New people, new technology and new momentum in the roofing industry!

By Dani Sheehan. 

Catch the replay of this Coffee Conversations to get a glimpse of the trade show floor as industry experts discuss hot topics and trends at the 2024 International Roofing Expo. 

If you missed the International Roofing Expo (IRE) this year in Las Vegas, Nevada, and you’re feeling a little left out, have no fear! You can watch our latest Coffee Conversations® sponsored by SRS Distribution, from day two of the show and witness the excitement on the exhibit floor. Heidi J. Ellsworth met with industry experts Sara Jonas from ICP Group, Piers Dormeyer from EagleView, Michelle Lane from Elevate and Kent Gardner from SRS Distribution to discuss what’s hot across the country and new at IRE. 

One of the biggest changes to the show this year compared to previous years is this thirst for technology that the industry is seeing. Piers shares, “Tech is going through almost another renaissance with the generative AI. Now everybody’s familiar with open AI’s, ChatGPT, but really technology which has become accessible because greater cloud and compute costs and NVIDIA’s processing power is unlocking new solutions that are going to have a profound effect on contractors.” 

Kent and Michelle agree, saying that the exhibit floor is full of positive momentum and energy, and everyone is talking about technology. Kent continues, “Technology is insane, whether it’s from a safety perspective for the folks that are getting on the roofs or the contractor interface with distribution.” Michelle adds, “I think about the pace of change and how we use technology in this business to be more efficient. I’m seeing contractors embrace that from an efficiency standpoint, but also thinking through a customer experience and how do you create a unique customer experience leveraging technology.” 

Heidi feels like the newer technology and overall emphasis on technology is helping to bring the younger generation into the industry. Sara agrees and has a unique perspective, saying she isn’t necessarily seeing new technology, but generally new people. She explains, “What I’m seeing a lot of [in the exhibit hall] is actually people who are brand new to products that in my head, is technology that’s been out there for a really long time, but I have had a lot of people in our booth that are either new to the industry or new to coatings.” 

The first-timer event was packed, and these experts all agree that it’s fantastic to see new faces in the roofing industry. Through people and technology, they are feeling the positive energy exuding from the exhibit floor and with that comes opportunities for expanding business and success in roofing.  

Read the transcript, Listen to the podcast or Watch the webinar for more great insights from these roofing professionals!