Exciting Achievements from 2022 for the Roofing Alliance

By Alec Doniger. 

A successful 2022 sets the Roofing Alliance on the right track for the future. 

Heidi J. Ellsworth starts the new year off right with an invigorating episode of Roofing Road Trips featuring Kelly Van Winkle and Alison LaValley of the Roofing Alliance. Kelly has an extensive family history in roofing and has been key in helping grow her family business in Texas, and Alison has worked with the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) for 35 years. Kelly is the first woman president of the Roofing Alliance, while Alison is the executive director for the Roofing Alliance. Together, they share with Heidi some of their highlights and achievements from 2022. 

During the 2022 International Roofing Expo (IRE) in New Orleans, the Roofing Alliance hosted their eighth Construction Management Student Competition for students enrolled in construction management programs. “It's amazing to see their eyes open up and understand roofing and understand the opportunities because, of course, we're always trying to encourage them to see roofing as a career opportunity and all the different positions,” Alison says. This year, they will host their ninth competition in Dallas, Texas on March 8 at IRE. 

In addition to growing the student competition, the Alliance offered a faculty retreat. “For years now, we've been educating students, but we have to make sure that the professors understand the importance of teaching roofing. And we were able to do that,” Alison shares. Arizona State University, now a partner with the Roofing Alliance, hosted the faculty retreats. Alison credits the faculty retreat and educating 27 PhD level professors to “... the other large initiative that we've been working on really for three years now but it really saw its peak in 2022. And that was the development of a curriculum through Clemson University. Our partnership with Clemson and Dr. Dhaval Gajjar is... I can't say enough.” 

“This involvement with the world of academia and the students and the professors, it's been a win-win for everyone. I mean, not only does it help us meet the next generation of potential colleagues, but they enjoy it,” Kelly says. 2022 was an education-packed year for the Roofing Alliance. In 2023, they only hope to expand on their achievements and offer more opportunities for students. 

Listen to the entire podcast to learn more about the Roofing Alliance’s 2022 achievements and what to expect in 2023. 

Learn more about the Roofing Alliance in the RoofersCoffeeShop® Directory or visit  roofingalliance.net.