By Evelyn Witterholt, RCS Reporter. 

Check out our special live episode of Coffee Conversations where we discuss material shortages and workplace safety with RoofersCoffeeShop® Influencers. 

Season 3, Episode 11 of Coffee Conversations, sponsored by SRS Distribution, had us meeting with industry leaders live at the International Roofing Expo! For this episode, our COO Karen Edwards spoke with RCS Influencers Joe Hoffman, John Kiesel and Mandy McIntyre about how they are navigating issues in the roofing industry. 

Owner of Hoffman Weber Construction Joe Hoffman discussed how his company is handling the material shortage crisis. He describes the issues with getting materials as frustrating, but that there’s always going to be some issue the industry faces. But he has also found that the experience with supply chain issues isn’t entirely a negative one. 

“We've been really thankful our customers have been, for the most part, really understanding,” Joe said. “We've tried to set really clear expectations in writing upfront before we go into any contract as well.” 

John Kiesel, president of Division 7 Roofing and Imagine Technologies Group, has had quite a full plate these last few years. On top of his work with these two companies, factoring in material and labor shortages can be a challenge. John says that learning how to prioritize what is most important can help you keep a level head amidst these chaotic times. 

In regard to labor shortages, John says that companies can benefit from being less rigid with their new or current employees. “Unlike a major corporation where there's stringent regulations on vacation pay or holiday pay,” John says. “We're working with everybody on an ‘as needed’ type of basis to be flexible.” 

Mandy McIntyre, operations officer at 1st Choice Roofing, talked about how her company is navigating COVID-19 and changing policies regarding workplace safety. She highly suggests that companies have a policy plan in place and in writing. The plan should highlight whatever vaccine mandates the company has in place and what happens when an employee tests positive for COVID-19. 

She talked about how some customers have asked for information about their policies and some have even their own requests for mandates depending on the project. “There's certain projects that have required that they want everyone to be vaccinated on that project, which is fine, It's the customer, that's what they want to do,” Mandy said. 

Watch the entire episode of the live Coffee Conversations to hear more of our influencers’ perspectives of the current roofing industry!

RCS Influencers celebrates its sixth year of giving back to the roofing industry.

RoofersCoffeeShop®, celebrating 20 years as the award-winning website where the industry meets for technology, information and everyday business, announces the 2022 RCS Roofing Influencers.    

RCS Influencers contribute thoughts and wisdom monthly through interviews, videos and articles on RoofersCoffeeShop concerning pertinent industry and roofing topics. The Influencers represent all facets of the industry including contractors, associations and industry service providers. Their insights are recognized in a special category on the site called RCS Influencers.   

“We have been committed to sharing the thought leadership of our RCS Influencers since 2017,” states Heidi J. Ellsworth, president of RoofersCoffeeShop. “Each influencer brings a unique perspective to issues that are of importance to roofing contractors and the overall roofing industry. We are thankful and appreciative of their willingness to share their insights.”

We are proud to announce the following 2022 RCS Influencers: 

1. Anna Anderson – Art Unlimited 

2. Charles Antis - Antis Roofing & Waterproofing 

3. Julissa Chavez – SRS Distribution, Inc. 

4. Trent Cotney - Cotney Construction Law 

5. Kendall & Chris Ekerson – SA Roofing 

6. Heidi Ellsworth – RoofersCoffeeShop® 

7. John Esbenshade, Jr. – National Roofing Contractors Association 

8. Rudy Gutierrez - Shell Roofing Solutions 

9. Tammy Hall – CFS Roofing Services 

10. Mike Hicks – Hicks Industrial Roofing 

11. Joe Hoffman – Hoffman Weber 

12. Rae July – Chinook Roofing

13. Danny Kerr – Breakthrough Academy 

14. John Kiesel – Imagine Technologies/Division 7 Roofing 

15. Wendy Marvin - Matrix Roofing and Home Solutions 

16. Mandy McIntyre - 1st Choice Roofing 

17. Arty Molinari – Tremco Roofing & Waterproofing 

18. Mike Pickel - Texas Traditions Roofing 

19. Ashley and Seth Pietsch - Integrity Insurance & Bonding Inc 

20. Camila Santander – ASA Roofing 

21. Greg Serevetas – USA General Contractors  

22. Marty Stout - Go Roof Tune Up 

23. Curtis Sutton - Rackley Roofing

For more information on the 2022 RCS Influencers, meet them here. Download the Top 20 insights from our 2021 influencers eBook here.

About RoofersCoffeeShop 

As an award-winning website and online community, RoofersCoffeeShop is committed to being a roofing professional advocate by supplying consistent information, education and communication avenues for all roofing professionals, and especially contractors, while promoting the positive growth, education and success of the roofing industry overall. Visitors to the site continue to find excellent opportunities for sharing information while participating in important ongoing conversations concerning new technologies, safety and the overall roofing trade. From the rooftop to the board room, RoofersCoffeeShop is “Where the Industry Meets!” For more information, visit www.rooferscoffeeshop.com.

By Cass Jacoby, RCS Reporter.  

In the first episode of CoffeeCast, learn how to build a better business from roofing expert Joe Hoffman.  

RoofersCoffeeShop®, the award-winning place where the industry meets for technology, information and everyday business has a new video series sponsored by HOVER: CoffeeCast! Tune into the CoffeeCast to celebrate roofing contractors, hear their stories, learn from their successes and above all, live the roofing respect mantra. 

In Episode 01, Heidi J. Ellsworth invites you to sit with her and co-interviewer Steve Caamano from HOVER to interview Joe Hoffman on his entrepreneurial story and his insight on how you can get out of your own way to build a better business.  

Joe tells Heidi and Steve that he fell into roofing, telling them the “real” not-on-the-website-bio story of how he was working part-time for his stepdad's company John Webber Construction at age 19 when he learned that he and his girlfriend were expecting a baby. It was from that point on that Joe knew he needed to grow this business, and his stepdad took him on as a business partner.  

Joe tells the story of how he got into insurance restoration in 2005, and how he leveraged the technology of HOVER to provide better customer service. “We have always tried to stay on the leading-edge,” says Joe. “HOVER is one of our successes, we utilized it right out of the gate and it supported the customer experience where these customers could now visualize what their house was going to look like after the project was done in a really unique way." 

Joe also talks about how years later, staying ahead of the technology positioned him to handle the COVID crisis appropriately, allowing him to communicate with homeowners and socially distance.  

“COVID made the market catch up to where we already were,” says Joe. “We already have those capabilities, so we were very blessed that it really didn't impact us that much as far as the sales cycle. When the shutdowns happened, we were able to just flip a switch. The biggest change was in customers asking for this technology as opposed to us just offering it.” 

Joe also takes viewers behind the curtain of Roofle, a first-of-its-kind industry solution tech platform that is designed to provide consumers with the best-in-class experience as well as provide contractors with recurring revenue. Additionally, this platform helps 40,000 working contractors in the country connect with what's actually happening in the real world on these job sites. Roofle is built out to bridge that gap across large industry partners and smaller contractors.  

Watch this CoffeeCast episode for Joe's full story and business insights now. Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss future CoffeeCast interviews with industry leaders across the country! 

Learn more about HOVER in their RoofersCoffeeShop® Directory or visit Hover.to.