By Emma Peterson.

From developing tomorrow’s leaders to celebrating today’s professionals, IRE 2027 puts connection front and center at their events.

It might be hard to believe, but 2027 is just around the corner and with it comes another International Roofing Expo (IRE)! IRE is the largest roofing and exteriors even in North America and the 2027 show will be hosted February 16-18, 2027, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This show not only promises attendees a dynamic expo floor and empowering education, but also the opportunity to build your industry community at a variety of events. These events include:

• Community Service Day: before the show officially kicks off, the 18th annual Community Service Day will bring show attendees together to give back to a Las Vegas neighborhood the best way we know how – through construction repairs. Run in partnership with Rebuilding Together, this year’s event is sponsored by Sika, Atlas Roofing Products and Roofing Contractor.
• Keynote speaker: the first day of the show will kick off with a keynote sponsored by Amrize and presented by former NFL wide receiver Eric Boles! The talk, titled “Leading Legacy Teams: Attracting and Retaining Talent,” will dive into actionable strategies for attracting new talent, bridging generational gaps and building stone mentorship pathways.
• First Timer's Reception: later that first day, RoofersCoffeeShop® will be sponsoring the First Timer’s Reception! This reception is designed for newcomers to IRE and gives you the opportunity to “build relationships that'll benefit your business long-term" and “learn how to navigate IRE like a seasoned pro.”
• Welcome Party: right after the First Timer’s Reception, ABC Supply is sponsoring the much-anticipated IRE 2027 Welcome Party! Always a good time, this party features drinks, appetizers and networking fun.
• The Roofing Alliance Construction Management Student Competition: Day two (2/17/26) starts bright and early with the Roofing Alliance Construction Management Student Competition. This is not only a showcase of students’ roofing knowledge and project planning skills, but also a front-row seat to see the future of our industry today.
• NRCA Industry Awards and Reception: closing the second day is the National Roofing Contractor Association (NRCA)’s award reception. These awards celebrate the professionals who go above and beyond in our industry, and the evening is always full of community and camaraderie.

And if these IRE-official events weren’t enough, there are a variety of partner events running the same week as IRE, such as the National Women in Roofing (NWIR) Days. This event is a premier conference for women professionals in the industry to learn and grow in together.

Registered to attend IRE 2027 and start building your roofing community!

By Emma Peterson.

Industry experts discuss the importance of reducing mental health stigma and encouraging difficult but necessary conversations.

In the roofing industry, safety is a common topic of conversation. But what is often missed in those conversations is that safety is not just about fall protection and PPE; it’s also about taking care of the mental health of your team. To learn more about how we can all make mental health and supporting our teammates a priority, Heidi J. Ellsworth hosted a panel of industry leaders for an episode of the Roofing Road Trips® podcast.

Meet the panel

There were three different roofing experts on the panel. One was Joel Stanley, who is the founder of Anchor Products, a company known for their rooftop equipment manufacturing. In addition to producing high-quality products for roofing manufactures and contractors, Joel and the Anchor team are part of the Single Ply Roofing Industry (SPRI) association.

The next member of the panel is also a member of SPRI. Lynsey is the CEO of Tyelus, a group of “strategic process architects,” and has been involved with SPRI for over a decade. And last but not least, rounding out our panel was McKay Daniels, the CEO of the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA).

Keeping mental health top of conversation

So, how do we make mental health a priority? Organizations like NRCA and SPRI are leading the way. How so? In NRCA’s case, McKay and his team have made mental health resources and support more accessible for contractors through their BeToughEnough.org microsite. McKay shared some background into the development of that resource, saying, “This issue came up for NRCA in earnest about three years ago now. We were reading the statistics and then in the course of about 60 days I talked to three different contractors who had lost a teammate to suicide in their shop... After that we knew it needed be a priority.”

As for SPRI, Joel and Lynsey are at the forefront of their mental health operations as the co-chairs of their new mental health task force. This task force aims to lower suicide rates by raising awareness of mental health and its relation to crew safety. Joel explained, “Mental health is something that impacts us all, no matter your physical state, economic state or anything else. And we've seen a friend or a family member or even ourselves struggle. And you never want to get that phone call.” He went on, “Our work at SPRI is really centered on the idea that we can't rely on somebody else to save our friend, we need to be brave enough to step up and be that person.” Lynsey added, “It’s not easy being that person, it’s going to feel uncomfortable and even unnatural... But it’s better to feel that brief discomfort than if you didn't ask the question and something happened.”

Listen to the whole episode or Watch the recording to learn more about how you can step up and support your teammates mental health and safety.

By Emma Peterson.

The Bilingual Leadership Program helps roofing professionals strengthen communication, bridge cultural differences and build stronger, more connected teams.

In an episode of Roofing Road Trips®, Megan Ellsworth got the chance to chat with Monica Vornbrock, co-founder of The Glo Group, about the development of the Bilingual Leadership Program and why this type of professional development is key to the long-term success of the roofing industry.

Monica started by giving some background on how the Bilingual Leadership Program came to be, sharing:

Lorna Rojas, HR National Recruiter at Tremco, and I had a conversation about the importance of communication in leadership. And a big part of that in our industry is making sure we can communicate across cultural and linguistic barriers...Our goal with this training was to build a pipeline of leaders who understand their team member's different cultures and are able to effectively communicate expectations so that everyone succeeds.

With that idea in mind, Lorna and Monica reached out to Chris Navarro, Amy Staska and the rest of the team at the National Roofing Contractors Association for help making the idea a reality. Monica recalled, “We brought up this idea of an integrative program that is both in Spanish and English and focuses on how leaders can bridge cultural gaps. And they really liked the idea.”

And this year saw the launch of the Bilingual Leadership Pilot Program! As Monica put it, “This year we held our pilot program. It’s organized in a virtual live format and includes six segments that make up the big course.” She went on, “Each piece of the program basically helps your leaders know how to show up for their Hispanic workforce, because, at the end of the day, we all want to be seen, we all want to be respected and we all want to be valued. And for Hispanic contractors, learning even a little of our communication styles and culture is huge.”

Listen to the whole episode or Watch the recording to learn more about the Bilingual Leadership Program!

By Emma Peterson.

We’re counting down the 10 most-read stories from The Coffee Shops® to help you stay on top of the latest industry conversations.

Though it may be hard to believe, October is already coming to a close. And if your month has been anything like ours here at The Coffee Shops®, it’s been busy and hard to keep up with!

To make it a bit easier for our readers to catch up on the biggest industry news and stories from October 2026, we’ve collected our top ten articles published this past month.

As our readers move into the off-season, we’ve seen an uptick of interest in training and business development articles! On the training side, our top ten list includes an article about John Kenney of Cotney Consulting Group's upcoming two-day live classroom training workshop (November 17-18, 2026) and an article based on a conversation with Rick Johnson of Tremco CPG about partnering with manufacturers that back their products up with training.

On the business development side, Emma Peterson wrote three articles for The Coffee Shops® highlighting different ways contractors can set their businesses up for success. The first, which comes in at number 6 on our list, talks about four takeaways from a decade of RoofersCoffeeShop® Trends Reports. The other articles, which take spots 3 and 2, take a look at the state of the economy going into the last quarter of the year and at the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA)'s live LEGALCon event, respectively.

As for our top article of the month, it was all about "the certifications, technologies and best practices that help roofing professionals build more fire-resilient structures.”

Our top ten articles from October

10 - The business case for smarter construction recycling

9 - Extending building life starts with education and training

8 - Advocacy remains a roofing priority

7 - Building smarter roofers with expert training

6 - A decade of roofing trends

5 - Good project managers think three weeks ahead

4 - NWIR scholarship opens doors for future roofing leaders

3 - Going into the last quarter of 2026

2 - Set yourself apart from the competition at LEGALCon 2026

1 - Creating a more fire-safe future

By Emma Peterson.

Although roofing practices and regional challenges vary around the world, John Kenney explains why the industry's fundamental goals remain the same and how contractors can benefit from sharing their experiences.

In an episode of Roofing Road Trips®, Heidi J. Ellsworth sat down with John Kenney of Cotney Consulting Group to get his insights into the global roofing industry. John is an ideal guest for this discussion, as his 45+ years in the roofing industry have guided him in his work in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

John’s story starts with working in the field for a family-run roofing company in the Northeast of the U.S. From there, he worked his way up to estimating and managing projects for the same company. Today, he is the CEO of Cotney Consulting Group and “works with roofing contractors on estimating operational performance, project management, workforce development and more.” He is also very active in a variety of professional organizations, being a member of the International Federation for the Roofing Trades (IFD), National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) and the former Institute of Roofing.

When we asked him about what he’s seeing that is currently impact contractors on both sides of the pond, he highlighted labour challenges, estimating issues, margin protection and supply pressures. As he put it:

I think contractors in both markets are trying to find, develop and retain skilled people. I also think they're trying to estimate work accurately, protect the margins of the businesses and convert a good tender into a well-managed project. And as they’re trying to deal with that, they’re having to manage changing programs, incomplete information, material lead times, access relations and pressure from clients.

That’s not to say that all the issues that contractors face are universal, as things like hurricane season for U.S. contractors and handling apprenticeships in the U.K. are unique to their regions. But as John put it, “While the markets are very unique, at the end of the day, roofing contractors on both sides of the Atlantic are trying to complete quality work, the protect their people, serve their clients and operate profitable businesses.”

His advice for contractors on both sides of the pond to overcome these shared challenges? Work together. In John’s words, “I always have believed that you become better at what you do when you're willing to take a look beyond your own market and listen to how other professionals approach similar problems.”

Listen to the whole episode or Watch the recorded conversation to hear more of John’s expert insights.

By The Coffee Shops®.

This new fall protection trainer course gives roofing professionals tools to make safety education more relevant, engaging and consistent.

Fall protection training is familiar territory for many roofing contractors, but delivering information does not necessarily mean workers will retain it.

In a recent episode of Roofing Road Trips®, Megan Ellsworth spoke with National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) leaders Amy Staska and Rich Trewyn about the association’s Fall Protection Trainer Course for Roofing and its emphasis on developing stronger trainers.

“Falls continue to be the leading cause of serious injuries and fatalities in the roofing industry,” Rich said. “NRCA saw the need to help companies move beyond simply meeting compliance requirements and to help them build a stronger safety culture.”

Rather than simply providing another fall protection class, the course prepares participants to take what they learn back to their companies and teach others. Amy explained that NRCA has offered safety training for years, but the trainer component creates a different opportunity. “It is intended to be a class, not one you would send everybody to,” she said. “But that you would send one or two people to so that they could go back and effectively train others in the company.”

That focus also addresses a persistent challenge: keeping familiar safety messages fresh. Amy noted that contractors already conduct toolbox talks and emphasize fall protection on jobsites, but repeated messages can become easier to tune out. Rich added that effective training must account for workers with varying levels of roofing experience. “It’s easy to check that compliance box,” he said. “It’s easy to say, we did the training.”

The goal instead is retention. By combining roofing-specific fall protection knowledge with instruction on how to teach it, the course is designed to help trainers communicate information more effectively to their own teams.

Listen to the full podcast or Watch the recording to learn more about fall protection training.

By The Coffee Shops®.

How code changes and installation complexity are reshaping technical best practices.

As building materials and trends evolve, contractors are keeping up with new demands from code changes. During a recent episode of Roofing Road Trips®, Heidi J. Ellsworth sat down with Mark Graham of the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) to discuss the technical issues roofing contractors are facing and the trends likely to shape the industry in the years ahead.

Before discussing today's challenges, Mark reflected on NRCA's role in the industry. Describing the association as "the all-encompassing group in the roofing industry," Mark noted that NRCA is celebrating its 140th anniversary while continuing to serve contractors, manufacturers, distributors and designers.

The organization's technical services team plays a central role in that mission. According to Mark, the six-member department draws expertise from engineering, architecture and construction backgrounds, while also relying on input from nearly 190 board and committee volunteers throughout the country.

That collaboration helps NRCA identify emerging issues before they become widespread problems. One trend generating significant discussion is the adoption of newer building and energy codes. Mark explained that contractors working on reroofing projects are increasingly encountering requirements tied to drainage systems. "In re-roofing and specifically in roof tear-off, where there's a tear off and replacement job, the building code is now requiring that the drainage system, in other words, roof drains, scuppers, overflows, gutters, things like that, be upgraded to the current edition of the plumbing code."

As a result, roof replacements often involve more than roofing work alone. Mark's advice was straightforward: "If you don't have a plumber that's a friend, make a new friend."

Contractors are also grappling with growing system complexity. Mark pointed to the large number of manufacturer-specific installation requirements and noted that keeping field crews current across multiple systems has become increasingly difficult.

The challenge, he suggested, is not necessarily a lack of innovation but managing the growing complexity that comes with it. As the roofing industry expands, contractors can lean on support systems like the NRCA to grow their strengths.

Listen to the entire podcast or Watch the recording to learn more about roofing industry technical challenges.

By Emma Peterson.

A recent Coffee Conversations panel explored the connection between mental health, physical safety and workforce success.

Last month, we got the chance to host a special Coffee Conversations webinar with Mandy McIntyre from Weatherproofing Technologies Inc. (WTI), Kara (Houck) McCaffrey from Houck Group, and McKay Daniels of National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) all about mental health safety in roofing.

When we asked this panel to explain the importance of mental health in the roofing industry, they had a lot to share, which makes sense given the trio’s backgrounds. Mandy is a mental health first aid instructor and has been integral to Tremco’s mental health initiatives. And Kara, in addition to being a third-generation commercial roofing company owner, is the board chair of Construction Suicide Prevention Week (which is hosted every September). And last but not least, McKay is the CEO of NRCA, where he has had the opportunity to help push the industry’s mental health support forward with the BeToughEnough campaign.

In response to our original question, Kara shared, “Mental health is an important part of safety and protecting a person's mental health can help keep them safe.” This connection between mental and physical health is something that is too often disconnected in our industry. As McKay put it, “If your head's not in the game, that creates consequences craftsmanship and physical safety...We work in a high-skilled profession, and people need to be focused and ready at work. If your crew is struggling mentally, that’s like having rocks in your pack that you're coming to work with. It all just compounds, makes everything harder and puts everyone at risk.”

And this goes the other way, too – physical risks and safety can directly impact mental states. As Kara gave an example, "It’s not just mental health impacting the safety side, but safety incidents impact the mental health side as well. If someone has a near miss and could have fallen off of a roof, they are left probably scared from that. And that traumatic impact could really impact their mental health.”

In these ways, mental and physical health cannot be disconnected from each other. And even beyond the individual, the mental state of your crew is directly tied to your business’ success. Mandy explained, “Aside from just the humanity importance of mental health care, it’s also risk mitigation for your company. The ROI on this is huge, every investment in mental health awareness has a $3-5 return in employee engagement, retention rates and recruitment statistics.”

At the end of the day, whether you look at it from a safety perspective, a teambuilding perspective or a business perspective, mental health safety must be prioritized. And prioritizing it doesn’t have to be hard. Mandy gave some tips, sharing, “Mental health is a legitimate safety concern and needs to be a part of every safety program. And the minimum is just doing a mental health toolbox talk once a month where you promote resources like 988 (suicide and crisis hotline) and create space for people to share. Just show your crew that you care and want to take care of them.”

Want to learn more about supporting your team’s mental health safety? Listen to the whole episode or Watch the recording!

Highlight your charitable involvement!

Many roofing contractors are making a difference far beyond the jobsite by supporting local charities, volunteering in their communities and helping causes that matter. Now, those efforts could earn them national recognition through the CNA/NRCA Community Involvement Award.  

Sponsored by the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) and CNA, the award recognizes charitable projects, activities and donations completed by NRCA contractor members. Whether your company has organized a community service project, raised funds for a local nonprofit or volunteered time and resources to support a cause, your efforts may qualify for consideration.  

The program is designed to highlight the roofing industry's commitment to service and generosity. Eligible charitable activities completed between January 1, 2026 and November 1, 2026, can be submitted for a chance to earn recognition while also benefiting the organizations supported by your company’s efforts. Four winning charities will receive financial awards, including $7,500 for first place, $5,000 for second place, $2,500 for third place and $1,500 for the People's Choice Award winner.  

For contractors, the award offers more than just a chance to win. It provides an opportunity to showcase company culture, celebrate employees who contribute to their communities and demonstrate the positive impact roofing professionals have outside of their daily work. Sharing these stories can also help strengthen relationships with customers, employees and community partners. 

Submitting an entry requires more than a simple nomination. Contractors should provide an entry form, a detailed description of the charitable work performed, a testimonial from the receiving charity and supporting materials such as photos, videos or press coverage. Entries must also include an image that can be used for public voting related to the People's Choice Award.  

A panel of judges will select the first-, second- and third-place winners, while the People's Choice Award will be determined through online voting. Winners will be recognized during NRCA's Industry Awards and Reception at the association's 140th Annual Convention in Las Vegas.  

If your company has spent the past year giving back, now is the time to share that story. Community involvement is a powerful part of the roofing industry's legacy, and this award offers an opportunity to spotlight the people and organizations making a lasting difference. 

Learn more about the award.