In Memorium: Dan Zahtila

Dan Zahtila (60) passed away peacefully on May 11 after a graceful, life ending battle with cancer.  

He was the Colorado Roofing Association Lifetime Achievement honoree in 2020 and served as CRA’s President from 2012-2013.  Dan joined the CRA Board in 2008; first as a director and then as our President in 2012 and 2013. 

Dan volunteered on the Trade Show, Public Relations, Community Service and Membership Committees. Serving on the Board was something out of his comfort zone (which he freely admitted). But over the year's he spoke his mind more and more (that's good and rarely bad) and after much prodding agreed to serve as our President and we are happy he did. Under his leadership CRA, accomplished so much.  

One of Dan's main objectives/passion was on cleaning up the image of the roofing industry and bringing awareness to the consumer and to our contractor base. He worked towards updating our membership requirements including a two-year wait period for new roofing businesses, new education requirements that require roof knowledge and specifically strengthening our Code of Ethics.  

He was also focused on increasing the amount of community service projects the CRA helped with and in giving back to the community as much as we could.  

The task of taking complaints from consumers has always fallen to the President. During Dan's tenure we added an online avenue for just this purpose and because of this, Dan probably handled more issues than others have in the past. In all cases, Dan represented CRA well and was helpful in working out the differences between consumer and member companies.  

During his tenure the Introduction to Roofing program continued to grow and thrive and funds were committed for PR hail awareness postcards and advertising campaigns. We also learned from SB38 that a bill without teeth does not work and for that reason Dan doubled his commitment moving forward to increase our efforts as an association to educate consumers on getting a new roof.  

After leaving the Board in 2014, Dan remained on our Membership Committee until 2018.  

Dan’s first President message quoted Thomas Jefferson - "I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past". He believed that we have the ability and resources to make a positive impact. He also believed that it is the minority rather than the majority that gives our industry a black eye. He felt it was a joint responsibility and repeatedly challenged members to become involved in the association, to mentor a new employee, and to give back to the communities that have made us all successful.  

Dan was a great leader -- level headed, kind hearted, you always knew where he stood and what he expected and for these reasons he was well respected by the Board and his sense of humor came through and made meetings just a bit more fun.  

We hope Dan knew the positive impact he made on many of us and the industry. May he rest in peace!

Memorial Service:

Due to concerns related to COVID-19, the family does not plan to hold a public memorial service and will celebrate his life privately with the support of his friend and pastor, Randy Lucero. 

Dan’s memory and legacy will live on through his many acts of faith, his loving family, and his leadership in the roofing industry. Thank you for the prayers, support, and love that have been poured out on our family. We are comforted by the stories of how Dan touched so many lives and by knowing he is in heaven with his heavenly father and family until we are all together again.  

Donations:

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in his name can be made to:

Nation Builders International

www.nationbuildersintl.org

https://www.paypal.me/nationbuildersintl

Mail to:

Nation Builders International

9337 Jackson St, 

Thornton, CO 80229

Nation Builders International is a non-profit organization focused on the mission to empower lives with Faith, Hope & Love to see transformed community around the world. Dan was passionate about serving God through discipleship and prayer. He used his business expertise to support the creation of Nation Builders International and was excited to engage in the organization’s work in an even deeper way through missions.   

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