A Pep in Their Step

By Colin Sheehan, RCS Reporter. 

WTI program provides a free pair of quality work boots to their roofing professionals in the field.  

It’s no secret, roofing is a tough job. Workers often spend long hours on their feet, sometimes in uncomfortable climates, installing layer upon layer of roofing membrane. A recent survey by CraftJack, which asked 1,609 contractors and 652 consumers to rank the 32 most difficult types of contractor work, roofing came out as number one for the most physically demanding job. 

Brittany Randall is the lead regional administrator for Weatherproofing Technologies, Inc. (WTI) and spearheaded their free boots program, which provides all of their field workers with a pair of high-quality working boots. Brittany became the lead administrator for WTI two years ago, when the boots program began to further support the workers at WTI. Part of Brittany’s goal for this program was to ensure that her team had the proper equipment they need to stay safe and perform at their best.  

“In the beginning it was an uphill battle getting them to shop online,” admitted Brittany. “Once they realized how easy it was, they loved it.” 

Workers receive their boots in as little as two days and have been ecstatic in their response. Brittany mentioned many of their workers previously shopped for boots somewhere convenient and were most likely not purchasing high-quality footwear. 

“They talked about how comfortable their boots are and it's such a little thing, but it makes a huge difference in their day. I mean, these roofers are on their feet for 10, 11 hours a day,” said Brittany. "To hear how happy they are with the product, it just warms my heart.” 

The program is organized by month and respective region and all field workers are eligible once a year to order a pair of boots. Each region has a designated a month where workers can select a new pair of boots. WTI built a stipend right into their website, so workers don’t have to spend any money out of pocket during the initial selection process. Since the program began, WTI’s catalog has grown substantially, especially within their women’s selection. Throughout the previous few years, the number of women workers at WTI has also steadily increased. 

So far, the entirety of WTI has benefited from the program and Brittany hopes that this program will aid in attracting and retaining more workers. Proving that when the roofers are both safe and comfortable on the job site, everyone wins. 

“It's been a really positive thing for our company,” said Brittany. 

Learn more about WTI in their RoofersCoffeeShop® Directory or visit www.tremcoroofing.com.