About Us

RoofersCoffeeShop was established in 2002 by Vickie Sharples, with a little help from her friend Heidi Ellsworth. It was a support site for Roofers Exchange, a newspaper focused on classified ads. Working together they named the new site RoofersCoffeeShop. This represents a space similar to how many contractors in the past used coffee shops or diners early in the morning to meet with fellow contractors and crews. While there, they were able to exchange advice, tell stories and talk business. By naming the website RoofersCoffeeShop, it gives the roofing community a sense of past comfort and a doorway into new technologies that are essential to a strong business in today’s world.

RoofersCoffeeShop, since its inception has been committed to elevating the professionalism of the industry and helping roofing contractors
find the resources they need for success. One way we do that is by being strong advocates of our industry associations, partnering with them to connect them with contractors. In fact, our founder Vickie, was honored by the NRCA with the prestigious Charlie Raymond Award in 2003. This honor is "the most prestigious membership recruitment award NRCA bestows. The award is given annually to the member who has recruited
the most members during a calendar year."

Today the RCS Crew, led by Heidi Ellsworth, is proud of where the Coffee Shop has come and everything it has to offer the overall industry. The Coffee Shop is breaking new ground in digital marketing for the roofing industry. It is comprised of a community of roofing professionals who share ideas, tell stories, conduct research, sell items, find items and get help.

An award-winning community

RoofersCoffeeShop was recognized among the crème de la crème in the publishing industry as the winner of the 2021 Folio: Eddie Award category for B2B Social Media/Online Community and as the winner of the 2019 Folio: Eddie Award for Website B2B Building & Construction with an honorable mention in the B2B Social Media/Online Community category. In 2017, RCS received an honorable mention for B2B Website/Online Community in the Construction & Manufacturing category. 

In 2021, our Read, Listen, Watch series was voted the top product in METALCON’s technology category and received the top honor of a People’s Choice Award. The much-loved Coffee Conversations series won the 2021 Innovation Award from the Midwest Roofing Contractors Association. 

In 2022, our sister site MetalCoffeeShop, brought to you by Sherwin-Williams, was awarded a People’s Choice award at the 2022 METALCON conference.

We are also very proud of RCS President Heidi Ellsworth for being named in Folio: and AdMonsters’ 2021 class of Top Women in Media as a Changemaker. 

To be recognized nationally is a great honor but the greatest joy is interacting everyday with the RoofersCoffeeShop community!

Become part of the community

Advertisers are able to connect with roofing contractors across the country, not only selling but learning about key issues and trends through the site’s tools such as the forum and classified advertising. It is the premier networking site in the industry, helping contractors find information, materials, services, tools, labor and training all in one place. RoofersCoffeeShop has become the place to celebrate the roofing industry and the great people who work in roofing. From the rooftop to the boardroom, RoofersCoffeeShop is for all roofing professionals!