By Jesse Sanchez. 

An upcoming Coffee Conversations will help contractors uncover hidden rooftop risks and turn them into opportunities for greater protection and profitability. 

RoofersCoffeeShop® brings roofing professionals together with industry experts through Coffee Conversations®, a live webinar series focused on the issues shaping the roofing and construction industries. Each discussion gives contractors practical insights they can use to strengthen their businesses and stay informed. 

In an upcoming Coffee Conversations®, Heidi J. Ellsworth meets with Joel Stanley of Anchor Products, Trent Cotney of Adams and Reese and Mark Graham of the National Roofing Contractors Association to discuss the rooftop risks that may be costing contractors money. Together, they will explore how code changes, improperly installed rooftop equipment, drainage challenges and other overlooked issues can lead to costly failures, callbacks and liability. 

Rooftop risk management is becoming increasingly important as roofing systems grow more complex and contractors are expected to coordinate with additional trades, equipment installers and building stakeholders. Problems may go unnoticed until leaks, system damage or code violations appear, leaving contractors exposed to expenses that could have been prevented. By identifying these risks earlier, contractors can better protect the building, their customers and their own bottom line. 

Joel, Trent and Mark bring valuable perspectives from manufacturing, construction law and the roofing industry. Their combined experience will help attendees understand both the practical and legal consequences of rooftop failures. They will also explain how contractors can stay informed about changing codes, improve rooftop coordination and communicate the value of proactive services without making customers feel like they are being unnecessarily upsold. 

Attendees will learn which rooftop risks are most commonly overlooked and what separates proactive contractors from those who remain stuck responding to emergencies. The panel will discuss inspection programs, maintenance plans and rooftop coordination services that can help prevent failures while creating new sources of recurring revenue. They will also share real-world examples, available solutions and actionable best practices contractors can begin implementing in their businesses. 

Do not wait for the next callback or costly rooftop failure to reveal a preventable problem. Join this expert panel to learn how a stronger approach to rooftop risk management can protect your company and create meaningful opportunities for growth. 

Join Heidi J. Ellsworth, Joel Stanley, Trent Cotney and Mark Graham on August 13, 2026, at 7am PT to learn how to turn rooftop risks into profit. 

Register for this Coffee Conversations® RLW and start building a more proactive and profitable approach to rooftop risk management!

By Jesse Sanchez. 

Properly securing rooftop equipment helps protect low-slope roof systems and building operations. 

Mission-critical facilities often depend on low-slope roofs crowded with mechanical equipment, piping, and other accessories. As Anchor Products emphasizes, these components support essential building operations but also introduce wind, seismic and structural forces that must be addressed during design and installation. The International Mechanical Code directs designers to the International Building Code for wind and seismic resistance requirements. The International Building Code, in turn, references American Society of Civil Engineers Standard 7 (ASCE 7) for determining how nonstructural components, supports and attachments should resist those forces by requiring attachment. 

That framework is especially important on equipment-heavy roofs. Even a long run of small-diameter pipe can create a meaningful lateral load when exposed to high winds. Mechanical units, supports and accessories may also be subject to uplift, sliding or overturning forces. During a seismic event, the inertia of heavier rooftop equipment can increase the loads transferred to its attachments. 

ASCE 7 generally requires nonstructural components and their supports to be attached or anchored to the structure. In many seismic applications, attachments must be bolted, welded, or otherwise positively fastened without relying on friction alone. 

Project teams should also understand the limitations of common support methods. Sleepers can degrade and permit movement. Ballasted systems add substantial weight that must be distributed and accounted for. Adhesive systems transfer loads to the roof membrane, with resistance affected by temperature, age, compatibility, and installation quality. Anchored and direct support systems can transfer loads more deliberately, although penetrations, engineering and specialized installation may be required. 

Code adoption also varies by state and local jurisdiction, making early coordination essential. Designers, roofing contractors, equipment installers and engineers should confirm which code editions apply, calculate anticipated loads and select a securement method appropriate for the roof assembly, equipment and building risk category. 

Learn more about why code compliance matters for mission critical, equipment-heavy low-slope roofs!

By Jesse Sanchez. 

Joel Stanley shares how Anchor Products is helping manufacturers support mental health awareness across the roofing industry. 

Mental health can be difficult to talk about in construction, but for Joel Stanley, the need to speak up became impossible to ignore. Joel, the founder of Anchor Products, joined McKay Daniels, CEO of the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) and Lynsey Hull, CEO of Tyelus, for this episode of Roofing Road Trips® in a conversation about mental health, suicide prevention and the growing collaboration between NRCA and the Single Ply Roofing Industry (SPRI). Joel’s perspective offered a clear look at how one manufacturer’s concern for workers helped spark broader action. 

Anchor Products, a rooftop equipment attachment manufacturer, works closely with roofing manufacturers, contractors and industry partners, giving the company a direct view of how collaboration can support a safer, healthier industry. “We work with all the different roofing manufacturers on a daily basis,” Joel said. “And it's been fun to be involved with so many great contractors and great roofing manufacturers throughout our industry and really share our insights and learn from what other people are doing as well.” 

That collaborative mindset carried into Joel’s work with SPRI. He said Anchor Products has been heavily involved with the organization for years, with Anchor team members chairing several SPRI task forces. When mental health and suicide prevention came up as an urgent industry need, Joel saw a place where manufacturers could help extend the reach of existing efforts. 

After hearing NRCA CEO McKay Daniels speak about the impact of suicide in the roofing industry, Joel said the message stayed with him. It was not only the scale of the issue that moved him, but also his own family experience with suicidal ideation and mental health challenges. “How great would it be if we had an industry that cared about my kid,” Joel said, reflecting on what it would mean for every parent to know their child worked in an industry willing to care about them as a whole person. 

At a subsequent SPRI meeting, Joel stood and asked the organization to act. Joel reflected, “I stood up and I said I would like to start a task force that can address mental health and that we can look at what our industry can do, what the roofing manufacturers can do to help.” His goal was not to create a competing message or a separate campaign. Instead, Joel described a desire to work with NRCA, use existing resources, and find ways for manufacturers to help carry a unified message into the field. 

For Joel, that responsibility is shared across manufacturing, distribution, contracting, service and leadership. “We can't rely on somebody else to save my friend,” Joel said. “I actually have to do something myself.” That sense of care remains at the center of the effort. As Joel put it, “Everybody deserves to be cared for.” 

Learn more about Anchor Products and its involvement in industrywide efforts to support mental health in roofing!

By Jesse Sanchez. 

Mark Vargas explains why severe weather, seismic events and warranty concerns are changing how rooftop pipe and equipment supports are designed. 

Rooftop pipe and equipment supports were once treated as low-risk details. In this episode of Roofing Road Trips®, Megan Ellsworth spoke with Mark Vargas, director of business development for AP Roof Services, the service side of Anchor Products, about why that mindset has changed and how the industry is rethinking securement. Mark works closely with contractors, buyers and manufacturers on the installation side of the U-Anchor and AP Solutions, helping ensure products are installed properly and in ways that support roof-system warranty requirements. 

Q: What are rooftop pipe and equipment supports, and why do they matter? 

“I was working for the non-penetrating companies that in the past that was acceptable, right?” Mark said. “When I went to work for them, there was woodblock that was supporting everything on the roof that was non-penetrating. There was plastic bases, was rubber blocks, counterweighted systems that if it was lightweight, they weren't too concerned about it damaging the roof system.” 

Rooftop supports are used to hold piping, utilities and equipment in place on the roof. As Mark explained, older systems often relied on woodblocks, plastic bases, rubber blocks or counterweighted systems rather than attachments. Those methods were widely accepted because many rooftop items were considered lightweight or low risk, but that assumption began to change as the industry saw how unsecured supports could affect the roof system. 

Q: Why were rooftop supports historically viewed as less critical? 

“When I went to work for [Anchor Products], there were woodblocks that would be used in supporting everything on the roof that was non-penetrating. There were plastic bases, rubber blocks and counterweighted systems that if it was lightweight, they weren't too concerned about it damaging the roof system,” Mark shared.  

Essentially, older support methods were often treated as routine roof accessories rather than engineered components. As Mark described, the focus was often on avoiding penetrations and relying on weight or simple materials, especially when rooftop utilities were considered light enough to stay in place without added securement. 

Q: What exposed the weakness of older support methods? 

Mark shared, “I think change happened mostly due to severe weather and seismic events. That's what exposed the weaknesses of the non-penetrating pipe supports. Pipes started sliding across the roof, where pipe supports or equipment supports would tip over.” 

Severe weather and seismic activity changed how the industry viewed risk on the roof. When pipe and equipment supports shifted, tipped or became airborne, they created the potential for membrane damage, system failures and safety concerns, making securement a performance issue rather than a minor detail. 

For contractors, the takeaway is clear that rooftop supports can affect roof performance, warranty protection and safety. As weather events and code expectations continue to shape specifications, securement is no longer an afterthought. 

Listen to the entire podcast or Watch the conversation to learn more about the evolution of rooftop pipe and equipment supports! 

Por Emma Peterson, traducido por Jessica Bravo.  

Descubre los eventos, seminarios y expositores que formarán parte del Western Roofing Expo 2026. 

Mantenerse al día en la industria del roofing puede ser todo un desafío. Ya sea enfrentando tormentas cada vez más intensas en el campo o lidiando con la escasez de mano de obra y materiales desde la oficina, contar con la información y las herramientas adecuadas es clave para seguir siendo competitivo. Afortunadamente, la Western States Roofing Contractors Association (WSRCA) organiza cada año el Western Roofing Expo (WRE), un evento de dos días diseñado para ayudar a los profesionales del roofing a enfrentar estos retos y conocer las últimas tendencias de la industria. 

Considerado uno de los principales eventos regionales de roofing e impermeabilización, el WRE ofrece una exposición comercial de dos días, más de 30 seminarios educativos, almuerzos especializados, la competencia The Roofing Games™, torneos de golf y tiro deportivo (sporting clays), una subasta en vivo, demostraciones de productos y mucho más. Este año, el evento se llevará a cabo del 27 al 29 de septiembre de 2026 en el Paris Las Vegas, en Las Vegas, Nevada. 

El corazón del evento 

Las principales actividades se desarrollarán el lunes 28 y martes 29 de septiembre, con un programa que incluye 30 seminarios educativos, dos almuerzos especializados y un piso de exhibición con acceso gratuito para contratistas. 

Los seminarios del WRE son una excelente oportunidad para fortalecer conocimientos tanto técnicos como empresariales. Especialistas de toda la industria compartirán información sobre administración de negocios, tendencias del mercado, innovación y desarrollo técnico. Los asistentes también encontrarán rostros conocidos de la familia de The Coffee Shops™, entre ellos Trent Cotney de Adams and Reese, Amparo Sancen de Latinos En Roofing, John Kenney de Cotney Consulting Group y la presidenta de RoofersCoffeeShop®, Heidi J. Ellsworth. 

WSRCA ha preparado dos almuerzos especialmente pensados para los asistentes. El primero será el lunes, de 11:30 a.m. a 1:00 p.m., patrocinado por National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA). Durante esta sesión, Craig Brightup, de The Brightup Group, y Chad Collins, de NRCA, analizarán las decisiones más recientes en Washington D.C. y cómo podrían afectar a la industria del roofing. 

El segundo almuerzo se realizará el martes, también de 11:30 a.m. a 1:00 p.m., con el patrocinio de Malarkey Roofing Products. En esta ocasión, los asistentes escucharán a la conferencista principal del WRE 2026, Shereen Thor, una comediante convertida en coach de liderazgo que ha trabajado con organizaciones como Google, Pandora, Slack, Safe Place for Youth y The Social Justice Learning Institute. Su conferencia ofrecerá herramientas útiles tanto para empresarios como para profesionales en cualquier etapa de su carrera. 

El piso de exhibición estará abierto el lunes y el martes. Esta será una excelente oportunidad para conocer las últimas innovaciones y tecnologías de la industria, ya que habrá demostraciones de productos cada hora. En ese mismo escenario de demostraciones también regresarán los esperados Roofing Games el martes. 

La exposición comercial también brinda la oportunidad de conversar con representantes de empresas líderes de la industria. ¿La mejor parte? ¡La entrada al piso de exhibición es GRATUITA para contratistas y roofers! Estaremos en el booth 12, así que no dejes de visitarnos para saludarnos. Además, muchos de nuestros amigos de la industria también estarán presentes, entre ellos Anchor Products (815), APOC (609), BITEC (151), Brava Roof Tile (840), Carlisle Architectural Metals (509), Drexel Metals (509), Equipter (826), Integrity Insurance & Bonding (360), Lakeside Construction Fasteners (154), New Tech Machinery (356), PABCO Roofing Products (703), Rocket Equipment (638), RoofScope (822), Sentry Building Innovations (150) and VELUX (361). 

Eventos adicionales y más 

Además de las actividades principales de los dos días, habrá eventos adicionales tanto antes (domingo 27 de septiembre) como después (miércoles 30 de septiembre). Davis Memorial Foundation organizará dos torneos, uno de tiro deportivo (sporting clays) y otro de golf. Los fondos recaudados en estos eventos se destinarán directamente al fondo de becas de Davis Memorial Foundation. Gracias a este programa, más de 195 estudiantes de preparatoria, licenciatura y posgrado han recibido apoyo para continuar con sus estudios. Estos eventos cuentan con un registro y una cuota de participación independientes. 

Miércoles 30 de septiembre, el International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants (IIBEC) llevará a cabo una jornada especial de capacitación de 9:00 a.m. a 2:30 p.m. Este evento ayudará a los asistentes a fortalecer sus conocimientos sobre la industria de la envolvente del edificio (building enclosure). El programa incluye dos cursos: uno sobre los fundamentos de los sistemas de techado y otro enfocado en las actualizaciones más importantes de los códigos internacionales de construcción. El registro y la cuota para esta jornada de capacitación son independientes del registro general del evento. 

Regístrate y asegura tu lugar 

El registro para el WRE 2026 ya está abierto. Puedes registrarte en línea. El evento se llevará a cabo del 27 al 29 de septiembre de 2026 en el Paris Las Vegas, en Las Vegas, Nevada. Al celebrarse en el Paris Las Vegas, existen diversas opciones de hospedaje cercanas. WSRCA ha negociado tarifas preferenciales en el Paris Las Vegas, Planet Hollywood y Horseshoe Hotel, con habitaciones disponibles desde $91 dólares por noche. 

¿No estás seguro de que el costo del registro se ajuste a tu presupuesto? RoofersCoffeeShop®, en colaboración con Western Colloid, llevará a cinco profesionales al evento sin costo. Al participar en nuestro concurso, tendrás la oportunidad de ganar un pase con acceso a la exposición comercial, el almuerzo anual, el contenido en español, las sesiones educativas y el almuerzo legislativo. 

¡Conoce más sobre el WRE 2026!

By Jesse Sanchez. 

Learn how rooftop attachment systems are evolving to address safety, code requirements and long-term performance across commercial roofing systems. 

At the International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants (IIBEC) 2026 show, a clear shift took shape in how roofing professionals are defining performance. Installation quality remains essential, but the conversation is moving beyond the membrane to focus on what happens after the roof is complete. Specifically, how rooftop systems and equipment are secured over time. That shift was at the center of this sound stage interview from The Coffee Shops™, where Megan Ellsworth spoke with Scott Carpenter of Anchor Products. Their discussion centered around a growing industry reality: long-term roof performance is increasingly determined by the stability of everything mounted on the system, not just the system itself. 

“We've gotten really, really, really good at putting roofs on,” Scott said. “It's all those things that bounce across a roof in a wind or seismic event that gets us in trouble.” As severe weather events continue to intensify, rooftop materials and equipment are being exposed to greater forces. Scott pointed to recent storm footage showing large insulation bundles lifted and displaced, illustrating how quickly unsecured components can become a source of damage. When that movement occurs, the impact extends beyond isolated areas, often compromising the integrity of the entire roofing system. 

In response, contractors are expanding their focus to include a broader range of rooftop attachments. Solar arrays, windscreens, snow retention systems and electrical equipment are now part of a more comprehensive approach to roof management. What was once treated as a secondary consideration is now directly tied to operational reliability, jobsite safety, and long-term risk mitigation. At the same time, evolving building codes are reinforcing this shift, placing greater emphasis on secure attachment as a requirement rather than an option. 

This change is also influencing how projects are designed and specified. Instead of addressing rooftop attachments after installation, design professionals are integrating them into the planning phase, recognizing the liability associated with unsecured elements. Scott explained, “It is extra special to them because they're trying to figure out how they can write code into a lot of the specification because there's a liability that goes along with that.” As a result, attachment systems are moving from accessory status to a defined component of the overall roofing assembly. 

Compatibility plays a critical role in that transition. Modern attachment solutions are engineered to align with existing roof membranes, allowing for integration without compromising performance. This enables manufacturers and contractors to present more unified solutions that reflect the complexity of rooftop environments. 

Together, these developments point to a broader evolution in the industry. Scott noted, “There's a need for something and it's now code as well,” reinforcing how roofing performance is no longer measured solely at installation, but across the full lifecycle of the roof and everything it supports. 

Watch the full interview to learn more about rooftop attachment systems and their role in long-term roof performance!

By Emma Peterson. 

Learn about all the events, seminars and exhibitors that will be at this year’s Western Roofing Expo. 

Navigating today’s roofing industry can be a bit of a challenge. Whether you’re facing more extreme storms in the field or juggling labor issues and material shortages in the office, it can be hard to stay up to date with the information and tools you need to succeed. Luckily, the Western States Roofing Contractors Association (WSRCA) hosts a two-day event designed to help professionals handle all those issues and more – Western Roofing Expo (WRE).  

This premier regional roofing and waterproofing event boasts a two-day trade show, over two dozen education seminars, multiple engaging luncheons, The Roofing Games™ shingling competition, golf and sporting clays tournaments, a live auction, product demonstrations and more! Keep reading to learn about what to expect from this year’s show, which will be held September 27-29, 2026 at the Paris Las Vegas! 

The core of the show 

The core of the show occurs on Monday (9/28) and Tuesday (9/29) with 30 seminars planned, two luncheons organized and a trade show floor that is free for contractors to attend. 

The seminars at WRE are a great way to upgrade your skills! Experts from across the industry will be teaching about everything from business management to technical developments. And if you’re a part of The Coffee Shops™ family, there will be a lot of familiar faces like Trent Cotney of Adams and Reese, Amparo Sancen from Latinos En Roofing, John Kenney from Cotney Consulting Group and our very own president, Heidi J. Ellsworth!  

As for the luncheons, WSRCA has organized two invaluable luncheons for WRE attendees. The first will be hosted on Monday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and is presented by the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA). Craig Brightup, The Brightup Group, and Chad Collins, NRCA, will take this opportunity to talk to attendees about the key developments in Washington D.C. that are impacting the roofing industry.  

The second luncheon will run at the same time (11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.) on Tuesday and is sponsored by Malarkey Roofing Products. This luncheon gives attendees an opportunity to hear from the WRE 2026 keynote speaker – Shereen Thor. Shereen is a comedian turned coach who has worked with organizations like Google, Pandora, Slack, Safe Place For Youth and The Social Justice Learning Institute. Her keynote will be a great resource to professionals and business owners in all parts of their careers.  

And last but not least, the trade show floor will be open both Monday and Tuesday. This is a great opportunity to see the latest innovations and newest technology in the industry as product demos will be hosted on the hour. At that same demo stage there will also be the return of the much-anticipated Roofing Games on Tuesday!  

The trade show is a great opportunity to talk to representatives of leading companies around the industry. And the best part? The exhibit floor is FREE for contractors and roofers to attend! We’ll be in booth 12, so make sure to stop by and say hi, and we have countless industry friends who will be around the floor, such as Anchor Products (815), APOC (609), BITEC (151), Brava Roof Tile (840), Carlisle Architectural Metals (509), Drexel Metals (509), Equipter (826), Integrity Insurance & Bonding (360), Lakeside Construction Fasteners (154), New Tech Machinery (356), PABCO Roofing Products (703), Rocket Equipment (638), RoofScope (822), Sentry Building Innovations (150) and VELUX (361). 

Additional events and more 

In addition to the core two days, there are extra events both before (Sunday, 9/27) and after (Wednesday, 9/30). On Sunday, the Davis Memorial Foundation will host two tournaments, one sporting clays tournament and one golf tournament. The proceeds from these events go directly to the Davis Memorial Foundation Scholarship Fund. The scholarships from this fund have helped more than 195 aspiring high school, undergraduate and graduate students pursue their dreams. These events have their own registration and their own fees. 

And on that Wednesday, the International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants will host a special education day. This event runs from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and will elevate attendees’ expertise in the building enclosure industry. It features two courses, one about the fundamentals of roof assemblies and the other highlighting key updates to international codes. The registration and fees for this education day are separate from general registration. 

Get registered and reserved 

Registration for the 2026 WRE is now open! You can register online, again the show will be held at the Paris in Las Vegas, Nevada from September 27-29, 2026. Being at the Paris, there are many options for hotels nearby. WSRCA has worked specifically with the Paris Las Vegas, Planet Hollywood and Horseshoe Hotel to get discounted room blocks that start as low as $91.  

Not sure if you can make the registration fee work in your budget? RoofersCoffeeShop® is partnering with Western Colloid to send five professionals to the show for free! By entering our contest, you get the chance to win an all-inclusive pass to the show, which gives you access to the trade show, annual luncheon, en Español content, educational sessions and the legislative luncheon.  

Learn more about the 2026 WRE show!

By Jesse Sanchez. 

Anchor Products helps roofing and solar teams secure arrays with familiar tools and minimal roof disruption. 

In this episode of Roofing Road Trips®, the conversation shifts from industry tension to practical solutions, with Anchor Products and its U-Anchor system at the center. Justin Smith explained that U-Anchor remains the core product for solar work at Anchor Products. “That is the one that the solar industry kind of adopted first and it's the main one that they use still to this day. It has enabled them to offload some of the ballast burden on projects that they encounter, but it also allows them to secure the stuff to the roof, keeping roof membrane manufacturers happy with whatever type of penetrations might be needed.” 

Justin walked through the basic setup. He explained that the anchor starts with a plate that serves as the foundation, topped with a bolt that allows different components to be attached. What sets it apart is that the plate is installed on top of the membrane, using roofing fasteners that go down to the deck while keeping the membrane system intact. 

The crucial difference is compatibility with the existing roof system. Justin noted, “We work with all the manufacturers to source their membrane and take their membrane and put it onto our plate,” he said. “So, it's their membrane being attached to our plate and then being welded down to their roof membrane.” The goal is simple: “Because of using their materials with their roofs, it helps keep everything watertight because you're just having a perimeter seal around those membranes,” he explained. 

That tailored approach continues during ordering and design. Justin shared, “We have a little menu of questions that we start off with.” he continued, “One of those is, who is your membrane manufacturer? What is your membrane type? And is the roof under warranty?” From there, Anchor Products can coach both the solar side and the roofing side on which anchors to use. 

Anchor Products has expanded well beyond single-ply solutions, adapting its base plate for modified, coated and built-up roofs while pairing that versatility with strong industry education. The team shows up at major trade shows, brings a mobile training showcase to contractors and distributors and offers jobsite or in-house support whenever a crew is new to the system. Once contractors see the U-Anchor in use, the learning curve is short and the value is clear. For roofers navigating warranties, labor limits and growing solar demand, the system is designed to make that first solar-ready project feel familiar, practical and low risk. 

Listen to the full podcast to learn more about Anchor Products U-Anchor solutions!

By Emma Peterson. 

Roofing professionals share insight into the importance of mental health awareness and care in the industry.  

If you didn’t know, May was mental health awareness month in the United States! Mental health is a key issue in our industry, with construction having the second-highest suicide rate of all major industries in the U.S. To talk about how the industry is working on addressing this issue, Lynsey Hull of Tyelus, McKay Daniels of National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) and Joel Stanley of Anchor Products came by for an episode of Roofing Road Trips®. 

The mental health movement in the roofing industry has been steadily growing over the years as people get more informed about the severity of the issue. A huge moment in that timeline came in 2024 when NRCA launched a microsite about connecting professionals to resources. McKay spoke about the page, sharing, “Knowing a place to start is half the battle, so we made BeToughEnough.org with the goal of providing some basic level resources, a place for both employers and employees to learn how to talk about mental health. And it has the NRCA logo on it, but it’s not about NRCA, it’s bigger than just one organization.” 

And in the years since that page launched, the movement has truly grown far beyond just the actions of one organization. For example, in 2026 the Single Ply Roofing Industry (SPRI) association announced a mental health task force, partially inspired by NRCA’s work. Joel shared the story:  

A couple of years ago, McKay  was speaking and he talked about how our industry focuses so much on physical safety. Which makes sense, we suffer from about 400 or so fall deaths a year... But he also pointed out that we’re forgetting the mental side of things. And those numbers are so much bigger; I think he said we suffer from over 6,000 deaths a year from suicide. And it really hit me, I have a family member who has struggled with mental health and it got me thinking.  

What was Joel thinking about? He realized that organizations like NRCA are great for general awareness, but they don’t have the personnel to be on jobsites all over the country, seeing people day-in and day-out and being able to notice when someone is struggling. Who has that presence? Roofing manufacturers. He explained, “Manufacturers have people on job sites every day that are inspecting and advising. Those people see contractors periodically throughout the year and I realized when you see people frequently, but not every day, it allows you to see and recognize changes in them. If we can equip those people with skills and resources, it could a do a lot of good.” 

Armed with this realization, Joel reached out to both McKay at the NRCA and the SPRI board to see if they could build a collaboration that could take his idea and put it into action. The result was the creation of the SPRI mental health task force.  

Lynsey was there when Joel presented his idea and immediately jumped on board to help co-chair the task force with Joel. He recalled:  

The response was really overwhelming. Our first meeting as a task force was standing room only. I've had people reach out who don't even attend SPRI and say, ‘Hey, our representative told me about this. I really want to be involved. I have some background in this or I'd like to contribute or we had this idea. What do you guys think about that?’”  

The first thing the task force worked on was collaborating with NRCA to raise awareness of the resources available on BeToughEnough.org. Lynsey explained why this was their first move, sharing, “What we're really trying to avoid is having multiple messages out there and splitting the focus. So we started by just finding ways to raise awareness and point people to NRCA’s existing resource library.”  

From there they started to collect and share stories of how people can speak up or reach out and make a difference on their job sites. Stories like the one Lynsey shared:  

Speaking up or reaching out doesn’t have to be big. I wear t-shirts from a brand that has different messages on the back. And I remember one day I was just walking my dog and a guy came up to me and grabbed my shoulder and just said, ‘I needed that today, I just wanted to say thank you,’ in reference to my shirt. And he left. When I got home I looked at the shirt and it read ‘I'd rather hear about your battles than learn you lost the war.’ And that just struck me, how just something so simple for me, wearing that shirt, meant so much. 

And at the end of the day, it’s interactions like the one in Lysney’s story that will help change mental health in our industry for the better. As McKay put it, “This effort is beyond any one organization and working together to divide the rocks that are in this pack so that we all carry a little bit is critical and key. Because while what we each do might seem like only a little on its own, if we’re all doing it we will move that ball downfield, bit by bit.”  

Want to learn more about mental health and roofing? Listen to the whole episode or Watch the recording of the podcast. 

By Jesse Sanchez. 

Learn how integrated attachment systems help contractors secure rooftop equipment, meet code requirements and ensure system performance. 

At the International Roofing Expo (IRE) in Las Vegas, one challenge came into clear focus for contractors and manufacturers alike; how to secure rooftop equipment in a way that meets evolving code requirements without compromising the roof itself. For Anchor Products, that challenge is driving greater attention to integrated attachment systems that are designed to improve speed, simplify installation and support long-term performance. Speaking on The Coffee Shops™ sound stage sponsored by SRS Distribution, Mark Vargas, director of business development for Anchor Products, and Justin Smith, national sales manager, described how the company’s systems are designed to replace more traditional rooftop attachment methods. “Our product line is all about attachments for everything on the roof,” Justin said, pointing to solutions developed for single-ply thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) roof systems. 

The value of these products lies in consolidation. Instead of relying on wood sleepers, ballast blocks or separate flashing details, the attachment integrates directly into the roof assembly. Justin described it as a watertight maintenance-free solution that is both heavy and strong. By combining multiple functions into one system, the approach can help contractors reduce installation time while lowering the overall cost of attachment. 

At the same time, performance is only part of the story. According to Mark and Justin, code compliance is becoming an increasingly important factor in how rooftop equipment is supported. As standards continue to change, systems that once relied on non-penetrating supports or counterweight designs are being replaced by attachment methods intended to meet stricter wind and safety requirements. As Justin stated, “Code is the big driver.” 

That shift is also creating a need for better coordination across trades. While roofing contractors may already understand how these systems work within warranted roof assemblies, Mark said that familiarity is often less common in other sectors. “We bridge that gap,” he said, noting that certified roofers are essential to proper installation and warranty protection. 

As wind exposure and weather risk continue to affect more parts of the country, secure rooftop attachment is becoming a more urgent part of overall roof design. For contractors, systems that support compliance while protecting roof performance are becoming increasingly important in the field. 

Watch the full interview to learn more about integrated attachment systems that help contractors secure rooftop equipment, meet evolving code requirements and improve installation efficiency!