Cheers to 2024!

By Emma Peterson. 

As another year comes to a close, let’s take a look at the top articles, podcasts, TikToks and more from 2024! 

It might be hard to believe, but 2025 is here! 2024 was an incredible year for The Coffee Shops™, full of growth and hard work. We are so thankful for the amazing industry that supports our work and the community we have been able to build, both in-person and online. Keep reading to check out the top content from this last year and toast to 2024 with us! 

Top articles 

Got skills? These students sure do! by Lauren White 

The editorial crew over here at The Coffee Shops has been working hard! 2024 saw over 2,000 articles move through our newsroom on everything from fire safety to stories of roof donations. Our top article of the year was written by our editor Lauren White about the 2024 SkillsUSA Competition. A collaboration between the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) and the Roofing Alliance, this competition showcased the next generation of tradespeople entering the workforce’s incredible skills and talents. 

How a good subcontractor is crucial to a successful project by Trent Cotney 

In addition to the amazing writing of our editorial crew, our amazing roofing influencers have been sharing their expert insights and ideas all year. Our top influencer response came from Trent Cotney of Adams and Reese LLP. In it, he shared about the intersection of safety and subcontracting crews when it comes to running a successful job site. 

Top webinars 

Navigating the Legal Side of Subcrews 

This Read Listen Watch (RLW)® features Trent Cotney of Adams and Reese LLP and Justin Bedwell of Camouflage Roofing & Construction, LLC. The duo stopped by The Coffee Shops in April to talk to Karen Edwards about the challenges and opportunities available in the industry related to subcrews.  

Coffee Conversations LIVE from IRE 2024 Sponsored by SRS! - Day 2 

The 2025 International Roofing Expo (IRE) is just around the corner and we couldn’t be more excited! Last year, one of our top webinars was a special Coffee Conversations, sponsored by SRS Distribution, that was hosted while we were at IRE in Las Vegas, Nevada. We love getting to sit down with professionals and experts across our incredible industry and can’t wait to see you in San Antonio, Texas in February. 

Top YouTube videos 

APOC's Silicone Coating System | Live Demo From WRE! 

In 2024, we also got to visit the 2024 Western Roofing Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada. While there, our multimedia crew showed off their skills with incredible trade show floor coverage! In the top video of the year on our YouTube channel, they stopped by our friends at APOC to hear all about their silicone coating systems and get a demo! 

LIVE From the International Federation of the Roofing Trade Competition 

And local shows and events weren’t all for The Coffee Shops this year — we went international with exclusive U.S. coverage of the International Federation of the Roofing Trade (IFD) Championship of Young Roofers in Innsbruck, Austria! Our top playlist of the year showcases the competition itself and the teams from KPost Roofing and Waterproofing, Global Roofing Group and Durable Slate. 

Top podcasts 

Chris Underwood & Jamie Atkins - Kool Seal & Uniflex Shine 

Our top episode of our longstanding Roofing Road Trips® podcast series (Can you believe we’ve been producing this for five years now?) featured Chris Underwood and Jamie Atkins from Sherwin-Williams. The duo sat down with Heidi J. Ellsworth to talk about the exciting products and innovations coming from Kool Seal and UNIFLEX, two members of the Sherwin-Williams brand family.  

Stories from the Roof: Kendall Ekerson 

And we can’t not talk about the Stories from the Roof series, which is where we get to sit down with our incredible partners and find out how they found themselves in our industry. Our top episode for 2024 was a conversation between host Megan Ellsworth and Kendall Ekerson from Simply Affordable (SA) Roofing. 

Top social media posts 

Instagram reel from National Women in Roofing Day 2024 

Our social media team has been “cooking” as the kids say. In other words, they’ve been creating incredible content that both brings our community together and creates accessible education opportunities. Our top Instagram post was a fun video featuring some of the amazing women making waves in the industry from the National Women in Roofing (NWIR) conference! 

TikTok post with Marc Jorns 

Over on TikTok, our top post came from the 2024 IRE! It features Marc Jorns from MetalForming and their new JPM Parts Manipulator. The video showcases one of our favorite things about trade shows — getting to see all of the innovations and creativity of the industry! 

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