LIVE From IRE 2023 With The Metal Roofing Alliance!

Karen Edwards sits down with Renee Ramey from MRA to talk about the benefits of metal roofing and being an MRA member! 

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of a live interview with Renee Ramey from Metal Roofing Alliance at IRE 2023. You can read the interview below or watch the youtube video!

Karen Edwards: Hello and welcome back. I'm Karen Edwards and we are live on the Roofer's Coffee Shop sound stage in Dallas, Texas, at the 2023 IRE, and I am super excited to welcome Renee Ramey from Metal Roofing Alliance.

Renee Ramey: Thank you. Happy to be here.

Karen Edwards: Yay. So if you didn't notice, go to their Instagram page, because we've taken over today and you guys took over ours on Tuesday. That was a lot of fun.

Renee Ramey: Yeah, it was fun, actually. We were really happy with the outcome of that.

Karen Edwards: Yay. Awesome. We'll do it again sometime, so talk to us about an Instagram takeover. So, wow, this show has been incredible. How busy were you?

Renee Ramey: Yeah. It's busier than it has been the last several years. So we've been really happy with the turnout.

Karen Edwards: Yeah, and metal is so hot right now and growing so much, and I don't know if people out there really understand how much you promote this.

Renee Ramey: Yeah, yeah. That is the reason we exist, MRA exists to promote metal roofing to homeowners. The benefits dispel the myths and just ultimately generate awareness about it. At the end of the day, we're all about making sure metal is in the consideration set when a homeowner goes to roof their home.

Karen Edwards: Why metal?

Renee Ramey: Why not metal?

Karen Edwards: I love it.

Renee Ramey: It is the best performing roofing material in weather-related events, from high winds to hail to snow loads to you name it. Environmentally, sustainability, I mean, it's a great sustainable product. It's recycled at the end of its life. It's got recycled material in it when it's made. I mean, it lasts two to three times longer than most other roofing materials. The list just goes on.

Karen Edwards: Yeah. Wow. Now, why should a contractor become a member?

Renee Ramey: We like to, well, there's a number of reasons, but we like to support our installer members. And so as a member of MRA, you are getting prime real estate on our website. Your company is searchable by homeowners who come to the MRA site to learn more about metal roofing. And we have the functionality built within our website.

When a homeowner gets ready to find a local professional, we connect them with the contractors in their area. So we're kind of that connection point between a homeowner and a contractor or distributor. So those are the bigger reasons. Some things that many installers or contractors don't know is we have a co-op advertising program. Which-

Karen Edwards: That means money.

Renee Ramey: ... Basically means that your membership with MRA could be free. And for many of our MRA contractor members it is free currently because they do projects they promote MRA. They give you money to do that.

Karen Edwards: Wow.

Renee Ramey: It doesn't make any sense not to be a member member, we'll put it that way.

Karen Edwards: Exactly. So if you're doing advertising for your business as a contractor and metal is one of the offerings that you have, why not?

Renee Ramey: Yeah. And right now we're offering a free six-month membership-

Karen Edwards: Wow.

Renee Ramey: ... To contractor. So again, there's no reason not to come on over and join us. And you know what? The trial is nice because it gives you a chance to check out what we're about. And if you find value, great. If you don't, we respect that too.

Karen Edwards: I have to say, I write a lot for the industry and for contractors. And whenever I'm writing about metal, Metal Roofing Alliance is one website that I always visit because you have great information.

Renee Ramey: Yeah. We strive very hard to make sure that we're accurately and factually representing all the information you could think you might need within the metal morphine area.

Karen Edwards: Excellent. Yeah. So now we're here at the IRE. If you've got a couple of hours, this show's closing down. But if you're coming out, where would a contractor find you?

Renee Ramey: 8423.

Karen Edwards: 8423. So check them out. If you're not here and you want to learn more, they've got directories on Metal Coffee Shop, Roofers Coffee Shop, or go to their website at MetalRoofing.com. Easy, right?

So we are going to be coming to you live for the rest of the show, so don't go anywhere and until next time, Renee, thank you for being here.

Renee Ramey: Thank you guys.

Karen Edwards: It was wonderful.