Training and empowering contractors off and on the field

By Emma Peterson.

How KARNAK uses their Qualified Applicator Program to connect contractors to the training and products they need for success in the field.

Having great products can only get one so far  if they’re  unsure of the best practices for their uses during the installation process. That’s why KARNAK has made a concerted effort to not only provide top-performing and high-quality coatings, but the training and support for contractors working with them in the field. In this episode of CoatingsCast™, Karen Edwards and John McDermott (who oversees KARNAK’s North American commercial sales group) to talk about these efforts and where the KARNAK Qualified Applicator (KQA) program fits into the picture.  

Prior to working at KARNAK, John was a roofer and has seen firsthand how important that experience is in KARNAK’s practices. He explained, “If you went to one of our trainings, nearly everything we'd teach or recommend came from a contractor at some point. We can have the greatest research and development and the greatest quality, but it's the roofing contractor that will take that in real life situation on the roof and find better ways to apply it for better long-term performance and different things like that.” This focus on not only sharing best practice recommendations but the actual field-tested solutions is at the core of how KARNAK wants to serve their contractors.

In addition to their training events, KARNAK started their KQA program in 2019. John shared, “We started by pre-qualifying a very small group across the US, and then our national director of technical services built a full technical training program that basically covers everything. And we started presenting this to contractors that wanted to be a part of it.” This program is a full-day (six to seven hours of active work) training that includes both hands-on and classroom portions. John explained, “It's a very good technical training, just trying to help them understand how we're going to get this done right. Because for a restoration system to have any value, it must last.” In addition to getting this crucial training, KQA contractors receive other benefits like localized lead referrals from KARNAK!

Read the transcript, Listen to the episode or Watch the video to learn more about KARNAK’s Qualified Applicator program and how it helps both homeowners and contractors.