RoofersCoffeeShop

Registration is Open for the 2022 Western Roofing Expo!

Fri, 01 Apr 2022 15:00:00 PDT

This year's Western Roofing Expo will be at the Paris Las Vegas, September 24 - 26.

Early Bird registration* is currently open for the 2022 Western Roofing Expo! Roofers, learn how to modernize your business, address labor shortages and implement technology to maximize your profits! Network with your local distributor and manufacturer reps, educate your employees and take advantage of all the ways that will help you better serve your clients. A great investment of your time and money!

*Early Bird pricing includes 10% off full registration packages until June 30.

Hotel rooms starting at $86 per night

Reserve your room now at the Paris Las Vegas, Planet Hollywood or Bally's! WSRCA has secured room rates starting at just $86 per night. Stay close to all the action at the Western Roofing Expo and enjoy the modern Las Vegas experience!

Expanded exhibit floor

Sit, meet, mingle and engage with over 170+ companies on the exhibit floor. Bring more meaning to your attendee experience by interacting and learning about the latest products and solutions the roofing industry has to offer. Don't miss the live product demonstrations starting every hour. Best of all — roofing and waterproofing contractors can walk both days of the exhibit floor absolutely FREE!

Welcome event and lively silent-auction

Fantastic food, hosted bars, industry camaraderie and lots of great auction items...everyone walks away with a smile! There will be travel trips, jewelry, golf items, roofing items, electronics, sports memorabilia and much more to bid on. All proceeds benefit the Davis Memorial Foundation scholarship fund. Since its founding in 1997, the Foundation has awarded over 150 scholarships totaling more than $650,000 — thanks to your continued support!

Legislative luncheon

Our favorite Washington insiders, including McKay Daniels (National Roofing Contractors Association) will be at the top of their game discussing critical issues affecting the $30 billion dollar commercial and residential roofing industry. You will not want to miss these insider views and valuable information during this most important time!

Sponsored by: National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA)

Annual luncheon with mentalist Eric Dittelman

Often known by just his surname, Dittelman combines amazing mind reading with stand-up and improv comedy. In 2012, he blew audiences away as the first-ever mind reader on NBC’s America’s Got Talent where he was a season 7 Top Ten finalist and judges’ favorite. He has since appeared on Ellen, Live with Kelly and Ryan, and Penn & Teller: Fool Us. He’s also been featured in Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone and even The National Enquirer. Dittelman reveals your thoughts, influences your decisions, and makes you laugh while leaving your jaws dropped in amazement!

Sponsored by: Malarkey Roofing Products®

Roofing seminars - Earn AiA and IIBEC CEU's

The Western Roofing Expo has expanded its educational seminar offerings! Earn AiA and IIBEC CEU's and educate yourself on industry best practices at the same time. This years' outstanding seminar lineup schedule will provide a wealth of roof design approach strategies, best business practices and sales expansion ideas. Increase your bottom line and work more effectively with these proven methods from industry experts!

Free exhibit floor pass for roofing contractors

All roofing and waterproofing contractors (and their employees), architects, consultants, engineers and all media can walk the Western Roofing Expo exhibit floor using the complimentary exhibit floor pass. Register online and have your badge waiting for you at 'Will Call' — or visit here to download the free pass, and bring it with you to register when you arrive in Las Vegas. You can't beat the cost-effectiveness of FREE, can you?!

Roofers feud and roofing trivia game shows

On Sunday, September 25, Trent Cotney and John Kenney will host an interactive game experience on the trade show stage highlighting all aspects of roofing trivia including the history of roofing from thatch to monolithic and everything in between. Trent and John are both roofing memorabilia collectors with over 10,000 pieces. The presentation will include questions on historical photos, advertising, specification manuals and other pieces of roofing history. The audience will be able to participate!

National Women in Roofing - Mimosa breakfast

Join NWiR Monday, September 26 for a breakfast conversation with the women of the WSRCA Board! Have questions ready for how they utilized networking, found allies and their personal growth to earn their positions in their companies and as board members! We’ll be serving complimentary breakfast and mimosas; you won’t want to miss out — register today!

Davis Memorial Foundation - Bob Porter golf tournament

Join us for a fun filled day of golf in Nevada! The Revere Golf Club provides golfers with 36 holes of championship golf which traverses through the rugged desert canyons and valleys of the Las Vegas foothills. Throughout your round, golfers will be presented with expansive, breathtaking views of the famed Las Vegas skyline and mountain landscapes beyond. The Concord course offers 7,034 yards of golf playing to a par 72 ensuring a challenging yet playable round for golfers of all playing abilities.

Davis Memorial Foundation - Sporting clays tournament

Pro Gun Club offers a challenging 21-station sporting clays course, which can give the master class shooter a run for their money while the beginner shooter can go out and enjoy a day busting clays. Stations are changed frequently so shooters will never get bored at seeing the same targets over and over again. Strap your shotgun in to one of their golf carts and set off into the rolling desert terrain stopping at each station to shoot. The course overlooks the El Dorado Valley and Boulder City providing a scenic setting for the shooter’s enjoyment.

The Roofing Games - Monday, September 26

In 2022, Western States Roofing Contractors Association, Malarkey Roofing Products® and Makita USA® will again team up to showcase the steep-slope nailing competition. Roofers will compete against one another by installing a Malarkey Roofing Products® roofing systems on a small deck. Participants will be judged on accuracy, aesthetics, speed and workmanship. Don’t miss this exciting event being held at the end of day two on the show floor!

Sponsored by: Malarkey Roofing Products®

Register today to save 10% off full registration packages!

How 2021 Changed the Industry

Tue, 29 Mar 2022 18:00:00 PDT

By Cass Jacoby, RCS Reporter.

Manufacturers, distributors and service providers talk about how businesses adapted to 2021 and highlights of the past year.

Karen Edwards, RCS COO, meets with experts for a LIVE Coffee Conversation, sponsored by SRS Distribution, to discuss how 2021 changed the roofing industry. These manufacturers, distributors and service provider experts celebrate the industry’s pivot to embrace technology, new partnerships and shifting markets throughout the pandemic.

A major theme in the conversation was the way partnerships and growing customer bases are huge successes of the past year.

“The highlights for us this year was just the number of acquisitions that we were able to do. So, as we look at 2020, we had a record year for acquisitions then, we bought 12 companies. 2021, we bought 31,” says Jeremy Goldschmeding from SRS Distribution. “We are so thankful to be able to partner with a lot of great companies. Put some investment behind them, watch them grow, see some opportunity for their employees that they may not have had in a smaller business. That's one of the most-proud things that we have to look back on 2021.”

Christian Zimprich of Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings told RCS that the biggest change of the year was a focus on innovation, not only on the product front, but from the industry as a whole. “The nimbleness with how the industry has reacted, and the partnerships that you build with your customer base, that is what really helps everything keep going,” says Christian. “I think one of the big successes is adapting to those changing conditions and then really highlighting the ways you can work with your customer, partners, and all the way up and down the stream, to help us all be better.”

From an economic standpoint, 2021 was a year that saw the market shift, and home renovation become much more popular. Mischa Fisher, chief economist from Angi, breaks down how the market changed. “People turned off their spending on other things, and that happened in 2020, and 2021, where people were taking specifically their restaurant budget or vacation budget, their commuting budget, pushing that into home improvement spend,” says Mischa. “The other thing that happened was, interest rates dropped. Then, on top of that, you also had home equity go up. Thus, the amount of value people get out of a home project has gone up.”

Mischa also adds that in 2021, the 30-year-old Angie's List brand was turned into Angi, integrating everything, which was a major win for the company.

The market wasn’t the only shift of the last year, plenty of companies also went online, making the internet the place to go for things traditionally done in person like training.

Trent Cotney of Cotney Attorneys & Consultants talks about the company’s new shopcotney.com digital trainings. “We focused, first, on estimating training. There really wasn't anything in the market that focused on roofing-specific estimating training,” says Trent. “So, we put this plan together, and what we did, is we developed it from beginner, to intermediate, to advanced, to certification, and it's done incredibly well. You're basically a pro even within 62 days.”

Trent adds that these trainings are a game changer in terms of a holistic approach to problem solving legal matters, “one of the things that's consistently said is that when people call me with a legal problem, they really have a business problem that wasn't solved, and that caused that legal issue.”

2021 certainly was a year that changed the industry for the better, making companies more resilient, full of new partnerships and customer connections, focused efforts on going more digital and bringing everyone’s attention to the importance of the home.

Watch the entire LIVE Coffee Conversation for more insight into how the industry adapted to 2021, and what changes that were made are here to stay.

Part-time Work as a Reasonable Accommodation?

Wed, 16 Mar 2022 06:00:00 PDT

By Trent Cotney.

The results of a recent case before the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals are of interest to all employers regarding when termination is justified and when you need to make other accommodations

If you are an employer, you know how crucial it is to understand your employees’ needs and accommodate them as much as possible. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and per the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), you are responsible for making accommodations when possible. It is not only the law; the practice is also good for worker relations and morale. But what if a requested accommodation seems unreasonable?

That was the issue in a recent case before the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

What the case was about

In Lamm vs. Devaughn James, LLC (No. 19-3167, 10th Cir. Feb. 7, 2022), an employee at a law firm was experiencing chronic anxiety and was excessively absent. In her role as a case manager, this employee was expected to work 40 hours a week so she could complete her client-facing and administrative tasks. She received 120 hours of paid time off each year, and the firm’s policy stated that being absent beyond those 120 hours could result in termination.

In 2015, she was warned about her absenteeism, but it did not exceed 120 hours. However, 2016 was a different story. She was out 133.5 days in only the first six months of that year. In May, she explained that she had been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, which resulted in panic attacks. Per her therapist’s recommendation, she requested to work part-time. The firm advised her that her job required 40 hours a week. She was offered one week off without pay, but she declined that offer. On June 23, 2016, her employment was terminated by the firm.

What the plaintiff alleged

The employee responded by suing the firm. She claimed that the firm had discriminated against her, and its actions violated the ADA. The firm made a motion for a summary judgment, and it was granted. Then the employee appealed that judgment, so the case went before the 10th Circuit.

How the court ruled

The court ruled that the firm was justified in terminating the employee because she was unqualified for the role. This decision was based on two issues: 1) if the employee could perform the essential functions of her job, and 2) if there was a reasonable accommodation that would help the employee perform her job functions. Based on those factors, the court determined that the employee was not qualified for her role. Her job required regular, predictable attendance, so her excessive absenteeism prevented her from being successful. Further, the part-time employment accommodation was seen as unreasonable since it would not enable her to perform the necessary job functions.

In addition, the court stated that since the firm warned her about her absences and offered an unpaid week off, termination was warranted. Therefore, there was no evidence of discrimination, and the firm was not required to make further accommodations.

What this ruling means

The results of this case are of interest to all employers. The court ruled that the part-time employment request was not a reasonable accommodation. However, you should use caution before terminating an employee with similar circumstances. Take the time to carefully evaluate the situation in question and determine if there are reasonable accommodations you can make. To protect your company, it is critical that you follow the requirements of the ADA and EEOC.

If you are facing a similar employee issue, you may benefit from legal advice. An experienced labor attorney can help you understand when termination is justified and when you need to make other accommodations.

The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.

Trent Cotney is a partner at Adams & Reese, LLP. For more information on this subject, please contact the author at trent.cotney@arlaw.com or go to www.adamsandreese.com.

Adams and Reese Expands Their Nationally Ranked Construction Group

Mon, 14 Mar 2022 14:00:00 PDT

This expansion creates one of the largest construction law practices in the country.

Adams and Reese LLP is pleased to announce the expansion of its nationally ranked construction practice with the combination of Tampa, Florida-based Cotney Construction Law LLP, a full-service legal and consulting firm serving the construction and infrastructure industries with 16 attorneys and professionals located across the United States. These additions join Adams and Reese's current roster of 58 construction attorneys and takes the group to 75, now one of the largest construction practices in the country. The combination strengthens Adams and Reese's capabilities in high-stakes commercial disputes and transactions. The combined practice now boasts eight Florida Bar board-certified construction lawyers, as well as two Florida certified general contractors.

The complete list of attorneys joining Adams and Reese today includes:

"Our construction practice is a driver for the firm, and client needs are fueling its growth. Our strategic plan calls for doubling down on existing areas of strength," said Gif Thornton, managing partner of Adams and Reese. "Trent and the Cotney team are national leaders in the construction law space, and their capabilities complement ours. This combination moves us toward dominance nationally and in the Southeast in particular, coinciding with the economic growth in the region."

The team joining Adams and Reese brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in serving publicly traded companies, private businesses and individuals in transactions and disputes nationally and internationally. Their singular focus is meeting an array of legal, business and consulting needs in the construction space, as evidenced by national rankings by Chambers USA, Construction Executive, Construction Tech Review, Finance Monthly, Forbes and U.S. News & World Report, among others.

"We are excited about this opportunity to add our already deep bench to a national firm like Adams and Reese, whose resources and platform will take us to the next level," said Trent Cotney, who served as chief executive officer of his firm and now becomes a partner at Adams and Reese. "As advocates for construction clients in the U.S. and around the world, our combined team has a deep understanding of what we must bring to bear when providing the most comprehensive counsel to our clients, and we can better meet their needs through our collective strengths. Our team shares Adams and Reese's forward-thinking vision and commitment to diversity, which will exponentially grow our combined capabilities."

The new team of attorneys relocates to Adams and Reese's downtown Tampa office, located at 100 N. Tampa Street, Suite 4000.

"Every major city nationwide is seeing dramatic changes to its skyline, and the country is ripe with new construction and infrastructure projects that require the experience of trained construction lawyers," said David Toney, leader of Adams and Reese's Construction Team and a member of the firm's Executive Committee. "This combination gives us the horsepower to respond to that need both now and into the future."

"As the complexity of business challenges increases in response to a more interconnected global economy, our clients are seeking sophisticated advice at national and international levels," said Jeffrey Brooks, chair of the Executive Committee at Adams and Reese. "The successful combination with Cotney will serve as a platform for our continued growth, as well as an exemplar of the partnership we seek in that mission."

Adams and Reese, founded in 1951, is a multidisciplinary law firm with over 270 attorneys and advisors strategically located throughout the United States and Washington, D.C. The American Lawyer includes Adams and Reese on its distinguished list of the nation's top law firms, the Am Law 200. The National Law Journal also includes the firm among the top 200 on the NLJ 500 list of the nation's largest law firms. Learn more at www.adamsandreese.com.

Industry Experts Share Their 2022 Predictions LIVE at IRE

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 06:00:00 PST

By Cass Jacoby, RCS Reporter.

The roofing industry kept pace as the world went more digital. Learn what these experts predict for the upcoming year in our LIVE Coffee Conversations.

Karen Edwards, RCS COO, meets with experts for a LIVE Coffee Conversation, sponsored by SRS Distribution, to discuss how 2021 changed the way the roofing industry does business and what they are looking forward to in 2022. These manufacturer, distributor and service provider experts celebrate the industry’s pivot to embrace technology, give their predictions for 2022 and provide advice to roofing contractors looking to stay on the cutting edge of a rapidly changing industry.

Jeremy Goldschmeding from SRS Distribution anticipates demand will normalize and that new construction will be strong.

“I think that what contractors really have to focus on is, ‘what do they value?’ I think that that's going to be an even bigger deal in 2022 and going forward,” says Jeremy. “Those contractors who really understand what their mission is, how they sell their value, how they go into the home and just try to be different — I think that...the further evolution of just that mission clarity is going to be really, really key.”

“I totally agree. Leveraging with relationships and partnerships in the market is important, but so is really being able to react as things change,” says Christian Zimprich of Sherwin-Williams Coil Coatings. “It's about being nimble and being able to react...expecting the unexpected and taking whatever is thrown at us the best we can.”

Mischa Fisher, chief economist from Angi, expects the demand to remain the same. “Expect material prices to go up probably more than they have both because of shipping and because of the raw materials inputs,” says Mischa. “Expect manufacturers to build that into their planning for this year. I mean, when you've got uncertainty, people are going to not err on the side of losing money. But on the other hand, consumers can pay more. So you should probably be expecting to raise your prices too.”

Trent Cotney of Cotney Attorneys & Consultants predicts that in Q1 and Q2 a lot more mergers, acquisitions and deals are going to happen.

“In addition to that, I think it is important to improvise, adapt and overcome. I think everybody from contractors to distribution to manufacturing is very familiar with the uncertainty that we've experienced,” says Trent. “One thing that you can always say about the roofing industry is that we're resilient. So regardless of what's thrown our way, we'll continue to move forward and be on top.”

Read, Listen or Watch the entire LIVE Coffee Conversation for more insight into what is happening across the country and what everyone is expecting in 2022.

Two Types of Workplace Stress

Tue, 15 Feb 2022 12:00:00 PST

By Cotney Attorneys & Consultants.

Stress can be a great motivator on a job site. Sometimes it is positive stress and sometimes it is negative stress.

How employees feel at work affects their performance and ability to work safely. The level of stress they experience on the job significantly affects whether they can do their best work.

Typically, this discussion revolves around two types of stress: eustress, or good stress, and distress, negative stress. But there are other ways to categorize it – motivating stress and unnecessary stress.

Unnecessary stress

Unnecessary stress is stress put on construction workers unnecessarily. There are some common sources of this negative stress:

Bad leadership – This category does not just fall to managers and supervisors. Experienced workers are also leaders. Everyone suffers when leaders are not doing the best job they can do.
Poor pre-planning – If work tasks are not planned out properly, it can impact production schedules and create hazards for everyone working on the tasks. Individuals will face unnecessary stress due to the effects on schedules and safety.
Poor communications – Those who disrespect their fellow workers, yell at them and belittle them create unnecessary stress, not to mention acting unprofessionally. How workers communicate with each other plays into work safety and efficiency.

Motivating stress

Motivating stress comes from other sources and it is positive stress. There are several sources of motivating stress:

Wanting to do a great job – Employees who want to do a great job for coworkers and supervisors want the entire company to benefit. This is motivating stress to do a better job.
Taking on a new task or procedure can be challenging to take on a new task or procedure. But this should be viewed as a motivating factor, not as negative stress. It helps everyone to get outside of their comfort zone. It is vital for growth.

There are times in everyone’s life when something strains their capacity – stress that needs to be identified. It is imperative to turn negative stress into motivating stress. Otherwise, it is a drag on people both mentally and physically.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to one-third of U.S. workers report high stress levels at work. And 40% say their jobs are very stressful. Many feel burned out. This can lead to employee disengagement.

Encourage employees to sustain their innovation through motivation, the drive from within. What is your company doing to drive motivation?

Instead of thinking of stress in just the two traditional forms, rethink it as motivating stress or unnecessary stress. How can you eliminate unnecessary stress? Instead, embrace motivating stress, which leaves you with more efficient and safer workers.

Give your employees autonomy and purpose and in return, you will get employees who thrive. If employees feel trusted and empowered, they are more likely to show initiative and take ownership of their part of a project. Giving employees autonomy is part of employee engagement and in addition to safety, it translates into improved performance and higher retention rates.

About Trent Cotney 

Trent Cotney is an advocate for the roofing industry, General Counsel of the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) and several other industry associations. For more information, contact the author at 866.303.5868 or go to www.cotneycl.com.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.

Recordable Injuries: Why Employees Should Care

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 06:00:00 PST

By Cotney Attorneys & Consultants.

Why reporting an injury is crucial to the wellbeing of your business and how to avoid recordable injuries by taking action quickly.

While some work-related injuries may seem pretty insignificant, all work injuries should be reported, no matter how small. Recording them protects you and also protects your company by preventing the first-aid injury from elevating to an OSHA-recordable injury.

OSHA, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, oversees worker safety.

What is a recordable injury?

OSHA requires that all work-related injuries be recorded. Of course, all severe injuries are always recordable. This includes any injury resulting in missed workdays, restricted duty, loss of consciousness or death.

Recordable injuries are considered a negative mark on a company’s safety record because insurance companies and large contractors bidding out work look at Total Recordable Incident Rates and Experience Modifier Rates. Those quantify the rate of workplace injuries.

Insurance companies base the cost of premiums and insurability primarily on those injury rates. They can also be significant factors in being awarded future project bids. When a company’s injury rate is high, larger companies will not even allow the subcontractor to bid on work because it is deemed too much of a liability.

A high rate of recordable injuries can significantly impact business because if a company is spending so much on insurance, it may lose work, lay off employees, not give employee bonuses or skip other perks.

So, the overall goal is to prevent incidents and injuries. When they do occur, however, they need to be reported immediately.

Employees need to be made aware that even if an injury does not involve a loss of consciousness or fractures, it should still be recorded. More common, less severe injuries should be recorded based on the medical care provided following the injury. For example, if it only requires first aid, it does not need to be recorded but should still be reported.

First aid examples as defined by OSHA

Using bandages
Cleaning a wound

Using hot or cold therapy
Using non-prescription medicine

Recordable versus not recordable injuries

Say an employee gets a small cut on their knee. They decide not to report it and wipe blood on their dirty pants. Three days later, their cut gets infected and swells. The plant doctor prescribes antibiotics. This is a RECORDABLE injury because the treatment went beyond first aid.

Had the employee immediately alerted their supervisor, they would have been taken to the plant doctor, who would have cleaned the cut and bandaged it, avoiding the infection and the need for antibiotics. Therefore, this WOULD NOT have been a recordable injury.

If enough small injuries turn into recordable injuries, it can affect whether your company can bid on a $100 million job or not.

Taking this all in should lead you to conclude that you are harming your business by not reporting an injury. Every company employee depends on each other to complete work. So, working safely and reporting injuries is a responsibility every employee should take seriously.

About Trent Cotney

RoofersCoffeeShop® Announces 2022 Roofing Influencers

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 06:00:00 PST

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:

Anna Anderson – Art Unlimited

Charles Antis - Antis Roofing & Waterproofing

Julissa Chavez – SRS Distribution, Inc.

Trent Cotney - Cotney Construction Law

Kendall & Chris Ekerson – SA Roofing

Heidi Ellsworth – RoofersCoffeeShop®

John Esbenshade, Jr. – National Roofing Contractors Association

Rudy Gutierrez - Shell Roofing Solutions

Tammy Hall – CFS Roofing Services

Mike Hicks – Hicks Industrial Roofing

Joe Hoffman – Hoffman Weber

Rae July – Chinook Roofing

Danny Kerr – Breakthrough Academy

John Kiesel – Imagine Technologies/Division 7 Roofing

Wendy Marvin - Matrix Roofing and Home Solutions

Mandy McIntyre - 1st Choice Roofing

Arty Molinari – Tremco Roofing & Waterproofing

Mike Pickel - Texas Traditions Roofing

Ashley and Seth Pietsch - Integrity Insurance & Bonding Inc

Camila Santander – ASA Roofing

Greg Serevetas – USA General Contractors

Marty Stout - Go Roof Tune Up

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.

The RCS Journey to Platinum

Wed, 26 Jan 2022 15:00:00 PST

By Lauren White, RCS Editor.

For 20 years, RoofersCoffeeShop® has been and continues to be Where the Industry Meets!

We’re going platinum in 2022! What started as Roofers Exchange, a newspaper focused on classified ads, is now RoofersCoffeeShop, a fully digital community known as the place Where the Industry Meets. For 20 years, RCS has served as a digital space for contractors to meet fellow roofing professionals to exchange advice, tell stories and talk business, much like the coffee shops and diners contractors would visit early in the morning in the past before starting their work day. By naming the website RoofersCoffeeShop, it gives the roofing community a sense of past comfort and a doorway into new technologies that are essential to a strong business in today’s world.

Vickie Sharples started Roofers Exchange and had a vision for its future, which was online. In 2000 she approached Heidi J. Ellsworth asking for help with a new name and a digital approach. Heidi wondered, “How are we going to get roofing contractors, who at that point in 2000, not very many of them were online, a lot of them didn’t have a computer on their desk.” Her father, a general contractor in Central Oregon, was the inspiration for the new name, RoofersCoffeeShop, which launched officially in 2002.

Heidi’s father worked all over Eastern Oregon and when he would get into a new town he’d visit the local coffee shop, which always had pickup trucks out in front of it because that’s where local contractors, tradesmen and women would show up in the morning to talk. She explains, “They would find out where the best products are, what jobs were going on, what kind of labor there was, get directions, but it was their place to get knowledge.” With this in mind, Heidi and Vickie knew they needed to make it comfortable for contractors online.

“It’s really about where the industry meets. RoofersCoffeeShop is the spot where contractors, or any roofing professional, can come anytime, 24/7, to find what they need,” Heidi continues. Jennifer Stone, preferred accounts with Johns Manville and past executive chair for National Women in Roofing (NWIR), echoes that statement, “You support the industry so deeply. You truly are a place where everyone can come, everyone can collaborate, everyone is welcome.”

Greg Hlavaty, CEO of Western Colloid, expresses, “It’s turned into a great asset for the roofing industry and I’m proud to have been a part of it for the entire time they’ve been around.” Now the Coffee Shop is breaking new ground in digital marketing for the roofing industry. It has become a community of roofing professionals who share ideas, tell stories, conduct research, sell items and read news about the industry.

"The thing I love most about RoofersCoffeeShop is that’s where I get my information from. If I want to know what’s going on, if I want to know things on the ground level, I’m going there and I’m looking stuff up,” says Trent Cotney, founder and CEO of Cotney Attorneys and Consultants.

The Coffee Shop has been a trailblazer for the roofing industry since the beginning. The Honorable Reid Ribble, CEO of National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) shares, “I want to congratulate you on taking the roofing industry into the digital space because you were there first and what an exciting way to communicate. And it’s the way our members here at NRCA are communicating every single day.”

As the industry grows and adapts to new techniques, products, demographics and ways to learn, so does the Coffee Shop. While we still provide classified ads and host our popular roofing forum, we have expanded our offerings to include:

Read, Listen, Watch™ (RLW)
Podcasts
Week in Roofing
Coffee Conversations™

Lunch & Learn
R-Club
AskARoofer

And we’re not stopping here! Today the RCS crew, led by Heidi, has grown to include 19 professionals from various walks of life to create content, edit webinars and podcasts, design ads, grow our R-Club, manage accounts and continue creating content so we can bring you relevant information in new and engaging ways.

“I can’t imagine what you have set up for the industry coming up in the next 20 [years]. It’s fantastic information. You’re out there at all the shows, all the events, you’re live on the road, it’s amazing the amount of territory and information you can cover with your team,” shares John Kenney, CEO of Cotney Consulting Group.

As one of the premier networking sites in the industry, RoofersCoffeeShop has become the place to celebrate the roofing industry and the great people who work in roofing. From the rooftop to the boardroom, the Coffee Shop is for all roofing professionals!

Wendy Marvin, co-founder and CEO of Matrix Roofing and Home Solutions, shares, “20 years in any industry is just the most incredible gift you have given us and the fact that you’re still here after all this time just speaks volumes to who you are and what you’ve brought to the table in our industry.”

Cheers to 20 years RCS family!

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