By North Texas Roofing Contractors Association (NTRCA). 

NTRCA’s bowling event offered networking opportunities, friendly competition and seasonal festivities for attendees. 

The North Texas Roofing Contractors Association (NTRCA) brought the local industry together for a festive year-end celebration on December 11, 2025, hosting members and guests for a bowling social at Bowlounge Dallas. The event welcomed professionals from across the roofing community, including partners from the Midwest Roofing Contractors Association (MRCA) and Roofing Contractors Association of Texas (RCAT), for an evening focused on connection, camaraderie and celebrating shared success in the North Texas market. 

Designed to blend networking with holiday fun, the gathering featured friendly competition on the lanes, seasonal food and drinks and plenty of opportunities to reconnect with colleagues. From spirited bowling matchups to lively conversations, the night captured the energy and unity that define NTRCA and its commitment to strengthening relationships throughout the regional roofing industry. 

Giving back with Toys for Tots 

Thank you to everyone participating in our Toys for Tots drive! Together, we collected over 100 toys and donated $1,700. We’re proud to make a difference in our community alongside our members and partners. 

Most Festive Contest winners  

• 1st place - Kiki Fuller 
• 2nd place - Will Greer 
• 3rd place - Sidney Curtis 

Bowling winners - 5:45 p.m. session  

• 1st place - Reese Arrington  
• 2nd place - Chris Arrington 
• 3rd place - Reagan Cross 

Bowling winners - 7:00 p.m. session  

• 1st place - Sidney Curtis 
• 2nd place - Chad Davis 
• 3rd place - Toni Kuncl  

Thank you to our sponsors 

This event wouldn’t have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors. Thank you for helping us create such a fun and meaningful night for our members: 

• 838 Coatings 
• Calhoun Law Firm 
• Dataforma
• Fisher Roofing Company 
• GAF
• Inland Coatings 
• In The Dry 
• KAW Roofing 
• Malarkey Roofing Products
• MFM Building Products Corp.
• MRB Mechanical 
• OMG Roofing Products 
• Service First Solutions
• Sika Corporation
• Topps Products

Be sure to check out the photos from the event and relive the highlights! 

Original article and photo source: NTRCA

By Emma Peterson. 

Discover how RejuvaRoofs offers a repair alternative to tearing off and replacing shingle roofs.  

When Jen Silvers founded RejuvaRoofs, she was trying to solve a problem she had seen in her work as a roofing contractor in Utah – the lack of options for extending the life of a roof without having to pay for a full roof replacement. To learn more about how she is solving this problem through RejuvaRoofs, she sat down with Megan Ellsworth for an episode of Roofing Road Trips®.  

The conversation opened with the brand’s product offerings. Jen explained, “Our product is a methylester-based formula with a liquid rubber copolymer in it. It is applied to exposed fiberglass matting around the edges of shingles and actually reactivates the tar strip to spread back out and cover the fiberglass, resealing the roof.” By resealing the fiberglass mat, RejuvaRoofs is able to is able to extend the lifespan of the roof in an economical manner.  

In fact, RejuvaRoofs is so confident in the performance of their product that they offer their certified applicators a 10-year product warranty! Jen shared a bit about what this warranty covers, “If a certified applicator applies your product and it fails, we will cover the cost of the product. We chose to go with the warranty for certified applicators because we want our applicators to be confident in how they're doing the work and the fact that they're doing it the right way to give homeowners that peace of mind.” So, how do you become a certified applicator?  

The first step is to go to RejuvaRoofs website. On there, you will find a form to fill out to apply to become a certified applicator. Jen went into more detail, sharing, “When you submit the form, we send you a sample estimating template, to show how you could price this out and present it as a good option to the homeowner. From there you will be sent the certified applicator requirements and asked to return when you have evidence of fulfilling them. Once all of that is done, you can start helping your clients extend the lifespan of their existing roofs. As Jen explains, “RejuvaRoofs is a way you can help homeowners keep their homes secure for maybe a third of the cost of a full replacement. And it’s not a permanent solution, every roof product has a lifespan, but you can buy them at least 10 more years, maybe even 20 if you reapply proactively.” 

Tune in to the whole Roofing Road Trips® episode to learn more about RejuvaRoofs.

By Emma Peterson. 

Learn how RejuvaRoofs rehydrates and reactivates steep-slope roofing products.  

Meet RejuvaRoofs, an innovative company that is helping contractors extend the lifespan of a roof! To learn more about this company, Megan Ellsworth sat with Jen Silvers, the founder of RejuvaRoofs, for an episode of Roofing Road Trips®.  

RejuvaRoof was born of Jen’s realization that steep-slope roofing doesn’t have an equivalent to fluid-applied restorations like low-slope roofing does. She explained, “I own a small roofing company in Utah and I noticed the lack of options for homeowners when their roof needs worked on. It’s often just a replacement. And, while some roofs need to be fully replaced, there are a lot of homeowners who just need some kind of a fix.” 

So, Jen got in contact with some asphalt engineers and founded RejuvaRoof to create the options she had been searching for as a contractor. What they came up with was a formula that not only rehydrates the shingle but also activates the tar in the asphalt. Jen explained this in more detail, saying, “Our product is methylester-based with a liquid rubber copolymer in it. That allows the tar strip to reactivate and reseal. In other words, our product gets the tar to spread back out and cover the fiberglass mat again. This is key as fiberglass mat becoming exposed and subsequently wet is often the cause of roof leaks down the road.” 

By creating a restoration option for steep-slope roofs, Jen and RejuvaRoof are helping homeowners save upwards of $30,000-$80,000! And the cherry on top is the sustainability of RejuvaRoof’s method. As Jen put it, “We’re really lengthening the cycle of a roof’s lifespan. And as we do that, we’re reducing the sheer amount of roofing materials that’s going into landfills each year!” 

Listen to the entire conversation between Jen and Megan to learn more about RejuvaRoof and their incredible restoration products.

By Jessica Bravo.  

Head to Texas for this must-attend event for roofing contractors to network and grow your business.  

The North Texas Roofing Contractors Association (NTRCA) invites roofing professionals to connect, learn and grow at the 2025 Not So Mini Trade Show on August 7 at the Hilton DFW Lakes. This industry event is a unique opportunity to build your business one partner at a time. 

Enjoy a complimentary lunch sponsored by Solar Royal and enjoy a refreshing cold beer courtesy of Topps Products Inc., all while networking with some of the top names in the roofing industry. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., guests can engage with exhibitors, discover new products and form valuable connections that can take their businesses to the next level. 

A variety of notable industry leaders will be present, including: ABC Supply, AccuLynx, BITEC, EagleView, IKO, Johns Manville, Malarkey Roofing, National Women in Roofing, Owens Corning, SRS Building Products, TAMKO, The Catch-All and Western Colloid. Make sure you stop by The Coffee Shops™ table and say hi to our crew!   

Whether you’re looking to attend, exhibit or sponsor, the Not So Mini Trade Show offers a platform to engage with contractors, vendors and innovators from across the region. Exhibitors can showcase their products and services, while sponsors benefit from increased brand exposure to a highly engaged audience. 

This year's event is made possible thanks to the generous support of sponsors including: QXO, GAF, CertainTeed, Ensley Benitez Law, PC, Coast, Polyglass and Pacific Coast Supply LLC.  

While walk-ins are welcome, early registration is strongly encouraged to secure your spot at the event. Registration fees are $20 for contractors and $150 for associates. See for yourself the fun and excitement of this event in these photos from last year! 

Don’t miss this chance to invest in your business and your future. Register here.  

By Lauren White.  

There’s no voodoo involved when talking about cool surfaces at the CRRC Annual Meeting.  

Between ghost tours, vampire apothecaries and beignets, the Big Easy hosted the Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) annual meeting. From June 10-12, 2025, members of the CRRC, committee members, sponsors and interested individuals ventured south to New Orleans, Louisiana to talk about Cool Surfaces in Action.  

Day 1 - Committee meeting day  

After breakfast, handshakes and hello’s, the technical committee kicked off the day with roll call, minute approvals and proposed revisions and changes. George Daisy with DOW and the chair of the CRRC technical committee; Sarah Schneider, CRRC deputy director; and Stacey Weister, CRRC senior technical manager presented throughout the morning.  

About 40 people in person and a handful via Zoom convened for the first half of the day making decisions about definition edits and procedural changes to five-point reflectance test updates and insights on the program manual digitization project. 

After the lunch break, the educational committee meeting started both in person and via Zoom for those who couldn’t travel this week. Kurt Shickman, an interested individual and the educational committee chair; Audrey McGarrell, CRRC communications manager; and Iona Isachsen, Smart Surfaces Coalition shared:  

• Project updates and timelines for completion  
• Downloads and resources information  
• Cool surfaces lesson plan status update  

At the end of the day, the floor opened up for anyone to talk about new business, ask questions and for updates on ongoing projects and discuss future priorities and projects.  

Day 2 - Annual meeting time 

This year, about 70 people, ranging from roofing contractors and interested individuals to manufacturers and research and academic professionals, convened to hear updates, ask questions and learn about new initiatives happening across the nation.   

Sponsors for the event include: Ace Laboratories as a platinum sponsor; Duro-Last, 3M, Climate Reserve, PRI, MACOMA as gold sponsors; IKO, DOW, Atlas, Siplast, Westlake Royal Roofing Solutions, RoofersCoffeeShop® as silver sponsors; Topps Products and R&D Services as bronze sponsors. 

Attendees represented a range of professionals from state energy offices, laboratories, distributors, codes and compliance divisions and universities. Some companies in attendance included: Sherwin-Williams, General Coatings, Western Colloid, Polyglass, 3M, ACE Laboratories, Hawaii State Energy Office, National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), CertainTeed, National Coil Coatings Association, among others.  

A common theme throughout updates and presentations during the day was expanding reach and education. The CRRC continues to grow and while most members are located in the United States, there are now members in India and Australia. They also continue to broaden their reach through podcasts and webinars, speaking and showcasing at trade shows, publishing new resources, building up their social media – go follow them on LinkedIn, Instagram and Threads – and more! The morning was full of committee information and updates. 

Looking ahead, their goals are to continue to educate building contractors, increase code and program references, make cool surface research more accessible, and also improve and grow existing rating programs.  

Marty Hastings Award   

The 2025 recipient of the Marty Hastings Award is Kurt Shickman who has been a member of the CRRC for over a decade and has held multiple leadership roles throughout the years. The Marty Hastings Award was started in 2011 to honor Marty Hastings, a longtime CRRC board member and contributor. The recipient of this award is someone who makes great contributions to the CRRC and their efforts. In addition to the award, a monetary donation is made to a charity of the recipient’s choice. Kurt chose to donate to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), Future Climate Leaders Scholarship. The EESI is a nonprofit offering science-based education to policymakers and the public, aiming to build a sustainable, resilient future through solutions to climate, energy and environmental challenges. This donation will go to fund scholarships and other academic support programs for students at historically black colleges.  

Cool guest presentations about cool surfaces  

Adopting cool roofs in historically cool climates  

Julia Nassar, senior energy and climate planner for The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) for Greater Boston shared about “Expanding Cool Roof Awareness and Adoption in Metro-Boston.” MAPC is a regional planning agency serving the people who live and work in the 101 cities and towns of the Metropolitan Boston region. According to Julia, the frequency and severity of extreme heat events in historically cooler regions like New England where aging housing stock, low AC prevalence and limited heat-risk awareness leaves residents ill-prepared. MAPC’s Cool Roofs Initiative is a project aimed at expanding the awareness and adoption of cool roofs to help reduce heat and energy demand. Their goal is to promote the adoption of cools roofs in the Metro Mayors (16 cities making up the inner core of Boston) region through developing support tools and resources. 

Through the Cool Roof’s Initiative, they developed tools and resources to raise awareness among building owners, contractors and policymakers in Metro-Boston. Julia shared a variety of resources available, including: 

• Cool roof self-assessment: 11 question assessment to help people determine if a cool roof is right for a property  
• Cool roof suitability tool – Interactive map that allows users to identify opportunities for cool roof retrofits. 
• An Educational Toolkit that’s translated into five different languages  
• Market analysis of cool roof potential 

Data and climate action and heat mitigation  

Douglas Melnick, chief sustainability officer for the city of San Antonio, about heat mitigation efforts and ongoing research efforts in San Antonio. As the sixth largest city in the U.S. with 17% of the population identified as low income, rising temperatures are affecting more people, costing more and having major negative impacts. San Antonio saw a record high of 117 degrees Fahrenheit in 2024! According to Douglas, “Extreme heat is here and it’s only going to continue to get more severe as we see an increase in temperatures because of human-caused climate change.”  

During his presentation, “SA Climate Ready and Cool Neighborhoods: A Data-driven Approach to Climate Action and Heat Mitigation,” Douglas shared about the Urban Heat Mitigation Program that the City of San Antonio launched in 2024. Following an extensive mapping process, the City’s Office of Sustainability launched a Cool Neighborhood Program in four target areas to concentrate layered heat mitigation activities in conjunction with ongoing research. Based on the research, 73% of people shared that they were interested in cooler roofs as a strategy to mitigate heat. When cool roofs were installed on homes there was a significant 7.3% energy use reduction and a 10.1-degree reduction. The Cool Pavement Program started in 2023 and as of this year they’re on track to install 22.35 miles of cool pavement. Possible materials being tested are: GAF Streetbond – Durashield, SealMaster – SolarPave, GuardTop – Iron.    

Albedo management  

I learned a new term during this presentation: albedo. Albedo is the Latin word for “whiteness” or “lightness” and is the measure of how reflective a surface is. “Shine On: Recognizing Local and Global Benefits of Albedo Management” was presented by members from Climate Resolve. Bryn Moncelsi, deputy director, and Selena Melgoza, senior climate solutions analyst shared details about the Shine On Initiative, which was launched to recognize the full range of benefits of cool surfaces to spur broader deployment. A nonprofit based in Los Angeles, California, Climate Resolve’s mission is to champion equitable climate solutions. As of January 2015, Climate Resolve passed LA’s Cool Roof Ordinance and Rebate requiring all new and replacement roofs to be a cool roof. They were the first major city to establish a cool roof ordinance, and 10 years later, over 18 million square feet of cool roofing materials have been installed.  

While cool streets are still in the pilot phase, they continue to work with the community and industry partners to reach widespread adoption. According to Climate Resolve, 40% of asphalt cover radiates heat all day and night, making it crucial to cool these surfaces not only for people accessing the streets but also to curb the urban heat island effect. As part of their pilot they have installed cool materials in a variety of city blocks, outdoor basketball courts and have seen a heat differential as high as 12 degrees Fahrenheit. While it’s still gaining traction, to date there have been 182 lane miles installed and they’re looking forward to more adoption and installation in the future.  

This is my second year attending the CRRC Annual Meeting, and I learned just as much this year as I did last year in Las Vegas! It’s pretty incredible to be in the same room as other like-minded people from around the world who are working towards a more sustainable future. We write a lot on The Coffee Shops about sustainability and green initiatives, and the work the CRRC is doing is vitally important. I continue to be impressed with the brilliant minds who are helping the world stay cool. 

By Emma Peterson.

Kick off your summer with the Cool Roof Rating Council’s annual meeting on June 11, 2025!

The Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC)’s annual meeting is back for another year! The CRRC’s annual meeting is a great opportunity for professionals across the industry to learn about the latest cool roof research, provide input on CRRC activities and attend engaging speaker presentations. Last year, The Coffee Shops™ Editor Lauren White attended and had a great time. She shared a bit of her experience in an article after the show, saying, “As a first-time attendee of this event, I was blown away at not only the organization of the day, but the amount of information, research and technology that’s out there is astounding. In such a big industry, it’s amazing to sit in a room with 80 people from all around the world who all have the same interests and want the same things for our future.”

This year, the meeting’s theme is Cool Surfaces in Action and will be hosted at the Kimpton Hotel Fontenot in New Orleans, Louisiana. There have been a variety of sponsors that have made the meeting possible, including Duro-Last, IKO Industries, Westlake Royal Roofing Solutions, Topps Products, Western Colloid and us here at The Coffee Shops!

Logistics

The 2025 CRRC Annual Meeting will be held on June 11, 2025. Registration for the event is open and will remain open until June 3, 2025. There is a room block rate available at the host hotel, the Kimpton Hotel Fontenot.  

You can find more about getting lodging on the event registration page.

Guest speakers

One of the highlights of the annual meeting are the guest speaker presentations. These presentations share timely, accurate and valuable information about reflective building materials with attendees. The technical information shared within the presentations is backed up by rigorous studies. Check out some of the guest speakers for this year’s meeting:

• Julie Nassar, senior clean energy and climate partner at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) for the Greater Boston area
• Selena D. Melgoza (senior climate solutions analyst) and Bryn Moncelsi (deputy director) at the Climate Resolve
• Douglas Melnick, the chief sustainability officer for the City of San Antonio

Schedule

Pre-registration is required for all meetings. The annual meeting week will kick off on Tuesday, June 10 with Technical and Education Committee meetings. The following day, the Annual Meeting will commence with check-in and breakfast at 8:00 a.m. From there, attendees will get to attend presentations from leaders in cool surface implementation, CRRC organization updates, the board of directors election and presentation of the Marty Hastings Award. At the end of the night there will be a networking event that includes complimentary drinks and hors d'oeuvres.

Register for the annual CRRC meeting by June 3, 2025!

By Emma Peterson.

Learn why cities around the world, like Dubai, choose Topps Products for their roofs.

Nestled along the shore of the Persian Gulf sits the stunning city of دبي, in English, Dubai. One of the wealthiest of the emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE) federation, Dubai has long been known as the premier port city of the Middle East. Boasting comparisons to cities such as Singapore and Hong Kong, Dubai is a city of skyscrapers full of business, ports of trade and beaches that are the highlight of any tourist’s itinerary. Within the city, there is an incredible mixture of tradition and technology. One example of this is Dubai Internet City (DIC).

The DIC is the region’s leading tech business park. According to Locatina, it emerged out of unique economic zoning that aimed to foster the growth of information technology and communication companies. DIC’s official website describes the goals of the area, “We believe innovation is not a formula, it’s a collective effort and nobody does it better than our tech community comprising brilliant minds and businesses collaborating to write themselves into history. To meet the diverse needs of today’s modern businesses, Dubai Internet City offers a range of commercial spaces, facilities, business services and more.”  

But even the best developers in the world can’t change the climate, and Dubai’s certainly brings unique challenges, especially if you’re trying to keep technology cool. Like most of the area along the Persian Gulf, Dubai experiences year-round heat. The coldest this area gets is in January with lows around 49°F (15°C). Alternatively, the hottest temperatures can reach 104°F (40°C) in summer months like July. Because of this, sustainability and energy efficiency are a huge emphasis in Dubai and DIC. According to Middle East Economy, Dubai aims to “become one of the world’s most environmentally resilient cities and set an example for sustainable urban development. The establishment of this authority aligns with the UAE’s objective of achieving climate neutrality by 2050.”

This drive for sustainability is why many leading, multinational companies in the city have chosen to work with Topps Products, Inc. for over 40 years. Topps' high-performance roof coatings are known in the roofing industry for being incredibly energy efficient options. According to their website, “The Topps Seal® white roofing coating is an ENERGY STAR® certified product and has been proven to reduce rooftop temperatures by as much as 50°F (10°C). Less heat on top means less heat to radiate inside your building, thus resulting in more energy savings. Elimination of solar radiation also protects your roof from thermal movement, which is the most common cause of roof failure and premature breakdown.”

And the DIC is not the only area using Topps coatings to create more sustainable and energy-efficient buildings. Just in March 2024, The Coffee Shops got the chance to host Topps President and CEO, James T. Thomas, for an episode of Roofing Road Trips®. He shared some of the other places that have used Topps Products on the roof to make a healthier environment, “Our products are throughout every extreme climate imaginable, we've done the research station in Antarctica, several buildings and the Sony buildings in Dubai, and over to Saudi Arabia... We worked on an outdoor market in Da Nang, Vietnam and in Bamako, Mali, in Africa, we did the Mercy House projects there, cooling, providing thermal comfort. People felt the difference right away, they got it.”

To learn more about Topps Products and how their products are used around the world for sustainability initiatives, check out the full interview with James or their Coffee Shops Directory!  

Image sources in order of appearance: Dubai Internet City, Britannica, Dubai Internet City and Topps Products

By Jesse Sanchez. 

Explore the worldwide impact of cool roofs and their role in reducing energy costs.   

In a recent episode of Roofing Road Trips®, Megan Ellsworth sat down with James Thomas, CEO of Topps Products, to discuss the evolution of cool roof technology and its global impact. During their conversation, James shared insights into the company's journey and commitment to sustainability, particularly through its collaboration with the Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC). 

James expressed the significance of cool roofs in energy efficiency, stating the benefits beyond simple cost savings. "Cool roofs do matter," he said, recounting a personal experience that solidified his belief in the technology. “We had three air conditioner units in this 40-foot container unit. When we coated five sides of this container, we realized it started freezing on the inside. So, instead of using those three air conditioner units, we went down to one.” This anecdote demonstrates the tangible impact of cool roofs on energy consumption and the broader potential for energy savings. 

Beyond individual projects, James discussed Topps’ global outreach, including initiatives in extreme climates such as the research stations in Antarctica and hot regions like Dubai and Saudi Arabia. "Topps has been around. It's been tried, it's been proven," James said, representing the durability and reliability of their products in diverse environments. He also shared an innovative community project in Vietnam, where the application of cool roof coatings to an outdoor market not only made the environment more comfortable for vendors and shoppers but also preserved the freshness of the produce. 

James is not just focused on the present; he has big plans for the future of cool roofing, including expanding into related areas such as cool pavements and roads to further mitigate urban heat islands and reduce global CO2 emissions. He envisions a future where cool roofs and related technologies become the standard in urban planning, not just in the U.S., but worldwide. 

Read the transcript or Listen to the podcast to learn more about Topps Products’ journey and how cool roofs are shaping a more sustainable future! 

By Emma Peterson. 

Learn how coatings are the key to building a cooler future.  

In this episode of Roofing Road Trips®, Heidi J. Ellsworth spoke to CEO and President of Topps Products Inc., James T. Thomas. Topps was founded in the 1950s and James came into the company in 2018. He spoke about how the company’s heavy involvement with the sustainability and subsequently the Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) originated, “When we developed a Topps Seal in 1983, that's when we realized that white coatings, white roofs are the way to one, reduce energy costs, two, reduce the thermal movement (the expansion/contraction of buildings).” Essentially, even before CO2 and fossil fuels became a huge conversation, Topps was pushing for more sustainable, white coated roofs due to the energy and maintenance savings that come with them! 

So, when CRRC was formed in 1998 to develop standard methods for evaluating and sharing impacts of coatings and roofing products on the heat and energy used in the environment, Topps was a perfect fit! James emphasized, “When CRRC formed, Topps was a member of it.” To help understand CRRC’s mission and the significance of an exterior coating or product on heat and energy efficiency, James described a work site he was on, “We had three air conditioner units in this 40-foot container unit. When we coated five sides of this container, we realized it started freezing on the inside. So, instead of using those three air conditioner units, we went down to one.” 

That container was just the beginning. James has teams all over the world working with both Topps and CRRC to help make people happier and healthier. He described one such project, “We went to an outdoor market in Da Nang, Vietnam where people bring in their vegetables and their wares, spices, et cetera. Our team coated that roof, and the people actually felt the difference, even though there's no walls, it's open air, but also their vegetables did not wilt as quickly.” And James isn’t ready to slow down any time soon, he has visions and goals of expanding and marketing cool coatings and products in cities all over the globe.  

Read the transcript or Listen to the full podcast to learn more about Topps and cool coatings are building a better future.

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of a live interview with James T. Thomas from Topps Products Inc. You can read the interview below or listen to the full episode.

Megan Ellsworth: 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. Hello everyone. My name's Megan Ellsworth here at rooferscoffeeshop.com, and I am back for a Roofing Road Trip podcast, and today I am with the one and only James Thomas from Topps Products. So hi, James, how are you?

James Thomas: Megan, how are you doing? I'm doing fine.

Megan Ellsworth: Good, glad to hear it. I'm doing fine, fine, fine myself. I'm so excited to be chatting about you and Topps Products and everything you're doing with the Cool Roof Rating Council. So, I'll just have you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about you and Topps.

James Thomas: Well, I'm James Thomas, been around for a while, retired Navy guy, retired from Navy, did 20 years there, and I'm currently the chairman and CEO of Topps Products Group International and Topps Products, our coatings line, falls under that coating and repair products line. I was honored to take over Topps in 2018 and started working for Topps when I retired from the Navy as a vice president of international sales in 2015, but I first met the people, the previous owner of Topps and the family of Topps, because it's a privately-owned company in 2001.

Megan Ellsworth: Oh, wow.

James Thomas: So, we have a long history together and that's when I fell in love with the product. I fell in love with the projects we've done with it, and that's my story. Now, I'm happy to lead this wonderful team of personnel at Topps.

Megan Ellsworth: Oh wow, that's great. So congrats, 2018, so kind of close to 10 years of this new role.

James Thomas: Yeah, don't age me so quickly.

Megan Ellsworth: What am I doing?

James Thomas: What am I doing? But yes, it's been a wild ride, a successful ride and we just continue on making good quality products, meeting good people, training good installers and just going forward.

Megan Ellsworth: That's great.

James Thomas: And I like that.

Megan Ellsworth: No, that's amazing. So, can you tell us a little bit of the origin story of Topps Products and when the company started?

James Thomas: Absolutely. Actually, we've been around for quite a while. Its origins began in 1958 and that's where it started.

Megan Ellsworth: Oh, wow. T.

James Thomas: He gentleman who started it was an Army chemist and kind of started like that. A lot of the focus at that time when it did move into the coatings side of things was asphaltic based coatings, usually made from cut back from oil based products, and that's how it kind of got started. So 1958 in Cleveland, Ohio, and that's where we still have a manufacturing plant there, now in other locations as well, but that's kind of where Topps started, origin is 1958. The name Topps Products, the actual entity Topps Products started in 1994.

And again, it was making mostly asphalt based products, et cetera. And then the company started moving into making solvent based, still solvent based, but focusing on rubber products. And so, the first product that we made that was a specialized rubber based product was a repair product, which we call our universal repair product called Polyprene. It was known as Neoprene 66 when we sold it overseas, but it was Polyprene inside the USA. Now, think about this, this is in the late-'70s, and this product was made, Polyprene, and it's still out in the marketplace today. So, it tells you it has staying power.

So, that was our first rubber based product. Now, the feedback was from the contractors, and I'll tell you about how we worked with our certifying installers, the feedback from the contrast was, "Hey, this rubber based, solvent based repair product you have, it never cracks and it never gets brittle, but these asphalt coatings we're putting on, they tend to alligator and become brittle and start to crack, can you not make a coating or some type of sealant that has a similar properties as this product you have, Polyprene?"

And when I say Polyprene, this is just an example, this is done around a pipe and it's flexible, et cetera, but it's 100% rubber, brushable or trial grade. They ask, "Can you make a product like that?" And that's when we introduced our product Topps Seal in 1983. Again, these aren't new products, but we've been in the game for a long time, so that started in 1983. Having said that, Megan, now we're going to take it to the cool roof side of stuff. You asked, how did you guys get started with the CRRC? Well, when we developed a Topps Seal in 1983, that's when we realized that white coatings, white roofs are the way to one, reduce energy costs, two, reduce the thermal movement, expansion, contraction of buildings and simply, even though they didn't talk about CO2 gases back then or something like that, we knew it was about to save energy and maintenance costs, and that's how we started. So, we entered that business in 1983, actually.

Megan Ellsworth: Wow, that's way ahead of the curb, I feel.

James Thomas: Yes, so we've been around for a while and I think somewhere here, I move things around my desk quite a bit, we... I'll show you a sample of top of Topps Seal Excel, and this is a very old sample here. I like this and I know I'm long-winded, so you got to tell me, this is the metal sample. And when you see us at trade shows sometimes, we'll take this... This thing is old. There's a white coating on it, but we like it, because it doesn't break.

Megan Ellsworth: Wow.

James Thomas: So, everyone's doing this.

Megan Ellsworth: At like hundreds of shows.

James Thomas: Hundreds of shows, you can tell, and there you have it.

Megan Ellsworth: Oh my gosh.

James Thomas: So anyway, now for those who don't want white roofs, it comes in 12 standard colors, but the white roof is where you get our most reflectivity and we love it. We love cooling roofs.

Megan Ellsworth: Wow, us too. You guided the question perfectly. What are some other standout products that have played a big role in establishing Topps?

James Thomas: Well, so I mentioned our Topps Seal, which is our solvent based product, and these days everyone is saying, "Hey, lower the VOC better." Same thing, we have similar products, so we stay in that realm as well. We're still the mindset that oil and water don't like each other, so we love to have our solvent based products, cool roofing on metal roofs, because they expand and contract the most, but we have our Topps Seal WB, everybody has acrylics water-based products, but more importantly, one of our products that we have that we really like is for a 20-year cooling is what we call ThermRepel, which is for a metal roof and for a metal roof, 20-year cooling guaranteed.

Megan Ellsworth: Wow.

James Thomas: So that's our ThermRepel, and it's a fluoropolymer formula, and so that's how we enter that market that we think is quite revolutionary.

Megan Ellsworth: No, that is revolutionary. And what's the degree difference, would you say, with that 20-year cooling guarantee?

James Thomas: Well, for the outside temperature, because you never know what's going to happen on the inside. There's so many variables that go with that, but you're really looking at anywhere between this 50 to 60 degree temperature difference, if not more, depending on the climate you're in.

Megan Ellsworth: Wow, that's wild.

James Thomas: So case in point, we've been tested all these products, especially our originals globally throughout, because every extreme climate imaginable, we've done the research station in Antarctica and to several buildings and the Sony buildings in Dubai, all over to Saudi Arabia. Oh yeah, so we have a lot of staying power globally, been exporting basically since the '70s.

Megan Ellsworth: Wow, Antarctica.

James Thomas: 1970s, that is.

Megan Ellsworth: Oh okay, good. I'm glad you clarified. 1870s?

James Thomas: Oh yes, 1870.

Megan Ellsworth: Oh my gosh, wait, you just glossed over Antarctica. That's crazy, wow.

James Thomas: Well, Antarctica, they have nice beaches down there. So, Antarctica and that was some staying power there. So, in very cold climates and up to the hot climates where you have this thermal expansion and movement, Topps has been around. It's been tried, it's been proven.

Megan Ellsworth: Wow, that's super cool. So, how would you say from the '70s to now, Topps has evolved to meet these changing needs and challenges of the roofing industry?

James Thomas: Well, I'll tell you, we haven't really changed much, and I would tell you why is we like being a small company. We are a small company with a big reach. So, we have a flat organization and we are very careful with whom we partner with. And what I mean by that is our certified installers, some of these certified installers that we have, I'm working with their great-grandchildren. That's how long they've been with us. Now, we're not a multilevel marketing company or anything like that, but we are very careful who the roofers that we team up with, that we certify and we partner with, and then we engage with, and that's our staying power there. So even during say the dark times of COVID, et cetera, our partners, our certifying installers and our premier installers, which are ones who have really been with us a long time, they did very, very well.

And what I mean by that is when you see us marketing who we train, you'll see either myself or one of my other guys or one of my other guys training a contractor one-on-one. You will seldom see us in a room training multiple contractors at one time, because we're very careful and we want to know whom we're working with, and it is a family in the truest sense of the word. So, that's what makes us different. We don't sell to everybody. So, we're only in a few distributors that we team up with and our certified installers purchase our... If they want a warranty, they have to be certified with us. So, they purchase through those distributors, and we're very careful. That's how we go to market and stay to market, and we're still growing into market still, we're growing.

Megan Ellsworth: Wow. Well, this is so cool. So how did you get involved with the Cool Roof Rating Council and are you a member? What does that involvement kind of look like?

James Thomas: Yes. I would tell you when CRRC formed, Topps was a member of it, the previous owner was a member of it, and I think we let our membership lapse. And I don't know why, and I have a feeling after all the testing was done and we kind of just forgot about it. For me, like I said, I knew Topps in 2001 when I met them in Kansas, when the headquarters is in Kansas, but I became a believer of Topps when I actually started using it myself, Topps Products. I had several container units, 40 foot and 20 foot container units with equipment and air conditioning systems, et cetera. And let's just say case in point where I became a believer of cool roofs. This is where the cooling comes out. I'm going to get there.

Megan Ellsworth: I believe in you.

James Thomas: We had three air conditioner units in this 40 foot container unit where we're doing some work out of, and it had leaks in it, et cetera. So, I was only looking at it from the water situation or waterproofing. That's the only thing I was looking at. We coated five sides of this container, and then we realized it started freezing on the inside. So, instead of using those three air conditioner units, we went down to one. That's when I actually felt it. I was like, "Hey, there is something to this. This is not a joke. Cool roofs do matter."

They matter, and that's when I reengaged with the CRRC. I love the mission, I love the vision they have. My vision for the company since the beginning for Topps and working hand in glove, or hand in hand, as they say with the CRRC, it's a mind meld, we're together.

Megan Ellsworth: I love that.

James Thomas: And I enjoy it, so that's what we do, and that's how I want to grow CRRC, like I said, I love the mission and then I want to work together with architects and building owners to look at employing people to go into the industry, but also using cool roofs as a way to save energy costs, to reduce maintenance on their roofs and also just to do well for the environment.

Megan Ellsworth: Absolutely. I can't believe you went from three to one. Well, I can believe it actually. Air conditioning units, like you said, that just shows the power.

James Thomas: That's what made me a believer, and then secondary to that, I was like, "Oh, yeah, we can also seal leaks, too." So that's what came up-

Megan Ellsworth: And that's nice, too.

James Thomas: That's nice, too.

Megan Ellsworth: You're going to be comfortable and dry.

James Thomas: Comfortable and dry, and since then, we've actually taken it further than that.

Megan Ellsworth: Amazing.

James Thomas: Like I said, cool roofs are global now. It's growing in Europe, so our European team is working that. Our South Africa team and Africa team is working... Our Asia team has been on from the get-go, and of course the United States here, but we work with nonprofits as well as part of our corporate social responsibility.

Megan Ellsworth: Very cool.

James Thomas: And we call it thermal comforting, so we bring in our thermal comforting, we do a cool roof. Case in point, we did an outdoor nonprofit... Basically, it's an outdoor market in Da Nang, Vietnam, and people bringing in their vegetables and their wares, spices, et cetera. Our team in Vietnam coated that roof, and the people actually felt the difference, even though there's no walls, it's open air, but also their vegetables did not wilt as quickly, and that was something I thought was pretty nice and pretty good. And then we go into some dangerous areas, too, in Bamako, Mali, in Africa, we did the Mercy House projects there, cooling, providing thermal comfort. People felt it right away, they got it. And we're doing several more in the USA and also South Africa, et cetera. Cooling with me is global.

Megan Ellsworth: Global and social and community-based. Wow, that's so cool. That's a whole podcast in itself, everything you guys are doing. That just makes my heart warm.

James Thomas: And we talked about the cooling on that side, but we're also looking at... For the future, if you go into global cities and cooling, et cetera, we're looking at ground products as well, like pavements. There are companies, our products already in the market, we're looking at working with them to still focus on roofing, that's our main thing, that's our main roofs and coating roofs and otherwise repairing roofs. That's our core competencies and training installers to do that and working with distributors, but I'm very interested in going into the cool pavements routes, cool roads routes where we can really start affecting the global footprint and reducing our CO2 emissions, and it's a passive way of really getting things right.

Megan Ellsworth: Those heat islands. I live in a city and the summer is just brutal, and then you go out of the city, not even five miles, and it's like 10 degrees cooler.

James Thomas: Cooler, exactly. It makes a difference. It does make a difference.

Megan Ellsworth: It does. I live in Denver. I would love them to have cool roads, that'd be awesome. So, we kind of touched on this a little bit, but how does Topps Products prioritize sustainability and environmentally friendly practices?

James Thomas: Absolutely, as matter of fact, I brought on... We take it so seriously, and like I said, we're a small company, big at heart, and we are global, like I said, but I can't do it all myself. So, I had to bring on Ms. Sarah Mark. Sarah Mark is head of our corporate social responsibility and our sustainable development goals. Basically, what we want to do is wherever we operate, we want to practice what we preach. So, some of the buildings that we've acquired, because we do have a commercial real estate side of our company. We want to ensure that they have cool roofs, number one, so practice what you preach, that's what we're doing. And then also from the sustainable development goal is preaching and actually expanding and marketing cool roofs globally, meeting with architects, building owners especially and just show them the benefits of cool roofs, and to that regard.

In addition to that, just to let you know, we have partnered with... It's called the Kingspan Group, but they have a tubular day lighting design product called Solatube. Now, what that is, it takes natural daylight and brings it into the building, so during the daytime, if you bring in these TDDs, tubular daylighting devices, roofers can install them on roofs. You can bring in natural light. Why do you have lights on during the daytime if you can use what God already provides us? So, imagine having a cool roof and day lighting systems already on the roofs to bring in, which are more than skylights. Skylights are there, that's okay, but with these tubular daylighting systems, they don't attract the heat. They don't bring the heat in as well, so you remove that heat.

Megan Ellsworth: Nice.

James Thomas: So, the cool roofs with the tubular daylighting devices, that's our way of marketing it together, is a way of really bringing in our SDG goals.

Megan Ellsworth: Wow.

James Thomas: That's what we want to do.

Megan Ellsworth: That would be a game changer. I would love that. I have lights on right now.

James Thomas: Exactly, and truth be told, I do too.

Megan Ellsworth: Well, we have to have good lighting,

James Thomas: But you have to have good lighting, yes, but in this particular building, I'm speaking to you from now, which is a recent acquisition of ours, it will have a cool roof on it and these tubular daylighting devices installed. So again, we practice what we preach, and that's the passive way of reducing energy dependency. And then as we move into solar as we are there, that's the active way of generating energy and reaching our sustainable development goals that we want to do.

Megan Ellsworth: Yes, absolutely.

James Thomas: Now, if I can, let me give you a quick plug if I can, Megan, is what we do on our corporate social responsibility side, which there's an organization, if I can, nonprofit that I've teamed up with and bless their hearts, I love working with them. It's called GraceWay Village in Fort Pierce, Florida, and so they serve meals together. I'm a proud member of the board. I love working with them, and I sit on the board as a board member. Annually, average 60,000 meals per year that they serve.

Megan Ellsworth: Wow.

James Thomas: And we also have a boutique area where people can come in and choose the clothes, especially teenagers. It's in a private setting, so that when they do go back to school, people don't know, "Hey, you got your clothes from here, blah, blah, blah." We reduce this bullying, but that's one of our corporate social responsibilities, CSRs, that we're doing in the USA, and there's countless others that we have overseas that we work hand in hand with, too, but I want to just put that quick plug in there for GraceWay Village, Fort Pierce, Florida.

Megan Ellsworth: Fort Pierce, Florida. Wow, that is so cool. And with everything that's going on, people struggling, and I think that's so important and powerful. And for a company to really put their money where their mouth is or walk the talk or talk the walk, I think that's so important, so thank you for sharing.

James Thomas: Thank you and that's just one of our things that, again, I'm a veteran as well, so we do also take pride when we hire veterans and we do our best to bring on veterans either to our sales force or in our manufacturing facility, especially guys who have fallen on the hard times, particularly. We want to give them a second chance. We provide a second chance, and so we do look at that. Like I said, we're very small clique, a squad and we're in motion.

Megan Ellsworth: I love that. So, can you highlight any specific projects or success stories? I know you've already mentioned a few, but that Topps Products have made a significant impact and maybe how that has helped the CRRC and their goals and their projects?

James Thomas: Absolutely. I don't know if I'm supposed to mention the customer, but it was a major multinational corporation, and we started on their buildings in Japan, and they started realizing cool roofs were a thing and talking about a major impact, we started working on the roofs in 1993, and it took their... That was in their offices in Japan, their manufacturing plants in Japan. Recently, this company, I can't name them. I think my person over here who's pointing at me says, "No, I can't name them." Their North America offices have made us a product of choice for their buildings, for energy savings and cool roofs.

Megan Ellsworth: That's amazing.

James Thomas: So, it's spreading. This company has committed to it. I have to let them do their own announcements about how they want to incorporate tubular daylighting designs and cool roofs into their sustainable development goals, but they like Topps, they have history with our products. Our certifying installers are not fly by night guys. Some of them are family owned, they've been with us for a long time and then even the new ones we bring on, we provide a lot of oversight to them, so to ensure that as applications go as well as inspected. You get what you inspect, not expect.

Megan Ellsworth: I love that.

James Thomas: Like I said, we're very careful with that, and for the most part, it's a good job that happens. So that's one of the... Also, I will tell you this, the city of Hiroshima, Japan is working with us on some of their pseudo subway/public transport. So, that's an SDG thing that's really going to be huge. So, we're doing stuff in the USA, but believe it or not, since we've been around, we're small, a lot of people don't know who Topps Products is, that's okay, it really is okay, because the coatings are out there, they're a diamond dozen now, they're out there, but like I said, we go back to the origins of the '50s. We've moved on, we've seen things, we've done things we've failed, we've learned from failures and all along as we've been going on this adventure.

Megan Ellsworth: Wow. Oh my gosh. Well, it also just goes to show the global interest in cool roofs and sustainability practices, which makes me feel good and I'm sure all you listeners out there, I'm sure that makes you feel good, too. So, that's just really exciting to hear.

James Thomas: And the thing is, believe it or not, I'm not wedded to my own products. What I mean by that, if it's a cool roof product, I will help, even if people say we're competitors. No, I'm in the game for everybody. There's room for everybody. I actually will help manufacturers find customers overseas. We have a separate division, an export division for US companies to export overseas. We'll help them export their products, especially cool products. And at the same time, we have a veterans sales group domestically, which don't have to just sell my products, but they can sell and/or promote other products in the cool roof or cool spaces realm. I am happy to help. Again, there's so many products out there, and there's room for everybody, and however we can do it, the mission, I love it. I'm wedded to the mission of cool roofs, cool spaces. I'd like to do it.

Megan Ellsworth: That's what I love about associations like CRRC, because it's just a place for competitors to sit down without the facade of being competitors and help each other and talk about how we can all move this impact further.

James Thomas: Absolutely.

Megan Ellsworth: And so, that's so cool.

James Thomas: No, I really enjoy it, and again, like I said, the CRRC's mission and my mission are hand in hand, and I don't see competitors. Basically, what I mean by that is name the competitor, "Oh, your product's better than mine." I don't do that, and there's room for everybody. There's good products out there. It is just a matter of getting the people to install it properly.

Megan Ellsworth: Absolutely.

James Thomas: And that's where, like I said, we are very careful. We don't sell to everybody, and we're very selective who we engage with and partner with and move forward.

Megan Ellsworth: That's good to know. So, if a roofing contractor out here is listening to this, how do they get in touch with Topps to become a qualified installer?

James Thomas: That's an excellent question. One, reach out to us via phone or email us at support@toppsproducts.com. And like I said, we maintain a certain number of contractors per state, and that's all we work with. And then if that contractor is licensed to work in multiple states, they can carry on in multiple states, but just know that we sell to you, that's it. So, we're very careful how we do that. A lot of people see that as a bad strategy because you've got to sell to everybody, you got to grow, you got to be everywhere. No, our quality control is not with just the product, it's also with the installations, it's who we work with and we grow through those contractors, so we grow through that. We dedicate our time to them, and they got us and we got them, let's make it-

Megan Ellsworth: I love it. Are there any states that you're looking for contractors in?

James Thomas: I think you're in Washington State, right?

Megan Ellsworth: Colorado. Washington, yes-

James Thomas: That's where mama is.

Megan Ellsworth: Actually, mama's in Oregon.

James Thomas: Oregon.

Megan Ellsworth: We're all over the place.

James Thomas: You're all over the place. Well, listen, Oregon and Washington State would be great places, where we have two openings now for those states and there are several other states, just we can't name them offhand, but definitely. And in Colorado, I think we have one more opening there for a certified installer for Colorado, possibly two, I got to see.

And now that's a good thing to bring up is the landscape and roofing is changing as some of these... What's happening is some companies are being bought out by bigger companies. You're getting these mega roofing companies. So, we've had some smaller companies get bought out by a bigger company, but so in that situation, I have to replace it, because we like working with a smaller company. We can work with the big guys, we can do that and that's great, but usually they're doing their own things, but we love working with small, commercial contractors and we will help. If you're a residential contractor and you want to move into the commercial business and cool roofing and waterproofing, we'll help you. We'll help you with all the training and to get there, because we want to see their success.

Megan Ellsworth: That's amazing. Well, James, this has just been the best podcast, so I've had so much fun. Thank you for chatting with me.

James Thomas: You're just trying to flatter me.

Megan Ellsworth: I'm not.

James Thomas: No, listen, this has been great for me as well. I am camera shy, as you know, and I don't have a lot to say.

Megan Ellsworth: Oh, yeah, I've definitely noticed that.

James Thomas: But no, I thank you very much for having me, Megan, and again, good wishes to everyone, and I'm looking forward to it. And I guess I'll see you in June?

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah, see you in June at the CRRC annual meeting, and then where can people find information on Topps Products? What's your website? And we'll close out.

James Thomas: Www.toppsproducts.com, T-O-P-P-S-P-R-O-D-U-C-T-S.com. That's where you can find us.

Megan Ellsworth: Awesome. Amazing, well, you can also find all sorts of information on the Cool Roof Rating Council on rooferscoffeeshop.com, on their directory and everyone out there, make sure to go say hi to James and check out toppsproducts.com. This has been a fabulous Roofing Road Trip. I've had so much fun, and we'll see you on the next one.

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.