Naphis Remembered and Honored

By Lauren White, RCS Editor. 

An instrumental person in growing the safety program for MRCA, Naphis leaves some impossible shoes to fill.  

Passionate. Driven. Family man. Humble. These are all words used to describe Naphis Mitchell Reyes. For nearly 20 years, Naphis dedicated his career to construction safety. He worked as the safety and risk director for Empire Roofing and was influential in developing the safety programs for the Midwest Roofing Contractors Association (MRCA).   

“Naphis was one of those people you just like hanging around.  He had a passion for life, faith, family, and lucky for us, safety,” shared Morgan Arwood, key staff person to the MRCA Safety Committee and the MRCA membership director. 

Bob Poutre, president of Roof Tech and a current member of the MRCA executive committee, was introduced to Naphis two years ago. Bob had previously been the chair of the MRCA Safety and Operations Committee, which was later renamed the Safety Committee to focus on safety.  When Bob became part of the executive committee, Naphis filled his chair on the Safety Committee. “It was like a whirlwind came through. Morgan and I kind of strapped in and held on when Naphis joined,” shared Bob.   

Even though Naphis was the risk management director for 13 Empire Roofing locations throughout the U.S. and Mexico, he still made MRCA a priority. “He always took my calls and answered my texts and emails. He shared his time so generously,” Morgan said. Both Bob and Morgan recalled that every time they spoke with Naphis he was either getting on or off a plane or getting ready to go someplace else the next day. “He had a bucket so full it was overflowing, but every time we talked about the Safety Committee, it was like we were the only issue he had on his plate,” Bob shared.   

Not only did Naphis share his time with MRCA, but also with the Dallas Fort Worth jail.  Sunday evenings he would minister to inmates. Morgan said, “I knew he was a great person, and finding out all these things it’s like ‘Wow, he’s really amazing.’”  

Naphis was also incredible at making safety interesting! Oftentimes when safety is brought up, people will sigh or roll their eyes, Morgan shared. “Somehow Naphis made it exciting and fun.  When he talked safety, his face would light up, he couldn't stay in one spot and his arms would start moving. And people would listen.  I don’t know how he did it,” she added.  

Anything was possible in Naphis’ eyes; “impossible” wasn’t even in his vocabulary. “I had conversations with him about things that seemed insurmountable, but that’s not how Naphis saw them,” Bob said. “He did everything with a passion that will probably never be equaled.” 

Amidst his busy schedule, Naphis was instrumental in developing the following programs for MRCA: 

• Hot Air and Induction Welding Safety Training Program (HAWT): For roofing professionals who work with hot air and induction welding equipment, this program helps them identify and understand the hazards they face when installing roofing systems in addition to control the risks. 

• SHARP Plus Safety Certification: Geared towards roofing contractor safety professionals, this program is designed to advance the safety culture in a company. This is accomplished through roofing-specific safety training webinars, educational sessions and participating in the MRCA Safety Award Program. 

• Safety manual template: Whether a company has two employees or 200, this manual has everything a contractor needs to put a safety program together and keep workers safe. Naphis wanted this manual to be affordable and accessible to everyone and ensured the price was reasonable for all companies, large and small.  

It’s thanks to Naphis that the MRCA was able to grow and expand their Safety Committee to what it is today. His enthusiasm for life, his family, the MRCA and safety was unmatched and won’t be forgotten.   

While no one will be able to fill Naphis’ shoes, his friends at MRCA will carry on his legacy, saying, “We’re going to take it from here Naphis.” 

Naphis left his family, friends, coworkers and loved ones too soon.  Please help support his family in this time of loss and need by contributing to their GoFundMe.