Lauren White, Editor
Empowering women, strengthening roofing
By Lauren White. Women across the PNW came together for a powerful day of connection, education and progress in roofing. It’s back! For the second time, the Roofing Contractors Association of Washington (RCAW) hosted the Pacific Northwest Regional Women in Roofing Day in conjunction with the Seattle National Women in Roofing (NWIR) ...
The future of the trades starts with showing up
By Lauren White. Students, educators and industry partners connected at Oregon’s Academy for Chapter Excellence to explore career pathways and help shape the future workforce. Building the future workforce starts long before someone applies for their first job. That message stayed with me after attending the Oregon CTSO Academy for Chapter Excellence ...
Student skills shine at state competition
By Lauren White. Oregon students showcased impressive talent, leadership and career-ready skills at the SkillsUSA state competition. With the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference just around the corner, I started reflecting on my recent experience at the state competition in Oregon just last month. This year was my second ...
Building the future, one skill at a time
By Lauren White. Students, teachers and industry leaders come together at Oregon SkillUSA to inspire the next generation. What do a builder, a coder, a leader and an artist have in common? Skills. And they were on full display at the Oregon SkillsUSA state competition in April. This two-day competition held at ...
The Equip experience: Churchill Downs, puppies and bourbon
By Lauren White. From bourbon tastings to hands-on demos, the 2025 Equip Expo delivered an unforgettable mix of innovation, networking and Kentucky charm. It's been a couple months since the 2025 Equip Expo in October, but we can't stop thinking about it! Not only was Louisville, Kentucky a fun place ...
My first (and second) roof donations with NWIR!
By Lauren White. As a newly established NWIR council we wanted to give back to our community; little did we know that meant providing two and a half reroofs to local veterans in need. It’s the season of giving and that’s exactly what the Central Oregon NWIR council sought to ...
Understanding snow retention
By Emma Peterson. Looking ahead to the upcoming winter season, learn what snow retention is and how it keeps people and property safe. It might seem far away right now, but before we know it, we’ll be bundling up in warm jackets and hats for the winter season. And with ...
Students in the spotlight: SkillsUSA success
By Lauren White. Roofing made its mark at the 2025 SkillsUSA, inspiring the next generation of tradespeople and showing thousands of students why the future looks brighter from the rooftop. The 2025 SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference (NLSC) was a celebration of hands-on talent, industry partnerships and student potential. ...
Cool city, cool people and cool surfaces
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 ...
Ready, set, compete!
By Lauren White. The 2025 Building Envelope Olympics showcases sportsmanship and skills. Professionalism. Precision. Pride. All things that come to mind when thinking about Olympians, which we’ll see soon for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. The same is true for the more than 100 competitors who convened in Scottsdale, ...
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