IRE day 2: Students, award winners, concerts and more

From the Student Competition and NRCA Awards to tailgates and concerts, day two of IRE 2025 did not disappoint!

Editor’s note: The following is the transcript of a conversation The Coffee Shops crew had after day two of the International Roofing Expo (IRE).

Karen Edwards: Day two of the International Roofing Expo is behind us, and it was a great day. We were out on the show floor. We were doing soundstage videos all day long, and then we had the NRCA Awards Ceremony, and we got to see the winners of all the awards. We got to see Tomato Soup play from three to five at the SRS Tailgate. And then after the awards ceremony, Lauren and Dani went to the SRS concert. We went back to the house, invited a few friends over, and had a little jam session. And now here we are, beginning of day three. 

Zane Delucci: I had a great time on day two. I really liked our interview with Owens Corning. The carpet at their booth was like walking on clouds. I also really liked the SOPREMA booth, which had a living wall and was a replica of their new headquarters in Ohio. They were really nice too. I'm excited for day three.

Alex Tolle: Day two was just as busy as day one. A lot of contractors came by the booth and were super excited about what we do. We signed up three new R-club members and did a couple interviews with the new members, both on the soundstage and just in the booth, and then got to sneak away to go see the Tomato Soup concert, which was amazing.

Itzel Najera: We started off seeing the Student Competitions, and that was really interesting. It was nice seeing the students present. I really enjoyed that. And then we headed off to the SRS Para Latinos lounge, and we got to see Alan Lopez present, Octavio Vasquez from Owens Coming, and we got to interview Julissa Chavez and her partners. And it was really neat just having the conversations, to have everything and the collaboration together. And then we got to see Tomato Soup, which is really nice. It was very cold outside, but I really enjoyed the concert. And then we ended the day by going to the NRCA Awards. And that was pretty neat seeing who won the Student Competition.

Megan Ellsworth: Day two of IRE was jam packed with really great interviews on our soundstage and on the show floor. We chatted with MetalForming, Gaco, Duro-Last, BITEC, ATAS, and lots of other fun partners, and we had a great time. The show floor was still absolutely jam packed as well, and the soundstage was buzzing the whole day. And performing with Tomato Soup Band was very, very fun. Thank you, SRS for having us!

Evelyn Witterholt: Day two was really busy again at the soundstage, but really productive and good. We had a really great Coffee Conversations, and I, once again, got a lot of great content for our social media. And then we got to interview the students from the Student Competition, which was fun. And it was the first year I had seen a student team that was comprised of all women, which is really cool. I also got to check out Tomato Soup at the SRS XTV tailgate! 

Dani Sheehan: Day two was a whirlwind. It was so cool to see the Student Competition. I got to sit in on three of the six teams present. And it's just incredible the amount of work and planning that they put into it and how polished they are. And then the judges throw them a few curveballs with the questions they ask, and they still somehow pull it together. So that was really great. And then we jumped on the expo floor. I got to start my day with Megan and end my day with Karen, which was really great. They have very similar yet different styles of interviews, which was fun to observe. And Karen and I had a lot of fun with Chad Rowe with some audio problems, but it gave us a chance to catch up with him and see the MetalForming booth in action. So overall, I think it was a really great day. And then Lauren and I froze at the SRS charity concert, but it was really great. Whiskey Myers sounded awesome and we sang along to a few songs.

Jessica Bravo: Day two was a blast. We did more interviews. We walked around and spent most of our day at the SRS Para Latinos lounge, interviewing SRS partners. We also met a lot of contractors with Latinos en Roofing, attended more sessions hosted at the SRS Para Latinos lounge. Alan Lopez with GAF hosted another session where he talked about Latinos in the industry and how companies should hire bilingual people and people who understand the culture. Octavio Vasquez with Owens Corning and Kate Apunte also hosted a session at the SRS Para Latinos lounge too. 

Lauren White: Day two started off with the Roofing Alliance Student Competition, which is always such a fun event. I got to watch a few of the teams give their presentations, and I'm always just so impressed with the quality of the work and seeing how they all present differently. And like other people have said, they're just very professional, and it's hard to believe that they're college students, but looking at the next generation of roofing industry professionals is pretty exciting. And then Zane and I had another full day of floor interviews. And it’s really fun to see people get so excited about the interviews. We've gotten a lot of full booth tours, which has been fun because people put a lot of time and energy into planning these booths. And to be able to bring that to people who aren't able to make it for whatever reason to IRE is pretty great. 

Dani and I went to the SRS concert, which was our second concert of the day. We also got to watch Tomato Soup play at the SRS tailgate, which was so fun. I've never heard their whole band play live. And then at the SRS concert, a lot of money was raised, and we got to hear Treaty Oak Revival and Flatland Cavalry as the openers, and we found a great heater we stood next to all night and hung out with Todd Farr from EVERROOF. Whiskey Myers put on a great show. And now we're getting ready for day three. Overall, a great day two, lots of energy and people are just really excited to be here.