Different trades, same challenges

By Emma Peterson.

FEI's National Conference brings contractors from multiple industries together to create stronger solutions for everyone.

In the third week of October, the FEI Group will be hosting their annual National Conference! This year the three-day event (October 21-23, 2026) will bring independent contractors from across the United States together in Phoenix, Arizona. To learn more about what to expect from the conference, Heidi J. Ellsworth sat down with Graham Howerton, president of FEI Group, for an episode of the Roofing Road Trips® podcast.

One of the unique things about this conference is it is not targeted at a specific market or type of contractor; it invites independent contractors from fields ranging from roofing to traffic control to come together. Graham shared some insight into why FEI chooses to bring all their contractors together in this way:

We now have members that are in business across multiple divisions. So we have flooring members that now offer cabinets and countertops to their home builders and also kitchen and bath members that also own roofing companies now. So having a spot where they can come and find information for all parts of their business is really helpful.

And even for the members who do not cross markets, there is still value in bringing so many minds together. As Grahmam put it, “The way we describe it is that 70% of any contractor's challenges, problems and issues are all the same. The other 30% is different and dependent on what field you’re specifically in.” He went on, “But if 70% of your challenges are exactly the same, it makes sense to bring everyone together to try and solve them.”

Because solving problems is really what the National Conference is all about. Graham explained, “We want the conference to be a space to look back at the year, think about what worked and what didn’t and then find a path forward... My team spends the year designing the content, the programming and the speaker list to speak to our contractors experiences and help them where they need it.” For example, in the upcoming 2026 National Conference, Graham and his team have focused on topics like immigration, economics and technology.

Listen to the whole episode or Watch the recording to learn more about the annual FEI National Conference.