Rich Thompson - How ABC Supply is Racing for a Cause with Homes For Our Troops - PODCAST TRANSCRIPTION

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of a live interview with Rich Thompson, ABC Supply director of marketing. 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 J. Ellsworth: Hello and welcome to Roofing Road Trips from RoofersCoffeeShop. This is Heidi Ellsworth and I am here with Rich Thompson of ABC Supply, the director of marketing and we're here to talk about something's just going to warm your heart. It is the most wonderful charity out there. It is an amazing initiative, and that is home for our troops. Rich, welcome to the show.

Rich Thompson: Heidi. Thank you for having me. It's so great to be back here. And again, thank you for all that you do. We really appreciate everything.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: We love working with you, and I love May because of all you do. Every May is just so special. So before we hop into that, why don't you go ahead and for the few people out there who may not know you, if you could introduce yourself and just talk a little bit about ABC Supply.

Rich Thompson: Well, as you said, I'm the director of marketing. I've been with ABC for 16 years, been in this awesome industry for the last 23. I work out of our Beloit, Wisconsin headquarters that we call National Support Center or NSC. And I have the absolute awesome job of working with a lot of incredible people, a lot of incredible customers, and it's just such a great industry. I can't see myself ever doing anything else.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: I know. You know Rich, that's so funny. Driving into work this morning, someone said on the radio, what would you do if you couldn't do what you're doing right now? And I'm like, I don't think there's anything else I want to do.

Rich Thompson: I can't imagine my life without this industry. I fell into it on accident and I'm never going to leave. So yeah, too many great people.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Too many great people and too many great initiatives, much like what is happening right now. And so last year we spoke about this and had a great podcast and it was how ABC Supply donated the design of its Indie car, which I love to Homes For Our Troops, and said you would match all donations made up to a million dollars. I know you're doing that this year too. So how did that go last year?

Rich Thompson: It was an amazing event. We actually raised money for about 10 days last year leading up to the raise. And surprisingly by race time we had raised $1.2 million in private donations. It was an incredible outpouring. I was so proud of our team for really getting out there and pushing it and more proud that say that there's so many good people in the world that really wanted to help a good cause. So we were lucky.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: That's so impressive.

Rich Thompson: It was and we were able to match that first million for a total donation of $2.2 million. It was very, very emotional for us because we love Homes For Our Troops. They have such an incredible cause and we just do the outpouring of support from people within our industry and outside of it was incredible.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: That had to be very emotional for homes for our troops too.

Rich Thompson: Oh, it was great. And we hosted several of their veterans and dignitaries at the Indianapolis 500 last year. And the outpouring of love from those veterans was incredible. And to hear their stories and how positive they are, I mean, these individuals gave up a piece of their freedom to give us more freedom and the least we can do is continue to support them through donations and create an awareness for Homes For Our Troops.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: And you have done that, it's been amazing. And I hear we will be seeing an ABC Supply sponsored car for home for our troops on the racetrack this year as well. I'm so excited.

Rich Thompson: Yeah, it was so successful last year, we had to do it again. Yeah, why not, right?

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Tell us about that, because for those few who may have missed it last year, tell us what to expect to watch for this year.

Rich Thompson: So the number 14 car owned by AJ Foyt and driven by Santino Ferrucci will be piloting the Homes For Our Troops car at the Indianapolis 500. So we're really excited. Santino is a great driver. AJ's AJ. Yeah, everybody. If you are remotely a racing fan, you've heard of AJ Foyt. Even if you're not, you probably have as well. So to have them on our side, having that amazing car that looks like the American flag screeching down, ending up a speedway at over 200 miles per hour is pretty exciting. Now the difference that we're going to do this year, instead of just doing it for 10 days, we're going to raise money through the entire month of May. So from May 1st to May 31st, we're going to create awareness and hopefully a lot of fundraising efforts to create more homes to be built for these amazing veterans

Heidi J. Ellsworth: On RoofersCoffeeShop right now. As of May 1st actually, everyone can find that article and a picture of the car and it's so amazing. I loved it. I was looking at it this morning, in fact, and I do have to say Rich, AJ Foyt, big fan. I grew up watching and reading books on him. So I also have to say from last year, I know when my husband and I were watching the Indianapolis 500, we were watching for your car, and it really talked about a sense of pride to know that from the roofing industry we were represented and Homes For Our Troops. So I just, I'm fanning a little bit, I know. So while we're talking about Homes For Our Troops, for those who may not know, tell me a little bit more about that organization. I mean, I know, but tell everybody listening about that organization. It is so important.

Rich Thompson: So Homes For Our Troops is a nonprofit and they actually, they have no marketing budget whatsoever. And we aligned ourselves with them a coup in about 2000... I think it was 2020 that we became a platinum sponsor for HomeStore trips. They build custom homes for veterans that are amputee, double amputee, severe burn victims from post 9/11 events. And these are individuals that have had the courage to do what a lot of us don't, and they've paid a big price. So we aligned with them that we build these custom homes. I mean, I think year to date since the organization's found, and they've built over 350 homes, and these homes are equipped to make it easy for the veterans when they get home. One thing I didn't know in meeting with some of the veterans and some of the dignitaries from Homes For Our Troops is, even if they have prosthetic arms or prosthetic legs, the first thing they want to do when they get home is take them off.

Because sometimes they can become very painful. So to give them a custom built home, it gives them the ability to move around and reach cabinet spaces that they couldn't before. It's really earth-shattering and changing for them, and it's just equal to us to be able to help and give back. So they have a mission. They want to give as many of the dollars that they raise directly to rebuilding or building these homes. So we're going to do our part. We're a multi-year, multi-million dollar sponsor, and this event at the Indianapolis 500 just goes above and beyond the support.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: I have to tell you, last year when we had coffee conversations sponsored by ABC Supply, talking to Homes For Our Troops, we were so inspired. It was one of the most inspiring. And we have one coming up. There's another one this year that we're talking on. How were you inspired to first connect with them? I mean, I know why once you're with them, how amazing it is. But what inspired you from the beginning?

Rich Thompson: So ABC operates off of seven core values that are the bedrock or the cornerstone of what we do every day. And two of those core values are giving back in America Pride. Our founder and chairman, Diane Hendricks firmly believes that there's no other country in this world that she could have created a company and done so well. So we want to give back, and then we want to give to our veterans via American Pride. And so we aligned with them in 2020, assuming that it would be a very good cause. Little did I know that we would become very, very invested in this organization. We understand what our veterans have done for us, and we want to do just a little bit to give back those who serve our country, they're the bravest and they deserve our respect and our help.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: So true. And I pretty much already know this answer, but I would love for you to share, does ABC hire a lot of military veterans?

Rich Thompson: Great question. We have a big initiative of always hiring veterans. I mean, we've hired over 2100 veterans since 2017. And matter of fact, last year we had a stated goal in 2022 to hire a veteran a day. And I was proud of the fact that we not only met that goal, but we surpassed it. So that's 365 plus veterans that we hired last year. We find that these veterans are a perfect fit for our organization. They fit our core values, they fit our work ethic. And so we're going to constantly look for better avenues to find more veterans to come work for us.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: A veteran a day. That's very impressive. And I agree. Well, even last year when we were talking, we had a number of veterans on the coffee conversations and they talked about ABC Supply, how great it's to be involved with it, and how much they love the roofing industry. That's really what it comes down to.

Rich Thompson: It's a perfect fit. I mean, we work with military.com and RecruitMilitary and Army PaYS program. We were their thousandth partner. It was a big deal. And we're going to keep looking for more avenues. They are such a great fit for our company, our environment in our industry.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: The Indie 500 is coming up fast, May 28th. Are you a racing fan, Rich? I'm really interested. I already said that a little bit earlier, but tell us about your passion and what are you most looking forward to with this year's race?

Rich Thompson: Well, I am a racing fan. I've been around racing since my formative years watching the Indianapolis 500, watching AJ Foyt, NASCAR, every Formula One. I am a gearhead. I probably live vicariously through all of those drivers, but it's really awesome to see that 14 guard and you get to live part of my dream by being a part of this organization and watching it go around the track. And so if there's any other race fans out there, what more can you want? You have the American Dream, the American flag racing down the racetrack owned by AJ Foyt, with Santino Ferrucci. So go to hfotusa.org/donate to help us support this amazing cause.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah, and I'm just so looking forward to it. Now, we're not going to be in Indianapolis, my husband and I, but we'll be in front of the TV and we'll be watching. So that's just going to be a great day for everyone.

Rich Thompson: Yeah, I can't wait. I mean, last year was so exciting just to see that car go around the track. This year, I'm hoping and knocking on wood, but not only will we get to see that cargo around the track will raise a lot more money than we did the year before. And we'll get to see it across the finish line first after 500 miles. That'd be an awesome experience.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: That'd be pretty special, I have to tell you right there. Yeah. So for everyone out there, I know Rich just gave you the address or the web address to go and make a donation that is also on RoofersCoffeeShop in the ABC Supply directory. It is also a full article on this with a picture of the race car that you can find on RoofersCoffeeShop. Thank you. I just have to say, Rich, to you, Diane, to the ABC Supply overall, thank you for all you do. This is so important for our troops and for our veterans, and you really are making such a huge difference. I'm just honored to be having you on this podcast.

Rich Thompson: No, thank you. And I mean, on behalf of our 19,000 associates, I want to thank them. Yeah, they're what makes this possible for us to help create awareness and raise money for an incredible cause because if it wasn't for our 950 plus branches and 19,000 associates, we couldn't do it. So again, like I said, again, please go to hfotusa.org/donate to look at money, keep an eye on our social media accounts. We've got some really cool stuff that we're going to be doing during the month of May that will actually even give you some really cool experiences and you can do a lot of cool stuff. So keep an eye on that. And Heidi, thank you for giving us this opportunity to come on this podcast. I listen to it every time they come out. It is so much fun and you touch so many people and you help our industry. So it's just great to be partnered with you as well.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Oh, thank you so much. We love having you on our roofing road trips and it fits right with what we're talking about today, Roofing Road Trips. We're going to be road tripping to Indianapolis. So thank you so much again, and good luck. We'll be cheering as I know all of the industry will be. But more than that, I really encourage everyone to please go and donate. This is a cause. And the fact that ABC Supply is matching it is just something phenomenal that we can all, as a roofing industry, be a part of and really make a difference in people's lives. Thank you again, Rich, and we're going to see you on the next podcast. It hopefully won't be a whole year.

Rich Thompson: Yeah, we got to do it sooner, Heidi. So much fun. Not only do it once a year.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: I love it. I love it. Thank you.

Rich Thompson: Thank you.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Thank all of you for being on this very special podcast. We're excited to share this. Please, please visit the ABC Supply directory. Get all the information. Donate cheer for the ABC Supply car on May 28th. And be sure to catch all of our podcasts. You can find them under the read listen watch under podcast Roofing Road Trips. Don't miss a single episode or even better on your favorite podcast channel. Be sure to subscribe and hit the notifications so you don't miss any episodes. And we'll be seeing you next time on Roofing Road Trips.

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.