Shaping the next generation of roofers

By Emma Peterson. 

Learn how the Roofing Alliance is elevating, educating and uniting roofing professionals across the country. 

In a new episode of Roofing Road Trips®, Heidi J. Ellsworth sat down with Greg Hudson and Alison LaValley to discuss the Roofing Alliance and its impact on the roofing industry. Greg, general manager at Georgia-Pacific Gypsum, currently serves as president of the Roofing Alliance. Alison, the organization’s executive director, has spent nearly four decades with the Roofing Alliance and its parent organization, the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA). 

Alison highlighted how the Roofing Alliance, while closely aligned with NRCA, serves a distinct purpose, “We work collaboratively with NRCA, meaning we have a lot of the same interests and initiatives that are important to us, but we are a foundation and go about it a different way than they do. So, where NRCA is very focused on political advocacy, we are instead moving forward with all sorts of education and workforce development.” 

That mission is already paying off. Greg explained, “The Roofing Alliance is directly helping develop a robust, well-trained industry that has a positive image associated with it and can tackle the problems of today and tomorrow.” 

The organization’s strength lies in its membership. Alison shared, “We've got 205 members from a variety of sectors of the industry — contracting, manufacturing, distribution, service, etc. — that are really united in advancing this industry, shaping its future and making sure the next generation of roofing professionals understand the importance of this industry.” 

Greg added, “When I went to my first meeting, I was just blown away that all these individuals representing their companies take their company hat off and lean in on the passion projects, the philanthropy, the research that was being done at the time, the workforce development and address industry-wide issues in a very unselfish way.” 

Check out the full episode to hear more about the Roofing Alliance and its work to strengthen and advance the roofing industry.