA members would take care of it. And I'm proud to say that all 165 standalone homes have been adopted through that program.
Other things that we do as far as philanthropy and recognition, the Alliance sponsors the most valuable player awards for the NRCA or for membership. So members can nominate employees in their companies that deserve recognition, and we have recognized them with the awards banquet at the trade show gallery. Same thing with the Gold Circle Awards as far as quality projects, safety projects, and stuff like that. So the Alliance sponsors the MVP and the Gold Circle Awards. We have a program called Helping Our Own, where if someone has a specific need or an unfortunate situation, they can reach out to the Alliance and we can help them with that.
Research. We've done a lot of research where we partnered in and with a lot of the other associations for research. We recently completed a... Arizona State University completed an overall nationwide study of the roofing industry. Basically, a demographic study, kind of gives us some data to lobby with as we go to DC and talk to the lawmakers and legislators about the impacts of the roofing industry on the economy as a whole. We've partnered in the moisture and concrete studies, which have been going on for quite a while now, but has been a serious issue for the roofing industry for a while now. Help fund some of the silica studies that NRCA is working on, so that our members can understand and know what the silica rules are and the impacts of those on them. Excuse me there.
We're currently working on an interesting virtual reality study to see how we can use virtual reality in training and educating employees, specifically starting with safety training, but who knows where that could lead to as far as what the VR future might lead. And so, I think that's pretty much the quick speech about the Alliance. Like I say, Heidi, I could talk forever, so give me the hook when it's time to hush. So I think that that's my quick speech on the Alliance. It's an amazing endeavor and it's been very successful.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Well, the good news Kyle, is on January 14th, Coffee Conversations, you're going to be back. We're celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Roofing Alliance. And so we'll be able to really talk about, get really into all of those. Everything you have listing I'm like, "Oh, yeah, that's so cool. Oh, that's great. People need to know about that." So there's a lot. And I do need too, the Roofing Alliance was the first on kickoff for national women in roofing. They were the first ones to step up. So that was pretty amazing. So thank you so much. Again, Megan, has that link for the Roofing Alliance up in or she will in the chat box, and every... go check it out, there's just so much. But we're going to keep going. And we are actually going to go to Rod, now. And Rod, feel free to mention the Ronald McDonald Houses too because you're involved in everything just like everybody on this. But tell us about on CRCA and what's happening there. 

Rod Petrick:
Good morning everyone. I'm proud to be a CRCA member along with an NRCA and an NRCA Alliance member. CRCA the oldest roofing organization in the country. We have a lot of history. And I can remember going with my dad back in the 80s to the scholarship night. And I always thought it was so cool to go to the scholarship night. And every year CRCA along with the CRC, which is the controlling roofing council, the signatory contractors would partner and give scholarships.
Our CRC past president George Patterson, had put together a past presidents dinner that we would meet twice a year. And his feeling was, "As you know we have so much knowledge here, we should share this and get guys together just to have a bottle of wine, some dinner, and share ideas." And a group of us were cornered by a couple other guys that started the scholarships, Joe Adler and Jerry Hoffman. And they basically embarrassed us by saying, "The scholarships have stayed at the same value and you're giving out the same number of scholarships when this first started." And he basically, he had us in the corner and says "It's time for you guys to step up." And George, in his infinite wisdom decided, you know what, there's a group of guys here we're going to start this foundation. 
And it's going very well. With my past experience with the Alliance, I felt that was the best way to get this thing started and basically you have to get money in the foundation to be able to continue to afford doing the scholarships, because every year we have at least $20,000 worth of scholarships that are awarded. And I don't know if it's unique to CRCA, but ours are a four year renewable scholarship. So as long as you keep your GPA up to our criteria, that scholarship will renew for four years, which is a lot different from what we hear from our students. 
One thing that's exciting is when you sit there and review scholarship applications is a lot of people... You hear that all the young people they really don't have any interest, while you read scholarships and what these young people want to go do. We have people that... biomedical engineering, which I'm sure they've been involved in the development of these COVID vaccines. A young lady was going to school of architecture and she came back to speak to us, and she was one of the lead designers of the interior of the 787 Dreamliner. So when you hear what some of these scholarship has afforded somebody to go to school, it's been very interesting. And we've got now chemists, doctors, architects, engineers. You're giving somebody an opportunity that wasn't there.
But also at CRC, we've always had the philanthropic side of it. And before the foundation, calls would come in the CRCA. I would then generally get the call and we would kind of do a distribution, through the go by logistically, what contractor was close and make a call, and yeah, kind of plead with them to "Hey, could you could you volunteer to maybe do this as a donation." And true to the industry, most people pick it up and run with it immediately. I have to say, I'm proud and always talk about the roofing industry, but it seems when people are in need, the entire industry is willing to come together and move forward. And as Kyle, it happened with the Ronald McDonald Houses, that was great.
And then we've always done whatever type of research or helping. And I remember I was strategically involved when the City of Chicago put their roof reflectivity ordinance. CRCA joined with what we loosely called, was the Roofing Alliance. It was just a short group of manufacturers, engineers, architects, [inaudible 00:21:54], and it took eight years of negotiations with the city to get to the current ordinance that we work under for roof reflectivity, which now a lot of people are seeing developing those into their codes and it mirrors what was done in Chicago. But I'm sure with the proximity that we've got to NRCA, we've helped with silica study that's kind of ongoing, as for fume research, both the CRCA and CRC were major contributors for the moisture and concrete survey. 
So over the years, we've been very involved and I think the big push by a couple of our more older and wiser contractors gave us the push to start the foundation. And our members are growing. I was giving Trent, a hard time as... He had been involved... You become involved in trying to promote the foundation, you kind of forget to write your own cheque. And I talked to my son this morning, we're going to make our five year commitment and start actually with our cheque today. So we will be moving in to be one of the bigger sponsors with the CRCA Foundation. But it's a great group of guys, not just here, as Kyle said, throughout the country, and with the other speakers that are here. Our industry, I really believe understands the word giving back. And, Heidi, I think you remember I said that at that one meeting, that [inaudible 00:23:18] said, "You need to give back in the industry where can you make your living." And I think we all do that pretty much every day.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yes, I think so too. And, Rod, there's been a lot of times, and as you have talked about the next generation, you've really inspired me. And how are we [inaudible 00:23:36] that next generation in, and that's exactly what you're doing. And I have to tell you, we're seeing comments come through so I just wanted to let you all know. So first of all, many if not all the executive directors of these foundations are watching in the background. But Bill McHugh, who is executive director of the CRCA just wants to point out to everybody that it is great to see this panel together and thanking Trent, for what he's doing. As part of the CRCA I want to point that out. And then also Jennifer [Jo Paine 00:24:07], who is involved with CRCA is talking about how much she loves the scholarship night too Rod, so that sounds like an awesome event.

Rod Petrick:
It is. What's great for the young men and women that are being honored is that's our biggest event of the year. We get a lot of participation and I'm always amazed at how young people are willing to get up and talk in front of a room of 150 to 200 grumpy looking roofing contractors.

Heidi Ellsworth:
That is so true. We've seen it a lot. That is awesome. Well, thank you, Rod. Thank you. We're going to come back. I want to get to Mike Silvers, who is with FRSA. The FRSA Foundation has been doing amazing things for a long time, Mike. Tell us about that.

Mike Silvers:
Thank you for having us Heidi, and thank you very much for putting this together. It's a great thing for our industry. Also with me as Lisa Pate, FRSA is executive director is here with us, and John Hellein, who's the Director of our foundation is here too. Camera shy bit here. So you'll have to look at me instead. Our foundation was started in 1982, and really has gotten its feet underneath of it in the last 20 years, and they're doing a lot of different things. Like the other foundations here, we're focused on roofing industry, related education, and research, in particular contractor continuing education through seminars, both live and online. 

Mike Silvers:
As you all know, building codes are real big in Florida. They're enforced and very important, and so we have a large job in keeping that information in our members hands and giving them the information they need to follow the building code and stay out of trouble. Besides contractors, we also do architects, engineers, and building officials, and do CE courses for them keep them up on the latest roofing changes in Florida. And so that we get a hopefully a level playing field which is what we're trying to create for our contractor members. 
We do worker training through seminars, courses. And right now ABC and FRSA has an apprenticeship program we're working on. Right next door in our training facility as we speak, we have a group of apprentices there. I'll be heading over there right after this webinar to help with the instruction. That's been a great success. We've got three different courses going around the state of Florida, with a fourth one looks like coming online, and we're real, real happy about the way that that's been working on.
Career outreach. We have been doing what they call the summit, which is a weekend with young folks who are interested in the construction industry. And we've started that, we hope to do another one in April of this year. And we spend two days there introducing the roofing industry and some hands on roofing stuff over the course of two days. It's a great program, we've seen a lot of interest from the young people involved, had no idea that they might have an interest in the roofing industry, but we lay out a nice program for them and help them understand some of the benefits of being involved in our industry not just as roofers, but the overall industry and the career opportunities that are out there.
We also do roofing industry focused scholarships. This year we did 15 totaling $30,000, and we've done $288,000 in scholarships over the period that we've been doing roofing them. Roofing related research. Again, with the building codes, we have a lot of things that we want to look at in order to present code changes and back that up with research. Years ago we'd started the Earl Blank Endowment with the University of Florida. University of Florida is very involved with Florida building commission so we're able to help fund studies that often make changes in the building code, and that's been very helpful and we are constantly looking at roofing related research. 
We have seven different levels of membership. You can also do lifetime memberships at three different levels starting as low as $500. We've been very fortunate, we've got a great group of trustees headed by George Ebersold, who is with Tanenbaum Roofing, and is this year's president of our group. George, made a $250 contribution at our meeting last couple days ago, I matched that so we're appreciate Trent, being able to match those as well. So we're doing a lot here with our foundation and hope that we'll see some donations, very fortunate to have great support from our contractors in the state of Florida. Thank God.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Wow. Thank you, Mike. And I've just been so fortunate to work with all of you on so many things, and I've worked with Lisa Pate and you Mike on FRSA, and have been to a number of your events, and the roofing professionals in Florida are just amazing. And we are seeing Brad Setters, on here right now, we've got some other folks coming on. So we've got all kinds of comments. Awesome. People are just loving this. So I'm going to get to the comments in a minute. But before we do that, what we want to do is we want to have Trent, talk just a little bit before we're going to go into kind of some questions and different things. But we want to talk just a little bit about logistics. 
So just so everybody knows as we're talking, we have some questions here and we have a whole bunch coming up on the screen. But Trent, you might be on mute so you might want to unmute, and let us know just if people are interested in donating, which I hope everyone is, or it's going to share the word out to the industry, to any of these foundations or there's a number of other foundations out there too, how does that work? 

Trent Cotney:
Sure. So in order to take advantage of the match, what we need to have is receipts between... It can be even, a little bit before this is fine, all the way up to the end of December, and they can send it to us, they can probably send it to Anita, it'd to be the best way. Heidi, will give them that information in the chat box and we'll match it directly. But Heidi, I want to tell you I was listening to... We did a prep course yesterday. So for the attendees that are listening to this, Heidi, is smart enough to make sure we all get on the line and we talk about things ahead of time. 
And I had the opportunity to listen to everybody and I look around at the people that are up now, and Mike, Rod, Chuck, and Kyle, I've been in the trenches with these guys. I've spent hours with these guys and have really grown strong friendships with them, and it got me thinking yesterday. So I picked up the phone to you and I said, "Hey, what if I increase the amount for today only." Okay. And the thought was, I know we're all busy, right? I've got five or six Zoom calls today. It's very easy to get distracted. What I want people to do is I want them to pay today. Okay? And I know I told you one thing yesterday Heidi, but I've been so moved by listening to what they have had to say. If you contribute today and get us a receipt that's dated today, we will match up to $10,000.

Heidi Ellsworth:
That's more than you said yesterday, Trent. Holy cow!

Trent Cotney:
That's right. And the reason I want people to do this is because I know to me it's one of the best things I do all year long. It really is. It is the ability to see the scholarship winners faces when they get a scholarship. The ability to go do charity roofs. Those types of things are what make a lasting impression on me. So just listening to what everybody had to say, I want to motivate people to pay today. Pay today and we will match up to $10,000.

Heidi Ellsworth:
That is great. Well, get ready Trent, because I'm going to be going on.

Trent Cotney:
Yeah, please. Please.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I think a lot of people are. [crosstalk 00:33:08] That news, that is awesome. Oh, my gosh. Well, we have so many comments here. So first of all, Megan, is... Oh, I want to make sure. Hold on I'm going to... This sometimes happens and we get a little bit of an echo. So we're going to fix that. Okay, hopefully that echo is gone. What we're going to do is Megan, is putting how to donate, and whether you go straight to the association or you go to the RoofersCoffeeShop, to get there we're just trying to make it easy, and just print out your receipts, and then Megan, will also put Anita's email into the chat box also. But if for some reason you don't get Anita's, it's simple, heidi@rooferscoffeeshop.com and we will forward those to Trent, too. So however, whatever works for everybody. You can't believe the amount of comments that are coming through my friends. This is awesome. But we do have somebody, Megan. I believe we have somebody in waiting to come on to make a comment or ask a question. Is that right? 

Megan:
Yes, we have, Charles Antis.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Charles, welcome. You have a question or a comment I'm sure. 

Megan:
Yes. Charles, you're good to unmute and join via video if you would like.

Charles Antis:
Oh, I have to go on here. I'm going to figure this out. Share my webcam. Yes. Hello all. So [inaudible 00:34:42]. Heidi, thank you and I love this panel. I know most of you really well. But I got to say, Heidi, you and I met five years ago on a bus. We were going to rebuild Orlando together because you and I both knew that's where the real people show up, and that's not a knock on everybody else, but people that really know that they can be involved and have better balance, and chemistry, and likely better culture. And you and I bumped into each other, and you told me about what? You told me about this group. 

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yes, I did.

Charles Antis:
And you said that I to come to this meeting. Do you remember that?

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yes. Join the Roofing Alliance, get involved within NRCA. You got to do these things. Yes.

Charles Antis:
And so you brought me and then I met Rod. Rod's there intimidating. He's like, "Who is this young California guy?" He didn't say that but that's his look. But Rod, was like, "Well, things go this way, this way." And then Kyle, Kyle, was young like me and he had a small roofing size company like me, and it seemed acceptable, but then I heard it was going to cost me $50,000. And you know what I said? I said, "Bill Good," who is so nice at asking things. I said, "Bill, I can't do that. I can't commit to that. I've never made a commitment that big." And to Trent, what Trent just did, Trent, not only do I think that that's beautiful. And I do. and I can use that word. I'm from California I can say that. It's a beautiful gesture because it stops people from that routine thinking and it makes them think like, "How can that be? What if they max it out?" You know what, Trent, if things gets maxed out this morning, it'll be the best thing. And you know that. That could ever happen not only to the community of roofing and those that we're affecting, but also to your business. 
And that's what we discovered because I said yes to Bill Good. And then Bill Good, came to me and I committed the $50,000. I was going to pay it over five years. And it was more than ever committed. And then Bill Good, got me, and the Alliance got me to see way bigger than we could ever see what some of your questions early on... Because I was involved, I got to be involved as were you Heidi, and all of us. Most of us here that I know of, probably all of us, we were very involved in the Ronald McDonald initiative. And it was beautiful the way it came through. And it truly is a pause moment for our entire industry. I'm on the board of local Ronald McDonald House here in Orange County. In fact, I still wear these socks every day purposely because I'm trying to raise $12 million so we can double twice the house.
But this whole initiative has allowed my company and my community to see... my own company within and externally to see us as way bigger, to see us as actually a social steward that actually protects everything that people loves in Southern California. And I think that same image of roofing is coming on us, and so I just want to encourage everybody to get involved with all of these wonderful organizations. I'm just more intimate with Roofing Alliance. And I'll say real quick. I want stop really soon but Trent, Trent, is a great guy. Remember the movie Godfather? Now, we're not a mob. We're a mob was good. We're a mob was good. But remember the Godfather's... One of the most likable characters was, Robert Duvall. He was the consigliere, whatever you call it. You sir are that for the roofing industry and I thank you. You're a good man. 
Rod, you just won this amazing recognition in Chicago, this excellence and entrepreneurship award, something, the spirit of something, because I don't remember the title. But you won it partially because not only did you socially steward this initiative, but Ronald McDonald House is housed in Chicago. And this gift that we gave Ronald McDonald Houses, do you know how hard it is for them to go to each of the 165 houses and say, "Hey, I'm sorry you got to roof leak. Good luck." Now they get to say, "Here we're a community and we're better together." So I just think... Everyone on this call, I thank you for everything you do for the roofing industry. I today see way bigger because of these people right here in this room that led me and helped me to see way bigger. And now, I believe that we can change the world. And you guys know I think that way, and I believe you do too. So thank you.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Thank you, Charles. Charles, you always bring such passion and energy. I love it. Rod, just real quick. Contractors across the country can get involved with Ronald McDonald House. And Kyle, you're both so involved with that. This is one of those things that I think I'm from a giving back standpoint is just so incredible. Rod, can you just real quick, how did they get involved with Ronald McDonald House? I know they want, people want to.

Rod Petrick:
If you want just basically get hold of Bennett and NRCA officers and she'll get the information back to Kyle and I, because we have... With 165 houses, it's interesting now that it's kind of known in the marketplace. Plenty of people stop me, "Hey, how do I get involved?" And it's nice that way. We're not always leaning on the same contractor. Myself we've partnered with Bennett [inaudible 00:39:56] company that George Patterson, runs. And they [inaudible 00:40:00] Hines Hospital complex. So we've got room where contractors can partner and that way we're not leaning on one guy, but there's availability, and we want to get as many people involved as we can. And it's just not doing the roofs. People can go in and volunteer to serve lunch, served dinner, go read a book to some children that their parents are going through a rough time because one of their siblings may be in the hospital. 
And there's a lot of other opportunity besides just being a roofer. We can do a lot more to help and it's just not Ronald McDonald Houses. Any anything in the industry that kind of comes to these foundations. Being part of the Alliance and part of CRCA. I've never seen us say no. If it's something that's difficult, we step back and try to figure it out. Because, as Charles said, when he brought up this Ronald McDonald House, and I know they're based in Chicago, I said at the back of the room, "God, how are we going to get our arms around this?" But true to form, the industry stepped up and we were able to handle it all.

Heidi Ellsworth:
That is so cool. And Megan, please put... Bennett, I hope this is okay. But let's put Bennett's email address up there in case contractors want to get involved. Bennett Judson, is absolutely the most amazing lady. I just can't say enough about what she does as an executive director with the Roofing Alliance. And she just had a comment here because she's always on it. She's a taskmaster to get Kyle, and everybody in going, but she's just [crosstalk 00:41:39]. Yeah. She just said there's two new Ronald McDonald Houses coming. So we're going to talk more about that in January, Kyle, when you come back, we'll really have a lot of that whole new stuff. But it's really good to know, make sure you get there. And also donation wise, if you're donating today to help with that $10,000 match, if you want to make it the easiest, go to Bennett, just send it to Bennett, or to Joel Viera, or to Lisa Pate, or to Bill McHugh. I'm telling you, they're all out there and can work. 
But I want to kind of go back. I have a question for all of you and I want to start with Chuck. Because one of the things at every single meeting we sit in, no matter which foundation or which association, we're talking about the professionalism of roofing and also the next generation. So Chuck, why is it so important for people to support the foundations to really help grow professionalism in roofing respect, and attract all these new young people into roofing?

Chuck Chapman:
Well, I think Reid, talks about this a lot. And every meeting, I've heard, Reid, talk at whether it's national, regional or local, he always talks about the professionalism of the industry, and how it's so important for us to all embrace the industry that we're in and talk about the fact that, "Hey, we are roofers. We are professional, we are a necessary trade, we are very good at what we do." And there's so many people unfortunately that kind of look down because they really are lacking the education and knowledge of knowing exactly what roofing is all about and what all of us are actually like. And so I think all of these foundations put that forward, and Reid, really respecting him for spearheading that, that we are a very wonderful industry. 
I came into the industry by accident, but it's almost 40 years later and I'm still here. And it's an absolutely wonderful industry to be involved in. And I think all of these foundations, really push that information forward and bring in a lot of the young people. You and I just talked a little bit earlier, we've got so many of our scholarship recipients and other young people, and kids of long term contractors, or distributors, or manufacturers that have kind of circled back. They graduated college, went into their field of expertise that they graduated from and a number of years down the road came back into the family business. And that's really heartwarming and absolutely wonderful. So I think you're absolutely right that all of us are continuing to push that, need to continue to push it, and really expand the knowledge and understanding of what this industry is really all about.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I agree so much. And I want to read a comment here, direct this towards Kyle, but it's says, "I was on the roof with the college students participating in the Roofing Alliance scholarship at the IRE in Nashville. And it was amazing hearing the questions from young people and their eagerness to learn. They were shocked to see a woman in roofing, so I am thankful to have been able to support those students and especially the female students in the program. This is a great panel and discussion. Thanks RCS." And that's from Lindsay Walsh, out of Nashville. She's with Firestone, an amazing lady. But Kyle, you've walked those roofs and we have seen some of these students from the student competition that's funded by the Alliance and everything, they want to come back to roofing and be a part of it now, or at least understand it. 

Kyle Thomas:
Yeah, the student competitions been a fantastic experience for me. You give me credit for working on the competition, I flip it the other way around. I've gotten so much out of the competition, that it's been more valuable to me than what I put into it by far. A couple of things, take away from that, and I think it's been mentioned a couple times already this morning, but we hear about this next generation and they're lazy, they expect things to be handed to them, they don't have work ethic, they don't have drive, they don't have... Like I said, the work ethic that a lot of us grew up with, and I found that to be exactly the opposite. Every time I engage with these young people, these students, they're interested, they're intelligent. These are very sharp young people. I think the trick is once they get exposed to the roofing industry, it's like Chuck said, they realize what a fun group of people we are. And so just the exposure is fantastic because they learn that the industry really is a profession, it really is a career. It's a career opportunity. 

Kyle Thomas:
But the students are fantastic, they do ask... The first meeting I meet with the team, and I think these guys, these kids don't have a clue about roofing. They'll never get it. They're going to crash and burn this competition. And then in just a few short months, where they go from zero to their knowledge of the roofing industry. By the time they present at oral presentation at the IRE, it's amazing to see how they've grown. So yeah, it's been fantastic. Like I say, it's been fantastic for me and a lot of fun.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah, I love it. My husband Tim, loves it. Every time he's like, "We're going to the student competition. This is it." And then he goes and looks for them afterwards, and wants to talk to every single kid because that's what Tim does. But they're so impressive. But one of the things too, and this is another comment, I want to put Rod, towards you. And I love this. And this is from Bill McHugh. 
So everyone who's involved on these committees as chairman, they are volunteers. Rod, everything you're doing you're volunteering your time. There's so much time that Chuck, to Kyle, Mike, everybody, Trent, and all of us, whether it's part of our jobs, we're also putting all the volunteer time in because we believe in this. If there's people out there who are like, "I can't really donate at this point," but they can be involved. They can help. The time, treasures, talent. Can you talk about that a little bit Rod?

Rod Petrick:
Well, yes. I understand that always when they come [inaudible 00:48:12] Charles, kind of [inaudible 00:48:13] earlier, when he got the first ask he couldn't handle that $50,000 request. And the Alliance works with you over a multiple year and they'll... I know CRCA does. But there's other ways, participate. When you know there's a philanthropic ask, maybe you can bring some of your guys or bring some of your equipment just to be there. And I can tell you, as you say, we're all volunteers. Some of my best friends are now people that I've met through the roofing industry. And I've got friends now throughout the country, guys like Charles, Kyle, Trent. And I really got to know Trent and his wife one day, we were sitting at an Alliance dinner. Sitting next to one... We sat next to one for two days in a row and we've become pretty good friends now. Problem is I don't get to see him except via Zoom these days [inaudible 00:49:08]. 
There's a lot of opportunities, and all that it's going to take is just want to be involved and kind of goes back to what we were talking about earlier, is the giving back. And my dad said it and [inaudible 00:49:24] resonates to my son and everybody that works for us is we make our living here, we have to give back to those that are less fortunate. And it's so important. And I think it's the right thing to do. And like I said... I mentioned earlier, our industry I'm very proud to be in it because it seems like we are a pretty giving bunch.

Heidi Ellsworth:
We are. I love that so much. Mike, we have one other question here that I wanted to make sure we kind of touch on and FRSA has been so involved with this, besides the scholarships and also research, and really training and everything that you talked about, why is that important to find? Again, I want to take this to how are we attracting more people to roofing, how are we attracting talent, labor, the next generation, and how do you see that with FRSA and all foundations. 

Mike Silvers:
Well, I've been very fortunate I got involved with FRSA fairly young and I had a lot of really great mentors, who gave me the opportunity to learn a lot and feel that I'm just a conduit to continue what they've done. So to get in front of folks and explain our industry and give them a broader picture of it than they ever thought was possible, is really a great opportunity. Getting our contractors, keeping them aware of what's going on is incredible. We do seminars. 
Our seminars for our contractor members are as low as $50, for a three hour CE seminar. We want to make sure that that's out there and available to members because it is complex. Roofing as you all know is getting more complex every day by a lot, and trying to keep that out in front of our members and keeping them on top of things. But the most fun thing is bringing young people and exposing them to our industry that they really don't know anything about. The FBA the Future Builders of America is just a great program. And to have that chance to give people their first picture of our industry and what it's about, is about as fun as anything I do.

Heidi Ellsworth:
That is so cool. That is awesome. I want to read just a couple things. And first of all, I want to thank somebody I just saw on here, Melissa Chapman, a very, very dear friend and also a friend of someone on this panel, probably more than a friend, obviously. "Trent, you're awesome. We really do work in an amazing industry with incredible people who have big hearts. You all are such powerful leaders and are truly making a difference in so many people's lives. Kudos to all of you." And that's from, Melissa. And I also see here that Trent, Melissa made a donation. So you'll be seeing something coming your way from Melissa and I'm guessing Chuck. Sorry, Melissa, I won't give Chuck credit. This is all you.
So we have all kinds of people, Michelle Boykin, is on here. She with Rackley Roofing out of Nashville. She is so excited. And Anita Lum, who is with Trent, just came on and she also put her email address out there and she is commenting. So I know I've missed some folks on here. Gabrielle Panella, thank you again. So proud to work alongside Trent, inspired by his passion of giving. That's really what we see across the board with everyone who's at Cotney. 
So maybe Trent, as we kind of come towards the end of our hour, talk to us a little bit more about your culture, your philosophy of giving. And really, I don't know if everybody understands how much you do with all of your general counsel services. I know when I came to you for National Women in Roofing, Cotney was the first group. You were there. It was this time probably about seven years ago, it was right at Christmas and I called you, "Can you help?" So talk a little bit about what you do as general counsel's with these groups, and also just that whole culture. 

Trent Cotney:
Sure. Well, I've got the pleasure to serve as general counsel for a variety of associations out there, actually, all the associations that are mentioned here as well as others. And to me, it's kind of like what I mentioned at the beginning. I love this industry. I truly love this industry. I have met lifelong friends. I know many of you better than I know some of my relatives. And you spend a lot of time with people. I think roofing unlike any other industry out there, there's that familial environment. Not only are there generational roofing contractors, but they welcome you.
It's funny John Kenney, who's our COO here at Law and works in our consulting group, he was one of the first people I met in the industry down here in Tampa. And we always tell the story, I went to the local association, it was an affiliate of FRSA. And I was a kid right out of school, and this was 20 plus years ago, and walked into a room full of roofers and I thought they were just going to beat me up and throw me out. Here's this lawyer what is he doing. John, is one of the first people I met and he welcomed me with open arms, and that's the same feeling that I've gotten everywhere I've been is that it is a family, they welcome you. 
I've always been inspired by what I see from the industry. And to me, this whole process it's gotten to a point in my career where what's important to me is being able to lead the industry better than when I got in there. I want to be able to look back and say, "I made a difference." And that's what I challenge everybody else out there to do is use this as an opportunity. The foundations are the focal point to give back to the industry, okay? And not just the ones that are mentioned here. There are other associations, foundations that are out there, but to me giving back is the way to create that lasting mark. And that's what I encourage everybody to do. Again, donate today. Don't say, "I'll put it off till the 31st," because you won't do it. Do it now, I'm happy to match, and I hope this is something that we can continue to do.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah, I am so thankful for all of you. And I do want to put out there, Jessica Roque, wants to send her best to you too Rod, and thanking you for everything you're doing with CRCA. So I just want to... If I miss anybody on here who's commented, I'm sorry, but I can't tell you how much I appreciate all your comments and everybody that's come through. And I want to challenge everyone who's listening today to spread the word, right? Don't think about it just as yourself, which is great, and we want everybody to be involved and everybody to do that, but spread the word. Tell other people about these associations. Invite that whole inclusiveness of... Sometimes people just need to be invited. They just need to be welcomed into being part of that association or part of that foundation, invited to give, invited to be involved, invited to just understand how important it is for our industry and where we're going. 
So Trent, I want to thank you especially for putting this together, the idea. This is something that we need to keep doing and keep putting out there, because obviously, people are kind of loving it. And I think we're going to get the exposure we need for all this research, scholarships, and all the philanthropy that these foundations are doing out there.

Trent Cotney:
Yeah, let's make it a yearly thing. How about that?

Heidi Ellsworth:
I like it. Does that sound good? Well, we'll get everybody knowing this is the day for the year end. And okay. Now, Trent, all right, logistics real quick. You were going to mention about how much this can help your taxes. Sorry, we got to get a little bit of that too.

Trent Cotney:
Yeah. So if you weren't moved by what people had to say, if that didn't really resonate in your heart, right? At the end of the year, if you're like me, you're trying to figure out what your tax liability is, and you're looking at it, and it's December 31 and you're making donations here or there. Don't forget about the ability to use this for tax purposes. Each and every single one of these foundations is a 501(c)(3), you do get the tax deduction, so there's that added benefit on top of it. Don't forget that. It's always a sort of a side benefit in addition to being able to contribute to such great groups.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Excellent. Excellent. This recording along with all of our Coffee Conversations can be found on RoofersCoffeeShop underneath our read listen watch section. It's easy on the homepage to you right at the top corner, you can find this, the Coffee Conversation. So if you want to share this with people, if they're like, "Well, I don't know why I want to give." Share this with them. Have them watch and listen to these incredible gentlemen, and what they're doing, and all these foundations. I would also invite all of you to come back January 14th, we are going to have Kyle Thomas, back on Coffee Conversations, and we are going to be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Roofing Alliance. We're getting past presidents involved. Kyle, the 25th is just a huge deal.

Kyle Thomas:
And it's going to be awesome. Agreed.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. So please join us. We'll get that out there, everybody you will be amazed at the research programs, the things that have happened in the Roofing Alliance over the last 25 years. And so gentlemen, as we come to the end, I want to say thank you very much to all of you for being here today.

Kyle Thomas:
Thank you, Heidi, thank you, Trent.

Trent Cotney:
Thanks.

Chuck Chapman:
Thank you for having us.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Thank you. And everyone out there please visit these associations, give what you can, be a part of it, attend their events. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to trade shows, and people don't attend the very awesome events that are put on by these foundations. Be a part of it on, and most of all, from RoofersCoffeeShop, to all of you and to everyone listening, and to the industry as a whole, Happy Holidays. Happy 2020 over, and we are going to have a wonderful new year in 2021. So Thank you all, have a great day.

By Karen L. Edwards, RCS Editor.

Cotney Construction Law is matching donations made to four roofing industry charities during December.

I first met Trent Cotney when he was just starting out with his own law firm in Florida. We were both serving on the board of the Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association. It was easy to see Trent’s passion about the roofing industry and helping contractors run successful businesses. It was also evident in how quickly his firm began to grow throughout the state of Florida. That growth soon expanded outside of the state and led to offices in cities throughout the U.S. and now Canada.

There is one thing that Trent has always put first – the success of the industry. He donates his time to our many industry associations, providing services that would otherwise cost these organizations thousands of dollars. I’ve experienced it firsthand through the establishment of both National Women in Roofing and the Roofing Technology Think Tank. Trent’s team helped both organizations become established and continues to help them today. His firm supports numerous other industry associations serving as general counsel as well as other charitable causes.

Because he believes so strongly in giving back, Trent is hoping to inspire others this month to give back by matching donations (up to $2500 each in total) made to the following four industry organizations:

Chicago Roofing Contractors Association - CRCA Foundation
Florida Roofing & Sheet Metal Contractors Association - FRSA Educational & Research Foundation
Roofing Alliance - Melvin Kruger Endowed Scholarship Program
Western States Roofing Contractors Association - Davis Memorial Foundation

As you think about your charitable gifts for the upcoming holiday, consider giving back to the industry that has been so generous to many of us throughout our careers. The best part about your donation is that Cotney Construction Law will match it!

Learn more about how to get your gift matched on the RoofersCoffeeShop® Giving Back page.  

By Lauren White, RCS Assistant Editor.

Simplifying ads, reaching out to local trade schools and providing a signing bonus are all tactics used by a Portland, Oregon roofing company to recruit and retain talent.

The roofing industry continues to face a labor shortage.  According to a study done by Arizona State University, Tempe, which was commissioned by the Roofing Alliance, 90% of roofing contractors in the United States faced labor shortages in 2019.  Companies within the industry are using creative methods to recruit and retain talent, and one company in Oregon has found some effective methods.

During a recent National Women in Roofing (NWIR) webinar, I had the privilege to connect with other professionals in the roofing industry, both men and women.  After the initial presentation, the conversation shifted to recruiting talent.  Melissa Hill, the social and digital media marketing manager for Roof Life of Oregon shared their successful effort of adding a signing bonus to their recruiting ad - simple, yet effective.  As she shared the company’s story, I watched as the other participants eagerly took notes.  

Knowing the struggle the roofing industry faces to engage and retain talent, it seemed like Melissa was onto something with the tactic used by Roof Life.  Melissa and I spoke more and she had additional advice to offer people as they continue their recruiting efforts, especially during these trying times.

Melissa has been working in the roofing industry for nine years, all of which she has spent at Roof Life of Oregon.  As a “Jill of all trades,” Melissa is in charge of the digital media marketing for Roof Life, which includes posting to social media, keeping the content up to date and helping with recruiting efforts.

After using CraigsList and Facebook job marketplace, Roof Life has found Facebook to be an effective means to reach potential employees.  The company also provides members of their sales team with fliers to hand out to people they encounter outside of work or to post at cafes and coffee shops they visit during the day.

Recently, Roof Life decided to make some changes to their previous advertisement, and on September 10, 2020, launched their latest ad that has received the most traction.  Melissa explained, “We used to outline what a typical day would look like for new hires, but with this new ad, we took out all the fluff and really simplified it.  It’s our most responsive ad.”  

They also used to include that they specialize in single-family home roofing and maintenance, but decided to eliminate those details because one of the most common remarks Melissa receives is, “I do commercial roofing, not residential.”  While someone might specialize in commercial roofing, he or she has the basic skills and can be trained by Roof Life to become a residential roofer, Melissa explained.  Taking out those details not only shortened the ad, but it also increased the advertisement’s exposure to both residential and commercial contractors.

In addition to simplifying the text, Roof Life added three words that helped set this ad apart from others, “...signing bonus offered.”  No monetary amount is mentioned, but after 90 days of employment, new hires receive a bonus.  This tactic worked, and shortly after the ad launched, a team that was working down the road from Roof Life stopped in on their lunch break to learn more about the job openings.

Even though roofing is an essential business, it has been difficult to fill positions during the coronavirus pandemic.  One of the biggest struggles Melissa has faced is people applying for jobs to maintain their unemployment status with no intention of working at the company.  “We’ve had a lot of no-shows recently,” Melissa said.  People will apply for positions or schedule an interview just to prove that they’re “looking for work” in order to continue collecting unemployment.

While it has been frustrating to have people take advantage of the system, that hasn’t stopped Melissa and Roof Life from finding more creative ways to recruit labor.  Everyday a “Now Hiring” sandwich board is posted outside of the office.  Melissa shared, “We always need workers and you never know who is going to see that and stop in.”

Prior to the pandemic, Melissa personally reached out to career counselors at local high schools to speak with students about careers in the trades.  Unfortunately this plan has been put on hold for now, but the presentations are all ready for when schools resume normal operations.  She has also posted an ad for roofing professionals on the job board of a local community college that has a large trade school attached to it, Portland Community College.  Melissa shared, “Trade schools are a great place to find new, young talent.  Many of the young people who have previously applied to Roof Life are good workers and we’ve hired them.”  Melissa is hopeful that their current ad will yield even more eager, young and hardworking applicants from the trade school.

Melissa’s recommendation for people wanting to improve their recruiting is to read “Winning the War for Talent” by Chris Czarnik, who spoke at the Chicago Roofing Contractors Association Trade Show and Seminars earlier this year.  This short book is filled with great ideas to help recruit, retain and train talent.  Melissa said some of the recruiting ideas Roof Life is currently implementing came from this book.

Using creativity and persistence, Melissa and Roof Life of Oregon have found ways to make their recruiting tactics current and appeal to younger generations.  By simplifying the details of their ad and offering a signing bonus, Roof Life has created their most successful ad, even during a pandemic.

Get more news and information like this delivered right to your inbox each week when you sign up for the RCS Week-in-Review e-newsletter.

By Karen L. Edwards, RCS Editor.

NRCA is supporting a proposal from Standard Industries for tax incentives to stimulate demand for construction.

Standard Industries, the parent company of GAF, is proposing that the federal government consider a 30 percent federal tax credit for the cost of improvements to residential and commercial buildings. National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) said they believe that the “proposal could be particularly beneficial to the roofing and construction industries to the extent that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to put pressure on homeowners and commercial building owners to delay and cancel construction projects in the medium and long-term.” 

The construction industry employs 10 million workers and generates $450 billion in wages every year. The proposed 30 percent tax credits would deliver urgently needed relief to the industry and to the workers whose livelihood is tied to the construction industry.

An overview of the issue provided by Standard Industries shares that homes represent 50 percent of total household assets in the United States and 65 percent of Americans are homeowners. Many residential projects have been delayed or stopped due to the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. With record unemployment, owners are reluctant to undertake home improvement projects. The proposal overview states that "helping Americans make needed and valuable repairs to their homes is more important than ever.”

Businesses are also being forced to make changes in order to follow recommended Centers for Disease Control guidelines in order to open and operate safely. It’s more important than ever that Americans feel they have a safe home and a secure job that is following social distancing and has implemented to needed safety improvements.

A letter being sent to key members of Congress along with President Trump, says that “proposed tax credits serve as an opportunity to counter this devastation, improving individual prosperity and supporting the economic recovery.”

Standard Industries along with the following industry organizations have signed the letter:

• National Roofing Contractors Association

• Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association

• Atlas Roofing Corporation

• Beacon Building Products

• Building Suppliers Corporation

• Cellulose Insulation Manufacturers Association

• Chemical Fabrics & Film Association

• Chicago Roofing Contractors Association

• Colorado Roofing Association

• EPDM Roofing Association

• Firestone Building Products

• GAF

• International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants

• Johns Manville

• Kansas Roofing Association

• Kentucky Roofing Contractors Association

• Metal Construction Association

• Mid-States Asphalt

• National Insulation Association

• North Texas Roofing Contractors Association

• Owens Corning

• Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association

• Roofing Contractors Association of Hawaii

• Roofing Contractors Association of Washington

• Roof Coatings Manufacturers Association

• SPRI

• SOPREMA

• Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance

• SRS Distribution

• TAMKO Building Products LLC

• Tarco Roofing

• US GreenFiber LLC

It is our hope at RCS that our administration steps up to support this proposed legislation. If you want to make a difference, reach out to your representatives in Congress to share your concerns.

View the complete letter to the president here.