Slate experts assemble!

By Emma Peterson. 

Meet the international jury of super-experts who will choose the roofer of the year in the Best of the Best contest! 

Since 2020, CUPA PIZARRAS has hosted a competition called “Best of the Best.” Open to international submissions, the goal of this is to find the best CUPA PIZARRAS natural slate projects and installers! The competition begins after all video submissions have been collected in mid-November. Then the readers of CUPA PIZARRAS' website will cast their votes! With the pool narrowed down, the remaining contestants’ videos will be sent to an incredible jury of international roofing experts. This is the first year that a jury has been assembled to pick the final winner! Keep reading to meet the six professionals who are choosing our champion. 

Matt Timby – United Kingdom 

Matt is the owner of Matt Timby Limited based in Lincolnshire, England. He is an award-winning roofing contractor in multiple disciplines, including of course slate works. His previous titles and positions include master craftsman, Skillbuild judge and mentor for the UK National young roofers’ team. Matt shared, “I’ve been incredibly passionate about roofing since I first picked up a slate hammer as an apprentice and I’m honored to have been asked to be part of the Jury for this year’s CUPA Best of the Best Competition.” 

Heidi J. Ellsworth – United States 

Heidi has worked in the roofing industry since 1993 and has held positions with Malarkey Roofing, Carlisle Construction Materials and EagleView Technologies. She is currently a partner and president of The Coffee Shops™ and owner of HJE Consulting. Heidi is also one of the founders of National Women in Roofing (NWIR). She served as chairperson for the first two years of the association and in 2020 was awarded the WORLD Award. 

Severino González – Spain 

Severino is the manager of the Slate Cluster of Galicia and the National Federation of Slate. He holds a law degree from the University of Santiago de Compostela and has been in the industry since 1989, initially serving as a legal advisor for about four years and then continuously as the manager. Severino has also given lectures at almost every architecture and technical architecture school in Spain, as well as at various colleges, where he educates and advocates for the use of natural slate. 

Henri Lefin – Belgium 

At six years old, Henri was already frolicking on rooftops, and by 12, he was installing his first natural slate. Now, he is a true craftsman who shares his passion! After being rigorously trained as a slater in his father’s company and graduating in entrepreneurship, Henri Lefin naturally decided to go into business for himself in 1997. In 2000, he partnered with Sandra Swennen to create the company as it exists today. 

Sébastien Therenty – France 

Sébastien has been a passionate roofer since the age of 14, and this passion inspired him to climb the ladder from apprentice to entrepreneur. Over the years working on Parisian rooftops, he has participated in numerous projects, including the Arc de Triomphe, the Town Hall of Ivry-sur-Seine and the King’s Stables at Versailles. He shared, “I place great importance on sharing the values of our craftsmanship and training our future roofers. My goal for the coming years is to restore the nobility of the roofing profession.” 

Jørgen Trier – Denmark 

Jørgen is currently a senior roofing supervisor at Andresen’s VVS A/S, where he oversees VVS (plumbing, heating and sanitation) and roofing projects. He has extensive experience as a technical salesperson and advisor, working closely with architects, builders and plumbers. Andresen’s VVS operates across several Danish locations, including Fredericia, Middelfart, Kolding and Vejle, specializing in district heating services and comprehensive VVS solutions. 

Submit your videos by November 15 to take part in the contest! The first round of voting will still be in the hands of CUPA PIZZARAS’ readers, so make sure to check in in early December! Then this incredible jury will be voting and the winners will be announced on December 17, 2024!