Justin Shirley - Start 2023 out Right in Washington State - PODCAST TRANSCRIPTION

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of a live interview with Justin Shirley from Achten's Quality Roofing. You can read the interview below or listen to the podcast. 

Speaker 1: 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 J. Ellsworth: Hello and welcome to another Roofing Road Trips from Roofers Coffee Shop. This is Heidi Ellsworth and I am here today with Justin Shirley of Achten's Quality Roofing out of Seattle, Washington. And actually, Justin's probably going to tell us, it's not exactly Seattle, but it's close. And Justin is also the president of the Roofing Contractors Association of Washington. And so we're so excited to talk about that association, about the upcoming trade show. I am honored to be on the board of RCAW. So Justin, thanks for joining us on this road trip.

Justin Shirley: Good afternoon, Heidi. Thank you for having me. Excited to talk to you.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: I know. It's been so much fun working with you on the board of RCAW. What a great organization. But before we dive into that, could you first introduce yourself and tell everybody a little bit about you and Achten's?

Justin Shirley: Well, like you said, I am Justin Shirley, work for Achten's Quality Roofing out of Tacoma, Washington. We are a mostly residential roofing contractor. Was started in 2006, been in business since 2006. But we serve all of Western Washington. So we have numerous projects going all over the state at any given time. And mostly, like I said, residential and we do a lot of service work. Try to keep ourselves busy in the roofing industry and seem to do that pretty well.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: You're busy all the time.

Justin Shirley: Yeah, we're busy all the time. And with the RCAW, like you said, I'm president of the RCAW and I see the RCAW as always growing and changing and adapting. And that's somewhat how we run Achten's Quality Roofing too, always changing, moving forward, adapting, seeing what we can do better, seeing how we can better improve the products that we put on people's houses, their experience, and at the end of the day, the roof that they're left under for years and years to come to make sure that's a great and positive experience with us. So that's kind of how I view the company and it's kind of how I view the RCAW too, always moving forward, always looking for new ways to do something. If not change, bolster up what we do well, tweak on it, try to do it better, try to do it more efficient.

And at the same time, we're a family here and I view the roofing community too as a family and the RCAW and all the contractors and the vendors and suppliers and everyone that networks through there and associated with it as a family. And so try to support other contractors, try to support vendors and try to uplift the roofing community all at the same time. And that's just kind of a background of how I operate and how I like to see our company and I like to see other companies prosper and how they work and like to see the association do the same thing.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah. And that's so obvious having sat on the board with you now for the last, I don't know, it's not even been a year, six, eight months. It's just quality contractors, really quality contractors who really care. They care about their companies, they care about the community, they care about the industry. It's really something I love. So when did the Roofing Contractor Association of Washington start and what's a little bit of its history?

Justin Shirley: The Contractors Association started long before you and long before me. So I think it was established around 1965. So in the mid '60s. It was primarily established, as you look back at it, primarily established by the large union contractors at that time in the greater Seattle and Tacoma area. And they actually used it as bargaining for their union memberships and getting better pay and wages and a tool like that's why they started it. And they were very successful in getting better wages for their employees and bolstering that up. And it went through the sixties and the seventies. But in the eighties a big shift changed and they got away from that and they turned more towards, "Okay, we're the Roofing Contractors Association, let's incorporate all roofing contractors." Because it wasn't all about people just doing union and commercial work. There's so many residential houses and so many residential roofs and non-commercial roofs, I should say.

I was born in '79, but my parents would tell me in the '70s things really died down and there wasn't a whole lot of action going on as far as growth and economy in Western Washington. But in the '80s that shifted and that changed as and all of a sudden you got housing and you got big communities being built up and money being brought in. And so with that comes the trades, comes the contractors. And the same thing happened with roofing. All of a sudden you got roofing contractors popping up-

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Everywhere.

Justin Shirley: ... all over because the work needs to be done. And so they made that change and they incorporated roofing contractors and then they also incorporated the roofing manufacturers and vendors and associate members were brought into the association, which just bolstered it and made it more strong and made it so the contractors worked hand in hand with what they're putting on their roof and who they're buying it from. And so they started building that relationship.

And then also, I think it was in the late '80s, they also said, "Well, Eastern Washington that's part of Washington state."

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Right.

Justin Shirley: Even though sometimes it doesn't feel like it, there's a mountain range as we don't really cross paths, but it's the Association of Washington. So there's contractors over there. So we have to incorporate that. And that still has been tough and the growth is tough over there because like I said, that mountain range is kind of two different states sometimes.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Right.

Justin Shirley: But we are still building and trying to forge that relationship with the contractors over there and especially with the associate vendors and the manufacturers, we're still trying to... Because that just strengthens up our association being statewide. And so the association has made a lot of changes since 1965, but it's never lost sight of its core factors of building relationships, education, striving to get better things for contractors and for their employees, whether it's fight for medical, fight for legislation. We have Gary Smith at IBA to try to give us a voice in Olympia, give us a voice with labor and industries to work with them, not against them. We're not against labor and industries, but to work with them to know what they're writing up as far as their laws and what to abide for and knowing how we get the roof done correctly, but abey by them. So it's not working against them but working with them. And just more and more, and that has strengthened the association. And then with those older companies kind of, not dying out, but some of them had changed or whatever.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Making changes, yeah.

Justin Shirley: But there's always the young ones that come in. Don Vose who has served on the board forever since 1981. He talks about being the young kid in the association, being the young guy. You know?

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah, yeah.

Justin Shirley: So when he got in the association, he was full of energy and he was like, "Okay, let's do this and let's do that." And then now as he is retiring from the association and retiring from roofing, I feel like I'm the younger one.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Right.

Justin Shirley: Even though I've been in roofing for 24 years, I feel like I'm the younger one. I'm looking for him for what they did in the past and then how we can improve on it.

And there's a lot of contractors that are my age or my experience or younger than me. And it seems like we have a good core of people that are like, "Yeah, yeah, yeah." We're not just roofers, we're an industry.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: No, yeah.

Justin Shirley: And let's build that up locally in Western Washington, throughout Eastern Washington, throughout the whole state. Let's build that up and let's make an industry that's an industry but also a community of strong quality contractors. And I love that. I've only been in roofing professionally in my life and this is an industry that has served me well, has fed my family, has given me great opportunities personally and professionally. And I love when we can get together as a group of people and we're passionate about something. I live for that.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah, no. And I think that's the whole key, a really good associations. And that's exactly what they're doing. Right? They're lifting the whole state, they're lifting the profession. And also getting that message out to the community overall about what to look for with really good roofing contractors, how to use quality. And so I think Washington has done a great job of that. And overall, you do a lot of networking events. I mean there's a lot of events throughout the year. What are some of the events that bring all these contractors together to network and to grow?

Justin Shirley: There are a lot of events and we try to balance it out from fun networking events like a golf tournament or a fishing derby that we have in the summertime. And then we mix it up with our annual dinner that we bring and we have a speaker. And then this year that we had supported the National Women in Roofing [inaudible 00:10:04]. And we combine that with our dinner and that's also fun, but networking. And then we have coming up in January, our 2023 trade show to kick off the year.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Let's talk about that because that trade show, it's a great one. It's really for the Pacific Northwest.

Justin Shirley: Yes.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: I mean, because you get people from all over the country coming into this. To have that kind of trade show I think is so important when you're bringing all the manufacturers and the reps and the contractors together. So what are some of the highlights for you, Justin, of the trade show?

Justin Shirley: Well, yeah and like you said, a local trade show. I think we all enjoy going and getting out of town and going either to Vegas to a trade show or Texas. I've been to metal trade shows and composition, steep slope. I've been to all those trade shows. But the nice thing about Western Washington, Washington state where I work, where I live, is having a trade show with vendors that are nationwide, but you're dealing with the local representatives, you're dealing with people that after you leave that trade show, you're going to be able to call, you're going to be able to set appointment, you're going to be able to meet and it's going to be the same person more than likely. So it's a local trade show and they know what, for the most part, what we need in our area.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Right.

Justin Shirley: Whether that's from materials, whether that's from marketing, whether that's from labor and industries. You're talking to somebody that knows Washington State and they're not talking about where they live back East or anywhere else, but they're talking about Washington state. So a local trade show, although it might not have the size and charisma as going to Vegas or something like that. But a local trade show can almost be more beneficial than all those other trade shows. Because I'm a Washington state contractor. If I go to Texas to IRE, there's things that they're presenting there that may not apply to me. It just may not apply. But when I go to the trade show in January, I know that every vendor being there, even if they're not local, they know the market, they wouldn't come there if they didn't want to present their company.

For example, my liability insurance is Roofer's Choice.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yes.

Justin Shirley: They're out of Dallas, Texas. But I met them at the trade show, the local trade show from the RCAW. JobProgress, which is back east.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Right.

Justin Shirley: They're my CRM. I met them at the RCAW Trade Show here in Western Washington. Two companies that I both use that have elevated my company, protected me, helped me, helped me grow my company in the way I want to do it. And I met them here at the RCAW trade show.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah. And that's it. I mean those manufacturers are, like you said, coming from all over the country because they want to get in front of the Washington contractors. And you also have a lot of manufacturers' reps, I mean like the Weller Group, they're awesome manufacturers' reps. They're always there with their booth and all their products.

Justin Shirley: Yeah. That's a great example of the Wellers. I'm putting on a roof that they represent right now. And I know when I see him at the trade show, I'll be able to talk about that roof that we installed and they'll have a vested interest in that. And the same thing, I use large contractors like JAF, but I know the representative that will be there as my local representative.And I'll be able to touch base, contact with him. And be able to other contractors that are there, "Oh, go speak to this guy. He's awesome. He helps me with this." And because that's one of the things too, trade shows is one of the oldest networking ideas ever. It's been around for so long. I mean just like community fairs. Community fairs and festivals have been around forever. So have trade shows. It's the original networking process.

And so to see a group of individuals get together that have a single purpose and as that is into the roofing industry, they might not be roof installers, they might not sell roofing, but they have somewhat vested interest in roofing contractors. To see them gather in one place and talk and network and meet new people and get new ideas, that's a great day.

I mean that can change the dynamic. And especially having that in January, that can change the dynamic of your year. If you meet someone and you've established a relationship and you realize this is something that I need for my company that can change the projection of your growth or the way you want to handle business or what you want to do to add, to bolster up your company. If you want to start doing something to add onto roofing, if you want to start doing gutters or you want to start doing some other process or some other roofing process that you've never done meeting someone, a single individual at a trade show can change your business right away.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Right away. Yeah.

Justin Shirley: It [inaudible 00:15:28] of it and it might be something that you never even thought of.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Right.

Justin Shirley: But when you go there and you actually take a look and stop and talk to people, it opens up your mind to all these different avenues that you would've thought, "Oh okay, I didn't even know this was possible," or, "I didn't even know this was done here."

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Right.

Justin Shirley: Or, "I didn't even know that was applicable to me." I mean, as I started out in roofing, I didn't take advantage of those opportunities because I was too busy working and just trying to make a dollar and trying to keep food on the table. But as I got older and I realized the value of networking and meeting other people in the roofing industry and meeting good individuals, and I say good because they talked to you, it wasn't secretive. They weren't trying to keep all their cards to themselves, but they actually said... I used to ask them a question, they're like, "Oh, this is what I do. This is what's worked for me." That is a community and that's what the RCAW has tried to convey. And with the trade show, we're a community. We're getting together. Yes, we may be competitors, but we're competitors on an even open field and we want just the Roofing Association, the Roofers of Washington State to do the best that they can with the best materials, with the best advertising, with the best benefits for their employees. We just want to be the best of the best.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah. And it really is, I mean, with such a strong history and huge success. I mean, I've been lucky to sit and listen and to learn and all the great things that you're doing. The trade show is going to be January 20th and the night before on the 19th, there's actually going to be a fun reception with a band.

Justin Shirley: Yeah. So January 19th it actually opens. Well, it's at Marysville Tulalip Casino and Resort. So Marysville, Washington. Last year we did it kind of down south, this year we're kind of do up north because we are Washington state. So we kind of make it more beneficial, more easy for other people and kind of shift it not having the same place every time. So this year the north end kind of benefits a little bit more, but we have it at Marysville Tulalip Casino, which I live next to, a very nice hotel and casino. And it actually starts January 19th at 7:00 PM.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Okay.

Justin Shirley: We have a mixing and networking room set up and it does have a band. It's the Billy Shew band. If anybody went to the fishing derby down at Tacoma Point Defiance, it's the same band that was there and everyone loved them. They're great entertainers. So we have that and we have rooms at a discounted price.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah, they're good price.

Justin Shirley: Yep. Come there Thursday evening, check into your room. We have discounted rooms. Go down there, network with whoever you want to that shows up in that room. There's going to be contractors, there's going to be vendors, and there's going to be all kinds of people in the industry. Go to bed early. Or not, it's up to you.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: I try to.

Justin Shirley: But go to bed early because then on Friday, Friday is the day. Seven o'clock, we have classes opening up, free classes opening up.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yes.

Justin Shirley: We have Ruth Lewis from Stop Claims.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yep.

Justin Shirley: Who's beneficial and who also I use. But she's very beneficial. She'll talk about labor in the industries and how to protect yourself and how to do things correctly to keep yourself out of trouble, but also to keep your employees, all their rights and make sure that you're doing everything correctly for them. And then we have Jennifer Richards of Safety Matters. I think she's doing CPR and first aid class and I think she's got that in Spanish as well.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yes.

Justin Shirley: Right?

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yes. Yes.

Justin Shirley: Which is very important.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Which is so important.

Justin Shirley: And it's at no cost if you're a member of the RCAW, at no cost to you. Then we have Trent Cotney of Adams and Reese.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: I love Trent.

Justin Shirley: Trent's a great speaker and he's got to talk about 2023 because everyone's 2022 has kind of ended on a limbo mode. You know?

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah.

Justin Shirley: We have, "Okay, is COVID over? Is it not COVID over? It was election year. Were you happy with election?" There's a lot of moving parts and there's a lot of things going on. So everyone's about, look 2023, what's going to happen in 2023? There's lots of things that could. People talk, the news, whatever. So he's going to kind of break that down and look forward as a contractor what you should look out for and what you should do and maybe prepare yourself. So he's a great guy.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: He is. He's so good.

Justin Shirley: Yeah. And then we have this person, I don't know, Heidi Ellsworth.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: This other person. Yeah.

Justin Shirley: I don't know about her. No. Heidi Ellsworth, marketing professionals, how to market your company more effectively.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yes. On the flier and what people are going to see, it doesn't say who the panel is yet, but I can tell you, just kind of give you a little insight. We have Ruby, is going to be talking about how to use virtual. Which I think is so important because you're losing business if you're not answering that phone.

Justin Shirley: Right.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: And so they're going to really talk about that in your marketing and strategies. And then I just today confirmed on Michelle Miller who is with Creativate. Creativate and she does the marketing for Ivy Roof Systems for Spry. She is amazing. And so she's going to be coming in and going to be speaking too. And we're going to have a couple others. So stay tuned. We're excited for that. And we're going to be taking a lot of questions from the audience because I know you were in my class last year and it was so great.

Justin Shirley: I was in your class.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah.

Justin Shirley: And you're a very good speaker and you're very good at what the job that you do. But I also like because you're very interactive.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: That's the part, we want to have questions.

Justin Shirley: It's kind of like having a conversation and you direct the conversation and you do a very good job at that. And you make the conversation on topic and what we should be talking about. But you let the contractors or whoever's in that class, you let us have a voice.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Right.

Justin Shirley: You go back and forth. I loved last year.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: It's so much more fun.

Justin Shirley: If it's the same and better, it'll be great.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: It's going to be even better. Even better. Because I'm bringing some real experts in. So it's going to be really fun. It's going to be fun. So then after the classes, which people can go to all of those and they're going to be great, I'm just telling you. Then the trade show's going to open and 44 exhibitors.

Justin Shirley: 44 booths.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah.

Justin Shirley: Over 40 different vendors.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah. Exactly.

Justin Shirley: And you're going to have the ones that you would think you would always see, you're going to have major manufacturers like GAF and Malarkey and CertainTeed. You're going to have those ones. But you're also going to have ones that you might not think of. You're going to have people with marketing, you're going to have advertising, CRMs.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Right.

Justin Shirley: Like I said before, my CRM, I got at trade show.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah, yeah. Exactly.

Justin Shirley: I didn't know that I needed that CRM before I went to the trade show. But after I talked to this person and then that person was very good at keeping communication with me. And after we started up, it's like, "Oh that's the best thing ever." So you might go there and you might think, "Well, let's just go to look at shingles or I'm going to look at different adhesives or whatever." Well yeah, you're going to look at all that stuff and there might be some new products and I know a lot of manufacturers that are changing stuff and coming out with new stuff in 2023. Some of I've been told about some of them are like, "You need to wait till the trade show and we'll let you know."

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah.

Justin Shirley: But, they're coming out with new stuff. But then also all the other things that are affected and needed by our industry will be there too.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Right. Distributors, technology companies, Roofers Coffee Shop will be there.

Justin Shirley: Roofers Coffee Shop. Exactly.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: We're going to be having our fun swag and we actually are going to do some videos. We're going to be taking videos of people talking to folks and we're going to be walking around with that too. So we want to catch some of these contractors from the great state of Washington and have them get on video, talk about what a great state it is and everything that's going on.

Justin Shirley: Nice. That'll be awesome.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah.

Justin Shirley: I know the last one you did live streaming. I know everyone enjoyed that.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Really fun.

Justin Shirley: And I think a lot of that sets the appetite for the next one, how the next one will be. Well that's here in January in 2023. And it's a little earlier than what we did last year, but we wanted to make sure that we got a date. We listened to a little bit of the feedback from last year and they said, "Well if you could have it a little earlier and not during the roofing season." So we listened to that and we put it up north. And so I am excited to see the turnout that we're going to get. Because I think it's going to be even bigger and better than next year.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: I do too. I do too.

Justin Shirley: Than last year. Sorry.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah. Having been there last year, it was great. But this year I see even bigger. And I want to encourage everyone who's listening to this and in the Pacific Northwest, if you're in Portland, if you're on anywhere. Oregon doesn't have its own show. Right? And so this is the show for us.

Justin Shirley: Yes.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Just like we share sporting teams, we're going to share the trade shows. And as you know, I live on the east side of Oregon. We have all the east folks on the east side of Washington. Everybody, the hotel's great. I've already got our hotel reservations, so I'm hoping everybody can make it there. Everything you've said, Justin, everything we've already been talking about is, so this next question is going to just seem obvious. But I want to kind of end with this of why should roofing contractors get involved with their state association and attend these kind of events? Let's end with that.

Justin Shirley: That question always pops up and even pops up when we have meetings and people in the association. Because we're always looking at membership because membership is why we started the association, why the association exists. Without the contractors, without the members, there's no association. Right?

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Right.

Justin Shirley: So how can we bolster up the membership and why should they be in the association? And for me, for a lot of years as a roofing installer in the industry, I wasn't in the association. I wasn't involved. I wasn't in trade shows. And so I went to work every day and I put on roofing, or I sold roofing and everything. But, walking into a supplier or being in a group of roofing contractors, I always felt like an outsider. I didn't know what was going on. When a new shingle came out, I was probably the last one to know because it finally rolled in through the doors of whatever supplier I was buying from. Right?

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Right.

Justin Shirley: And I said, "Oh, this is new?" "Oh yeah, it came out last year and this [inaudible 00:26:23] finally have it." So I always felt like an outsider. And with that in all aspects, I didn't know where to get liability insurance. I didn't know how I should market for roofing. I had looked for in the yellow pages, roofing marketer. There's no roofing marketer in the yellow pages back then.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: No.

Justin Shirley: And so I felt like I was always hindered because as I got older and I got involved in the industry more and then started networking, then those things came. And then you built up relationships and then you're not hunting down the representative, the distributor that you need to find for this product. They're talking, they're calling you to ask you what you need. Those relationships, if you're in the roofing industry, if you're in any trade, any industry that's going to be your career, that's going to be your industry, you don't want to be out on the outside looking in. You want to be on the inside looking at the outside, bringing other people in.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yes.

Justin Shirley: All that does is strengthen up your industry. When I would meet new people and they say, "Oh, what do you do for a living?" I say, "I'm a roofer." And they go, "Oh, I feel sorry for you." And I'm like, "No, no, no, no. You don't understand. You don't understand. Roofing is a great, great industry. Somebody has to do it. And tearing off shingles might not be the funnest part of the day, but there's so much more involved."

And so I want everybody that is a roofing contractor or involved in roofing every which way to have that same feeling. "No, you don't understand. Roofing has fed my family, has made me the individual that I am, has made me the professional that I am has bolstered my life. I would never turn around. I don't have any regrets." So having an association with people that are the same way, that are passionate about the industry, takes your job from a job into a career. People talk about having a career, there is a career in roofing. There's many careers on roofing. And having association bolsters those careers and bolsters that industry. And so when I see contractors, small, large or whatever, that aren't in the industry, and then as they start asking me questions, I'm like, "All the answers for you are in this association. Come down, come to an event, start talking to people that are in the association and you'll figure that out." Come to the dinner, come to the golf tournament. Definitely come to the trade show.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Right.

Justin Shirley: Just the best of the best.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: That's where you can get all the information you need right there.

Justin Shirley: Right. Any questions are answered. And then by the way, you can join this membership and you can be on the inside and know exactly what's going on. You can have everything at your fingertips. And so when you have a question, maybe it's about labor in industries, you can call the association that works for you that you're a member of, get those answers or get pointed in the direction where you can find those answers instead of going there, "I don't know what to do."

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Right.

Justin Shirley: Or if you're looking to expand your business and you don't know what manufacturer or what represent them, don't just call around to the distributor yards or whatever, go to the association, which you're all members and participants of and say, "I need the number of this person or I need the number of this person," because they work for you. They're certainly going to get you that information because you're a member of the association. You're on the inside.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah.

Justin Shirley: I don't want to say that it's an exclusive club, but it almost feels like it sometimes. But [inaudible 00:29:57].

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Unless your in roofing.

Justin Shirley: Right.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: In the club.

Justin Shirley: Right.

But all it is, is an association, is the community of people that want to uplift the roofing industry and uplift the people that work and live by roofing.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: And it comes back to you.

Justin Shirley: It does.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: It comes back to your company in so many amazing ways.

Justin Shirley: It does. And not only the people that I've met professionally, which are all professionals, right? But, distributors, manufacturers, representatives. But the other contractors that I've met and have relationships with. There's a contractor that I met here locally, and our offices are only 30 minutes apart, but I never met them until we were in the association together, right? So he had a job that was going on, he needed some material, couldn't find it, right? Called me up and I'm like, "I have that in my yard." He's like, "Oh, okay, well can we come get?" I'm like, "I have a driver, I'll send it right to you." So I did that.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: That's awesome. Yeah.

Justin Shirley: I was like, that felt really good, right?

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah.

Justin Shirley: Well, not a month later, I had the same issue. I needed something. I couldn't find anything. I had a nightmare where it was a Friday, I needed material now, the weather was coming. Made the phone call. "Oh yeah. I think I have some of that. Yeah, here you go." Those kinds of relationships in any industry are so important.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yes.

Justin Shirley: You might not think so. You might think, "Oh no, I can do everything on my own. I can forge my own way," whatever. And you might be able to, but that doesn't make it easy. That makes it just work. Right?

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah. Yeah, exactly.

Justin Shirley: So building good relationships with good people, good professionals, and people on a personal level makes your job a career and it makes it enjoyable going to work.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: I love it. I love it. You can't say anything better than that, Justin. That is so perfect. I mean, I'm so inspired by what you said. And so we want everybody to come and join Justin and his team and all of the board members and the contractors and Roofers Coffee Shop at the January 20th trade show for the Pacific Northwest. Come the night before so you can get to the dance and party and have a little fun. Get to the classes the next morning, and then the trade show. You can register at RCAW.com.

Justin Shirley: Correct.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: You can find all that information on rooferscoffeeshop.com in the directory and for RCAW. And it's easy. It's not that expensive. It's a great thing. So we're calling out. We're like, "Everybody, we'll see you there."

Justin Shirley: And for members of the association, it's free to get in for non-members a cheap ticket in. But January 19th, be in Marysville, Washington. It's the place to be if you're in roofing, no matter, like you said, if you live in Oregon like yourself, if you live in Idaho, eastern Washington, January 19 and 20th, that's the place to be.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah. We're going to have so much fun.

Justin Shirley: If you want to get fired up about roofing in 2023 and you want to see what's out there for the year, whether it be shingles or whether it be marketing, whatever it is. Safety.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Legal.

Justin Shirley: My wife's big in safety.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah.

Justin Shirley: Whatever's new in safety. Yeah. Satellite technologies, measuring, ordering.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Anything.

Justin Shirley: Any of that stuff

Heidi J. Ellsworth: [inaudible 00:33:28]. Yeah.

Justin Shirley: You want to get fired up for 2023. January 20th, you'll get fired up.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: That's it. Okay.

Justin Shirley: RCAW.com. Go register.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: RCAW. Thank you, Justin, so much.

Justin Shirley: Thank you. Nice to chat with you.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: I'll be seeing you in Marysville on the 19th.

Justin Shirley: Marysville, Washington. Yep.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Okay. And thank you all for listening. This is so great. This is the kind of information that helps everyone. Even if you're not in the Pacific Northwest or on the West Coast and you're listening to this, trust me, you have a state association that wants you to get involved. So look up into your state association, get involved. And you know why now because just like it is in Washington, that's where it is everywhere in this great industry that we're part of. Thank you all for listening. Be sure to catch all of our episodes under the Read Listen Watch in navigation on rooferscoffeeshop.com under Roofing Road trips or on your favorite podcast channel. Be sure to subscribe and get notifications so you don't miss a single episode. And we'll be seeing you next time on Roofing Road Trips.

Speaker 1: 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.