Roofing Road Trip S1: E3 with Shari Carlozzi - PODCAST TRANSCRIPTION

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of an interview with Shari Carlozzi. You can read the interview below or listen to the podcast here. 

Heidi: Hello and welcome to Roofing Road Trip podcast with Heidi. Today, I am so excited to be here with my very, very good friend, Shari [Carlozzi 00:00:19]. Shari and I have worked together for many years, working on National Women in Roofing, working with different marketing, and now, Shari is leading the effort with Tremco and WTI on safety. I am so excited to be here with her today, and to really be able to have her share what's happening. Shari, you and I have worked together a lot over the years. I am really inspired by the position and the leadership that you're taking the Tremco and WTI on safety. Can you tell our audience a bit about your history in roofing and this new position at Tremco?

Shari: Sure. I'm thrilled to talk to you, Heidi, because like you said, we've known each other for a long time and we've seen a lot of changes in this industry. While I didn't start the safety mission at Tremco, I'm here to support it as best I can. I'm thrilled to be here. Yeah, I've been in the industry for, oh my gosh, 11 plus years. I'm on my 12th year. I started in 2007 in the [heat tool 00:01:32] sector, working with contractors and distributors, and manufacturers to support single [ply 00:01:38] industry with heat welding equipment, generators, and other ancillary support products. That meant training contractors and some distributors groups on best practices on how to use and install my products safely and efficiently, through hot air applications, with electricity like 120 and 230 volts plus larger wattage equipment. Very dangerous. So, basically I developed a team to help support manufacturers and train our contractors and my distributors, and to strengthen their knowledge to reach out to contractors, training events, provide single ply industry that kind of knowledge on a national basis. It was just a great program, and, to my knowledge, Hapco is still providing those services today. Historically, my professional background has always been based on building new projects from the ground up, in my own marketing company, the automotive industry, and now roofing industry. When the opportunity to start a new program to support Tremco's already heavy safety mission, and it was presented to me, I was on board. This is a big company that promotes itself and prides itself on innovation, education for their employees, and safety is at its core, so it was a no brainer, really.

Heidi: I love it. I know, having worked ... You and I were friends with Marti Billingsly before you started there, and now you two are doing some amazing things and safety has always been number one. Can you tell us what exactly are you doing with this safety team and this program that you're building at Tremco?

Shari: Well, as you mentioned, Marti, and from the top down, Paul [Hogenboom 00:03:32], and the entire management staff of Tremco has developed such a full and dynamic safety program. It just really seemed a natural progression to promote that awareness and guidance to our Tremco contractors and customers through a national program. Marti came to me, and she put this idea together. You were there when we talked about it. I thought, this is really something I've never heard of before, and truly, it is something unique and innovative. That's the beauty of Tremco, right? So, we've actually developed a team supporting each of our 10 sales regions. We provide a safety evaluation to our customers to identify hazards, and provide solutions for their workers, roofing contractors, and anyone on the roof so they can work truly in a safe environment because, really, that's what it's about. Rooftop work is a dangerous job, and we want to make sure that people go home the same way, in the same condition they came to work in the morning. We take that very seriously. So, if you're a building owner or property manager and have had OSHA compliance issues in the past, we can help you address that and resolve those issues and any of those safety evaluations to get you back in compliance and provide a truly safe work environment. That's what we're all about. I've got a great team, really. We just started and kicked this off in September and the response has been tremendous.

Heidi: Shari, I think that is so cool. We are so focused as an industry on safety on the roof for our contractors and our workforce, but we forget that once we leave that job, once we're off the roof as an industry, that building owner and facility manager, they still need to keep that roofs space safe. With so many roofs now having multiple interactions on all year long, that's really important. Tremco, and through your team, you are offering the building owners that really ... You're really helping them on getting their people home safe every night, too.

Shari: Right.

Heidi: How's that working, what are you hearing?

Shari: Well, I mean, everyone on my team is a safety specialist with OSHA training, and certifications as a competent person for fall protection. That's trained by ANSI standard, which is the highest standards out there. So, with the support of the Tremco sales team, and some structural engineering partner that we've had, the services of that very dynamic group, we can provide a full, turnkey program for rooftop safety products and installation services that are not only OSHA compliant, but that are user friendly as well. We can ... Most of our products that we provide are non penetrating, but in some instances people don't think about this, but ladders and other custom solutions that are attached to the building need to be secured so that if you're providing safety, you better make sure that it's attached properly because we're relying on it. We need to make sure that it's structurally sound. We take that very seriously. To answer your question, most of the people that we talk to, I would say some are safety aware, so we're all on the same page, but many really don't think about safety until something bad happens, or they've had a close call. We're there to educate them on the cost, both personally and financially, and professionally, as to what those equate to and why it's so important. It's that aha moment when something clicks, or it hits a chord, and that's when all the questions come flooding in, and we can provide them with those solutions. It's really, really rewarding. Providing those solutions is part of the added value customers get from working with Tremco. We're happy to be here and provide that.

Heidi: That is ... To hear that, to really being that proactive, working with the building owners and facility managers, and I know a lot of schools, which is so important, that really shows the progressiveness of Tremco and WTI, and what you're all doing. Along that line, I know that right now we're doing a lot with Tremco and WTI on really trying to share the culture, and the culture of safety, and really believing in the employees. One of the things that came out recently was just some awesome videos with iAuditor. Can you share a bit about that and that program? It just seems very interesting.

Shari: I'd love to. Of course, Tremco is a family. Albeit, a very large family, but it's a family. Many of their employees have worked here for 20 plus years, and so do their children. We take care of our family, and we consider our contractors as part of our family, too, right? Tremco's training is the best I have ever seen. They're really, really, serious about it. It's instituted, like I said, from the top down, and it's what we live by. When you think about iAuditor, it's an app that each WTI service person has access through their cell phone to evaluate the roofs that we're inspecting, and safety is a mandatory field. There it is, on your cell phone, and you use it to take pictures, provide video on what you see on the roof in real time, and you log it on. It has to be logged in everyday. iAuditor is not an option, it's part of our daily routine. It is mandatory. When they provide that, my team now accesses all of those iAuditor reports on a daily and weekly basis, and they review the data in iAuditor to address the safety issues, and then help to provide solutions that are important not only to our customers, but our workers as well. So, iAuditor is just a tremendous tool, and it's giving you the opportunity to be there when you're not there, right?

Heidi: Right.

Shari: Like I said, it is part of your every day routine on the roof if you work for Tremco. They take that very, very seriously. So, yeah, [crosstalk 00:10:21] of this program.

Heidi: You know, getting every person home safe to their family every night, you said that earlier, that is just what it's all about. Nothing's more important than that and seeing what ... To me, it seems like bringing that combination of what the WTI field teams are doing, and the Tremco contractors, in conjunction with what you're doing with the building owners, you really have an amazing story to tell your customers and building owners about how their buildings, their employees, and the contractors who are working on the top of that roof are going to be safe.

Shari: Right. I agree, it's part of our value added proposition that we provide to our customers. Let's face it, we work in a very, very dangerous industry. We are in a labor shortage. If you don't take safety seriously, it can affect you financially and your business, should you have OSHA regulation violations, or wrongful death suits, or Worker Comp cases. Really, who wants to work for a company that has a poor safety record? Here we are in a safety issue, with a worker shortage. If it were me and I were looking for a job, and I knew that I was working in a dangerous industry like this, I would want to work for a company that has got a good safety record. Your safety record really does affect your business in so many different aspects. It is such an important component to a successful company. We take it very, very seriously.

Heidi: The culture is so cool, Shari, because that whole culture of safety, and, als, Tremco has been one of the first companies out there to really embrace a culture of diversity, also. You know we can't do this podcast, or end it, without talking just a bit about National Women in Roofing, since you and I were there at the very beginning. Tremco's a Diamond Sponsor. They have been so supportive. I mean, amazing in what they do for National Women in Roofing. I know this year as past Chair, you have some special projects, some things I'm working with you on. Why don't you update everybody just a bit about National Women in Roofing and some of the things Tremco's doing along that line also?

Shari: Well, it's for the support of sponsors like Tremco who have been with us since day one, that make it ... give us a really, oh my gosh, such a well rounded view of everything that is happening in our industry, and the diversity that they bring to the table is just tremendous. From that standpoint, I'm thrilled to be working with them as an employer, and as a sponsor of National Women in Roofing. The promotion and the empowerment of women in the industry, they support 100%. They reach out and recruit women of all walks of life, with such a diverse background, in areas that we wouldn't even think about. A perfect example is what they do with their RISE program, to provide college education opportunities for people in this industry. It's a tremendous program. If you've not heard of RISE, I would encourage anybody just to Google it and find out more about it. We also support the careers section of National Women in Roofing's website, as well as, of course, Roofers Coffee Shop and many others. I mean, oh my gosh, I don't know where to start. We have grown ... National Women in Roofing has grown so much due to the support of our sponsors and the due diligence of our Board of Directors. We're all volunteers, and the time that women put in to develop this, and the time that companies like Tremco, and Roofer's Coffee Shop, and the Alliance for Progress provide their employees to participate and make this industry a better place is just phenomenal. Tremco is really involved as a sponsor in providing, oh my gosh, information for this new content library that we're providing, that will help women to advance with support of our four pillars, for mentorship, education, just self promotion and career development. It's just tremendous, the areas that they support in the four pillars of our organization. For me, I could go on for an hour just on that, but it is really, really rewarding to see someone like Marti, who is a woman, who has been promoted this year to VP of Global Operations for WTI Services in Tremco, and our membership chair. The focus that she has on really building and increasing our membership in 2020, and really bringing both women and women together to make this industry a better place. I can't say enough.

Heidi: I know. You know the thing that I love is that Tremco puts their money where their mouth is. And not just money, but time and treasures. When I think about all that you do, and all that Marti does, and Lisa, and Maureen, and so many women at Tremco are involved in the local council, in local ... involved on the Board of Directors on a national level, and on committees. That, to me, really shows that this is a deep seeded culture within Tremco, really empowering all the employees, whether it's through safety, or through diversity, through career advancement. I guess I just can't ... Shari, you're there, I know we've been doing this a long time. To me, it's pretty powerful.

Shari: You know what, Heidi? It's really interesting that you mention that. As you were talking I thought to myself, do you know how many committees, just about every committee that we have has someone from Tremco supporting it as either a committee member, or a chair, or a vice chair. I mean, I've got two new committees this year, and I've got people on Tremco with both of them. They really came ... I didn't have to go after them, they came after me. So, I encourage women in the industry just to come forward, and say, hey, I want to be involved. We want you involved, we encourage that, we embrace that. I think Tremco has been great in the fact that the company has picked up the membership dues for their employees.

Heidi: Yeah.

Shari: We saw a great number of Tremco people at National Women in Roofing day, both years that we've had that. I mean, it's just been very rewarding to know that your company supports a passion that you have, and it's a passion for them as well.

Heidi: It is. Shari, thank you so much for doing this podcast with me today. I'm actually on the road. I'm in Portland, Oregon and calling you from the road, so this Roofing Road Trip with Heidi is all about talking to all of our friends, and you and I have been friends for a long time. I do want to get a call to action out there, because you said a couple things that I think are really good for our listeners. To find out more, go and check out the iAuditor Safety. It's on YouTube under Tremco and WTI, you can find some great safety videos. Be sure to check out the safety pages and information on Tremco.com. Also, check out the RISE program, R-I-S-E. Like Shari said, it is an amazing college program, scholarship that really allows anyone to get a construction management degree. It's very powerful. Finally, as we always say, please go to NationalWomeninRoofing.org and become a member because you're going to network and meet wonderful people like my friend Shari, here. Thank you, Shari, so much for being here today.

Shari: Well, I'm not on the road, but I'm there with you. Have a great day, and I'm sure I'll see you at the next event in a couple weeks.

Heidi: Yes, you will. From the road, this is Heidi Ellsworth. Thank you for listening today.

Shari: Bye.

Listen to the Podcast.