9 Inspiring & Consistent Takeaways from IRE  

What’s On Every Roofing Contractor’s Mind Going into Spring

Tradeshow season is slowing down and contractors in the industry are looking to take what they have learned during the slower season and apply it to their roofing businesses for when leads and projects really start to pick up. So, what is on every roofing contractor’s mind going into Spring? The Leap team attended several sessions, presented to, and talked to hundreds of roofing contractors at IRE this year. We want to share with you what we learned about the industry’s shared challenges, innovative ideas, and more!  

The International Roofing Expo is a one-of-a-kind show. From live podcast interviews to breakout training sessions, give-a-ways and even a country concert sponsored by SRS Distribution, roofing contractors in New Orleans didn’t have much free time.  

A Quick View of “What’s on the mind of contractors” Gathered From IRE: 

1. How to hire and keep employees. 

2. Communicating Timelines to Customers. 

3. Creating good estimates and not losing money on them. 

4. Adding new products like windows and doors to your roofing business. 

5. Positioning your business for great valuation. 

6. Private equity investment in the home improvement space. 

7. Tips to use drone technology for marketing and new business. 

8. Technology and tools to make your business resilient. 

9. Build, maintain, and create relationships with manufacturers.

Let’s dig deeper and see what experts have to say about these topics specifically:  

How to Hire and Keep Employees 

Kevin Wunder – Chief Revenue Officer of Loveland Innovations says, “Technology alters your hiring pool. Drones allow you to hire successful sales professionals that have no interest in climbing a roof. A roofing contractor in Texas hired a school principal as a Licensed drone pilot for their roofing company.” 

Rob Balfanz – Director, Workforce Development at the Vinyl recommended connecting with trade schools and community colleges that have a Career Technical Education (CTE) program and give talks on why the industry is a good employer. He also said that other home improvement verticals may be hiring away the pool of contractors from roofing businesses, so an urgency is required. 

Communicating Timelines to Customers

Shashi Bellamkonda – VP Marketing at Leap 

• Keep the customers constantly informed about the supply chain delays 

• Educate the customer on the situation every business is facing with the supply chain issues 
• If you do not communicate appropriately with the customers, you run the risk of them thinking your company is delaying things and not supply chain issues  

Creating Good Estimates & Not Losing Money on Them  

John Kenney – COO Cotney Attorneys & Consultants spoke about “Estimating the Right Way.” Estimating is a very key function that determines the profitability of the business. Top points from his talk: 

• Train your estimators well, wrong estimates can make you go out of business 

• Do not make estimating a multi-tasking function of another employee like a takeoff person 
• Create an estimating process and hand-off procedure to the project managers 
• Avoid mathematical errors and ask clarification questions 
• Be careful about bidding pricing in your contracts if the pricing is unknown. Use a resource to help you mitigate the risk of renegotiating pricing 

Adding Other Products Like Windows & Doors to Your Business 

Beacon Building Products – Erik Zadrozny, Justin Powell, Greg Bloom 

• Beacon Supply company had a session for roofing contractors to add Windows and Doors to their portfolios. 

Did You Miss IRE? Check Out More Industry Trainings!

If you’re a roofing contractor and you missed IRE this year, there are several ways to stay connected and hear from the experts and thought leaders in the industry. On Tuesday, February 22^nd at 2:00 PM EST, Shashi Bellamkonda, VP of Marketing at Leap will be giving the exact same presentation he did at IRE. You can register for it by clicking the link below.

Interested in learning more about Leap?

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