Jared Ribble - NRCA ProCertification Goes Metal - PODCAST TRANSCRIPTION

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of a live interview with Jared Ribble of NRCA You can read the interview below or listen to the podcast. 

Audio:
Welcome to Roofing Road Trips with Heidi. Explore the roofing industry through the eyes of a long term professional within the trade. Listen for insights, interviews, and exciting news in the roofing industry today.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Hello and welcome to Roofing Road Trips from Roofers Coffee Shop. I am here today, Heidi Ellsworth, on a real road trip. I'm in Chicago and I'm sitting here with all time favorite Roofing Road Trip guest, Jared Ribble with NRCA.

Jared Ribble:
All time favorite? Who gives that title? Is that... Tell me that your audience has put that, given me that honor.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I feel it. I just feel it. It's just knowing that audience, although I don't want to upset anyone else out there.

Jared Ribble:
No, that's just it.

Heidi Ellsworth:
We do have a lot of favorites, but I am, I have to say we always have so much fun with these road trips, Jared. Thank you so much for sitting in this room, overlooking Chicago and talking about something really cool. ProCertification.

Jared Ribble:
Absolutely. We're always talking about ProCertification. You know I'm passionate about ProCertification and how it's getting its place in the marketplace. It's elevating. It's elevating the professionalism of the roofing industry and you know I just, I get so excited-

Heidi Ellsworth:
I know.

Jared Ribble:
... to talk about that.

Heidi Ellsworth:
It is so good, so before we really get into that, for those very few people out there who might not know you, why don't you introduce yourself and tell them what you do with NRCA and a little bit of the history of you being involved with ProCert.

Jared Ribble:
Okay, well the who I am, I'm Jared Ribble. I always say I'm a father of four. I'm a tennis coach. I play drums at my church because I'm more than just roofing, although I'm passionate about roofing, but I work for NRCA helping them build and run their ProCertification department. What is ProCertification? ProCertification is a bar of professionalism that the industry has come together and said, if you want to be a great thermoplastic installer, you have these skills and we set up an assessment for an installer to take, to verify that they have those skills and they have, they earn their certification if they pass that assessment right? So just like a licensed plumber, a license, or I'm sorry, a certified plumber-

Heidi Ellsworth:
Right.

Jared Ribble:
... a certified electrician.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
A certified public accountant, a certified barber, you've heard me use these examples before.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
We have certified roofing installers. System specific.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
It's very, very exciting. These are, it is a certified worker inside of a contractor shop is a lighthouse of career path for anyone new coming into that contractor shop. It's fantastic because now they can see a career path. I want to be like that guy.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yes.

Jared Ribble:
I want to be that guy.

Heidi Ellsworth:
And they can actually tell their parents if they're really young going into vocational school, look, I can be certified roofing installer. I can do those things, which we haven't had that. I mean, you're right, it's been all the plumbers and engineers, the electricians, all of those and roofing has needed it so badly.

Jared Ribble:
Yeah, absolutely. So that's what we do. That's what I'm involved with. That's what gets my heart pumping and my blood flowing a bit, you know?

Heidi Ellsworth:
Well, you know, I got to, okay, so we are here, we're sitting here at the NRCA Summer Meetings, which I just always have to say this because it makes me so excited. Roofers Coffee Shop is a one voice member.

Jared Ribble:
Yeah.

Heidi Ellsworth:
So we are here yeah, as one voice and we are really, I've been coming to these meetings now. Well, a long time, a lot longer than five or six years. But about five years ago there, I was sitting in the room when they were talking about, we need to bring, increase that professionalism, not the professionalism, yes, somewhat within the industry but what people outside the industry think of roofing installers, roofing contractors, the roofing industry overall. We had to elevate our brand basically.

Jared Ribble:
Yeah, it's elevating the perception of the roofing industry and that's sort of the trick is to, we are not saying that the roofing installers that we have out on the roofs today are not professional and not quality, but there is a perception.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yes. Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
Right? That's what we have to work on changing and you know, like you said, we're sitting in here in Chicago, we're working and talking to contractors and we're networking and so forth and we all know, we all know that we're great.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
We are great at this.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yes.

Jared Ribble:
But we have to make sure that there is a bar to elevate the ones that aren't.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Mm-hmm.

Jared Ribble:
And to point consumers, that end user, to that bar to say if the installers are not of this caliber-

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
... then they shouldn't be on your roof.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Right. Exactly.

Jared Ribble:
Or you don't want them on your roof.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Right. You want that... It's in every perfection where you want the best. You want the one who's certified, who are trained, who understand what you're asking them to do especially on your roof, especially on your building, on wherever you may be and when we were talking about that five years ago, Reed Ribble, who was the CEO, brought this in and happens to be your dad.

Jared Ribble:
Yeah.

Heidi Ellsworth:
And we love our generational roofing here.

Jared Ribble:
Yeah.

Heidi Ellsworth:
But I remember listening to him and thinking, this is brilliant. This is brilliant and one of the things that I was really excited about, because he was like seeing, he was seeing today five, six, seven years ago and maybe even longer than that and one of the things he said in one of those meetings was, "As we get all of these installers certified and as we have this program up, then we're going to specify it. We're going to go out there, we're going to change that perception. We're going to talk to the architects, to the engineers, to the construction specifiers and we're going to say, these are the people you want to spec when you're having a roof installed."

Jared Ribble:
Yeah.

Heidi Ellsworth:
And it's happening.

Jared Ribble:
It's happening. It is happening. And that is really it's the next step and-

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
... it shows you that ProCertification is having an impact.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yes.

Jared Ribble:
So yeah, so the consultants, architects engineers now, there is drafted specification language that this group of consultants that they are downloading it from NRCA's website, they're passing it around and they're using it as a boiler plate to start putting the need for, and sometimes the requirement for-

Heidi Ellsworth:
Mm-hmm.

Jared Ribble:
... a... Certified installers up on their job.

Heidi Ellsworth:
There is.

Jared Ribble:
You know, and the language like some are putting in 20% of the crew.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Mm-hmm.

Jared Ribble:
You know, so let's just say you have a crew of eight people, you know? 20%, what is that? That's two people.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Two.

Jared Ribble:
Yeah, two people need to be a certified thermoplastic installer, a certified metal shingles installer.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Right.

Jared Ribble:
Okay? And because we all know, you all know that are listening, that you will have laborers, you will have laborers on the job that are tearing off, that are moving product around, that are even laying laying field, but might not be doing the intense skill specific details.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Right.

Jared Ribble:
That's where the leaks happen.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
You know? It's not laying out a course of shingles where the leaks happen. The leaks happen at the chimney, the leaks happen at the penetrations.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Right.

Jared Ribble:
And that's really where the certification assessment is really making sure that the installer knows how to handle those high skill, high level skills.

Heidi Ellsworth:
And there's a point of pride in those that having even that 20%, that encourages everyone else plus the pride of those certified contractors on the roof also bring up the professionalism of the whole crew.

Jared Ribble:
That's right. That's absolutely right. And the building owners, it brings up the confidence of the building owners.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
So consultants, they work with the building owners. The consultants are now educating the building owners on, you have this option. We have certified installers in our area. We should put that in a specification for your job.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yes.

Jared Ribble:
And it just... The consumer, the building owner just starts to breathe the sigh of relief a little bit.

Heidi Ellsworth:
And I mean, that works so well for roofing consultants, for architects, for engineers, all of those folks out there who are working with those building owners saying once they know this is happening, the word spreads and that this is really what you need to have on the roof. I think one of the things that I was really impressed with too, is these specifications were put together by a committee, right?

Jared Ribble:
Sure, yeah, a whole, a task force of consultants and writers got together and drafted the language.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
And so now it's getting adopted in a master spec, in Dell Tech and all these other bigger consultant groups around the country are taking that language and now putting it into their specs so some of those consultant groups will have a pre-qualification survey for a particular job. You got to fill out, do I have certified workers? Do I not? Am I willing to?

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
Am I not willing to? 'Cause there is a point where we are still early in the grand scheme of ProCertification.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
It's been around for several years now, but it's still early and there are some contractors that may have said, yeah, I don't need certified workers yet and like are, so now you're filling out these pre-qualification forms.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Mm-hmm.

Jared Ribble:
And well, are you willing to have certified workers? Well, I am willing. Great and then those consultant groups work with NRCA so we can bridge the gap and say, all right, you're willing, now let's help you find locations or let's help you get your workers ready. Let's make sure that there's assessors in your area that are coming to you to help make it easy for your installers to become, to take the assessment.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Right.

Jared Ribble:
So.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I love that.

Jared Ribble:
It's a lot of connecting the dots still, but we have specifiers that are doing it. We have contractors that, eh, it sounds like a good idea, but until I'm going to lose work, I'm not interested you know? Well now it's getting specified.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Right. And you could lose work.

Jared Ribble:
Yeah.

Heidi Ellsworth:
But, and I want to really get into that but one note I want to make on this that I think is so important is there has been out there, especially obviously in the commercial realm, there's sometimes been this truth, but also myth about how contractors and consultants don't mix and don't get along. That, I think, is being totally debunked and I love the fact that you had a committee or a task team with both sides on it and who are coming together and the ProCertification almost now takes away a lot of the arguments. It's starting to even bridge that gap further, it feels like.

Jared Ribble:
Yeah, well it really does. If there feels like there's a tension between contractors and consultants. I mean, I get it and I understand history of where that tension comes from, but the reality of it is the consultant is working for the building owner and the contractor is just trying to serve the building owner. So you got these two groups that are really coming together to serve the needs of the building owner and I don't think that relationship is as full of friction as what people think. And to your point, the certification helps bridge a lot of gaps to where we're now putting quality workers on the job.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Right.

Jared Ribble:
And proven quality workers.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
So any friction that was there starts to get sanded away because the bar has been set.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yes. I love that. The bar has been set. I think that's so true. So what are you seeing with the contractors on, because one of the things that is obvious, is as more jobs, especially, I mean, this is all right now on commercial side, but ProCertification is also residential too so it's all sides, but as you're starting to see jobs, specifications being downloaded, that's really what is the first start. You have it all, they're written, they're out there, they're being downloaded, they're out on all these different sites. What are you seeing on download wise?

Jared Ribble:
Well, as far as locations around the country?

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah, yeah.

Jared Ribble:
I mean, honestly like literally all over the country.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Wow.

Jared Ribble:
So I have been a little surprised, maybe I shouldn't be surprised, but there's been a lot of consultants downloading the language up in the north east.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Mm.

Jared Ribble:
All around New York City, New Jersey into Pennsylvania, a lot in Pennsylvania and that whole kind of stretch, that corridor, a bit of that I95 corridor-

Heidi Ellsworth:
Nice.

Jared Ribble:
... has been a lot of activity there and then Chicago, I'm trying to, just now, off the top of my head, I'm just trying to remember where they all are.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
The south west.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
Albuquerque, Tucson, Phoenix.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I saw a bunch in Denver, Dallas.

Jared Ribble:
Yeah. Yeah. Denver, Dallas is hot. Dallas-

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
... is, you know, several in the Dallas area. So when you download it from our website, you give us permission, you give us you know, your contact information, these consultants and so we can help help you, the consultant, and the architects pair up with the companies that have the installers.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Right.

Jared Ribble:
And there's a little bit too of, hey, these are the contractors that we like to work with. Well, tell us that so we can work with them to make sure that they have certified installers-

Heidi Ellsworth:
Get them certified.

Jared Ribble:
... you know? Yeah. And that they understand the process and you can go to NRCA's website and learn about it but it still is like having someone to kind of walk you through the process. It's not that hard, but it is, it's not just doing production, what you do every day.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Right, and you know, for just in case there is possibly some folks out there who maybe this is their first roofing road trip podcast and they're like, what the heck is ProCertification? We didn't really touch on that at the beginning, because a lot of people will say, "Well, that's training." No, it's two separate things. So I know you have this wonderful elevator speech on this.

Jared Ribble:
Yeah. I mean, yes, training is for the brand new worker and learning and there are great, we all know there's great training out there.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
You can get training at trade school and tech schools, you can get training at manufacturer. You can get training next to your dad, working alongside your dad.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
We don't care where you get your training, but we do want you to sit for this assessment and get your skills verified, make sure that the training's stuck. Does not matter where you get your training. I've said it to you before, I use my example of my barber. I love my barber okay? I'm... Something years old and my-

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
... barber's 19 and I try to say, hey, a 19 year old barber? Like, just make me look young.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
But where did this kid learn how to cut hair? And he learned it from his dad.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Oh my gosh. I love it.

Jared Ribble:
He learned it from his dad, but I sit and I trust that he's not going to chop my ear off.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
But he has a little certification on his mirror that gives me the confidence that he's not going to chop my ear off.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Right.

Jared Ribble:
I don't care where he learned. I just don't want him to hurt me.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Right.

Jared Ribble:
And I want to look younger right?

Heidi Ellsworth:
Right.

Jared Ribble:
So it just, it doesn't matter where you learned your roofing skills. There's great training out there, but come sit and do our assessment.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Right.

Jared Ribble:
And prove to the world that you are awesome.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. And I've heard from so many contractors who have had their installers go through this and get their certification and the pride, I know I said this earlier, but the pride in the work and in the status, in the culture of the company is just off the charts. In fact, Kelly Van Winkle, who's here this week at the NRCA, she was on one of our coffee conversations talking about that.

Jared Ribble:
Yeah.

Heidi Ellsworth:
And really talked about what it does for the culture of your company.

Jared Ribble:
Yeah.

Heidi Ellsworth:
So it's not just getting specified, being able to do, I mean, as a contractor, being able to do the work and hit this specification that's coming back but it's also what that does for your employees, for the culture of your company and your overall quality. It's just, like you said, I love that the barber example is perfect.

Jared Ribble:
Yeah.

Heidi Ellsworth:
It's perfect.

Jared Ribble:
Yeah and two examples from the pride that you're talking about. First off, it was early in the program. I was out in Sacramento. There was an installer that just finished up his asphalt shingle exam and I'm not being overly dramatic here. I promise you this. He got done, he looked at me, he had glassy eyes and said-

Heidi Ellsworth:
Ah.

Jared Ribble:
... thank you, no one has ever given the me the opportunity to prove I know what I'm doing.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Oh God. That's awesome.

Jared Ribble:
Yeah.

Heidi Ellsworth:
That is great.

Jared Ribble:
Another worker from Virginia, I got a video of him when he got his certification, he wrote, I have a diploma! And let's not get into semantics of what's a diploma, what's a certification.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Right.

Jared Ribble:
It doesn't matter in his... He has never had the opportunity to have that pride.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Right.

Jared Ribble:
Right?

Heidi Ellsworth:
Right.

Jared Ribble:
You know? And you know, so that filters down into their homes, that filters into the other workers inside the company.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
That the pride matters and related though, it is, if you are a contractor listening to this and you want to set up one of your installers to earn this level of pride.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Mm-hmm.

Jared Ribble:
Be very careful that you make it very clear what this is. This is an honor to them, not a punishment. And by that, I mean, hey, we want to have your skills assessed. That can come off the wrong way if it sounds like, well, what you don't trust me that I'm good?

Heidi Ellsworth:
Right? Yeah, I have to be tested?

Jared Ribble:
Yeah. What did I do wrong? No, no, no, no, no. This is a third party, national certification that we want you to take this assessment so we can show the world that you are as awesome as we know you are.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Right. Exactly.

Jared Ribble:
You know? So.

Heidi Ellsworth:
No, that's so true.

Jared Ribble:
Just yeah, if you're a-

Heidi Ellsworth:
[inaudible 00:17:54].

Jared Ribble:
... contractor and you believe in this, just make sure your installers, if you're setting them up, understand what you're doing.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
And it's not a punishment. This is an honor.

Heidi Ellsworth:
It is. It is. And that's what we hear, time after time after time. All the feedback that's coming back is that is what is being felt and I think there's still a lot of people out there who don't understand the program and so that's going to take time, but once you start seeing it, like we said, all these different places, specifications, you're hearing about it in your own community, it's being touted on Roofing Road Trips, whatever that may be, at the NRCA site, I think that's really important.

Heidi Ellsworth:
One of the things that you and I met, we did a Roofing Road Trip in May, and we were talking about metal and I mentioned Metal Coffee Shop. We're really excited about that part of it too, because there's just so many different places so when you think about it on these newer buildings, they're going to have metal, maybe on certain parts of the roof, they're going to have some TPO or some EPDM, whatever it may be. They might even have asphalt shingles on another section of the building so all of these certifications are really important for those crews.

Jared Ribble:
Oh sure and a particular metal installer who's doing say all the flashing details, you know, they might only be going from job to job to job just doing a flashing detail so we created a certification just for those metal folks.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I love it.

Jared Ribble:
So because it'd be really easy to say, well, it's a low slope system, thermoplastic and well you do the copings too, don't you? No, actually it's a metal person. That's just a skilled metal installer that does that. So we've-

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
... got a certification for the metal flashing, low slope workers and then the metal panels, you know, if you're a steep slope metal panel installer, you know?

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
We've got the certification for just those folks and it's specific skills just related to them and that spawned well, don't forget the metal shingle-

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah, exactly.

Jared Ribble:
... guys, because that's a different set of skills.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
Than it is than the metal panels. Yes, it's all steep slope, but metal shingles is a different set of skills.

Heidi Ellsworth:
And that's coming out?

Jared Ribble:
That's coming out later in March.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Awesome.

Jared Ribble:
March, 2000-

Heidi Ellsworth:
23.

Jared Ribble:
23.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I can't believe that, but yeah.

Jared Ribble:
I'm sorry. I got that confused with a different one. Coming out November, 2022.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Oh good. Okay, good. So that's a lot sooner.

Jared Ribble:
November, 2022.

Heidi Ellsworth:
And you know, speaking of which, you're going to be doing ProCertification assessments at Metal Con.

Jared Ribble:
Yes.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Right?

Jared Ribble:
We're going to be doing metal panel assessments so at Metal Con on the show floor, before the show opens.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Wow.

Jared Ribble:
And I think that's important because I don't want installers to think that they're going to come and be a show pony.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Right.

Jared Ribble:
During the show.

Heidi Ellsworth:
And make you nervous.

Jared Ribble:
Yeah. Oh, you know, yes. We don't want that, but before the show opens in the morning, we have a mock up there with the materials and we're inviting installers to come in and take the assessment.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
And we'll have an assessor there scoring and doing that so then after the show floor opens, our assessments will be done and people will come in and get a chance to see, oh, this is what the mock up looks like and get a chance to talk to us about it so yeah, at Metal Con in October.

Heidi Ellsworth:
October, yeah. Indianapolis.

Jared Ribble:
Indianapolis.

Heidi Ellsworth:
So if you're out there right now, listening to this and you are interested, you needed to get your installers, I know you can get trained anywhere, but isn't there. I mean, by obviously going through the Track program that does, which is the training program from NRCA, that does really help you prepare.

Jared Ribble:
Yeah. It does. Track tends to be a little bit more on the new worker, new worker side of things.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Okay.

Jared Ribble:
But what we have though is we have what we call just our readiness resources.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Wow.

Jared Ribble:
If you want to take this assessment, we're going to send you what the mock up looks like. We're going to send you a detail list of here's the details that you're going to be asked to show.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Perfect.

Jared Ribble:
And a visual representation on paper of what that detail's going to look like and what the assessor's going to ask. So you can get yourself prepared. Nothing in the assessment is anything you haven't been doing on jobs, but if you are like me and I get a little test anxiety.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
I like to really make sure I am prepared you know? So I... we'll try to give you as much resources as we can to just help you get prepared.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Well, and that goes back to what you were saying earlier. You want this to be a very positive opportunity and it's not an easy assessment and so giving your employees, your installers a chance to review, to maybe tune up, because you never know how much are you doing on the roof. You might have just had a time where you're doing a whole bunch of TPO, but yet you're now going to go in and do standing seam.

Jared Ribble:
Yeah.

Heidi Ellsworth:
You know, both, but you need to be prepared.

Jared Ribble:
Yeah.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I think it's really important to give them that chance and give them the time and the practice.

Jared Ribble:
Yeah. I mean, especially like say on a rain day, if you know in 30 days you're going to take this assessment and you know, and oh, rain's coming, well, take some time on that rain day, go over the list, go over the readiness resources we've sent you. We've got some videos that we send you so that we, okay. I see what this is.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
And you get sort of oriented to what the mock up is going to look like, and what the assessor's going to ask 'cause I don't care who you are. I mean, you're going to, all of a sudden, the real test is on the job with the customer, but somehow that feels more comfortable than all right, now there's an assessor following you and-

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
... and making some notes, it's just, all of a sudden adds this weird element of pressure that is no different than when you're on a job, but there just is so we want you to be oriented to the exam experience so that you can really be as good as you actually are.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Exactly. And testing. That's always... No, I don't care who you're. There's an anxiety level there.

Jared Ribble:
Yeah.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Okay. So for all the contractors who are listening, I know we just mentioned Metal Con and that you can do an assessment at Metal Con, but I want to mention a couple of manufacturers who I've been really impressed with lately who are really helping contractors to take ProCertification to the next level and you may have a couple more, but the two I'm thinking of right now, our IB Roof and IB Roof is actually going to be on next week, so I don't know when you're listening to that, but that would be July 19th. They're kind of having a launch to help really push ProCertification out to all IB Roof contractors and the industry as a whole and then they're going to be offering assessments in Dallas.

Jared Ribble:
Yeah. At their location.

Heidi Ellsworth:
At their location.

Jared Ribble:
In Dallas, yeah.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Which is awesome. So kudos to Jason Stanley in the group there. I mean, for really, really pushing that.

Jared Ribble:
But folks like, yes, there is an application fee.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Mm-hmm.

Jared Ribble:
But they're going to have the mock ups there.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
They're going to have the materials there. They're going to have the assessors there. All has cost to it.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
So they are trying to make this as easy and as economical as physically possible for contractors and installers. So if you're anywhere in the Dallas area.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
You need to take part in this opportunity and going back to your original talk about specifiers, we have specifiers in the Dallas area that are-

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yes!

Jared Ribble:
... starting to spec this okay? So you see this all kind of comes full circle.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. All comes together.

Jared Ribble:
And so, you know, we want certified workers all throughout the country. NRCA and our manufacturer partners are doing everything we can to make it as painless as possible.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
You just have to show up.

Heidi Ellsworth:
You just have to show up. And I tell you what you talked about the fees that's associated. There are manufacturers out there and I'm going to throw it out. Johns Manville, who, for their contractors, certain levels, in their program but they are... They are paying for it too.

Jared Ribble:
Yeah.

Heidi Ellsworth:
So you should be asking your manufacturers what are they doing with proc certification? Because IB Roof, Johns Manville and there's a bunch more. I don't want [inaudible 00:26:19] anybody.

Jared Ribble:
Well, we're in supply chain crisis, right?

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
Right? Okay, so contractors are frustrated with the manufacturers. Manufacturers want to give as much value to the contractors as possible, especially in these trying times.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Right.

Jared Ribble:
So it is a little tip for you contractors. Every manufacturer, I mean, figuratively, every manufacturer supports ProCertification. All they need to do is hear from you, the contractor, to say, hey, I want to get some of my workers certified. Can you help me out with...?

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yes.

Jared Ribble:
Right?

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
I'm leaving a big blank.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
Because I don't know what is holding you up, contractor, but maybe it's the cost. Maybe it's the materials. Maybe you need an assessor to come out.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
Maybe... I don't know what the hold up is but the point is that manufacturers are coming to their customers with open hands to say, how can we help support this?

Heidi Ellsworth:
Exactly.

Jared Ribble:
How can we help make this a reality for you the contractor? So there is a little bit of connecting the dots, that mission that I'm going to start being on here.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Right.

Jared Ribble:
Because manufacturers are saying, we're going to help anybody out and contractors saying, well, we've got all these hurdles. Well, all we got to do is-

Heidi Ellsworth:
Bring them together.

Jared Ribble:
... bring them together.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I tell you what, all the Johns Manville technical field reps are assessors.

Jared Ribble:
Yeah.

Heidi Ellsworth:
They've gotten them all. So if you're working with them, talk to them and you need to find out, but I agree with you, I think going and asking them and saying, this is what we want to do, how can you help? There isn't figuratively, there is no manufacturer out there who's going to say no, you know?

Jared Ribble:
Exactly.

Heidi Ellsworth:
This is just, it's so strong and okay, and this is the last part I want to make bringing it full circle is that as most of the contractors I'm sure listening to this know, manufacturers are very, very integral within the specification program. They are out there every single day talking to the architects and engineers and the roof consultants to get their products backed. They're also now starting to say and carry the torch for getting ProCertification speced so this whole thing goes together.

Jared Ribble:
Yeah. Yeah. It's, and it all just comes back to making sure that this roofs and the details are being put on by folks that have had their skills verified.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yep.

Jared Ribble:
And it helps the manufacturers. So make sure that their products are being put on to according to spec and by skilled folks and ultimately it's helping the building owner.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
They're sleeping better. It brings pride to the installer, it shows a career path to the younger, to the next generation. It really is this massive win-win for everybody and that's why I get excited about it.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. It's pretty exciting to be here at these meetings, looking back over the last five to six years and see how far it's come. So Jared, you've been a huge part of that. You have been, like you said, the advocate, the cheerleader, the one who's made it all happen so I want to say thank you to you for all your work.

Jared Ribble:
You're welcome and I will accept that because I do work really hard on it.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yes, you do.

Jared Ribble:
I will accept it because I do work hard at it, but there's a whole team of people.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yes.

Jared Ribble:
I have a team of people. We have a whole, just all, everyone and Heidi, I'm not kidding you, 60 people that work for NRCA, every person inside NRCA touches ProCertification at some point.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Wow.

Jared Ribble:
So it is not just me.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. It's the team.

Jared Ribble:
There's 60 fingerprints.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
On ProCertification as it gets built and as it gets out to the marketplace.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
And we can't do it without the contractors and the installers. So I accept your, you are pumping me up a little bit, but let's just, let's make sure that everybody gets credit.

Heidi Ellsworth:
And we should probably send out a very special note to John Chanel and Amy Stasca because I know they were at the very beginning, two sides training and ProCert or the certification, but you're right. It brought everybody together and you guys are just an amazing team so thank you for sharing all this.

Jared Ribble:
Absolutely.

Heidi Ellsworth:
This is really fun.

Jared Ribble:
You and I have a standing agreement, you call me anytime and I will be there to talk with your folks because I love you so much and I love your audience.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I love it too and you know, talking specifications, how much more exciting can we get it than that? Come on.

Jared Ribble:
Let's, let's, all right, next is insurance.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah.

Jared Ribble:
That's just building [inaudible 00:30:42].

Heidi Ellsworth:
I did insurance last week.

Jared Ribble:
Fair enough.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Well, I wanted to say thank you one last time.

Jared Ribble:
Yeah, absolutely.

Heidi Ellsworth:
And I want to say thank you to all of you for listening. It's so fun to bring the Roofing Road Trips actually from the road again, so from Chicago, I want to say, thank you. Be sure to go on to Roofer's Coffee Shop, check out the NRCA website. All the ProCertification information is on there. Also be sure to go to our podcast section under the RLW and look for all the roofing road trips, because there's so much great information. We're hoping to help you every single day, make your business better and more than anything, go onto your favorite podcast channel and subscribe and hit those notifications so you don't miss a single one and we'll see you on the next Roofing Road Trip.

Audio:
Make sure to subscribe to our channel and leave a review. Thanks for listening. This has been Roofing Road Trips with Heidi, from the rooferscoffeeshop.com.