Industry Updates

Three major construction associations — AGC, ABC and NAHB — responded to President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure  plan. While investments are seen as needed and welcome, associations worry that the efforts will be “undermined by misguided labor and tax proposals.

In this Q&A, Brad Yoho, Director of Marketing from Dave Yoho Associates, discusses the state of lead generation for roofers in 2021, while also analyzing some of the most common mistakes that are made.

To achieve lasting change, it takes different perspectives and new ways of looking at things. It takes someone or some catalyst that's going to get you out of your comfort zones. Sometimes it even takes disruption to your organization to get the permanent improvements that you want.

Lead costs continue to escalate. As such, it is important to utilize “lower cost” lead sources while simultaneously using your leads more efficiently. Whether you are aware of it or not, you and/or your personnel may be mishandling leads.

Incentive plans are really, really hard to get right! For example, a common incentive plan is to reward a project manager for bringing in his/her projects on time and on budget. That sounds like a simple, effective program. But what's wrong with it? What might the unintended consequences be? 

The AGC recently predicted that pandemic-related issues mean the construction market won’t spark back fully to life until 2022. But a recent roofing market survey suggests that roofers are already well on their way to full recovery.

Thanks to the pandemic, what normally would have been implemented over a three-year cycle was condensed into just a nine-month span according to JLL’s State of Construction Technology Report. Here are some of the fastest-growing technologies in construction.

Many of the companies that were on top when Brady won his first Superbowl are now on life support. What does it take to keep your construction company on top? Here are six questions for keeping your company relevant and competitive over long periods of time.

As unusually vicious winter weather grips much of the nation, including areas not used to snow and ice, roofers are on the front lines of helping homes and businesses recover from the onslaught.

Clinging to old ways is definitely a habit that prevents contractors from achieving the successes they desire. Specifically, the industry-wide focus on crushingly hard work and long hours is — believe it or not — a barrier to long term success.

With a vastly different political landscape, an ongoing pandemic and an uncertain economy, roofers will be facing a host of new challenges in 2021 — but those who are prepared will also have a lot of opportunities. 

Legendary football coach Lou Holtz's unique philosophy on life includes three rules and four questions that are surprisingly pertinent to business leaders. Here's why.

Experts predict that technology is going to play a key role in keeping the industry stable and moving forward in 2021. Here's how contractors can best leverage that tech

Roofers can be forgiven for wanting to see 2020 fade away in the rearview mirror. Here’s a look at the top 10 articles roofers read this past year and a brief reminder of what they were about as the industry looks forward to a new year.

Knowing what not to do narrows the menu of choices, focuses the mind, and makes the most of a leader’s valuable time. So what are the four things CEOs should not be doing as 2020 comes to its end?

The International Roofing Expo announced in December that it will launch a virtual conference and expo in 2021 in addition to the physical event. Here are answers to frequently asked questions.

Given that 2020 has been unprecedentedly tumultuous, what should you as CEOs and construction leaders be focusing on right now? Here are the answers.

To close more sales, you need to generate more leads using the latest methods. These five marketing technologies will help you achieve your growth goals in 2021.

With the 2020 elections largely in the rearview mirror, here’s a look at what roofing lobbyists will be focused on in 2021 and how likely each outcome will be.

When, in a business sense, you put your own oxygen mask on first, you demonstrate that you’re ready, willing, and able to take your own medicine, to take your own advice.

With the 2020 presidential election apparently decided, and divided government again the result, industry leaders expressed cautious optimism for what a President Joe Biden might mean for the industry.

As technologies become more affordable and mainstream, experts predict the construction industry will become increasingly digitzied. One of the easiest technologies to implement is wearables. Here's why — and what you need to know.

Without understanding unique ability, contractors get pulled in too many different directions each day. That lack of focus causes them to fail to get the most out of themselves, their employees, and their organizations.

Roofers reported a mixed bag between the second and third quarters of 2020, with just under half reporting increased reroofing business and about 40% reporting increased reroofing contracts.

If you’re ready to step up your productivity, efficiency and stay ahead of the competition, consider implementing these technologies into your business.

Assembling a great team is the fundamental way to minimize the most vexing problems your business faces. Here's how to know (not feel or suspect or hope) that they have a great team.

NRCA, along with a coalition of 13 other industry associations, this month is launching the first regional and national forecasting model for the U.S. and Canada to help manufacturers and contractors better assess market demand and material supply needs.

In these volatile times, construction leaders need to communicate a clear picture of what the future looks like and what actions you're going to take to make a worsening business climate more livable

Virtual meetings and WFH will be a part of our business equations going forward. Here are five quick pointers for balancing your “return to the office” initiatives.

Not only will new hires become productive, engaged team members faster, but they also will know you are investing in their futures with your company and in the roofing industry.

In the wake of two major weather events — the derecho that tore through the Midwest and Hurricane Laura that ripped over Texas and Louisiana — material shortages are converging with a decelerating market and an increasingly volatile election season.

Your goal should be to develop your construction firm to the point where it goes on whether you, the senior leader, shows up for work or not. It has the potential to become perpetual because it isn’t dependent on only one person.

Construction firms are quickly finding that technology can play an important role in their ability to be more efficient, work remotely and enhance the safety of their jobsites.

The more pressing question roofers should be asking themselves is whether they have the combination of HR protocols and safety measures necessary to protect workers, subcontractors, customers — and ultimately the business itself.

Today’s candidates want more than just a job and a paycheck. They’re looking for companies that share their individual values and will allow them to flower as human beings as they go about building their careers.

Adjusting business procedures in response to COVID-19 may have revealed how technology can help you operate more efficiently. Successfully implementing that technology is another matter. 

Here’s what relief packages from both Republicans and Democrats propose, how they could impact roofers and what industry watchers are lobbying for.

NRCA has announced National Roofing Week 2020 will take place Aug. 23-29 to raise awareness of the significance of roofs to every home and building. Usually celebrated in June, this year’s event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

No one in their 2020 business planning foresaw a major pandemic. And yet here we are; our carefully laid plans are in disarray to say the least. If plans are useless, why plan at all? Here are four reasons it's more important than ever. 

Under normal circumstances, roofing is physically and mentally exhausting. But in the midst of a pandemic, spiking outbreaks and continued social unrest, roofers are more stressed than ever — and need more support than ever from employers.

Many roofing contractors make their business decisions based on their gut feeling or intuition, but that only gets you so far. It’s your data that will tell you what’s really going on in your business.

There are a few pretty solid reasons why the worst business advice ever uttered is, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." While it may seem sensible on the surface, here's why it's awful counsel when it comes to closely held companies.

With COVID-19 cases soaring nationwide as localities continue to re-open their economies, it’s more important than ever for roofers to ensure workers are following safety protocols and wearing proper personal protective equipment (PPE)

With many states reopening and employees coming back to work, it may seem as though the worst of the pandemic is finally over. But roofing companies need to start taking extra precautions now to prevent “waves” of liability lawsuits that are likely coming from workers and customers.

Now is the time to take a hard look inside of your business. Meet safely or virtually with your leadership team to identify areas for improvement. If you do not think you can objectively make an accurate assessment, consider bringing in a third party as a fresh set of eyes.

The biggest fear for successful people: the fear of becoming irrelevant. If people believe they have become irrelevant, their happiness declines dramatically. Here are five tips to avoid the trap of irrelevance and maintain happiness.

As roofers move forward with recovery, the federal government gave a much-welcomed helping hand with new guidance on PPP loan forgiveness and new legislation that extends the amount of time and flexibility to use the funds. 

Business is more and more about teams and teamwork, and a leader needs a team of equals. The old model of having a monarch with a gaggle of subservients who rely on the king to make every decision, in his infinite wisdom, is long gone. 

NRCA offers its Training for Roof Application Careers, designed to equip new and inexperienced field workers with information and skills to help them become quality roof system installers. 

As economies reopen nationwide and roofers begin to look toward the future, new survey results paint a fairly grim picture for the next quarter, even as some optimism remains for the third. But those same roofers largely fear that 2020 business will be down compared to 2019, a new survey shows.

The pandemic has thrown a kink into how all of us do business. Even if you had elaborate and well thought out plans, conditions are suddenly different. If plans are useless, but planning is indispensable, how do we move forward?

Leading a team or a company can be a challenge during normal times, let alone during the coronavirus pandemic. When the craziness of the virus started, this roofer was scared — then he remembered to lead. 

Recently, NRCA CEO Reid Ribble sat down with IRE Business Update for a far-reaching Q&A covering everything from the new round of PPP to pandemic-recovery lobbying efforts to what the new normal may look like for the industry. 

Media pundits — and even friends and neighbors — are speculating about what changes are likely to be permanent. Here's a list of 14 things that are likely to change on a more or less permanent basis. And three things that should absolutely not.

While some of the top roofers report minimal impact from coronavirus and remain optimistic about the rest of 2020, most roofers have seen a decline in sales. At the same time, roofers are struggling to understand how best to protect employees amid equipment supply shortages while maintaining their business. 

A technology-focused company took these three steps to make its business 100% virtual amid the coronavirus pandemic. Here's how the company did it — and what you can learn from that approach.

We're in a period the likes of which most of us haven't seen before. There have been many, many disruptive, shocking, scary, and momentous events in my lifetime, but this one seems to have taken on a life of its own. In short, we need leadership like never before. Which type of leader are you? 

As the economic and health severity of the coronavirus pandemic sets in, roofers nationwide are left with questions surrounding the $2.2 trillion “phase 3” relief package. Other industry leaders are calling for additional measures to help contractors directly. 

In any period of disruption, leaders must make incredibly quick adjustments on the fly. They must change how they think, change how they lead, and find ways to do business differently in challenging times.

Earlier this spring, roofers were raring to get started on what looked like the beginnings of a banner year. The economy was roaring, and jobs were plentiful, even the weather seemed to be cooperating. Then the first reports of coronavirus started coming in — and everything changed.

In times of crisis, your employees, partners, and vendors are looking to you for leadership, guidance, direction, and optimism. The following are five tips for how to manage through this unpredicted and unpredictable circumstance. 

Contractors are not particularly good at recruiting, hiring, training, and retaining outstanding talent. What are some of the root causes that make contractors have weak, atrophied muscles when it comes to recruiting and hiring, and, more importantly, what might they do about it? 

Studies show companies with more diverse teams outperform those with a more uniform workforce. And the roofing industry workforce shortage is driving contractors to create new recruitment and retention strategies. Diversity and inclusion are critical elements to this initiative.

Now more than ever – for reasons like a potentially softening economy, accelerating technological changes, increasing regulation, and ever-intensifying competition – contractors need to plan, renew, and reinvent.

For many roofers, the labor shortage isn’t just frustrating, it’s choking growth. But even in the midst of these difficult circumstances, some creative roofers are finding ways to recruit the workers they need to meet the demand.

Decision making in many family and closely-held companies is broken. Many family and closely-held businesses refuse to make decisions! In 30 years of working with contractors, I could probably count on one hand the times that NOT making a decision was in the best interest of the company. Why?

Everything is bigger in Texas, and this year’s International Roofing Expo in Dallas was no exception. As of press time, final numbers were still being tabulated. But show organizers said there was no question that the 2020 show broke records in attendance and size.

Contractors continually ask, “What’s the very best employee incentive program?”  How do roofers get their employees to do the right things at the right time? How do they improve employees’ abilities and willingness to think like owners? We think we've stumbled onto the best employee incentive plan, and so we want to share this intelligence. 

The roofing industry is constantly evolving, and as roofing contractors, manufacturers and distributors look for ways to grow their businesses, they also need to find ways for their workers to grow. Labor shortages and worker retention continue to be a struggle in the roofing industry, and NRCA is helping to address this issue through its national worker certification program,  NRCA ProCertification.

Charlotte Jones Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer of the Dallas Cowboys — a world-renowned franchise worth a jaw-dropping $5.5 billion — is arguably the most powerful woman in sports. And she'll be making history on Feb. 4 at 9:30 a.m at the IRE as the first-ever female keynote speaker.

Welcome to the all-new International Roofing Expo Business Update enewsletter! Twice a month, we’ll be bringing you the latest trends, news and pro tips to help grow your team, business and leadership skills — all essential to business success.