Kelly Van Winkle & Greg Bloom - Meet the new Roofing Alliance Leadership - PODCAST TRANSCRIPTION

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of a live interview with Alison LaValley Kelly Van Winkle. and Greg Bloom of Roofing Alliance 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 Ellsworth:
Hello and welcome to another Roofing Road Trips from RoofersCoffeeShop. My name is Heidi Ellsworth and I am virtually road tripping across many parts of the country today to meet with the amazing leadership of the Roofing Alliance. Today, we have Alison LaValley, the executive director, Kelly Van Winkle, the new president of the Roofing Alliance, and Greg Bloom, the VP of the Roofing Alliance. Welcome to all of you.

Greg Bloom:
Thank you.

Kelly Van Winkle:
Thanks for having us.

Greg Bloom:
[inaudible 00:00:45].

Alison LaValley:
Thanks for having us, Heidi.

Heidi Ellsworth:
This is a great-

Greg Bloom:
We're excited to be here.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah, this is a great group. I mean, I'm really excited for the Roofing Alliance this year. Kelly and Greg, I mean, you two in leadership, look out, world. There's going to be some great things that happen. But before we get started, I would like to have everybody introduce themselves, so Kelly, I'd love to start with you, just a little bit about yourself, your company, your history with the Alliance.

Kelly Van Winkle:
Sure. I'm Kelly Van Winkle. I'm the president and CEO of King of Texas Roofing. We're in Grand Prairie, Texas, right outside of Dallas. I'm actually a third generation in construction. My grandfather started in commercial construction in 1931, in the Great Depression, when he got out of high school. My father was the next, and then here I am. So we have been in Texas since 1982 and just enjoy every minute of it. We do commercial roofing and specialize in large warehouses and distribution centers, mostly single ply.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Wow, and your family has also been involved with the Roofing Alliance the whole time.

Kelly Van Winkle:
Since 1996, since the beginning. Absolutely.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah, very, very cool. Greg Bloom, can you introduce yourself?

Greg Bloom:
I would love to, Heidi. Thank you very much. Hi, everyone. My name is Greg Bloom. I'm the vice president of national and strategic accounts for Beacon Building Products. Beacon Building Products is a national wholesale distributor of commercial and residential building materials, with over 500 locations. And I started in the roofing industry in 1982, so I think that makes me the oldest person on this podcast.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Just barely, just barely. Ah, that's perfect. And Alison LaValley, if you could introduce yourself.

Alison LaValley:
Good morning to everyone, and Heidi, thank you so much for having us here today. I'm Alison LaValley. I serve as the executive director of the Roofing Alliance, and also, I serve as a vice president for NRCA. I have been with NRCA just shy of 35 years, so Greg, I'm right on your coattail, sort of, on industry. And-

Greg Bloom:
Come catch me, Alison, come catch me.

Alison LaValley:
Yes, yeah. And I have been in and out involved with the Alliance for a number of years, but serving as executive director just since this January. I just see it as a wonderful opportunity, and how blessed am I to be able to work with Greg and Kelly this year? And I'm just excited for all the opportunities ahead.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah, it's going to be a great year. And speaking of that, so Kelly, first of all, congratulations on being president.

Kelly Van Winkle:
Thank you.

Heidi Ellsworth:
You are representing so many of us, and we're so proud of you as president. I would love it, because I think you just have such a great view of the Roofing Alliance through your family and through all... I mean, ever since I've been involved, you've been on every committee, you have been so involved. Tell us a little bit more about the Roofing Alliance and your involvement.

Kelly Van Winkle:
Sure, sure. I'm just so passionate about this organization. The Roofing Alliance was actually founded in 1996 by a key group of roofing professionals. And it brings together everyone in the industry, so it brings together contractors, manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and what the common denominator is, is that everyone in the group is committed to giving back to our industry with their time and their funds. We focus on so many different areas of service and research, but the main topic areas, the main four, are technology and research, philanthropy, education, and sustainability, so those are the pillars that we operate from. Of course, we're always open to new projects and we keep ourselves busy giving back.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah, yeah. I mean, so many great things have come from the Roofing Alliance that people aren't even aware of and that just happen, and it's like, oh, the Roofing Alliance does that. But I would love to hear, even going forward into this next year, or I mean, I guess we're already into your new year a little bit, but what are some of your main focuses as president for your term?

Kelly Van Winkle:
Well, I think the educational aspect of what we do is so important, and I'm really wanting to continue our support of a trio of roofing-focused college courses that are being implemented right now by Clemson, as well as, I want to draw more attention to the Alliance Student Competition. I think that both of these efforts are really aimed at interesting the younger generation in our field, and I think that's so important, to bring in the fresh, new faces to our industry and to our group.

Kelly Van Winkle:
And I just want to build on our 25-year foundation that we've had at the Alliance and move all of our initiatives forward. We have been working to enhance the professional image of our industry, I can tell you that. That's something that's really important, and we've been working on that through all kinds of positive messaging, and that's also going to be one of my core focuses.

Heidi Ellsworth:
And you know what? You have a story that you always tell about helping our own, that I just... And I know this is just a passion for you, too, so maybe just share a little bit of that story with everyone, because that-

Kelly Van Winkle:
Yes, it's-

Heidi Ellsworth:
... shows this heart.

Kelly Van Winkle:
... such a great story. It's a personal testimonial that I have for the Alliance, and the Alliance, like I said, helps people in so many ways. One program is called Helping Our Own, and it's to help actual employees of the roofing industry and their families. We've had many different people apply for fundage through this program, and one of these instances was about 15 or 20 years ago. I had a shop manager that worked for my company, King of Texas, with a very, very sick wife. Now, the wife needed experimental treatments, medical treatments that were not available to them at their income level, so we applied to the Alliance for funding, and they were able to get these experimental treatments for the wife, and she was on the verge of death. We were celebrating her last Christmas. We didn't think there was any hope.

Kelly Van Winkle:
And she survived, and not only did she survive, but she's thriving today, 15 or 20 years later. She's healthy, she's enjoying her life, living her best life, and this is a true story. I mean, the Alliance, actually, in this case, saved a life. And so, many people don't realize all of the wonderful things that the Alliance does, but it helps the people that are actually working on our roofs and people in our industry.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Every time you tell that story, I get goosebumps. It's just such a powerful story. And we're going to come back to some of those other initiatives you talked about, but first, Greg, I would love... You have had such a rich history, both in roofing and in the Roofing Alliance. I would love to hear some of your experiences, and what are some of the top things that you are looking forward to working on as vice president at the Roofing Alliance?

Greg Bloom:
Yeah. Thanks, Heidi. I think you're just saying I've been in the business a really long time.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Just a little bit before me, just a little.

Greg Bloom:
That's true, that's true. So yeah, so I would say there's two things that stand out. I mean, obviously, I've been involved with the Alliance for many, many years. Beacon has been involved since inception, since 1996. Allied-Beacon was one of the founding contributors, so we've been involved for a very long time. I've been personally involved for over 20 years, and I would say we are deeply engaged in the Ronald McDonald House program. Bill's done such a tremendous job of, so I'll call it circling the wagons, and getting distributors and manufacturers and contractors to do these projects for well over, what, 160-plus Ronald McDonald Houses all over the country. So we've contributed on several projects since this whole mission started, so we've been very involved and been blessed to be part of supplying materials, as well as delivery capabilities to these projects.

Greg Bloom:
So that would be one that really stands out. And then, the second one, I mean, I could go on and on about several different programs. I'm really excited about SkillsUSA, for instance, our trade school involvement now, and things like that. But the other one, I had the absolute pleasure earlier this year of teaching a class at Clemson with one of my colleagues at Beacon, Erik Zadrozny, and we just had just a phenomenal time. The students were so engaged, and we were talking about distribution. Now, I personally think distribution is very exciting, but for a 19 to 25-year-old kid, I mean, it might not be the most exciting. I will tell you, they were so engaged, they asked so many great questions. We were supposed to speak for an hour and a half. We wound up staying for two and a half hours. It was just-

Heidi Ellsworth:
Wow.

Greg Bloom:
Yeah, it was just a great experience, and it really was a blessing that Dhavar invited Erik and I to do this, and we truly enjoyed it.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah, and I was able to do one of those classes, too, Greg, so I know exactly what you're talking about. It's-

Greg Bloom:
Yes, you preceded me, yes.

Heidi Ellsworth:
... just such an honor. Yeah, I did.

Greg Bloom:
Your reputation preceded.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah,, well, actually, I talked about you and told them to give you a bad time while you were there, so-

Greg Bloom:
They didn't really do that.

Heidi Ellsworth:
They were good, they were good. Dang. Well, what do you see, Greg? I mean, I know I love that Ronald McDonald House and what's all going on at Clemson. What are some of the things, going forward, that you're really interested in bringing to the Roofing Alliance?

Greg Bloom:
What's exciting about my new position as vice president is, now, I'm involved in just about everything. Kelly, obviously, as the vice president prior, was certainly on all the committees, and I was on a few committees, and everything was great, but now, I'm pretty much on every single conference call. And so, I'm getting a full dose of, really, everything that the Alliance is doing. To me, that's exciting.

Greg Bloom:
I'm going to go to Arizona State here in a couple of months. I'm really excited to continue what we're doing with Ronald McDonald House. We're promoting the Melvin Kruger scholarships much heavier now. Again, I just didn't have a full scope of knowledge of everything that the Alliance was doing. I mean, I knew it on the periphery, right, but now, I mean, there's so many great programs, whether it's the MVP Award, whether it's the Planned Giving Program, whether it's Gold Circle, and the education that we're providing, and the student competition. I mean, we are doing some amazing things, and it's like, we're involved in a lot of initiatives which are truly helping the industry.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. It is amazing. And Alison, I'm going to throw this to you a little bit because I want to talk a little bit about some of these upcoming major events that are just so... And then, we'll bring it back to, and can all talk about, how fun all of these are. But maybe you could give an overview on the three that I think are really getting a lot attention right now, are the MVP nominations, the Student Competition that's coming up, and then the third class at Clemson, and what's going on there. Yeah.

Alison LaValley:
Well, yeah. And even the work at ASU, I mean, like Greg and Kelly said, you can go on and on, right? With the Student Competition, I'll start there because I know Kelly and Greg both touched on it, but we're actually going to be hosting our ninth Student Competition on March 8th at the International Roofing Expo in Dallas. This particular project is going to feature, believe it or not, a 268,000 square foot retractable roof on Globe Life Field, where the Texas Rangers play.

Alison LaValley:
And it's going to be a challenge for the teams, right? We've had upwards of 10 teams. Last year, we had six, and we're hoping for a lot more participation. All that information is about to go out. And these teams, they look at the chosen project, they have to submit a qualified bid proposal, complete an oral presentation, really, to illustrate their roofing and project management and estimating and safety knowledge.

Alison LaValley:
And then, what's great about the competition though, is that each team is assigned a mentor, and that mentor is an Alliance member. So again, from the get-go, there's interaction with an industry professional. They just don't present, and then win, and go home. I mean, there is interaction. A lot of times, those mentors meet with them. They take them to other projects that they're working on so that they can understand all the intricacies, right, of the roof, and everything you have to think through, and so, that interaction.

Alison LaValley:
And then, once they're on site, they come to the Alliance reception and talk to members. They have an opportunity to tour the exhibit hall, and we set up appointments with exhibitors. And then, for those that are the winner, they're on a stage in front of 500-plus people, and we've got this incredible panel of judges that score everything, so again, the interaction is just unbelievable. We've had many schools say it's one of the best competitions that their schools are involved with, so I'm in it for the-

Heidi Ellsworth:
Perfect. Alison-

Alison LaValley:
Oh, I'm sorry. Go.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Oh, no, go ahead. No, no.

Alison LaValley:
So in it for the long haul, you know what I mean? Early on, someone told us, "This is going to take time to build," kind of, if you build it, it will come, right, and that's what we're seeing, so it's incredible.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I love what you were just talking about with the mentors because, Kelly, Mark Stanford is a mentor for Texas A&M, who won last year.

Kelly Van Winkle:
Yes, I wanted to talk about that. We actually have hired one of the Texas A&M kids that was in the Alliance Student Competition, had interned with us for about a year and a half. And my point is, these kids that are coming from these construction management schools are so dynamic, they're so eager to participate in our competition, and they're learning practical things.

Kelly Van Winkle:
For example, with the Globe Life project, they're going to learn about a real-life job and real-life estimating skills. And it's not just theoretical stuff that they're learning in the construction management schools, it's real practical knowledge. And when they get to the employers, they already have some experience, they have some knowledge, and they're very, very helpful, and they're eager because they've participated in the competition, they're eager to be in our industry, so I just think it's a win-win for both the students, the Alliance, and the companies that are involved.

Greg Bloom:
I'm pretty amazed at the scope of that project and what they're going to be putting together. And I also love the fact that we have some new schools, right, so we have Bradley, Cal Poly, Clemson, Minnesota State, A&M, obviously, the defending champs, who got to come back and defend, and University of Florida. I mean, this is going to be really exciting.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah, and Colorado state, I think, was second last year.

Greg Bloom:
Yeah.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. Since the very beginning, they helped [inaudible 00:16:32]-

Greg Bloom:
Yeah, they've been in it since-

Heidi Ellsworth:
... get started, yeah.

Kelly Van Winkle:
They're pioneers. But it's exciting, and as we grow the competition, I think it's getting more legs, and more of the professors are finding out about it, and just, then they're willing to put in a good word for our industry, with their students, once they hear about how great the competition is. And the more professors talk up the roofing history, it's good. Wonderful.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I know one of your goals, Kelly, is to get that room full at the Student Competition. You want to get as many people into that room to watch these kids as possible, so what-

Kelly Van Winkle:
Exactly. I'd like to give everyone an open invitation today. Everyone that's listening, I would love for you to come. It's in Dallas, in March, and we will have more information available, but please come and watch the students. It gives them confidence, believe it or not, to present in front of people from the industry, and they love to interact. They love meeting real roofing professional. Between the students competing, there's times for chit chat, and really, they can ask questions of us in the industry, so I think it's a great event and I hope you'll all come see.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. That is the best thing that happens at [inaudible 00:17:49], I tell you. I have so much fun, and my husband, Tim, just loves it to pieces. But I think the second other great thing that happens, and so, Alison, thank you for letting me sideline that for a second, but MVP Award.

Alison LaValley:
Yeah, the MVP Awards. We recognize outstanding workers, and it's really important. We have a lot of information out now. Nominations are due. I believe it's by the end of September. And anybody listening, please take a moment to nominate one of your workers. It can be, really, for outstanding workmanship, being the work that they do, that they excel, that they are in tune to safety.

Alison LaValley:
And then, there's another component, another ward for outside of work, people that are giving back to their community. We've had a lot of workers recognized for some outstanding philanthropic and community work that they're doing outside of their job. And then, we also select someone from that who's the best of the best, and Professional Roofing magazine and OMG sponsor that. And we're looking, then, for the worker that really encompasses both sides, right, that is outstanding at work and really doing a lot within their community, and we recognize that person. And they're featured on the cover of one of the issues of our magazine, on Professional Roofing, so it's a great opportunity to really... and to bring them again to the International Roofing Expo, quite an experience, just like the students, to come to the reception, to be recognized at the award ceremony.

Alison LaValley:
The winner last year said to me personally, "Opportunity of a lifetime, Alison." He said, "I would've just never had that opportunity," and it really opened his eyes. And he loved the roofing industry anyway, and he goes, "I just love it more," is actually what he said to me. And so, I was like, "How great is that? You can't capture that. You can't put that on paper, right? You got to be there and experience it." And so, it's just a really great opportunity.

Alison LaValley:
And one other thing, if I can dovetail on something that Kelly said, going back when she talked about hiring the student from Texas A&M, we have other members, too, that have hired people from Clemson, from that school, and are having resounding success with those students, and just the opportunity that they realize how important... if they want to go work for general construction, GC, fine, but that there's such an opportunity and a career path in roofing. And Dhaval has really opened their eyes to that, as well as all the speakers that have come in, like yourself and Greg, and other members. They always rate that the best when the speakers are there, those opportunities.

Alison LaValley:
And when you think about the Clemson, just one thing, in fact, I don't want to let go, is that there's three actual elective classes, and we're talking of nine hours of roofing. And because of that, the third one that's wrapping up is that because of those three classes, Clemson is going to be able to offer a certificate program, not only a certificate to students, but if someone just wanted to apply to Clemson through a professional development certificate program, they can get that in roofing also. So really, it's now affecting not only the students, but also industry professionals, right, or someone interested maybe in getting into the industry. And how everything just ties together and circles back, it's amazing. It's-

Heidi Ellsworth:
Really does. And one of the things I love about the review line so much is that it's not just contractors, right, it's the whole industry. On the MVP Award, there are workers who are from distribution, right, Greg, and-

Greg Bloom:
Yep.

Heidi Ellsworth:
... who... Yeah.

Greg Bloom:
Yeah. What I love about the MVP Award, it's recognizing field workers, warehouse workers, right, and the people that really get the job done, because without them, we don't have jobs, right? We don't have successful companies without the people that do the hard work that it takes to either complete a roof, or deliver material, or make a product, so I just think that's great.

Greg Bloom:
And I'd also like to just add, in regards to Clemson and those students that have come out, they are a hot commodity because I tell you, right, I've tried to hire a couple of them, and by the time I get there, they're gone, so it's just a phenomenal program. Both of these initiatives are just fantastic. They're a mission. They really are a mission.

Heidi Ellsworth:
And within those Clemson classes, they're teaching about distribution, manufacturing, contracting. I mean, they go through, obviously, the basics of roofing and understanding all of it, so it's so in depth. They really come out, and they understand the industry when they're done with those courses.

Alison LaValley:
Yeah. And I think we've, more or less-

Kelly Van Winkle:
Yeah, and they've learned about... Oh, sorry. I was just-

Alison LaValley:
No, go ahead.

Kelly Van Winkle:
... going to say, they've learned about safety and scheduling and issues with our industry, whatever the topical issues of the day are. It's just very, very enlightening for them. They cover such a broad range of topics.

Alison LaValley:
Yeah, and I think we'd be remiss not to even tie into Clemson now, is the work we're doing with Arizona State. Greg mentioned being at Arizona State in the fall, and that's a two-prong approach because we not only are going to be hosting our second faculty retreat. Now, we've been talking about educating students here, right? Well now, we're going on the other end to educate the faculty that might be able to mirror and copy the Clemson model and take it to other schools, because we can have the curriculum, which Clemson's willing to share with any university, but if we don't have the faculty to educate the students and understand how to teach roofing, well then what, right?

Alison LaValley:
So by holding these faculty retreats, the second one, we educated 15 faculty last spring. We're going to do it again this fall, again, bringing in industry professionals like Greg, Kelly, and others, just like we do with the students, as well as people like Dennis Conway and others, and really educating them about all aspects, about roofing and sustainability. Mark Graham talks about technical. We're going to have a law program, just a lot of different areas.

Alison LaValley:
And then, the Alliance has funded a fellowship through Arizona State to find a PhD student who's willing to commit him or herself to the roofing industry and develop research, research, again, that the Roofing Alliance can share, that's a core pillar of the Alliance, right, and then share it, and then have another dedicated faculty member, again, to educate and then, hopefully, mirror that same model and do it again so that we can have that across this country.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah, and you know what was really interesting, I just heard the other day, too, is that there are actually roofing professionals who are maybe thinking about retirement, and they're looking at the Clemson programs, and becoming teachers and getting involved. We always talk about how we're losing this brain trust of roofing professionals and what they can bring, and now, all of a sudden, there's this path for them to share that back into the industry, which is just, I think, phenomenal.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Kelly, you've been involved so deeply, so I would love for you just to talk a little bit about, why should companies out there, distribution, manufacturing, roofing contractors, you name it, why should people become members of the Roofing Alliance?

Kelly Van Winkle:
I think it all goes back to the giving back phenomenon. I think so many of the Roofing Alliance members feel so grateful for their lives, that we've had a really, really nice life in this industry. The industry has been good to us and our companies, and I think there's this sentiment of, many want to give back, and to help the industry succeed, and help the industry advance and show that we're a professional group, so I think a lot of it does go with the giving back.

Kelly Van Winkle:
And I also think it's a great way to network with other folks that you may or may not know, so it's great. Contractors can network with manufacturers, hear what's going on with all the supply issues, the manufacturers can hear from the contractors, what's important to them. And so, I've never seen such a great group with the mixing and mingling, everyone working together, hand in hand, for the good of our industry. And everyone's equal in this organization, and I think that's a good aspect of it.

Heidi Ellsworth:
It's key, it's key. And Greg, I mean, you are everywhere, right? We see you at every show. We see you at everything, so I would love for you to share why people should be involved. Even if they can't be members, why should they go to the Student Competition? Why should they do MVP? Talk about that a little bit.

Greg Bloom:
To me, it's one word, Heidi. It's impact, right? This industry has been so good to so many of us, and all of us on this call are very involved in association work, and we're on several boards, we run advisories, we do all kinds of great things, but the Alliance truly, truly makes an even deeper impact on the industry.

Greg Bloom:
So I think one of our taglines was shaping the future, right? We want to shape the future of the industry. Think about it. We've given over six million dollars to different research projects, education, technical programs, projects, so I mean, it's incredible what we've been able to do for our industry and for the companies in our industry, but also, most importantly, for the workers. So to me, that's what it's all about, right? Kelly was so eloquent when she said, "It's about giving back." It truly is. It truly is about giving back and helping shape the future of our industry.

Heidi Ellsworth:
And I think as people even take some small steps coming to the Student Competition, maybe a year-end donation, any kind of these small... understanding and celebrating the scholarship winners and being involved with all of the great workforce development that the student alliance... or that the Roofing Alliance is doing, that makes such an impact that you want to just get more involved and more involved, a little addictive. [inaudible 00:28:39]-

Greg Bloom:
It is a uniting force. It's a uniting force, the Alliance, it brings contractors, manufacturers, and suppliers together, and it truly helps make our industry better.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah, yeah, that's so great. So Alison, how do they get involved?

Alison LaValley:
You just call any one of us. No, yeah, I feel-

Greg Bloom:
We'll sell them.

Alison LaValley:
Greg and Kelly just summed it up and said it perfectly. We have 183 members right now, and when I talk about a dedicated group, I can underscore the word dedicated. Like I said, I've been involved in and out of the Alliance for a while, but just since January, to see the commitment. I've seen it of, course, on the NRCA side, about 30-plus years, but when you take this group within the Alliance and look at the commitment and how truly member-driven this organization is, and when you take that and couple it with everybody's passion for this industry, there's no stopping this group, and it's truly remarkable. And I want everyone to feel that they can be a part of it. I don't want anyone to think that, well, that's just those people or that may have been leadership people from NRCA.

Alison LaValley:
We have members from across the country. Again, as Kelly said, everyone has equal footing, right, whether you're on the contracting side or the supplier side. And we come together at these board of trustees meetings and these other meetings, and we have Zoom calls. We have 10-plus committees and task forces within the Alliance to serve on, so you have opportunities. It's not just making a funding commitment, it's about getting engaged. I use that word in every email I send out, how can we get you engaged? So you join, and I send out a committee list and a task force list, where would you like to serve? How would you like to help? And we need that. We need voices, and that's what we have.

Alison LaValley:
But to have more and everyone come together, they should feel that the Alliance is a place for them. If you want to get back to your industry and are dedicated and committed and want to do more, secure and shape and make an investment in not only today, but in the future of this industry, then please reach out. If you know Kelly, if you know Greg, if you know another member, and of course, if you know me, reach out. We will talk to you, we'll come and visit your office, we can go to lunch, whatever it is, we can get together at the next meeting, we can invite you to a meeting to just see how it goes. You want to come to our fall meeting on November 11th, let me know, and I'll work that out. So again, the door is open, and we'd love to have a conversation.

Greg Bloom:
I'd like to give one example. So at the July meetings, the board meetings, and obviously, the Alliance was there as well, I was sitting with someone who was a newer board member and had been pooh-poohing what the Alliance was. And Kelly got up there and delivered an awesome speech, presentation, whatever you want to call it, and at the end of it, he leaned over and he said to me, "Now I get it."

Heidi Ellsworth:
Ah, nice. Great job, Kelly. And there's so much to get. There's so much to get, so I love it. And I-

Greg Bloom:
And I think that's part of it, right? Obviously, we have a beautiful website, our four pillars are wonderful, but until you really can feel it and touch it, yeah, people just don't understand, so you-

Kelly Van Winkle:
I think they'll-

Greg Bloom:
... got to educate them.

Kelly Van Winkle:
... do their first Alliance activity and they'll be soon hooked.

Alison LaValley:
You'll understand the why, and the why is what's important, right?

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. And this is the foundation of the NRCA. The Roofing Alliance is the foundation. This is the heart of the industry, and so, all of your words, so eloquent. Thank you. Thank you so much. Kelly and Greg, congratulations.

Kelly Van Winkle:
Thank you.

Greg Bloom:
Thank you, and thanks for letting us share a little bit about the Alliance. This has been great.

Heidi Ellsworth:
It's been awesome, such great information. I'm so excited for this to get out, and I just want to make sure, everybody listening, get involved, get involved. It is just so rewarding, giving back to the industry this way, and there are so many ways to do it, so again, we're going to put that out there, everyone needs to be at the Student Competition at the IRE, best thing ever. Make that your first stop, or maybe November meetings, and come check it out, with Alison. So again, everybody, Alison, Kelly, Greg, thank you so much for being on today.

Greg Bloom:
Thank you, Heidi.

Alison LaValley:
[inaudible 00:33:37].

Heidi Ellsworth:
Thank you, thank you. And thank-

Kelly Van Winkle:
Have a great day.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Thank you. And thank all of you for listening. This is the kind of stuff that makes a difference in your business, it makes a difference in the industry, and so much for all of your employees. So please visit RoofersCoffeeShop and see the Roofing Alliance directory, check out everything that's going on. We are constantly putting information out on all these activities. Plus, of course, you can go to the roofingalliance.net and get all great information.

Heidi Ellsworth:
So thank you so much for listening. Don't miss a single episode. These kind of podcasts can change your business. Be sure to check all of them out under our re-listed watch initiative on rooferscoffeeshop.com or on your favorite podcast channel. Be sure to subscribe and get those notifications so you don't miss a single road trip, and we'll be seeing you on the next one. Thanks a lot, and have a great day.

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.