Anson Johnson & Jeff Grimland - BTS: Roofing Manufacturing - PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of a live interview with Anson Johnson, VP Gypsum Materials and Jeff Grimland, Director of Manufacturing of USG’s Securock®. You can read the interview below or listen to the podcast.

Intro: Welcome to Roofing Road Trips, the podcast that takes you on a thrilling journey across the world of roofing. From fascinating interviews with roofing experts, to on-the-road adventures, we'll uncover the stories, innovations and challenges that shape the rooftops over our heads. So fasten your seatbelts and  join us as we embark on this exciting Roofing Road Trip. 

Heidi Ellsworth: Hello and  welcome to another Roofing Road Trips from RoofersCoffeeShop. My name is Heidi Ellsworth and  we are here today to talk about one of the age-old, most important things that you can do as a roofing company and  that is great relationships with your manufacturers. Really getting to know them to understand how it all works, how it all comes together, because it only can make your business better. So we have brought the experts from USG, Anson Johnson, VP of Gypsum Materials and  Jeff Grimland, Director of Manufacturing, to have this conversation today. I'm so excited. Welcome, gentlemen. 

Anson Johnson: Well, Heidi, thank you so much. I think I can speak for Jeff and I, we're super excited to be here. Fans of the show and  we're looking forward to the conversation today. 

Heidi Ellsworth: Oh, I love that. Fans of the show, I don't hear that too often. That's kind of nice. Thank you, that's awesome. Well, let's start with some introductions. So Anson, if you could start, if you can introduce yourself, tell us what you do with USG. 

Anson Johnson: Certainly. So my name is Anson Johnson, I serve USG as the Vice President of Gypsum Materials. So Gypsum Materials includes all of our amazing roofing products, our tile backing products and  our flooring products. 

Heidi Ellsworth: Nice. And Jeff? 

Jeff Grimland: Yeah, my name's Jeff Grimland. I've been with the company 27 years, Director of Manufacturing for Wallboard on the West Coast and throughout the South. I make quite a few of the products that Anson and his team distribute and sell and  for those listeners on the call. 

Heidi Ellsworth: That is so cool, I love it. I love that it's fact too, you two are really good friends and working together and friends when you... This industry is so special about that, we make lifelong friends working in, whether it's cover boards, roofing, whatever it may be, it really does build those relationships. 

Heidi Ellsworth: I would love it if Anson, maybe you could start and tell us just a little bit about USG and really, just kind of set that stage for the connection with the Knauf group and USG and your roles there. I think I'd like everyone to hear a little bit about that. 

Anson Johnson: Yeah, absolutely. So USG is known for our products, we make amazing products for ceilings, we make amazing products for shelter and roofing and flooring. And as you know, we have the term Sheetrock that we own. And so Sheetrock and Wallboard products are what we're really known for. 

Anson Johnson: About six years ago, USG was purchased by a German private company called Knauf and  Knauf has been a great partner to purchase us. Many of their processes and the way they run business globally has influenced how we do things here in the US. So you couple a partnership with Knauf and our new CEO, Chris Griffin, USG is set up for success. 

Heidi Ellsworth: That was great. And first of all, I want to say sorry I said it wrong, Knauf. I want to make sure we get that right. But Jeff, also, as you're talking about 27 years, you've seen a lot happen. You've seen the growth of and just the explosion of your business and everything out there. Talk to us a little bit about the products and where you've come from in your 27 years. 

Jeff Grimland: Yeah, so I'll start with just me in the 27 years first and  then I'll go to products and have Anson help me. But I'd be remiss if I didn't start with, I've been married 30 years, my wife has been along for the entire USG journey. We have relocated seven times with the company. 

Heidi Ellsworth: Wow. 

Jeff Grimland: We've lived on both coasts, Chicago, Texas, Utah. And we have two kids. Our daughter was born in Utah, our son was born as we went through Chicago area. So we've seen a lot and  as far as the products and how all this thing gets rolling, I remember the first time I was asked to make a glass faced panel in a manufacturing plant on a Sheetrock line. And as he stated, we make Sheetrock, everybody else makes drywall. Sheetrock is our proud name, very proud of it. 

Heidi Ellsworth: Love it. 

Jeff Grimland: And so that was a heck of a learning curve, to go from a paper-faced product to glass, but we figured it out and  since then it's just really exploded into additional offerings with roofing. And we make ExoAir here at our Jacksonville plant as an example and  I'm here with Anson at our Jacksonville facility at the very moment, where we just came out of the plant 30 minutes ago. Had to get rid of our hard hats and so on for this call, but I'll let him handle the products and so on, but it's just been a great ride with the company and I've learned a lot and seen a lot. And I've been in this current role for two years. And the relationships with our customer is very important. Well, the relationships with our business partners are just as important. And so, I'm thrilled that Anson was able to travel with me to our facility here in Florida this week and  I'll hand over to you for product discussion. 

Anson Johnson: Yeah, I think one of the keys for USG is our commitment to innovation. USG is over 100 years old, but even during difficult times, 2007, 2008 when housing was down and roofing was down, we've continued to innovate. So I'm super proud that we're going to release a very severe hail board, which is part of our roofing catalog. And we've just made it our mission to commit to innovating and we're not satisfied with our products. We continue to make them better, we continue to improve the performance and the sustainability of those products. And it's really driving us to a place where we want to be in the future. 

Heidi Ellsworth: Yeah and  contractors know that. I mean, when you really talk about the contractors, they know your commitment, they know the people behind all these innovations and  that to me is exciting. I would love to hear from both of you what you're excited about in 2025, because a lot of things are happening. So Anson, I see you nodding yes. 

Anson Johnson: Sure. 

Heidi Ellsworth: Share with me some of the things you're excited about for this year. 

Anson Johnson: Yeah, we're excited this year for a few things. We are looking to partner with firms building across the United States. And so, data centers are popping up all over. We have brought to the table, we are a company that can solve the inside of the data center. We make data center panels and data center rooms and components. We make the ceilings, we do the roofing and  we can do poured flooring and different applications. So, as these very important needed infrastructure projects are occurring across the US, we are absolutely partnering with firms to show them our capabilities. We have the manufacturing depth, Jeff can talk a little bit about that. We have a network that can support those builders and those contractors. And so, we're excited about the future. It's a difficult time. I think people are curious, should we build now or should we build later? There's some hesitation in the market, but those who are embracing it, we are there to partner with them. 

Heidi Ellsworth: Well, data centers aren't going away, they are only growing. So it's really, either you're going to get in front of it or you're going to get a little run over. And so, I love hearing how every part of that building inside and out envelope that you are touching and bringing quality products to. 

Anson Johnson: Yeah, we're excited about that. 

Heidi Ellsworth: Yeah and  so Jeff, I mean, that has to be exciting thinking about the products that your teams are making manufacturing and they're going into some of our critical infrastructure. 

Jeff Grimland: Absolutely. I mean, you see the sign behind, Make a Home, Make Tomorrow a home for Everyone. That's a way that it's a purpose for us outside and inside the company. And so when we're looking outside the company, how we support the end users of our product, the contractors, the customers, but also internal. And we really strive for our employees making the product, servicing the equipment that's making the product, mechanics, electricians, programmers, operators and  so on, the folks shipping the product. We want them to understand what the end user needs it for, how they're using it, their pain points, so that we can bring that back into the plant and learn from it to help the end user and the contractors have a better experience. And so I mean, that's what excites me is we're the business partners. We partner up to make the business stream better, we're partnering with our customers to make it better and  the end user. And then folks like yourself on this call, I mean, this is part of our story. Right? It's strengthening relationships to provide a better service. 

Heidi Ellsworth: And when you talk about part of the story, I'm going to date myself just a little bit, but I remember when Securock was launched into the market 20 years ago. I was there, I was working with manufacturers rubs, the excitement about the Securock. So 20 years later, when you really think about everything that you've done when it comes to severe weather, when it comes to just building integrity, I mean, that's pretty exciting. So Anson, kind of talk a little bit about that. That's a big marker. 

Anson Johnson: Yeah, it is. We're happy to celebrate that 20 year anniversary, but again, we're not done innovating. We continue to look at the future and  one of the data points that sticks out for us is weather patterns in the United States are changing. They are absolutely changing and  so we need to be ahead of that. We need to be the company that can produce products that solve for problems of hail and very severe hail that the Midwest will encounter most of that weather pattern. And that that is a pretty big slice of the country that is teed up for that. So we want to ensure that we have the right products to deal with that and make our customers successful. One of the real tenets of our company moving forward is making our customer successful. So we are really focused on the customer, our own performance, our people and our future, but those customers are really part of our next generation of, how do we continue to evolve this company? 

Heidi Ellsworth: Yeah, I mean, when you have the customer and the installers, all of those folks as in mind for the future, that's when the products really take off. I mean, because everybody's working together. And it's interesting, Anson, because I know that you worked over in Europe with Knauf and leadership. I've just been really involved with lately with a number of competitions and getting involved with the associations over in Europe, the IFD. And I've seen a lot that continues to come over to the US of things that we're learning and then also kind of vice versa. What was some of your experiences kind of seeing both sides? 

Anson Johnson: Yeah, I was able to spend about 18 months in Germany in a small town that is the headquarters in Bavaria of our parent company, Knauf. And so, the Knauf organization is solving problems throughout the entire world. The addition of USG to be part of that organization has now allowed us to take on North America under that same umbrella. 

Anson Johnson: So the Knauf organization, Jeff just talked about our purpose as a company, we have a purpose and  we're really focused on ensuring the customers have the right products, continued innovation. The innovation team in Iphofen, Germany and  our innovation team here in Illinois, we have really collaborated. And so we're taking the best of both of the scientists, the engineers, the PhDs in both of those places and  made it and harnessed that power for the entire company. So it's really about combining our forces, having a global footprint to solve our customers' problems. 

Heidi Ellsworth: Yeah, that's really, again, bringing it back to the customers and having the right products for them to provide the best buildings, the best infrastructure, all of that. 

Heidi Ellsworth: One of the things that I find really interesting that's going on and  Jeff, I have some questions around you around manufacturing, but that is just this whole growth of AI, artificial intelligence. And really, how it's impacting us because I think some people think there's nothing, then other people are like, it's everything. Give us a little insight. How is that really starting to impact the manufacturing side of your business? 

Jeff Grimland: Sure, sure. So a perfect example is we're using vision systems to monitor parts of the process and the programming behind the vision system is aware, knows what the standard is. And if material's out of place, employees aren't where they're supposed to be or whatever the case, we can control the machinery based on what the cameras are seeing. That's just one example and  that's leading to a safer work environment to help us take care of our employees. It's leading to a cleaner work environment. It's leading to a more efficient environment and  leads to higher grade quality product to the end user because it's keeping us in control of the machinery at a higher level. And that's just one example. 

Jeff Grimland: A second example would be a forklift safety. We are constantly striving to make pedestrian and forklift safety interactions, either eliminate those and  where we can 100% eliminate, use AI technology and other end devices to control the forklift to actually be able to get the forklift to stop moving or to reduce power, things of that nature. And so, we're partnering up with well-known forklift companies to pursue some of these activities. And some of that technology exists off the shelf, we are working with a couple of suppliers to generate that next level of activity. And so, AI is the future and we're having some fun with it. 

Heidi Ellsworth: Yeah, I'm actually kind of fascinated here because I thought about, I've been on plant tours where I see it, using video to videotape the production and then having AI check that. And so instead of always having the quality control of humans, now we have at such a higher level. So that vision system, I was kind of expecting to hear something like that, but when you say forklifts, I'm like, wow, now that's really focused in on your employees and the protection and safety. That's really impressive. 

Jeff Grimland: Look, absolutely. And you know what? Those in the field that are handling material with forklifts, our end users, the distributors, a lot of this technology is available off the shelf as well and  we want everyone using this. There's more accidents with forklifts and pedestrians in the United States than people realize. Very serious accidents, it's a very high injury rate. And so we're focused on it as a company and we're not the only ones, but I would encourage all forklift using companies to focus in on this where appropriate. 

Heidi Ellsworth: Yeah, I mean, that makes so much sense, the safety and being able to use technology like that and AI. So as we kind of move on with that, it seems like, I love the fact that you are focused in on innovation, safety, taking care of your customers and  really knowing those customers overall. How does such a large firm, how does such a large company continue to do that innovation? I mean, coming up with the thoughts of... I mean and  I am sure a lot of it's data, that these are things we have to focus on, but really, what are some of your strategies? And Anson, maybe we'll start with you, your strategies for to be able to keep innovating like you all do? 

Anson Johnson: Yeah. Well, it takes a couple of different forms. One, innovation has been a core competency for USG. Like as I mentioned earlier, even in those lean years of 2007, 2008, 2009, we never lost our commitment to innovate on our products. So in Libertyville, Illinois, we have our corporate innovation center and there's almost 100 people there- 

Heidi Ellsworth: Wow. 

Anson Johnson: ... dedicated to the innovation of all of our products. And they range from PhDs to engineers to leadership. It's a very large range of people working together to innovate around our products. So, innovation at the corporate level has always been there and will continue to do so. 

Anson Johnson: When we talk about our manufacturing facilities, we're never happy with where we currently are when it comes to things like safety. Jeff can talk about safety at our firm. We are absolutely focused on safety, have been since the inception of the firm, but even more so now. And so maybe you can throw in a little on safety because I think it is, I won't do it justice. It's so built into the DNA of who we are and it's so important. 

Jeff Grimland: Yeah, absolutely, I can tell a quick story on this. Incident I went out to a large conference room on the corner of the plant this morning at 8:00 AM and helped kick off what we call fundamentals of safety. And these are hourly supervisors and up, we've trained hundreds of people this year, hundreds of people every year on this type of program. And so we've got supervisors from roughly six different facilities in the United States that travel to Florida to spend three days with our safety, some of our safety experts, some of our leadership experts, to learn about how to be courageous and how to observe safety, how to implement the rules appropriately and  how to look out for one another. And so, that's probably the best way to describe it. There's an investment in our people that never stops on safety. 

Anson Johnson: It's not something that we just throw out there as a corporate buzzword. It's part of our DNA. Every person who works here, that's a badge of honor and  we take safety pretty seriously. 

Jeff Grimland: Yeah. 

Heidi Ellsworth: I think a lot of times people don't realize how much in common we have. Right? So if you think about roofing companies, what are some of their biggest challenges? Safety, labor, installation, having the right products, having trusted partners like you talked about before. So as you guys are talking about this, I really love that. I think every contractor out there right now can relate, safety, safety, safety. Right? It's the number one thing. What are some of the biggest challenges that you think manufacturing, along with safety, of course, manufacturing contractors are both experiencing? Jeff, let's start with you. What are some of those challenges that you're also seeing out there with the contractors? 

Jeff Grimland: Yeah, so the largest challenge we have seen since COVID, I'll keep it to that timeframe, has been just turnover, just keeping valuable employees within the company. And we have doubled down our efforts as an organization, working very closely with HR, employee relations, manufacturing leadership, our corporate LT, this the full group and  we are laser focused on improving that and  we've made great results. 

Jeff Grimland: Things that we have focused on is improving work-life balance.People want a life outside of work too and  they want also a predictable work schedule. So we've worked on just being like, we call it 10-day schedule compliance, but it's trying to let our teams that are making product know this is what the next 10 days looks like for you, just as an example. So and  we've also worked on compensation benefits and all of that and  we're pleased with the results. We're not done, we're not done, but we are pleased with the results. 

Jeff Grimland: And through these efforts, we're also seeing, we do engagement surveys on an annual basis. It's one of the ways that we want to hear from our employees, not the only, but it's one of. And we're seeing our engagement go up because of these activities. And we were also just listed as a great place to work, we just got certified as a great place to work. 

Heidi Ellsworth: I love it. 

Jeff Grimland: Literally two weeks ago. So not only are we making it a better place to work and improving retention and lowering turnover, the folks that are with us are having a better experience. And it's not a destination, that's a journey and  we're making progress. 

Anson Johnson: Yeah and  I think the other thing I would add to that is we're trying really hard to listen to our customers. Quick example is, we make four by eight sheets of roofing material and  many of our customers came and said, "We need that cut in half. We need four by fours because of roof placement and weight and traversing across the roof." And so, we're listening. We are trying to listen to our contractors, our customers and  how can we make them more successful? We can't meet that in every market every time, but we are listening and trying to solve their problems as well. 

Heidi Ellsworth: Yeah. I love that, because I think that's really where the cross section comes in that you're trying to take care of your customers, the contractors. The contractors are trying to take care of their customers, the building owners. And really, when you put all this together, it makes this beautiful triangle of success, what can happen out there and as we put things together. 

Heidi Ellsworth: I know and  one things I wanted to touch on earlier too is, I know when it comes to contractors, just like you said, Anson, the different sizes, listening to them, what do they need? But there's also with the labor shortage, with the change in the types of labor with the technology on the roof, there is this need for increased productivity too. And so I would love for you to talk just a little bit about your UltraLight and how that is really changing things for the contractors out there and how you're really hearing them on what they need to increase that productivity and safety for their workers. 

Anson Johnson: Yeah. 

Jeff Grimland: So, I'll hit on it briefly. I spent a three-year stint as a regional quality manager here in Florida 15, 16 years ago. And then I went on to be the plant manager of our Torrance, California's facility and  was able to observe in real time the acceptance of UltraLight in the field. And it still baffles me to this day to think about someone carrying a four by eight panel by themself, because when I started with a company, that really wasn't the case. I mean, you could do it, but it wasn't like it is today. And then that UltraLight technology is working its way through many of our product families and product offerings. And customers appear to like it and they appear to be more efficient and productive because of it. 

Anson Johnson: Yeah, if a product's 30% lighter, you can hang a lot more of it in the same amount of time. 

Heidi Ellsworth: Yeah. 

Anson Johnson: That was one of the things that we listened to our customers and said, "We have to make this easier. We have to make changes for certain markets that demand this." And so I think again, it's our commitment to innovating and listening to our customers. 

Heidi Ellsworth: And it really comes back down to everything we've talked about so far. Extreme weather, how do you make it more durable on the roof? Light or UltraLight? How do you make it easier to install but still perform? I mean, those are kind of innovations that... And I'm sorry, but I got to go back because I just love the fact how you said, "Even 2007, 2008, I was out in the field, I was selling, I was a regional manager." I remember how hard it was to keep things going and  so for you to be so committed to innovation during that time of the Great Recession too and  then through COVID, everything else that we've had, that just says so much for your company. 

Anson Johnson: Yeah, I do think it's one of the pinnacles of our success. We have not ever took our foot off the accelerator of innovation and  it's helped us innovate through these difficult periods and time when our customers had different demands. 

Heidi Ellsworth: It's so good. Okay, one thing that I know about you guys and that I would love for you to comment on, is that USG has four pillars of strategy, right? And those pillars are really a lot of what helps with the innovation that we're talking about. I think these pillars are so critical and really kind of speak to why you are so successful and  I'll just say them here real quick. Customers, people, performance and committed to future generations, which I think is my favorite. Anson, you're just nodding. Can you talk a little bit about how you use those every day? And then Jeff, how you use those in manufacturing, how it really kind of forms that base culture of your company? 

Anson Johnson: Yeah. I think we talked about our purpose statement and these four pillars align perfectly under our purpose statement. And so what I love about what we're doing at USG is, every employee could recite our purpose and those four areas. And so when you think about getting everyone to row the boat at the same time with a cadence, we know those things, we understand them. When we go to meet about whether it's product delivery or whether it's product innovation or product sales, we look at it through those lenses. What do our customers need? We are laser focused on what that customer needs. And the others that we talked about, people and performance and committed to our future generations. When you have that framework, your decisions just simply get better. We look through that framework and we make better decisions whether we should discontinue a product, yes or no? Should we purchase this entity, yes or no? It really aligns those four core values for us. 

Jeff Grimland: Yeah and  I want to hop in because we are turned this direction for a reason, because on this wall I see four pillars. I see our customers, our people, our performance and  our future. This wall is a CI wall, it's continuous improvement wall and  there's copies of the business plan, there's a reflection process, there's an accountability board. And we are working diligently to stay aligned with our leadership team from the top, our owners, leadership team and  all the way to the entry level employee that's been with us six months, to all have the same focus on these items. 

Jeff Grimland: And I'll give you one teaser from that. Under committed to future generations, that includes sustainability. There was a conversation in this room today during the manager reflection meeting, so you have all your department managers and plant manager. And there was a need for some capital investment to help reduce water consumption in one part of the process. That leads to, of course, less water usage but also less energy on the other side of the process, less energy and all that can be done with the same strength characteristics and the same performance characteristics because we're partnering up with our technical resources in the company, including our innovation center to run trials and all this and figure out the right way to do it.And so those pillars are not just for this consumption, those pillars are consumption all the way across the board. And when you walk into our manufacturing plants throughout North America, you're going to see a very, very similar continuous improvement mindset around those four pillars. 

Anson Johnson: Yeah. 

Heidi Ellsworth: That's incredible. And it really takes us right back to really the core and  that is your customers and that relationship with your customers, because who doesn't want to hear that you care about future generations, right? Who doesn't? That you care about your people, that you care about your customers, that you care about performance. I just think all of that really comes back to that customer and that customer success. 

Heidi Ellsworth: So, one of the things I would love to hear from you two is, we talked about what are you most excited about in 2025. But what are some of the exciting opportunities in manufacturing that is happening right now? And Jeff, let's start with you, that contractors can benefit from, knowing that they're coming from these pillars, they're coming from these core values. What are you bringing in? What should contractors get excited about? 

Jeff Grimland: I'll take a stab at one. 

Heidi Ellsworth: Okay. 

Jeff Grimland: I don't want to tip the hat to some innovation or something that's taking place in the background because that's happening all the time. It's happening everywhere in our company and it's happening all the time. 

Jeff Grimland: But one that customers can be excited about, is we are focusing highly on metrics around delivery time. Just, the customer's ordering it, when do they want it, as compared to when do we get it to them? There's so many moving parts to that, truck slots, product available at the time of order, is product scheduling for production? There's a lot of people working on that in the background and that is something, I'm looking at it right now on this wall on the other side that I can't show you. I'm looking right at it. And that's just one example. We want to improve that, we want to improve getting it to the customer, the end user when they need it, when they want it, quickly, safely and  things like that. So, I don't know if that's a fair thing. 

Anson Johnson: Oh, it totally is and  it's under this umbrella called the perfect order. We analyze all of that and  that's a key metric from the CEO down. The perfect order is, there is a statistic published every month on how we're doing, green, yellow or  red, in relation to the perfect order. 

Anson Johnson: But I think the other thing that I will say is, Jeff and I sat down today and said, "How do we ensure that the products we make are in the right places so that our contractors can have them when they want them?" Every firm out there is trying to do just in time. I don't want to get a bunch of inventory and sit on it. And so, we have a robust supply chain organization at our firm and we're looking at, how do we ensure that we have some metrics around the right products in the right places at the right times?And so we found some things today where a couple of our warehouses were a little thin on product that we said, "Hey, let's talk with supply chain. Let's enter into this conversation and figure out what's best for USG. Not for me or Jeff, but what's best for the company." So I think we're committed to what our customers need, where they need it and when they need it. 

Anson Johnson: We're not perfect. We have a lot of work to do, but we have really smart people that have worked here 27 years focused on things like that because it matters. It matters to us and  all things under that customer pillar are real. 

Heidi Ellsworth: You just made a lot of contractors very happy, in the perfect order, knowing nothing's perfect, but the fact that you are striving for that. That, as you all know better than I do, that is one of the most important things for a contractor is to be able to get their product when they need it and start the job on time and deliver. 

Anson Johnson: Yeah and  we do not have it perfect. So please, when we use that term, that's because we want to approach that perfection. Our CEO demands that and  it's the right thing to do. It should be very simple. Our customers want good quality products that we manufacture. They should be able to call our amazing customer service center or contact us online to get those products and  then we deliver them when they want them and invoice them properly. It sounds very simple, but it's very complicated, but we're trying to make that simpler, more simple every day. 

Heidi Ellsworth: Yeah, I just love that. I love all of this. And so for those contractors out there who are like, this rocks, as pun intended. But as they're trying to stay, what's some of the things that they can do, contractors can do with your team to stay connected, to really be able to get more connected to build those relationships? What are some of the things that they can do right now? 

Anson Johnson: Yeah, I'll take a stab at that, Jeff. Our customer service center is amazing. And when we did a study on roofing earlier this year, we wanted to find out how we could be better, how we could go into markets that needed our products. So we did a survey and  we didn't plan for this but the survey came back and said, "USG's customer service department is amazing. The people there are fantastic. They provide what we need. It's nice to pick up the phone and get a person. A person who's friendly, polite, knowledgeable and  can answer questions and deliver." So we're very proud of our customer service center. We're also improving our digital customer experience. A lot of people want to reach out to us digitally. That is something we are absolutely listening to our customers and trying to tune that equation to get us where we need to go. 

Anson Johnson: So I think I would say we want to hear, we want to listen from those amazing contractors and the people that use our products. And then we need to make changes that help drive their business, our business, to make us both successful. 

Heidi Ellsworth: Yeah. 

Jeff Grimland: Absolutely and  what I'll add to it is in the last couple of weeks we had a sales manager, sales reps in the state of Texas and  a lot of end users that travel to our Sweetwater, Texas plant, they spend a day in the facility. We mine the rock on site and go all the way to finished product being loaded on trucks and leaving the facility. And so the contractors, customers and the sales folks tour the entire facility. And then as crazy as it may sound, they then go down to the world's largest rattlesnake roundup and get to the snake handling and all things like that and  so it's a big draw for that facility. 

Jeff Grimland: But what the groups get out of it both directions is a conversation about how to make things better. You get to learn what each other's doing and then have a conversation on how to make it better. And this has been going on for several years, five, 10 years and  it's cool. And so that type of opportunity as far as the roundup is not available everywhere, but the plant tour is and  that's something that can be worked out with the sales organization, probably be the number one contact for that. 

Anson Johnson: Yeah and  in our innovation center in Libertyville, if folks are local to that, we open that up at a few points during the year to go through and see firsthand how we're innovating our products. So I think that's another example of us being committed to that process. The campus is very impressive and it's working, it's been working for us. 

Heidi Ellsworth: All I know is, sign me up. I want to do a plant tour and I want to go to the innovation center, love that kind of stuff. One of my favorite things are plant tours and  I know, a little nerdy, but love to see how it works and how everything is made. I mean, I think for every contractor out there, get in touch with your local rep, get in touch, right? You can get them online, you can obviously find USG on RoofersCoffeeShop in their directory and  ask, get a plant tour. And if you're in the right part of the country, do the rattlesnake roundup. I'm not sure about that one, Jeff. 

Heidi Ellsworth: Well, the one last thing that I also know about the two of you that I have to ask as we're going into spring and it is getting a little bit nicer outside. I understand you are both Harley riders and  so how is the spring weather looking and are the bikes out yet? 

Anson Johnson: The spring weather in Illinois is still kind of on its way in, but my bike's ready to go and I'm sure yours has been out numerous times down in Texas. 

Jeff Grimland: Yeah, so my wife and kids and I ride dirt bikes as well. 

Heidi Ellsworth: Oh my, there you go. 

Jeff Grimland: All four of us and  it's dirt bike season year round. And so we're already doing the single track enduro and  I was on a motorcycle just this past weekend. And had both my kids for spring break, they're both college age. Their spring breaks didn't align, but they were able to overlap for three or four days. So we spent that three or four days on dirt bikes and  so, life is good. 

Anson Johnson: Yeah. 

Jeff Grimland: And [inaudible 00:37:48]- 

Heidi Ellsworth: As we keep talking about how much alike you are with contractors, right there. That said it all. 

Jeff Grimland: And then I have to say, I get up Saturday morning and take my first big trip of the year. We're headed out to New Mexico on adventure bikes and we ride... And your contractors need to Google this, BDR, back country discovery routes. And so I'll be riding the New Mexico BDR for five, six days starting Saturday. 

Jeff Grimland: So we sleep, you get up and make your coffee in the morning in a Jetboil and  then you ride all day and then you sleep on the ground and get up, make coffee in the Jetboil and  hit repeat. Life is good. 

Anson Johnson: Wow. I had no idea you're that cool. 

Jeff Grimland: I'm not. I just like riding a motorcycle. 

Heidi Ellsworth: I love it. Well, from innovation to the customer relations to bike riding, I have to tell you, you guys got it all. Thank you so much for spending time with me today. This has just been delightful and I'm excited for contractors to get to know you better. 

Anson Johnson: Thanks for having us on the show, Heidi. 

Jeff Grimland: Nice to meet you. 

Heidi Ellsworth: Nice to meet you. Thank you so much. And please check out the USG directory, all this information is on there along with some other great podcasts. I have to tell you, USG keeps bringing the best podcasts, so informative, I just love them. So please check that out, along with all of our podcasts under the read, listen, watch navigation Under Roofing Road Trips. Be sure to subscribe and set your notifications so you don't miss a single episode. We'll be seeing you next time on Roofing Road Trips. 

Outro: If you've enjoyed the ride, don't forget to hit that subscribe button and join us on every roofing adventure. Make sure to visit RoofersCoffeeShop.com to learn more. Thanks for tuning in and  we'll catch you on the next Roofing Road Trip.