FEI is a comprehensive three-year educational program designed to develop the management and leadership skills of future and current roofing contracting company leaders.

The National Roofing Contractors Association’s Future Executives Institute has announced its graduates for 2026. Graduates were recognized January 21 during NRCA’s 139th Annual Convention in Las Vegas.

FEI is a comprehensive three-year educational program designed to develop the management and leadership skills of future and current roofing contracting company leaders.

Following are FEI’s Class 11 graduates:

• Robert B. Baker, director of project management for Global Roofing Group, Phoenix
• Nicholas J. Barger, operations manager for Ruff Roofers Inc., Baltimore
• Dan Bloom, president of Bloom Roofing, Brighton, Michigan
• Danny Samuel Boyle III, director of project management for Delta Innovative Services Inc., Kansas City, Kansas
• Zachary Brosseau, vice president of operations for Bennett & Brosseau Roofing Inc., Romeoville, Illinois
• Clifford Brown, president of WEBCO, Metairie, Louisiana
• Phillip Cooper, project manager/business development for Total Roofing and Construction, Schererville, Indiana
• Jeanne Boyd Curtis, CEO of Boyd Bone Dry, Mansfield, Texas
• David Paul Demateo Jr., vice president of Blue’s Roofing Co., Milpitas, California
• Derek W. Dennick, vice president and general manager of Burns & Scalo Roofing Co. Inc., Pittsburgh
• Troy A. Enniss, director of estimating and project manager for Collins Roofing Inc., Lehi, Utah
• Chris Evans, vice president of estimating for KPost Company, Dallas
• Charles A. Eytchison, director of field operations for R Adams Roofing, Indianapolis
• David Furr, regional manager of Roofing Solutions, Ridgeland, Mississippi
• Jason Hostetter, vice president of Progressive Roofing Inc., Haverhill, Massachusetts
• Lindsey Birch Nicholas, president of International Roofing, Richmond, Virginia
• Salvatore Pirozzi, president of Mars Roofing, Lanham, Maryland
• Kevin Powell, CEO and project manager of Superior Roofing & Construction, San Antonio
• Brad Rabin, project manager and superintendent of A-1 Roofing Co., Elk Grove Village, Illinois
• Matt Reed, general manager of Malone Roofing, Richland, Mississippi
• Elizabeth Sanford, director of service and business development of Madsen Roofing & Waterproofing Inc., Sacramento, California
• Laura Sheehan, vice president of Merit Contracting, Rochester, Minnesota
• Blaine E. Sibby, vice president of sales and estimating for Zenith Roofing & Waterproofing, Forth Worth, Texas
• William D. Smith Jr., CEO and president of Texas Fifth Wall Roofing Systems Inc., Austin, Texas
• Joseph A. Spaid, project director for Orndorff & Spaid Inc., Beltsville, Maryland
• T.J. Taylor, senior project manager for DCG Roofing Solutions Inc., Melrose Park, Illinois
• Austin Thomas, production estimating manager and new construction sales manager for Rackley Roofing Co. Inc., Lebanon, Tennessee
• James Patrick Wassel Jr., managing director for Dixie Membrane Roofing Inc., Lawrenceville, Georgia
• John Yu, vice president of CHU Contracting Inc., Chantilly, Virginia
• Trevor Zinner, president of Nations Roof, Boise, Idaho

For more information about FEI, visit nrca.net/education/fei.

About the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA)

Since 1886, the National Roofing Contractors Association has been the home for generations of entrepreneurial craftsmen and enterprises who shelter and protect America’s families and businesses and each other. Our vision is the recognition of our members as professionals and to unite the industry to that purpose. NRCA is one of the construction industry’s most respected trade associations and the voice of roofing professionals and leading authority in the roofing industry for information, education, technology and advocacy. It represents all segments of the roofing industry, including contractors; manufacturers; distributors; architects; consultants; engineers; building owners; and city, state and government agencies. For information about NRCA and its services and offerings, visit nrca.net.

The award recognizes a roofing contractor who has demonstrated a commitment to technology and the advancement of the roofing industry.

By Dani Sheehan.

Rackley Roofing wins both on the roof and the racetrack!

In any business, you have to move fast, stay focused and build the best possible team to stay ahead. It’s no wonder that Curtis Sutton, president of Rackley Roofing, sees a natural connection between roofing and racing. After all, winning in either world isn’t about flashy moves or luck. It’s about preparation, precision and values that don’t waver under pressure.

Curtis first caught the racing bug years ago while sponsoring a NASCAR truck and late model team. What started as a passion project turned into something much bigger with the launch of Rackley W.A.R., a professional racing team co-founded by Curtis and longtime racer Willie Allen. Today, the team competes full-time in NASCAR’s Craftsman Truck Series – with Curtis’ son Dawson behind the wheel – and it’s bringing Rackley’s name, values and high-performance mindset to a whole new audience.

“Racing isn’t just marketing for us – it's part of our culture,” Curtis shares. “It’s about building a team, putting in the work and pushing yourself to be better every single day. That’s the same philosophy we bring to roofing.”

Building a culture of excellence

At first glance, roofing and racing might seem worlds apart. But dig deeper, and the overlap is clear.

In NASCAR, races are won by teams who understand that every small detail matters – the right tire change at the right second, the perfect communication between driver and crew chief, the discipline to stick to the plan when everything’s on the line.

Roofing isn’t much different. Success comes from assembling a great crew, investing in training, refining your processes and delivering on your promises day after day. Whether it’s a roof or a race car, quality and teamwork make all the difference.

That’s why Rackley Roofing’s involvement with Rackley W.A.R. isn’t just about brand exposure – it's about living out the values that make them great at what they do.

Values that cross the finish line

Rackley W.A.R. is its own powerhouse, competing at the highest levels of racing while staying true to six core values that fuel their success:

1. Be humble: Operate as a team and listen to clients and teammates alike.
2. Be hungry: Keep pushing for growth instead of resting on past success.
3. Be smart: Communicate effectively and treat challenges as opportunities.
4. Be innovative: Embrace new technology and ideas to work smarter and faster.
5. Be customer-focused: Keep the customer at the center of everything.
6. Be accountable: Do what you say you’re going to do – every time.

These values are the real engine behind everything Rackley W.A.R. and Rackley Roofing do. And if you’re a contractor looking to improve your stats and grow your business, they’re the perfect blueprint to follow.

Stay hungry, stay humble, stay connected

Roofing may not have pit stops or checkered flags, but it demands the same drive to improve, the same loyalty to your team and the same accountability to your customers.

Want to build your network like Rackley Roofing?

Think outside the roof.

Join a community built just for roofing contractors like you. The R-Club is where the industry meets – a place to find the resources you need, connect with other professionals and unlock special perks like training, networking, discounts and more.  

Ready to take your business and your network to the next level? Join the R-Club today!

By Heidi J. Ellsworth.

RoofersCoffeeShop joins industry changing discussions at 2025 summit.

The 2025 National Roofing Partners (NRP) Leadership Summit gathered leading commercial roofing contractors and professionals from across the country for a powerful exchange of ideas and strategy. Held over two days, the event featured roundtable discussions, board meetings and a full main-day agenda focused on advancing business performance, workforce engagement and industry collaboration.

NRP is a national service network that delivers single-source facility solutions across roofing and building envelopes. The company supports a range of facility management needs, including specialized services for the solar industry. In 2024, the NRP network grew to over 400 partner locations, whose combined revenue totaled well over $5 billion.

“To bring together this level of tier-one contractors is incredible. The collaboration always results in forward-thinking ideas and meaningful connections for the year ahead,” said Steve Little, head coach of KPost and CEO of NRP.

The summit opened with keynote speaker Garrison Wynn, a nationally recognized motivational speaker and author. Known for blending research with humor, Garrison addressed the power of cross-generational communication. He emphasized that better understanding between generations is vital to solving the ongoing labor shortage and adapting to technology-driven change in the trades. His engaging presentation resonated with attendees and set an energetic tone for the day.

Continuing the summit’s focus on people and purpose, Mandy McIntyre of Level Up Consultants led a critical mental health roundtable, addressing one of the construction industry’s most pressing issues, suicide prevention. Mandy, founder of Level Up Consultants and a former vice president of a Cleveland-based roofing firm, guided participants through difficult but necessary conversations. With suicide as the leading cause of death in construction, her session focused on identifying warning signs and implementing workplace strategies to support mental wellness across the NRP network.

NRP also honored top-performing contractors with awards celebrating excellence in leadership, safety and operational performance.  

• Outstanding New Partner – CanTex Roofing & Construction
• Service Partner of the Year – Springer-Peterson Roofing & Sheet Metal  
• Projects Partner of the Year –  OneRoof Solution
• Strategic Solutions Partner of the Year – Rackley Roofing
• Most Valuable Partner (MVP) – Greenwood Industries

A highlight of the summit was the annual industry panel that I got to moderate and which was sponsored by RoofersCoffeeShop® for the sixth consecutive year. The panel featured industry leaders Joe Jolicoeur of Greenwood Industries, Daniel Martinez of Chase Bank, Mark Schouten of Diversified Roofing Corporation, Joe Bazzano of Beacon Consulting and Kevin Somers of Carlisle Construction Materials. Topics included market trends, mergers and acquisitions, succession planning, material pricing and consumer confidence. The panel also fielded live questions from attendees, fostering an open and informed conversation.

“This panel continues to be one of the most valuable parts of the summit,” said Kyrah Coker, president of NRP. “Each year we gather leading voices in the industry to break down what’s happening and what roofing companies need to pay attention to. RoofersCoffeeShop consistently delivers high-level insight and conversation through its panel leadership.”

The summit concluded with a legal and regulatory update from construction attorney Trent Cotney of Adams and Reese. He addressed major developments in tariffs, immigration and policy trends impacting roofing contractors nationwide. “Hearing from Trent is always a highlight,” said Kyrah. “This summit reflects the strength and unity of our contractor network. It is an honor to bring these leaders together to drive our industry forward.”

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of a live interview with Michelle Boykin with Rackley Roofing, Chuck Chapman with Tecta Arizona and Kim Eckerman of Elevate. You can read the interview below, listen to the podcast or watch the recording.

Intro: Welcome to Roofing Road Trips, the podcast that takes you on a thrilling journey across the world of roofing. From fascinating interviews with roofing experts to on-the-road adventures, we'll uncover the stories, innovations and challenges that shape the rooftops over our heads. So, fasten your seat belts and join us as we embark on this exciting Roofing Road Trip.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Hello. This is Heidi Ellsworth. Welcome to Roofing Road Trips from RoofersCoffeeShop. Today we are very excited to be in a unique and special place, and that is at the Elevate Master Contractors meeting in Nassau, Bahama. Wow, look at this audience. This is quite the Roofing Road Trip, and we are actually on the road with our Roofing Road Trip. Before we get started, please, everyone know that this is available on your favorite podcast channels and we will be taking you there live today with our guests in our panel, so let's get started.

First of all, I would love to introduce Michelle Boykin with Rackley Roofing. Michelle, can you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your company?

Michelle Boykin: Yes, thank you for having me. My name is Michelle Boykin. I'm the Chief Operating Officer at Rackley Roofing out of Nashville, Tennessee. I am also a past chair of National Women in Roofing, which is a title that Heidi actually started. She was the very first one, started that organization, so thank you for that. And then I also sit on the board for the NRCA, so I try to be as involved as I can in the industry.

Heidi J Ellsworth: I love it, Michelle. We've done a lot together.

Michelle Boykin: Yes, we have.

Heidi J Ellsworth: We have a lot to talk about. Chuck Chapman, can you introduce yourself and tell us about your company?

Chuck Chapman': Well, good morning everyone. My name is Chuck Chapman. I am the president of Tecta America Arizona, in Phoenix, Arizona. We are the Arizona branch of Tecta America. I'm a proud member of National Women in Roofing and have been since the beginning.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yes.

Chuck Chapman': I have served as past president and president at Western States Roofing Contractors Association. I'm the current chairman for the Davis Memorial Foundation.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yes.

Chuck Chapman': And Heidi is also one of my trustees, which is absolutely fabulous and I'm also on the board of directors at NRCA.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yeah. Such involvement, and we're going to talk about that. We're going to talk about being involved and how important that is. And Kim, I know you introduced yourself a little bit earlier, but for this podcast and for everyone out there listening to this podcast, can you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your role in Elevate?

Kim Eckerman: Yes, thank you so much for having me here today. Kim Eckerman, I am the vice president of Marketing & Communications for Elevate. I've been in the roofing industry for nearly two decades, and I'm one of the founding members of National Women in Roofing and ensured that we've been active no matter where I've been in the roofing industry with that group.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yes.

Kim Eckerman: And was honored with one of their Diamond Awards last year.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yes, you were.

Kim Eckerman: Very excited about that and happy to be here this morning.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Kim, thank you. And I want to say thank you from everyone out there listening to this podcast for you bringing the Roofing Road trip here and letting us celebrate and have this great conversation.

What our goal is is for all of you to take home a little something, a little something, a nugget to take home, so we're going to have some conversations around issues that are in our challenges, opportunities in the roofing industry. And you already have heard a number of them from some of the, I mean, amazing presentations we've already had this morning. But today, we're going to start with the labor shortage and we're going to kind of talk about what are some of the opportunities, what are some of the challenges? And so actually, I'm going to start, Chuck, with you. If you can talk a little bit about your market and what you as a company are doing to work on with the labor shortage.

Chuck Chapman': Well, I think the first thing that we have to recognize and that was difficult for me to accept and understand about the labor market is, first of all, it's changed in terms of the type of people that we have out there. Generational changes are huge. Recruiting Gen Zers, as opposed to how we've recruited baby boomers, is totally different. You've got a total different mindset in the type of worker and what they're looking for and what makes them happy and what motivates them, so we have had to change exactly how we're recruiting. And once you get onto that and you start realizing that, it's really helpful in being able to be successful at recruiting.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yeah, recruiting, that is so important. How many can think back, I heard earlier that there are people who have been here 38 years at this conference and how much has changed and how much the reputation of roofing has changed? And Michelle, Rackley's been a leader on that, so talk a little bit about what you're doing to recruit and retain the folks who work with you.

Michelle Boykin: I think it's great that it's already been mentioned here today, and I think that it's great that Elevate's been so involved in SkillsUSA. That's one of the big things for us this year. We've gotten heavily involved in trying to recruit kids, because part of the issue that we've had is, generationally, we've said, "Okay, you've got to go to college, you've got to go to college," and we've lost an entire generation of people because of that.

What SkillsUSA is doing is it's saying, "Okay, let's take high schoolers and even in some cases middle schoolers and teach them about a trade. Let's teach them something that they can actually take and use as they're adults." So, we're actually training two high schoolers at our facility right now. They come in twice a week on their own time, and they are training on how to roof, which is really cool. So, the more that we can get involved in those sorts of things and again, like the Roofing Day in D.C., those are things that we can do as an industry to change what roofing looks like and make it cool to the next generation. Seeing these kids learn, it's amazing.

Heidi J Ellsworth: It is amazing, and being there at SkillsUSA and seeing the competitors, all the competitors are doing commercial roofing, they're doing heat welding right there as you come down amongst all these other trades. It is inspirational.

Michelle Boykin: Very much so. Oh, yeah.

Heidi J Ellsworth: I got goosebumps there for a minute talking about it.

Michelle Boykin: Yeah. And then also, as Chuck said, looking at your organization differently. I mean, clearly we're in a room full of mostly men, which is great. There's no problem with that. But also looking at having women get on the roof. We've got women that are on the roof every day, and so just opening your horizons for that is important as well.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yeah, 50% of the population, we need to bring them in. Kim, Elevate has a leading role, a leading sponsor. I'm lucky enough to be on the NRCA, on the CTE and have been leading that, getting our sponsors. Everybody always gets a little worried about me showing up, but Elevate just was like that, immediately, "Yes, we want to do SkillsUSA," so involved. Talk about how important it is as the manufacturing and the contracting to work to get this next generation involved.

Kim Eckerman: Oh, yeah, absolutely. I mean, it just makes sense for us to have these partnerships. This is our industry. We need to work to protect it. We need to work together to grow it. And as you were saying, we have this new generation coming into it. We want them to come into roofing. It's a great way to make a good living, and we need these skilled workers and so connecting with SkillsUSA and what they're doing just made absolute sense.

We've been very excited to make a generous donation of product throughout their network of training facilities for what they're doing so that these kids can come in and they can learn how to install commercial roofing, just like Michelle was talking about. And they do, their faces light up.

They love this work, so getting them exposed to it early, making sure they understand it, getting them connected with a great network of potential mentors to bring them into the industry, it's so important and we're really excited to get to be a part of that.

Heidi J Ellsworth: And it's not just about the kids who make it, or the young people who make it to that national competition. It's about every single young person who's being associated with it. And Chuck, I mean, in every local area and for your companies, you're very involved and so is ARCA, Arizona Roofing Contractors. Tell us about that.

Chuck Chapman': Yeah. First of all, I want to thank Elevate for their participation in SkillsUSA. We couldn't do what we're doing without your help, so we really appreciate that a lot.

Kim Eckerman: Thank you.

Chuck Chapman': The competition is one thing, and the competition is really a lot of fun and it's really what the kids are aiming for, but from my point of view, it's more the journey along the way. We started working with our school back in September, right after the kids got back to school and we started with 10. We still have six, and we're just about a month and a half away from the state competition in Arizona, so it's still fantastic. Not only that, I just got an email yesterday from the CTE coordinator at Mesa High, the school I'm working with and she said, "Hey, are you going to be willing to sponsor us next year?" And I said, "Well, of course." I said, "Why? What's going on?" She said, "I've got 17 year one students that all want to be involved," and this isn't even until next year. So I mean, it's just absolutely fantastic that these kids are getting this fired up and this interested in our industry.

Heidi J Ellsworth: You know, Chuck, I want you to go one step further too, because Mesa just won a grant. Tell us a little bit about that grant and what we can do as a roofing association [inaudible 00:09:36]

Chuck Chapman': Well, I want to give credit where credit is due. Heidi suggested that Western States, and more importantly, the Davis Foundation, adopt a SkillsUSA scholarship, so we did that this year. We gave out two $2,500 scholarships to two different schools that are participating in SkillsUSA and we're very proud of that and hopefully we can give out more money next year.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yeah, so shameless plug, for everyone who belongs to an association, either in the audience or listening to this podcast, you can give money to the vocational schools. You can set up these same kind of things, and the Davis Foundation will help you do that.
Okay. Let's move just a little bit to technology, so we're kind of hitting some of the hotspots in this podcast, obviously labor shortage and all the great things that are going there, but for the contracting companies, things are changing so fast. Michelle, Rackley, Innovator of the Year and you have been involved with RT3, Roofing Technology Think Tank from the very beginning. Talk to us about the importance of really embracing and leaning into new technologies.

Michelle Boykin: Yeah, you have to, but to start, I think being involved in the industry, being involved in things like RT3, being involved in peer groups or your state and local chapters of things that you have going on, helps you learn from other people. I actually had a guy come up to me during the break. I met with his son at NRCA about what kind of software to use, and he's like, "Hey, we didn't go with the one that you mentioned, but we went with this other one and here's why." But you never know what sort of those connections are going to do, so make sure that you're talking to people about what they're doing, because what better information are you going to get than from the people that are in this room, the people that are in your industry that are doing it every single day?

So for us, when we start a new technology or bring a new software in, it has to start from the top, so if I don't believe in it, I can't ask the next person to believe in it as well. And you have to make sure that that training starts from the beginning. Not that I have to be the expert on everything, but I need to understand what the why is behind it so that everybody else within the company is going to learn how to use it and that's the most important thing, I think.

Heidi J Ellsworth: And then talking to someone who's already using it, and whether it's owner-to-owner or whether it's getting your operations folks together to really share what's working, that, I always say at RoofersCoffeeShop, is we're doing these things. Contractors want to hear from contractors, right? That's what they want to hear. So Chuck, talk to us about your tech stack, what you're doing technology-wise.

Chuck Chapman': Well, you're talking to somebody who actually started with pen and paper and a pager. I mean, that was the limit of the technology because that's all we had. We didn't even have fax machines, so as my career has gone on, I've been able to see all of the new tech changes, the things that have come along. I mean, once we started using computers, I mean, I remember my first IBM 8088 to do an estimate on. It was like, "Oh, my God, this is the greatest thing since sliced bread." And we got cell phones and fax machines and the internet.

Heidi J Ellsworth: You mean no more pay phones?

Chuck Chapman': Oh, my goodness, yeah. Roll of quarters, and every time you got a pager, it's 911. But the innovation that we see almost daily now is absolutely fantastic, and it makes us much more efficient at doing our job and we're much more accurate and just being able to do things in a much more compressed timeframe and be much more efficient and probably even more accurate in terms of how we're doing it, is absolutely fantastic. And I'm really happy that I'm surrounded by a group of very talented young people that are always bringing new ideas almost daily and saying, "Hey, you know, we're not using this, but I learned about that. And it's like Bluebeam, and it's like Bluebeam." Oh, my God, Bluebeam is my new best friend. It's just really exciting to be a part of the industry now when we've got these new things coming in almost daily.

Heidi J Ellsworth: And I kind of want to hit on that because I think that's really important. It's one of the things actually I've learned sometimes the hard way, and luckily, most of the time, it's been really easy. But embracing that next generation around technology, and whether that's as an owner and really understanding that you have to listen about these new technologies and make changes or if it's maybe older generation, younger generation pairing. And I know you do that a lot, right, Michelle?

Michelle Boykin: Yeah, we do. I was actually joking the other day. We were having a meeting and we were trying to figure out, how can we better communicate with our staff? We've tried using our payroll software, we've tried Teams, we've tried email, text, whatever. You've got all these different platforms that you're using, and what works for one person may not work for the next and I said, "Well, maybe we should just do like a TikTok thing," and that's how we get everything out, because that seems to be the newest fad for the generation. I'm sure Megan will say that it's something different now, I don't know. But figuring out what it is, how they communicate, because how I communicate and there's not a huge age difference in us up here, but even how I communicate and how Chuck communicates are going to be different, but even the next generation and the next generation. So, paying attention to that to make sure that we're speaking their language is important.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yeah, I think so. And Kim, you and I have worked together a lot, even before Elevate. We've worked together for many, many years. You have been instrumental everywhere you've gone in your career in bringing solutions to contractors, and a big part of that has been technologies. Talk a little bit about really that relationship with your manufacturer and how important that is.

Kim Eckerman: Yeah, thank you for that question. I think we, as manufacturers, work to be on the leading edge of those things. We need to understand, again, how you're communicating with your employees, also with your customers, how we can help you to make those connections. It's so crucial to us to know and have that awareness. And as Chuck was saying, things are changing rapidly right now. We've got to stay ahead of this. There's no better time than now to figure out what technologies you can be implementing and how you can be doing those. The longer you wait, the further behind you get. I think that probably goes without saying.

But for us, it's been important to have associations, partnerships, sponsorships with things such as RoofersCoffeeShop. You do such a great job of bringing together the information that the industry needs to know and understand about what is the latest tech that's available to them. It's why it's important for us to have that association and affiliation, because we know that that's where our contractors are going to get that information as well. And you help to bring that together and make those things so available and easily ... there for them to find.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Well, you know, research and data drives everything.

Kim Eckerman: Absolutely.

Heidi J Ellsworth: And so where in the past, maybe it was all ... We do a trend survey every year and it's that research, that online information, continues every year to grow and grow and grow, even in an industry that is sometimes a little slow to adopt or adapt.

Kim Eckerman: Yes.

Heidi J Ellsworth: But I think using resources like Roofing Technology Think Tank, which a lot of contractors are involved in, but it's all free, free resources, solution directories. Thank you. And RoofersCoffeeShop has full directories of all of those different software companies. Research, I think, leads the way in trying to figure out and then talking to each other, right?

Michelle Boykin: I mean, how many people in this room go to dinner and the first thing you do is go on Google and see what the review is or go to Yelp and see what the review is? Even Uber Eats, I'm going, "Okay, well, I'm not going to eat there. I'm not going to get that for lunch today because it's got a four star and not a five star," whatever that looks like.

It's the same for roofing. You want to make sure that you've done your research. You know that the product that you're using is good. You know that the software that you're using is going to work for what you want and not what you think you want. And really, just digging deep and really talking to somebody about, here's what issues I've had with software, because we've all realized that there's no software out there that is a one-size-fits-all for everybody, but what works for you and how can you implement that best in your company?

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yeah, so true. I'm going to bring up another topic. We have two more topics, but I'm going to throw one in there and these guys should be used to that. I kind of do this sometimes. I just have to follow Frank's lead, because Roofing Day is so important and immigration right now. So, if you were at the International Roofing Expo last week, there were a lot of conversations about what is happening with immigration and ICE and so I want to talk about Roofing Day and how important that is for our voices being heard. So Chuck, I'm going to start with you talking through that and just how important it is, kind of as working either with your associations, your business, however, to get involved, to really have a voice from the roofing industry.

Chuck Chapman': Well, Reid really got this started when he was the executive director at NRCA and he came from the standpoint of, he was in the house for six years, so he knows what it's like to be approached by these other industries. And what he shared was the electricians, the plumbers, the general contractors, they showed up at the legislature in mass so their voices were being heard, but the roofing industry wasn't. So, that's why we started Roofing Day and that is why it is so important to show up and to be heard and to be visiting with your local legislators. And that's why it's such a big thing to have everybody from across the country so that we can be touching all the legislators from all the different states, and get that unified voice across to our politicians so that we can get the things done that we need.

And immigration, as everybody knows, is huge for our industry. It's huge for construction in general, but the things that are going on now is really going to be affecting us, positive and negative. But it is very, very important now, more than ever, for us to join together as a unified force, a unified industry and get that message sent from a unified front.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yeah. Michelle, you've attended. I think it scares some people sometimes, right? "Oh, man, I'm going to meet this congresswoman or congressman. What am I going to say? Are they going to think I'm that smart? I'm from roofing." But it's totally different, isn't it?

Michelle Boykin: It is, and I think part of the thing that's important is, the more people that show up, the easier that is. I mean, it's kind of like if you're going to a new event and you know five people, it's a lot easier than if you walk in the room and you don't know anybody. So the more people that go, the easier that is.

But the NRCA does a great job of sort of listing out what the topics are. We go in with, I think that the term is one voice, so we're going in as an industry, here's what we want changed or kept the same or whatever that looks like. And they give you sort of talking points, so you're not walking in blind. You know what you're talking about. If you do the research even further, you can even speak sort of their legal language or whatever you want to call it.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Right.

Michelle Boykin: But no, it's a one-on-one conversation a lot of times. But the more people that you have in the room, I have seen, at least for our representatives, the more likely you're going to be talking to the representative and not their staff. So if you've got a large group, chances are they're going to listen. If you happen to go, make sure that you mention how many people work for your company, because that represents families and that's important to them because that's their constituents. So, make sure that you're talking about, "Hey, my company employees 200-plus people." Whatever that looks like for your organization, make sure you're mentioning that.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yeah. And I tell you what, it has made a difference. I have to tell one quick story. The first Roofing Day ever, as I was walking through the rotunda and there was multiple layers going up of offices, senators' offices, all of a sudden I saw a red Roofing Day folder flying down from the very top and I'm like, "Oh, the roofing industry's here." We are there. But it makes a difference, and it has made a difference with immigration and that's something that's hard to even get a little bit of a foothold into. But it's made a huge difference with the Main Street taxes and also CTE, so every voice is needed to go and there's nothing better than a first-timer. So Kim, you're going to be going for the first time. What's your thoughts?

Kim Eckerman: Yeah, I'm excited to go this year. Myself and our Senior Vice President of Sales,

Frank Palmer, we'll both be there along with some of our fellow colleagues from Elevate. It means everything to us to be there, to have that representation, to be well-informed on the potential legislation that has impacts for our industry. Frank mentioned two of those topics this morning. You just hit on them again with the Perkins CTE Grant, trying to grow those funds that are available to continue to bring kids in and get them into the skilled workforce and the extension of the Main Street Tax Act, right and the implications that has for everybody in this room potentially.
So, being informed about those means everything. Getting to be there and be a part of it, I'm really looking forward to it. I've heard wonderful things about this, and just being able to have that industry representation, especially for Elevate, right, as your manufacturer partner of choice, it's important for us to be there.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yeah, and I tell you what, if you planning on going, plan on staying an extra day, because Durable Slate, one of our leading roofing companies of historic buildings in D.C., gives an architectural walk and it's an architectural walk of roofs. I mean, how often do you get that? So, it's pretty phenomenal and NRCA just does a great job.

Kim, I want to applaud your team on the earlier information that they shared about where we are with the economy, where we are with product, where the industry is. I was just like, "Wow, this is just so amazing," so I would love to have ... I'm going to start with you, Michelle, kind of your thoughts on both from what you're seeing on the products and the economy, but also in your area of Tennessee and I think a little bit further you guys go, of what you're seeing for this year and how you're looking at differentiating your business, because we saw some opportunity, but we saw some softness too. So, what are you doing to kind of prepare?

Michelle Boykin: I think first thing that we're doing is trying to not have PTSD from the material shortages. Anytime you hear price increases from everybody, you kind of go, "Oh, oh, here it comes," or, "Oh, we don't know what's going to happen with the tariffs," and all those sorts of things. So for us, it's sort of going, "Nope, we're prepared. We're going to be prepared, and here's how we're going to be prepared." So, we've sort of set out a plan to make sure that we're ready in case shortages do happen, hope they don't, but you know, you're always wanting to be prepared for that.

But also making sure that we're up-to-date on the latest technologies. What's the newest product line that's coming out? Which comes down to relationships with our manufacturers, so making sure that there's a trust there, that there's a relationship built there, which was talked about earlier this morning. But making sure that the communication is open and honest, and you know, "Hey, we need help with this. Is there an innovative solution that we can have on a technical side of this to be more competitive?" Versus, you know, there's always the price and the labor and all that, but you know, how can we work through and be a real partner together?

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yeah, and it does differentiate you, who you're associated with. I think that is so true. Chuck, what are you looking at for your area for overall after seeing this information?

Chuck Chapman': Well, there's a lot of unknowns right now. There's a lot of things happening very, very quickly and what is going to be the long-term effect of those changes is, the jury's still out, right? We really don't know how things are going to change and what the effects are going to be. So, you have to be nimble. You have to be very, very long-range planning. You have to have your eyes wide open and be looking ahead to the future. You can't be just looking ahead to tomorrow. You can't be looking ahead to next week. You have to be thinking down the road, what if? What if? What are we going to do if this happens? What are we going to be doing if that happens?

And be open to all options. Explore all opportunities. I'm personally very positive about what's going to be going on, but that's just my personal mentality. But you got to be looking further down the road rather than just in the next week, because that's when those changes are going to start to happen and we just don't know what they're going to be.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Chuck, we talked a little bit earlier about National Women in Roofing, but we also have a huge trend or finally awakening, I'm going to call it an awakening, of our Spanish-speaking community and really differentiating your business by bringing that in. We heard that a little bit earlier with the technical team from Elevate and how important that is. Talk a little bit about that overall, those initiatives to kind of differentiate, open your business.

Chuck Chapman': Well, for us, I mean, it's over 80% of our workforce. So, the biggest thing that I've seen that the guys really respond to is embracing their family. Their community is tremendously family-oriented, so you have to respond and reach out to them so that they feel like they are part of the family. Incorporate their family into your family, and it seems to be a very, very positive effect on those guys in that respect.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yeah, and I think that is part of differentiating your business, right? It seems like we talked just marketing, but really, it's the culture of your business differentiates you out into the market as you go. I have some thoughts, Kim, but I want to ask you, Michelle, on that same differentiation as what you're seeing, both on ... You mentioned women earlier, but also with the Spanish-speaking community.

Michelle Boykin: Yeah, so we, for Rackley, we have an education specialist. He's OSHA 500-certified. He's got all the trainings. He's gone through, I'm going to mess it up, the pro trainer. I know that's not what it's called, the NRCA program for training?

Heidi J Ellsworth: TRAC.

Michelle Boykin: He's done all of that, but he's bilingual, so we can do trainings in English and in Spanish. But aside from that, to go back to technology, how many people in the room actually speak Spanish?

Heidi J Ellsworth: A few, a few hands.

Michelle Boykin: A few. Awesome. Okay. If you don't, it's okay. There is very, very cheap technology out there, not just your cell phone that you can use, to speak Spanish with your workforce. There's a product that I have, it's called a and I speak Spanish, there's a product that I have that's called a, I'm going to mess it up, WTI Plus, I think is what it's called? You can get it on Amazon for like 100 bucks or maybe 200 bucks, and it looks like AirPods. You put it in, and then you select actually the dialect that you're speaking. So, if you're speaking to somebody from Guatemala, you can pick out Guatemalan Spanish or if you're speaking to somebody from Mexico, you can pick out Mexican Spanish and it'll actually specify the dialect and it will translate in your ears real time. So, you can carry on a conversation with your field staff much easier than sort of the Google Translate, where pick your phone up and then you put it down. Very cheap on Amazon. I don't get any money from that. Just a plug, shameless plug, but-

Heidi J Ellsworth: And there's your nugget right there. I know you've been doing that for a couple years.

Michelle Boykin: Oh, yeah. We've had it for probably five years. Yeah.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yeah, it is phenomenal. Kim, not too many people are better at marketing. I'm just going to say that.

Kim Eckerman: Oh, thank you.

Heidi J Ellsworth: You are the leader in the industry when it comes to that. How is Elevate working with contractors to differentiate their business to be ready for whatever may be happening in 2025 and 2026?

Kim Eckerman: Yeah, a lot to come. We were at the International Roofing Expo last week, and it was one of the best IREs I've ever attended. We had an overflowing booth for Elevate, but part of the reason was because we were doing product demonstrations right there within our booth and doing those in both English and Spanish.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Nice.

Kim Eckerman: So important to be able to reach across all those audiences and make sure that the information that we have about our products, our trainings, our installations, is available in both languages. And we, of course, working with our collateral pieces as well, making sure that we have the availability across both those in English and Spanish and French as well for everyone in Canada.

You heard from some of our training group and our warranty as well. We work together internally to make sure that you have the service that you need, that you've got the quality products that you expect and that we can listen and be ready to react for the things that you need. It's why we've been in this Master Contractor Program and supporting this for nearly four decades, so you can imagine that we've learned a lot and grown a lot through that time. We know that you as contractors have as well, but I think that that means that we have a wealth of knowledge about what it takes to help support you in your businesses, make sure you have those products that you need and that we're providing the right support that it takes for you to continue to have the trust and know that the reliability is there and continue to grow your businesses as well, whether that be with adding women to your workforce, adding people ... Spanish-speaking to your workforce, or just continuing to grow with everything that you're doing.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Okay. I'm going to give a little bit of a trick of the trade here. As contractors, whether you're listening to this podcast or sitting here in the audience, one of the secret sauces of this industry is working with the marketing teams of your manufacturers. They will help you write case studies, they will help you get video, they will help you get on RoofersCoffeeShop podcasts. They will help you do all of those things. And a lot of times, probably everyone in this room already knows that, but that is one of those tricks. You, and I'm going to go back to Michelle and Chuck on that, just on really that relationship and knowing who to go to, right, whether it's marketing, because you need help with your business that way or the technical, how important is that and how much has that differentiated your company, Michelle?

Michelle Boykin: Well, again, a lot of times it has to do with your relationship. If you have a great relationship with your rep in your area, they're going to connect you to the right people. So if I said, "Hey, I've got a case study I want to do," then my rep is going to go, "Oh, well, Kim's your person," or whatever that needs to look like, so making sure that you have those connections and that's what this industry is about is connections. I met Heidi 10 years ago, I don't know, 15 ... a long time ago.

Heidi J Ellsworth: A long time.

Michelle Boykin: And because of her, I got involved in National Women in Roofing. Because of that, I got involved in RT3. Because of that, we won Innovator of the Year. Because of that, we got involved in NRCA. Because of that, I'm sitting up on this stage, right? So, all those things happened because of relationships and connections.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yeah, yeah.

Michelle Boykin: Absolutely.

Heidi J Ellsworth: And being willing to reach out and just say, "Hey, we want to take our business this way. Who can you connect us to? How do we do that?" Because the roofing industry is so special, and I'm kind of speaking to the choir here. So Chuck, how important are those relationships to you?

Chuck Chapman': Oh, they're invaluable. I'll be the first one to admit, I don't know everything. I don't even know half of everything, but I got a lot of people I can call that are going to get it done, whether it's any of the people up here or a lot of these people in this room. Involvement in associations, I can't push it enough. It's huge. Those networking opportunities, you can't really put it down on paper and what that ROI is, but the people and the contacts you make, just like Michelle was just talking about, she's gotten involved and done all these things because of all those networking opportunities and all the people that she's met, so it's priceless.

Heidi J Ellsworth: It is priceless. Kim, last thoughts?

Kim Eckerman: Yeah. Well, what an amazing opportunity this has been. We are so fortunate to have you available to come and do this live version of your RoofersCoffeeShop podcast on the road here with us in The Bahamas. And I think there's a lot of knowledge in this room, and so I think it's so important for us to be able to network together and connect and share that knowledge across learning, whether it be from technology, what are you doing to solve for your businesses with labor shortages? We're all facing the same issues. We're working with you as your manufacturing partner to try and help solve for those as well. And so, yeah, I'm just really excited to have all the insights today to be able to share and bring this group together.

Heidi J Ellsworth: I love it.

Kim Eckerman: Very cool.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Thank you. Thank you for having us. This has been so amazing. I want to say thank you to Michelle and Chuck. Thank you for coming up to the stage and sharing your wisdom and knowledge. This is what it's really all about. And to all the podcasters out there right now who are listening, please visit the Elevate directory on RoofersCoffeeShop. For everyone sitting here, please visit the Elevate directory on RoofersCoffeeShop, along with the SkillsUSA directory, along with NRCA, Davis, RT3. You can find it all there. We are so proud to have this live podcast, and we will be coming to you throughout. We're going to be having all kinds of information out there on social media, so check it out. Thank you all for being involved with this podcast today.
Woohoo. Thank you.

Outro: If you've enjoyed the ride, don't forget to hit that Subscribe button and join us on every roofing adventure. Make sure to visit RoofersCoffeeShop.com to learn more. Thanks for tuning in, and we'll catch you on the next Roofing Road Trip.

The award recognizes a roofing contractor who has demonstrated a commitment to technology and the advancement of the roofing industry.

Roofing Technology Think Tank (RT3), a group of progressive roofing professionals focused on technology solutions for the roofing industry, announced that it has opened the nomination period for the 2024 Innovator of the Year Award. This award was created to nationally recognize a roofing contractor that has contributed to the advancement of the roofing industry through technical innovation and/or product development in one of the following areas:

• Production/technology efficiency
• Safety innovation
• Client service/quality of delivery 
• Employee recruitment/training/retention
• Environmental impact

Award judging criteria will be based on innovation, results, design and strategy. Nominations are reviewed blindly by a team of RT3 members and past award recipients who select the winner. The 2024 recipient will be announced at the Best of Success conference, December 4-6, 2024, at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa in Bonita Springs, Florida.

To be eligible, a roofing contractor must be licensed and bonded for a minimum of five years and have a minimum $2 million in annual revenue. They also must be a member of a professional industry association and be able to cite community enrichment ties through support of non-profits or company culture programs.

Previous winners include John Kiesel of Galena, Ohio-based Division 7 Roofing (2023), Joe Hoffman of Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Hoffman Weber Construction (2022), Ken Kelly of Naples, Florida-based Kelly Roofing (2021), Scott Riopelle of Denver, Colorado-based Interstate Roofing (2020) and Curtis Sutton of Carthage, Tennessee-based Rackley Roofing (2019). 

For more information and to submit an award application, visit our website. There is a $50 nomination fee to cover processing and award costs. The nomination period closes September 30, 2024.

About Roofing Technology Think Tank (RT3)

Roofing Technology Think Tank (RT3) strives to find innovative technology solutions to be used within the roofing industry.  RT3 provides insights from progressive thought leaders both inside and outside the roofing industry along with practical resources for implementing potential solutions successfully. The organization will encourage and enable contractors to embrace technology as they seek to grow their businesses.  With a commitment to disseminate technology advancement information, RT3 will help build the professionalism and appeal of the roofing industry. www.rt3thinktank.com.

By Emma Peterson. 

Follow Michelle Boykin’s story to learn how she joined the industry and found success.  

Meet Michelle Boykin, the chief operating officer at Rackley Roofing Company. She’s been in the industry for over 15 years and has served as the chair of National Women in Roofing and is currently the president of the Commercial Real Estate Women of Nashville. Coffee Shop crew member Megan Ellsworth got the chance to interview Michelle for an episode of the Stories from the Roof podcast. During the conversation, they spoke about finding their own path and place in a male-dominated industry. 

Michelle graduated with a degree in accounting and found her way to roofing in 2008. She explained, “There was this ad for an office manager, and that's what I was at the time in property management office.” That was her first step into the roofing industry, and she hasn’t looked back since. Michelle summed up her journey, “I've done everything from receptionist to running our service division to now running our leadership team basically. So lots of stuff.” 

But even as she was falling in love with the industry, Michelle encountered her fair share of challenges. She explained, “For probably the first four to five years that I was in roofing, I never stepped foot on a roof. I didn't know that was an option.” She said that things changed for her when her mindset changed. She elaborated, “Heidi Ellsworth was very instrumental in my roofing leadership skills. She really pushed me to start a council in National Women in Roofing and really know my worth and know my value and all of that.”  

When reflecting on those challenges and the power that comes from understanding her value and skills, Michelle said that understanding herself was one of the most important things to her success. Through her career, she’s realized that knowing herself has been crucial to building her career and working with others. She closed, “But really the journey here, I don't think that I would change a single thing.” 

Read the transcript or Listen to the podcast to learn more about Michelle’s story.

By Emma Peterson. 

Learn how NWiR brings women and others in the industry together to empower one another.  

In an episode of Roofing Road Trips®, the executive committee of National Women in Roofing (NWiR) visited with host Megan Ellsworth to discuss the organization’s plans for 2024! Previous chair Michelle Boykin, current committee chair Jennifer Keegan, vice chair Anna Anderson, secretary Christine Mockenhaupt and treasurer Christee Holbrook shared their latest insights on the NWiR’s plans for the year. Beyond their work with NWiR, these women are excelling in the industry in their day-to-day businesses. Christee is the owner of Graham Roofing in West Point, Mississippi and Anna owns the marketing agency Art Unlimited. Michelle is Rackley Roofing’s chief operating officer; Christine works at SRS Distribution Inc., and Jennifer is the senior director of building and roofing sciences at GAF. 

Through their work at NWiR, they are pushing the industry forward, helping both women and men feel empowered on and off the roof. One of the ways they are trying to expand the industry to include more talented people is through their NWiR Days event. This year’s event happened at the beginning of February, and featured Dr. Kimberly Hardin as the keynote speaker. Jennifer explained the reasoning behind this choice, “We really wanted her to hit home the point of how we can all really advance in the industry collectively by leveraging allies and advocates.”  

Anna added that they introduced a Spanish track at this year’s event. She shared, “We have a full segment of classes that are dedicated to making sure that we have diversity for our audience.” In addition to multilingual classes, they had live translation of the keynote speaker! NWiR works day in and day out throughout the year to create spaces for women in the industry to network and support each other. Christine explained, “I go back to when we started National Women in Roofing. Roofing is the common denominator that draws us together and there's so many different aspects of being in this together and being able to empower each other.” Michelle added her thoughts, saying, “Before we had National Women in Roofing, we were alone, we were forging our own path.” Now they are walking side-by-side, supported. Christee summed up NWiR’s goals, simply describing it as “elite women rising and thriving together.” 

Read the transcript or Listen to the podcast to learn more about NWiR and their work.

By Dani Sheehan. 

Rackley Roofing’s COO Michelle Boykin shares valuable lessons throughout her career in roofing. 

In a recent episode of Stories from the Roof, sponsored by Johns Manville, Megan Ellsworth joins Michelle Boykin, the COO of Rackley Roofing to learn more about her journey through the roofing industry, discussing lessons she’s learned and wants to pass on to others. 

Not only the current chief operating officer at Rackley Roofing Company in Nashville, Tennessee, Michelle is also a past chair of National Women in Roofing (NWiR) and the current president of CREW Nashville, a commercial real estate group for women. She shares about her journey through roofing, explaining, “I’ve been in roofing for about 15 years, and I’ve been at Rackley for 13 of those. I’ve done everything from receptionist to running our service division to now running our leadership team.” 

When asked about what lessons Michelle has learned from roofing, she enthusiastically tells Megan, “I've learned a lot about myself and my value and worth. For probably the first four to five years that I was roofing, I never stepped foot on a roof. I didn't know that was an option. And once I did know that was an option, it was like, ‘Oh, well, the doors have opened.’” 

She never was a big fan of public speaking but realized that to be an effective leader in this industry, she needed to find a way to move past her fear. It’s now part of her everyday job and she loves helping others and meeting other leaders. She doesn’t feel like she would do anything differently, but had she known at the start of her career, she shares, “I would've started learning about myself more. There's a lot of things that as you get into leadership, you learn personalities, you learn how to deal with people in certain ways. You learn that not everybody acts like you or works like you. So, I think it would've been helpful to know that information earlier on in my career.” 

Read the transcript or Listen to the podcast episode to hear more great lessons from Michelle and some of the work she’s done with other organizations.

By Lauren White.

Five teams presented during the 10th anniversary of the Construction Management Student Competition. 

Day 2 of the International Roofing Expo (IRE) 2024 and we're starting the day with one of our favorite events, the Roofing Alliance Construction Management Student Competition, which is celebrating it's tenth anniversary (the year of tin) this year!

This competition promotes careers in roofing industry management. Each team is comprised of four undergraduate students and they create their own roofing company and assume the roles of superintendent, project manager, QA/QC manager and safety manager, among others. 

Ten teams submitted written proposals by November 17, 2023 for the judges to review and score prior to the competition. Five finalist teams were selected to travel to Las Vegas and compete. The teams include:

1. Bradley University - Competing for the fifth time this year, team members include Tyler Pilon, Tadgh Spillane, Attilio Levato and Adam Wascher (team captain). 
2. Texas A&M - John Falavolito (team captain), Julian Hood, Yahir Santiago and Hogan Leftwich. They started us with a Aggie "howdy!" to start the presentation.
3. University of Florida - Grayson Johnson, Rachel Deal, Nick Hanson and Davis Lunger
4. Auburn University - Kyle Shaull, Jack Armstrong, Mary Madalyn Massengale (team captain), Arjun Varadhan
5. Colorado State University - Caleb Borton, Ryan Schmick, William Macquire (team captain) and Carson Stevens

Each year, a building is selected for the project in the same location IRE and the Student Competition take place. This year, the students project was the Formula 1 Paddock Building in Las Vegas, Nevada. As part of the written proposal, each team researches the project, reviews plans and specifications and creates a full estimate and proposal to submit a qualified bid package. Also important is finding a competitive edge to differentiate themselves from their competition.

Unique to the Formula 1 Paddock project is the dual purpose of the roof — not only does it provide protection to the building and its occupants, but portions of the roof system also serve as rooftop viewing areas of the Paddock. Other factors include a very tight timeframe to complete the project, as well as planning for a safe work environment, which all wil be considered by the judges.

A panel of roofing professionals score both the written proposal and the oral presentation today. And new this year are audience judges who also score the written presentation today but have not seen the written proposal before. Michelle Boykin of Rackley Roofing was one of the judges and she said, "It's fun to be a part of the judging proces. It's great to see this next generation having so much excitement and energy for the roofing industry. You can see and feel the energy they have for it. And it's just a really great experience."

After each presentation, the eight judges of the panel have time to ask questions of the teams. The judges assume the role of general contractor, owner and design team looking to assemble a team that can meet the demands of the project at hand. 

Considerations such as weather, project timeline, technology, safety equipment and training and material pricing, among many other details are considered by the students during their project proposals and presentations. During the oral presentation, students are scored on the quality of their presentation, the feasibility of their project management, innovation and use of technology, quality of safety and quality control/quality assurance, and their answers to the judges questions.

These oral presentations were not only looked professional, but the students spoke eloquently, presented well thought out proposals with very specific details and know roofing.

Tonight, the winning team will be announced during the NRCA Awards Ceremony and Reception. Stay tuned to see which of these deserving teams is the 2024 winner of the Construction Management Student Competition!