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 Lauren White, RCS Reporter.

Download the top 15 blogs of 2019 for FREE!

Here at RoofersCoffeeShop® we are dedicated to providing contractors and roofing companies with as much information as possible to support the success of their businesses.  One way we do that is with the help of our RCS Influencers, a diverse group of people, including roofing contractor companies, and companies that service contractors. This variety of professionals bring their own opinions, tips, and advice they then share with our followers.  Each individual has their own interesting perspective based on their background and experience in the industry.

Read below to see what the top 15 blogs of 2019 were:

Jennifer Stone is the Pacific, Preferred Accounts Manager for Johns Manville.  She spent 15 years in sales and marketing. While working as the Vice President for a horticulture company, she realized she was drawn to the roofing side of the business.  She’s been in the industry ever since. Her blog, Service Departments Take Extreme Organization, focuses on the niche market of service and maintenance departments.  She notes that women are finding huge success in leading these departments due to their ability to organize and multi-task, in addition to their emotional intelligence, among other qualities necessary for the job.

Mike Hicks, the President of Hicks Industrial Roofing, Inc., has been roofing since he was 16.  He has a unique view of his career stating, “I look at roofing as a means of doing good rather than a way to provide a lifestyle.”  Mike belongs to three trade associations: the National Roofing Contractors Association, the Midwest Contractors Association, and the Ohio Roofing and Contractors Association.  He stresses the importance of being involved in trade organizations and all of the benefits they provide businesses in his blog, Associations Offer Business Owners Resources That They Can’t Get Anywhere Else

Go Roof Tune Up, Inc. focuses on inspecting, reporting, repairing, and warranting single family homes.  Marty Stout, the President of Go Roof Tune Up shares in his blog, 2019 Will be About Better Service, Better Relationships and Building a Better Place to Work, the specific ways his company is working hard and marking improvements.

Drew Smith, the Vice President at Brad Smith Roofing, emphasizes the role technology plays at his company.  Drew started roofing at 16 when he worked during the summer months as a laborer on new roof and repair service projects.  He provides the names of the technology-based programs his company uses and explains their benefits in his blog, From Leads to Estimates to Project Management, This Company Has a Tech Solution Every Step of the Way.

The founder of Cotney Construction Law, Trent Cotney, is dedicated to serving the roofing industry.  He specializes in roofing litigation and arbitration, including defending roofs on construction defect claims, prosecuting lien and bond law claims, defending OSHA citations, contractor licensing defense, and bid protests.  In his blog, Research Matters When Starting Your Business, Trent explains the value in researching the industry, market, prospective clients, and competitors when starting a business.

Mike Pickel started as a framer, then moved into project superintendent roles, and managed multi-million-dollar projects as a project manager.  He then co-founded Texas Traditions Roofing with his brother-in-law. Mike’s blog, Technology Can Help Support Your Business’ Growth, is a transcript of his conversation with RCS Editor, Karen Edwards.  She speaks with Mike about the ways his company is integrating technology, in addition to the benefits and challenges the company has experienced with technology.

The President of Kelly Roofing, Ken Kelly, took over the family business in 1993.  Kelly Roofing is an industry leader, ranking 53 out of all roofing contractors in America.  Ken is a traveler, businessman, and humanitarian. In his blog, You Can Make a Difference When You Participate and are Involved in Your Community, Ken stresses the importance of giving back by joining local committees, volunteering, donating free roofs, and participating in Roofing Day in D.C., among other ways.

Heidi J. Ellsworth, the owner of HJE Consulting Group and partner in RoofersCoffeeShop, has been in the roofing industry since 1993.  Throughout the years she has worked with Malarkey Roofing, Carlisle Construction, and EagleView Technologies, and founded her own roofing-focused sales and marketing consulting group (HJE Consulting) in 2015.  Heidi writes about the importance of change in order to meet market demand, employee needs, and business requirements. Her blog, 2019 is About Pushing Boundaries, highlights the ways RCS is pushing its boundaries and making changes to improve.

The President and CEO of Shell Roofing Solutions Group, Rudy Gutierrez, has helped develop strategies for companies with a focus on sustainable construction and energy efficiency for 25 years.  Energy and roofing professionals at Shell Roofing Solutions focus on eco-friendly and sustainable roofing building solutions.  In Training and Education are Imperative to the Success of a Company, Rudy shares the value and benefits of the NRCA Pro-Certification™ Program, which many of his employees are enrolled in.

In Jon Stantz’s blog, Customers Want to Be Educated, he explains the importance of providing information about each job to customers so they can make informed decisions confidently.  Jon is a salesperson and repairman for Pell Roofing and Siding, a company he has worked at since 1988. He started as an installer/groundman and has worked his way up to being a supervisor, salesperson, and repairman.

Ross Riddle has been with South Coast Shingle Company for 51 years, serving as the President and CEO for the last 20 years.  South Coast Shingle Company supplies southern California with every type of roofing and masonry material. Ross shares 11 Tips for New Contractors Just Getting Started, which include planning ahead, having a cash reserve, and much more.

Charles Antis, the founder and CEO of Antis Roofing, began his career as a roofing professional in 1984.  Throughout the years he has become one of the most trusted names in the southern California roofing industry, as well as an inspirational business leader championing social corporate responsibility.  His blog post, It’s a Super Exciting Time to be in Roofing, shares his excitement about the future of the industry.  He starts by explaining that roofing is a reliable trade that will always be around and moves into the new and exciting changes technology is bringing to the industry.

The owner of Pocket Protectors LLC, Thea Dudley, has worked for 30 years as a credit and collection officer.  Thea has been a major force in both the building industry and the credit profession to advocate for business financial health awareness through education and presenting seminars and webinars for associations.  Now as the owner of her own consulting company, Thea writes about how Giving Customers a Little ‘Extra Time’ to Pay Will Lead to Cashflow Issues.  She encourages contractors to always keep an eye on their collections and accounts receivable to keep cash flow consistent.  

In Wendy Marvin’s blog, Use Technology as Leverage to Grow your Business, she dives into the various technologies her company uses and encourages people to identify the needs of their company before settling on a specific program or technology to use.  Wendy co-founded Matrix Roofing and is now the CEO and current owner of the company, which was founded on the principles of customer service, people over profits, integrity, and trust.

Shelly Duhaime is a Captive Specialist for NFP, an insurance broker and consultant.  She has served roofing contractors for more than 21 years in risk management and alternative risk financing.  In her blog, Want to be a Roofing Contractor? Buy an Existing Company, Shelly outlines the multiple benefits to buying an existing company, such as having an existing client base and established labor.

An influencer is an authority, mentor, and expert.  We ask our RCS Influencers to answer important questions, share their opinions, and provide tips.  And many are returning for the 2020 year!  We are grateful for their insights and the wisdom they provide to our followers.

Download your FREE copy of the top influencer articles from 2019!

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

RoofersCoffeeShop®, the award-winning website where the industry meets for technology, information and everyday business announces the 2020 RCS Influencers.   

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

 “We have been asking important questions to diverse groups of RCS Influencers for the last three years and have found that they all have expertise in completely different areas of a roofing contractor’s business. Oftentimes, we see articles written on a subject with one person’s opinion or suggestions, but there are many sides to the coin, and we have been committed to sharing that thought leadership since 2017,” states Vickie Sharples of RoofersCoffeeShop. “With our RCS Influencers opinions, tips or advice, our readers get a feeling for all sides of a topic. Each of them has an interesting perspective based on their interactions with the roofing industry.”

“We believe in empowering the industry and especially contractors to communicate with each other.  We are hearing confirmation every day that RoofersCoffeeShop is where the industry meets. We want it to be the voice of contractors and roofing professionals that continue to build the professionalism and amazing reputation of our industry,” concluded Sharples.

We are proud to announce the following 2019 RCS Influencers:

1. Charles Antis - Antis Roofing & Waterproofing

2. Michelle Boykin and Curtis Sutton - Rackley Roofing

3. Trent Cotney - Cotney Construction Law

4. McKay Daniels – National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA)

5. Thea Dudley – Pocket Protectors, LLC          

6. Heidi Ellsworth – RoofersCoffeeShop®

7. Rudy Gutierrez - Shell Roofing Solutions

8. Mike Hicks - Hicks Industrial Roofing, Inc.

9. Jordi Lopez - Sage Roofing

10. Christian Madsen – Madsen Roofing & Waterproofing

11. Wendy Marvin - Matrix Roofing

12. Mandy McIntyre - 1st Choice Roofing

13. Chelsea Oesch – Beacon Roofing Supply

14. Mike Pickel - Texas Traditions

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

16. Jennifer Stone – National Women in Roofing (NWIR)

17. Marty Stout - Go Roof Tune Up

For more information or to read recent RCS Influencer blogs please visit our RCS Influencers page.

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 Lauren White, RCS Reporter.

With his first taste of roofing at age six, Mike now successfully runs a drug-free roofing company and managed not to go bankrupt.

“Sometimes I feel like I was born on a roof,” Mike Hicks shares.  Starting at age six painting installation caps for his father’s side business, Mike is now the owner of Hicks Industrial Roofing in New Philadelphia, Ohio.  Vickie Sharples, RCS founder, speaks with Mike about the roofing business and what he did that makes his business unique.  

Mike accredits his dad for the majority of his roofing knowledge.  At age eight, Mike was bending metal with his dad. And his first time on a roof was when he was 16-years-old.  He had a torch in his hand and his dad was beside him the whole time helping install the roof.  

Years later, Mike opened up his own roofing business.  In 1997, Mike made his company drug free, which wasn’t common during that time.  One other roofing contractor in Ohio, Bryan Patton, of Branch Roofing tried going drug free, but unfortunately went bankrupt during the process.  Mike said it was the best thing he could’ve done for his own business though. He explains, “We had this horrible attendance problem. We had guys selling drugs on the roof.  We didn’t know where we’d be able to go in the morning until we saw who showed up…” He lost some employees when he made the change to being a drug-free company; however, he doesn’t have any of the same problems now that he did prior.  

For those who are just getting started, Mike has some advice.  First, “treat people the way you want to be treated.” He elaborates, “...if you think they [should all] be like you, or should work like you, or think like you, you know what, it’s always going to be just you because you’re the only you that’s out there.”  The second piece of advice is to invest in your bookkeeping skills. “...When you don’t know the difference between a debit and a credit or what a balance sheet means or an income statement is, you’ve got to learn that,” Mike discloses. He encourages people to sign up for an accounting class at a community college to learn the basics.

As an RCS Influencer, Mike has been very active in the forums and made a lot of friends throughout the years.  He expresses that some of his relationships he’s fostered have become lifelong friends for him.  Mike shares, “I have traveled this country from shore to shore and I’ve got friends on both sides, top and bottom, and it has been just a wonderful experience to get to know people that think like me, that feel those same frustrations, to know that there’s a kindred spirit out there that if you need to pick up the phone, they’re there no matter what.”

Listen to the podcast to hear more from Mike Hicks about the workforce, advice for new roofers, and the value of belonging to roofing associations.  Check out the RoofersCoffeeShop® podcast page for even more. 

RoofersCoffeeShop® presents, Stories from the Roof, a podcast that is dedicated to celebrating the roofing industry and the great people that work in it.

Editor's note: Following is the transcipt of the Stories From The Roof podcast featuring RCS Influencer Mike Hicks. You can listen to the podcast here or read the transcript below.

Welcome to the latest edition of the RoofersCoffeeShop Podcast. I'm Vickie Sharples, founder of the Roofers Coffee Shop, and today we hear from Mike Hicks, owner of Hicks Industrial Roofing in New Philadelphia, Ohio. We interviewed Mike at the International Roofing Expo in New Orleans, so don't mind the background noise.

Who taught you to roof?

Mike Hicks: Who taught me to roof? My dad, more than anybody. Sometimes I feel like I was born on a roof. I started painting installation caps for a business that they had on the side and that was six or seven years old and used to pay me a nickel a piece.

I started bending metal with my dad at eight and the first time I was allowed on the roof and a torch put in my hand, I was 16 years old and dad was right with me putting that roof on.

Vickie Sharples: What was the most valuable lesson you learned about roofing?

Mike Hicks: The most valuable thing I've learned about roofing is that it takes almost a generation for bad habits to show up. You don't often learn what works and doesn't work in a short period of time unless you're a total hack, but real quality takes 20-30 years to prove itself and if you don't want to hand your children a disaster, you've got to work a lot harder at doing things right then you think you do

Vickie Sharples: Best thing you ever did for your business.

Mike Hicks:  The best thing I ever did for my business was going drug free. We had this horrible attendance problem. We had guys selling drugs on the roof. We didn't know where we'd be able to go in the morning until we saw who showed up and several key people in my company told me that we would go bankrupt if I went and drug free but it got to the point where the hassles I had to deal with on a daily basis simply weren't worth it. We did that in 1997, long before drug free was something that was commonplace.

Our drug policy had some real teeth on it to start with. I didn't want to eradicate drug users, I wanted to eradicate drug use. It was really important to me that I tried to protect the people in the company while protecting the company. I had a lot of talent and when we went drug free, I lost a few guys right up front, but by and large, most of them embraced it. Some of them tried to cheat it. We caught more people over a period of maybe about five years, but originally I sat down with top quality consultants and I sat down with another roofing contractor, Bryan Patton, of Branch Roofing in Akron, who was the first roofer in Ohio to try to go drug free. He went bankrupt in that process and he helped me immensely.

I have over the years tried to pass that on down to several other roofing contractors because it just did that much for my business. The key part of our policy was it had all of the testing that the randoms, the regulars, the injury tests, et cetera, but if a guy got caught, I didn't want to see him out the door. I wanted to see him get fixed and we pay every penny of rehabilitation. If a guy is willing to complete the program, we get them back to work on a light duty. They won't be on the roof until they finish, but we'll get them back in the shop doing other things that need done as soon as they can pass a clean test and I think that's been the real key.

I've had people thank me for the program and I'm sure we've spent a couple hundred thousand dollars over the years on that program, but one handshake it says thank you, made it all worthwhile and I don't have any of the problems today that we had back then.

Vickie Sharples:  What is your biggest concerns about being in business today?

Mike Hicks: I think my biggest concern about being in business today is workforce. I don't know anybody in the service industries that won't put that in the top one or two because the millennial generation has changed so drastically, when we don't even have to leave the house to go shopping, well, why do we have to leave the house to make money? Why do we have to get dirty to produce an income?

Manual labor is just become something that the video game generation almost looks down on it. There seems to be a generation of people that no longer appreciates craftsmanship. They embrace technology, but what we do with our hands, what we can build, seems to be non-existent. It's it's what can we do on a screen and finding good quality people who are willing to sweat and work with their hands is becoming more and more of a challenge.

The work ethic is hard to find and so often what we as roofers or landscapers or whatever manual kind of business you're in, I think we're left with a pool of people that have run out of options. They're out of prison. They've had drug and alcohol problems, et cetera, and for whatever reason, they're in a place where finding the job everybody wants is hard. When you can find that person that doesn't want to work in a factory, that doesn't want to just stand still on their feet in front of something that goes by them every day, who takes pride in what they make with their hands or finds stimulation from the different things that you do every day, the fact that each roof is different from the last one and you want to hang onto those people. They are, even if they aren't everything you want, that's something that you can build on as long. As they're teachable, if they like to use their hands and they have pride in what they do, don't let that person out the door.

Vickie Sharples: Do you belong any associations related to your business?

Mike Hicks:  I belong to three trade associations. The National and the Midwest and the Ohio Roofing Contractors Associations. I also belong to several other things like the National Federation of Independent Business and things that are business related but not necessarily trade-related, but the NRCA I think offers a lot to contractors that really want to grow their business simply because of the educational resources that are available and it's the only voice that we have in Washington.

For years, roofers were completely ignored by Washington DC, and I give Reid Ribble and the leadership a lot of credit for their new initiative to form a group that has a voice and we're starting to accomplish some things.

So if you are a roofing contractor and you don't like to pay taxes or you don't like the government in your face and the regulations that bog you down, the only way that you're going to affect anything, is to join an organization like the NRCA and I think the NRCA is the right one to go to.

Vickie Sharples: In one word, describe your most important trait in an employee.

Mike Hicks:  The one word I would use to describe the best trait I look for an employee would be integrity. If they've got integrity, you can build on the rest of it.

Vickie Sharples: What makes you smile when you think about your job?

Mike Hicks: I really enjoy solving a unique problem or finding a way for a customer to achieve something below a budget that they were told was impossible. I get a lot of satisfaction out of that.

Vickie Sharples:  This is a hard one. Any tips for the new guys starting out?

Mike Hicks:  It would tell you, number one, treat people the way you want to be treated. Not everybody is an entrepreneur and you need people and if you think they all should be like you, or should work like you, or think like you, you know what? It's always going to be just you because you're the only you that's out there, but once you get past that point, I got to tell you, keep your books right.

The bookkeeping is the foundation of your business. It doesn't matter how good your workmanship is. It doesn't matter how big your job is or how fancy your car is. If you don't keep the books right, eventually the government's going to breathe down your neck and you're going to have yourself a real problem, and I know most of us in the roofing business, that doesn't come natural. We didn't get into the roofing business because we had 15 other options or this was our lifelong dream.

Oftentimes, it's just something that we fell into and when you don't know the difference between a debit and a credit or what a balance sheet means or an income statement is, you've got to learn that. If nothing else, go to your local community college and sign up for an accounting class and go for the first three weeks before you drop out. You'll learn just enough that when you talk to your accountant, you at least know what he's talking about, but you've got to take the time to bill when the job is done and you've got to take the time to collect those bills that aren't coming in. If you don't do those two things, the rest of it's just going to fall apart.

Vickie Sharples:  Talk about why you love RoofersCoffeeShop.

Mike Hicks:  I love the RoofersCoffeeShop because I have met wonderful people and I have made lifelong friends. Friendships that in a lot of ways are tighter than the people that I see every day. Friendships that even rival family. They're right there. They're that important to me and that didn't happen overnight. It happened because I participated in the forum and over the years got to know people and I mean I have traveled this country from shore to shore and I've got friends on both sides, top and bottom, and it has been just a wonderful experience to get to know people that think like me, that feel those same frustrations, to know that there's a kindred spirit out there that if you need to pick up the phone, they're there no matter what.

That's been the greatest thing about the RoofersCoffeeShop to me; so thankful to Vickie for her vision for it. [inaudible 00:10:09] that side of it has never made her a dime and that's not much of a business there, but it's been immeasurable value to me. So that's what the coffee shop is to my kicks.

Vickie Sharples: Thank you, Mike, very much.

Tune in next time for another edition of Stories From The Roof Podcast.

A Mother's Day Tribute from Mike Hicks, Hick's Industrial Roofing