Meet MVP Winner Heriberto Rodriguez

By Kate Edwards, Roofing Alliance.

An impact that never stops growing.

Every year, the Roofing Alliance's Most Valuable Player (MVP)Award Program recognizes and celebrates workers who are nominated by their coworkers in two categories:  1) Workers who exemplify dedication to their work, employees, and company; demonstrate a strong work ethic; and practice excellent leadership, initiative, and resourcefulness.  2) Workers who show compassion for others outside the workplace and volunteer their time with their communities, churches, families, and friends.

MVPs are dedicated to their work and to helping others, going above and beyond to get the job done and ensure everyone feels valued for what they do.  Seven winners were selected for 2020. At RoofersCoffeeShop® we live by our motto of Roofing Respect® and are highlighting each of the MVP award winners. Keep reading to understand how these devoted individuals add value to their workplace and contribute to the world around them.

Solid foundations are formed through a unique combination of strong elements that provide the necessary support to build and grow. At Bone Dry Roofing Company in Athens, Georgia, one of those elements comes from a superintendent by the name of Heriberto Rodriguez, who began working with owners Chad Collins and Travis Webb when the company opened its doors in 2003. Bone Dry Roofing Company, a member of the Roofing Alliance, has developed significantly over the years, aided by the contributions of employees like Heriberto, who is frequently described as an invaluable asset to the company and an exemplary demonstration of its core values.

Comprising Heriberto’s invaluable impact are the strong relationships he has developed, a work ethic defined by a positive attitude and attention to detail, and a passion for learning and education that extends into multiple areas of his work. Brian Kinney, a coworker for the past ten years, commends Heriberto for his customer service, describing his methods as “above and beyond.” He explained how Heriberto integrates his attention to detail and positive attitude into his approach to create a one-on-one customer service experience. In summarizing Heriberto’s character, Brian said, “He exemplifies a leader in the roofing industry, has a strong work ethic and is an all-around asset to Bone Dry Roofing Company.”

The combination of Heriberto’s many great qualities creates a versatility that allows him to make a difference in many aspects of his job. An inspiring example can be found in his work with Turner Construction Company, which was explained in his nomination: “Heriberto has an upstanding reputation in his professional community. He has a great rapport with many local contractors who themselves have specially requested him to oversee their projects and jobsites. His hard work has garnered professional recognition such as awards from Turner Construction on a few occasions for his excellent workmanship and meticulous management of his jobsites.”

Tyler Brislin, a project superintendent at Turner, recalls his positive experience working with Heriberto on two projects at the University of Georgia: Phase 2 and 3 of the UGA Business Learning Community and the UGA Brumby Hall Renovation Project. Highlighting Heriberto’s approach to safety, Tyler said, “Heriberto goes the extra mile to follow all OSHA and Turner safety practices. He is consistently ensuring that his workers are safe and following Turner’s best practices. While striving to keep his workers safe, Heriberto continually watches out for the safety of other trades on the jobsite. Where Heriberto truly shines is his thoroughness and consistent delivery of high-quality work throughout the entire job.”

Describing him as a leader with a “can do” attitude, Tyler also discussed Heriberto’s resourcefulness and out-of-the-box thinking, as well as his overall impact. He said, “Heriberto comes to work with new and innovative ideas that always help the design team with difficult transitions in building/roofing materials. Heriberto is a huge asset to have on our projects and has become one of the faces of Bone Dry Roofing. It has been a pleasure working with Heriberto and Bone Dry Roofing. Thank you for all your hard work.”

Eric Bray, a coworker of more than thirteen years, also discussed Heriberto’s innovative thinking, describing how it combines with his many years of industry experience. Eric said, “One of the most impressive elements of his work history is his ability to understand what is needed for each project to provide an excellent result. He has managed many different types of projects that show his understanding of various complex roof systems which goes directly against the mainstream thinking in our industry today. Most people want to be really good at doing one thing and that is all they want to do. Heriberto has resisted this trend and relies on his experience and his strong ability to learn what is necessary to perform any roofing project.”

Matt Whiting, who has worked alongside Heriberto for many years, noted how he integrates this combination of knowledge and innovative thinking with his passion for learning and education. Matt said, “His knowledge and experience allows him the innate ability to train someone who knows very little about roofing and turn him/her into a very competent tradesman.”

Vicki Kilpatrick, an administrative staff member at Bone Dry Roofing Company describes Heriberto as “one who always has a smile” and says that he “stands out on so many levels in the commercial roofing world.” Providing an in-depth look at Heriberto’s contributions to the company, she says the following:

“Heriberto is a problem solver and never hesitates to stick with a difficult challenge he may be having until he conquers the issue. He also regularly provides support to all the other superintendents by sharing his knowledge and years of hands on experience with them when they are having an issue. Heriberto always offers technical advice during our weekly production meetings when he hears the issues that may be occurring at other jobsites and I see him frequently take the time (which he has very little extra) to personally go look at issues his coworkers are having to try to help get them resolved.”

Vicki also highlighted his dedication to the company’s continued growth. She explained, “Heriberto recognizes the need to mentor the younger members of our Bone Dry team because he is mindful about the future and the need for skilled tradesmen in our crews. He always seizes the opportunity to teach the crews the correct way, the efficient way and the safe way to perform a task. His years of experience have taught him well and he is always happy to share his experience and know how.”

Summarizing Heriberto’s positive impact, the company made the following statement:

“Since Heriberto walked through the Bone Dry Roofing Company doors in 2003, we are all better because of him. He serves as a true inspiration and leader of the roofing trade and an example for all of us.”

For more information on the MVP awards and nomination visit the Roofing Alliance’s MVP Program webpage.