More than translation: Creating spaces for Hispanic contractors

By Emma Peterson. 

Learn how Pantera Pros and NAHICA are shaping the future of roofing by creating community spaces for Hispanic professionals.  

It’s Hispanic Heritage Month and to celebrate, The Coffee Shops™ hosted some Hispanic trailblazers who are driving innovation, empowering their communities and paving the way for future generations of roofing professionals for a special Hispanic Heritage Month episode of Coffee Conversations. This episode features an incredible panel that includes Miguel Medina, Kate Apunte, Sergio Terreros, Octavio Vasquez and our very own Jessica Bravo!  

In the roofing industry, about 30% of our contractor base is Hispanic. And when you look at the installer numbers, there are areas where that percentage can jump to 90%. But, for a long time, we have not seen resources and support equivalent to the number of Hispanic professionals in the roofing industry. Octavio explained, “Seven years ago I started at Owens Corning as an intern. Back then we barely even had literature in Spanish. And we did some studies, saw how much of the market was Hispanic and realized we need to be paying attention to this community and creating tools and resources in Spanish, doing events in Spanish and helping the community grow.” The result? The creation of Owens Corning’s Pantera Pros program.  

Kate, who works with Octavio on this program, explained a bit about the work they do today, sharing, “I really want to emphasize that this is something Owens Corning cares about. It’s not a marketing strategy or something, they really wanted to create events, trainings and more to uplift and help the Hispanic roofing community grow.” Jessica added, “It’s important to note that this program is not just translating literature into Spanish, though that is a part of making things accessible. It’s really about putting our voices and a sense of pride behind the work that we do.” 

And Pantera Pros is not the only organization or program out there working to support the Hispanic contractor community and helping facilitate that change. Sergio, the president of the National Hispanic Contractors Association (NAHICA), shared about what his association does for Hispanic contractors, saying, “We see a lot of Hispanic professionals start their own businesses, learn the tools, learn the shingles, the specs, the material, no problem. But a common friction point is the business side. NAHICA has realized that the setting up, scaling, marketing and diversifying is where a lot of Hispanic professionals need a helping hand. So we’re working to help connect them to resources that will help with that.”  

The result of the efforts of Pantera Pros and NAHICA? A growing community that Miguel can attest to as a contractor in the field. He explained, “I’ve seen how the industry has shifted in response. I mean, we just had the first Hispanic expo, which was amazing. Just getting to network with all these Hispanic contractors nationwide and seeing my installers and reps that only speak Spanish being able to train in their language, it’s huge.” 

Listen to the full episode or Watch the recording to hear more from this incredible panel of Hispanic professionals.