Overcoming the learning curve of roofing

By Emma Peterson.

Trent Lovewell shares how customer service, attention to detail and learning from mistakes have guided his roofing career.

From understanding the basic terms like fascia and lap to being able to navigate jobsites and rooftops safely, there’s a lot for newcomers to the roofing industry to learn. This learning curve is something the Trent Lovewell of Weatherguard Inc. knows well. Roofing was not Trent’s first career; in fact, he spent decades as a basketball coach. To learn more about how he made the switch to roofing, we sat down with him for an episode of Stories from the Roof.
 

The switch to roofing began as a summer gig for Trent, before it eventually became his full-time occupation. And, looking back at that time in his life, Trent mostly recalls how much he was learning. He shared, “I learned a lot from John Higgins. One of the first things he taught me was to prioritize patience and customer service.” He elaborated, “Whenever someone has a leak, it feels catastrophic to them. But not every leak is a ceiling caving in. I had to learn how to help customers calm down and understand that.”

Another thing he remembered learning early on was that he would never be done learning. He explained, “There was definitely a learning curve and one of the things I quickly realized was that if you're in this business and you're not learning something every day, then you need to quit. Because it might be day 10 or day 410, but you’re still learning.”

And it is this prioritization of continual professional development that Trent highlights to any of the new guys working under him. He shared, “Pay attention to detail and do your best to make everything good for the owner, pretend it’s your house or building. Treat it like yours.” He continued, “You will make mistakes, I've had tears down my face before because I messed up. But what matters is that you learn from that and work to make sure it doesn’t cost the owner or the client. You make it right and grow from there.”

Listen to the whole episode to hear more of Trent’s insights!