State Roofing Associations Making a Difference - PODCAST TRANSCRIPTION

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of a live interview with Jennifer George from ARCA, the Arizona Roofing Contractors Association. 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 another Roofing Road Trips from Roofer's Coffee Shop. This is Heidi Ellsworth and I am here today heading down south to road trip with Jennifer George from ARCA, the Arizona Roofing Contractors Association. So excited, Jennifer, thank you for being on the show today.

Jennifer George: Thank you. I'm super excited to do this.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: You know what, you and I have been working together for a number of years and you just do an amazing job with the Arizona Association and that is so impressive.

Jennifer George: Thank you so much. That's a lot of fun.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: It is a lot of fun. A lot of great people.

Jennifer George: Yes.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: So before we get started and dive into that, why don't, if you could introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about the Arizona Roofing Contractors Association.

Jennifer George: Absolutely. So as Heidi said, my name is Jennifer George and I'm the Executive Director of the Arizona Roofing Contractors Association, as well as the Arizona Roofing Industry Foundation. ARCA was established in 1969 and is a dynamic and well-respected subcontractor trade association. We are statewide, that has grown to become one of the largest trade associations in Arizona. We average about 250 members throughout the state with the majority of the members being roofing contractors.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: And you have some of the top roofing contractors in the industry across the country.

Jennifer George: Absolutely. So in addition, ARCA's membership is company-wide, which means all of the employees are part of it, and we run on a calendar year from January through December. So ARCA is also affiliated with the National Roofing Contractors Association, the Western State Roofing Contractors Association, as well as the Arizona Roofing Alliance with our local [inaudible 00:02:00].

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah.

Jennifer George: We have two categories of membership. One being a contractor, which is a business with either a CR-42 license or a general contracting license. And then we have our associate members. And this category consists of any business that supports the roofing industry, such as insurance companies, distributors, manufacturers, attorneys, CPAs, and so much more.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: And I have to say, Roofers Coffee Shop is very proud to be a member of ARCA.

Jennifer George: Yes, absolutely

Heidi J. Ellsworth: We were there for your show in the fall and for your awards, and it was very super, so impressive. I think the nailing contest was my favorite.

Jennifer George: Yeah. Young professionals. Yeah. That has been sponsored by Malarkey Roofing Products, and I think we're going into our sixth year of it, and it's really fun.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah.Really fun, really impressive. Okay. What were some of your key initiatives and successes?

Jennifer George: Coming out of the pandemic, ARCA focused on bringing back our in-person opportunities, and that would be everything from our safety training to social events. But in 2022, we also tried to maintain a virtual presence which enabled us to reach members statewide. So ARCA is a statewide association, and in 2022 we offered over 50 safety training classes, and that was free to all of our members. And then we hosted an expanded our academy classes, which brought in new facilitators, specializing in the product and material that was featured. We hosted a variety of social and sporting events along with our 53rd Annual Roofing Expo, which is what you just talked about. So through ARIF, we awarded 14 scholarships for continued education in the amount of $3,000 per student. We partnered with the ASU and then the NRCA Roofing Alliance to bring accredited roofing classes to the Del E. Webb School of Construction. And that was a huge initiative and it was really exciting and just started too. Maintain relationships with our Arizona Register of contractors and ADOSH. We had multiple philanthropy efforts and then there was a lot more that was going on.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: I've been involved on the other side of that initiative with the Roofing Alliance and what you've all been doing with Arizona State, right? Arizona,

Jennifer George: Correct. Yes.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Also train the trainers for professors.

Jennifer George: Correct.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Boot camps have been going on, too. And you guys have been so involved in all of that. It's really cool.

Jennifer George: It has been really fun to watch it, and I just think it's a great partnership with ASU to give ARCA exposure and the roofing industry exposure to people and get the names out there and the contacts that are made. It's a lot going on. There's a lot of parts to it.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Okay. So what do you see now, let's go to 2023. What do you see? What are some of your goals and what do you see happening in 2023 around ARCA?

Jennifer George: So our primary goal has been and will continue to increase our membership, and especially with the roofing contractors, with our focus on safety training and education. And I would say our top goal is to keep everyone on the roof safe, to continue to provide educational and informational training and webinars, as well as cultivate ways to increase the workforce efforts, and I know that's probably nationwide, but in Arizona we have a hard time finding the workforce and then keeping it.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Right.

Jennifer George: One way we're doing this is we are partnering with the Veteran Affairs and then keeping an eye out for additional opportunities. In 2023, ARCA, along with NRCA will be launching the first Skills USA competition in Arizona with objective to send at least one student to the national event. And also new this year, we are trying to have participation in the Let's Build Girls Camp, which will be introducing females the ages of eight to 16 to the roofing industry. So again, our primary focus would be safety and I think workforce.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah, I love the fact that you guys are going to be doing Let's Build. That is so cool.

Jennifer George: Yeah, so we'll see. Everyone seems interested in stepping up, so it should be a good time.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah. National Women in Roofing has been so involved with that too, back in Pittsburgh and-

Jennifer George: Cool.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: -back east. Yeah.

Jennifer George: Okay.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: And so I bet Minnie is-

Jennifer George: Yes.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Working on that too. Right? Okay.

Jennifer George: Yes, she is.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: I love those guys. Yeah. That's good. And Minnie is on your board, right?

Jennifer George: Minnie is a board of director, correct.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah, yeah. Yep. Amazing board up there. Okay. 2022, the trade show, was like I said, great. Any new plans or can you tell us a little bit about what's going to be happening with your show in 2023?

Jennifer George: Yeah, so in 2023, we are going to be heading back to Flagstaff, Arizona, and people love it up there. For anyone that has not attended our expo, it is hosted over a period of three days. It consists of seminars and educational training. We are going to try to bring some demonstrations in. We do have sporting events, networking opportunities, competitions, and pretty much everything leading to comradery and fun and the educational component. The expo committee is still working on all the logistics, and we will be looking at seminar topics and seeing what our membership is interested in hearing, securing speakers, and pretty much getting it all together. But it's kind of three days of nonstop for attendees. For the expo committee, it's a good seven weeks of just going crazy.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Okay. And do you have the dates yet?

Jennifer George: We do. September 28th, 29th and 30th.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Perfect. Perfect. That's awesome. Great time.

Jennifer George: Yeah.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: It's beautiful to be there in Flagstaff and-

Jennifer George: Absolutely.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: -Arizona overall.

Jennifer George: Correct. And so some of the sporting events there will be, we have a sporting clay tournament, a golf tournament, we will have a bingo tournament, we have a corn hole tournament, and again, seminars. Trent Contney is looking at his schedule to hopefully join us this year. Unfortunately in 2022, he got caught up in the hurricane and wasn't able to join us.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yes.

Jennifer George: And then probably working with NRCA, we did have NRCA out at the expo, so seeing kind of what we can partner there and bringing what we can to our membership.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah, that's great. So I talk to contractors all over and there's always these success stories of being with an association and how that association really helped their business helped them. And I love how you're leading the safety on all of your initiatives. So are there some contractor success stories you can share with us?

Jennifer George: Oh gosh. When you sent that question over to me, I kind of laughed at it because I typically, I don't want to say get complaints, but try to help with issues, again, with maintaining the relationship with the registered contractors and ESH and how to resolve issues. And so I guess, I don't know much successes, but I can tell you some of the success, at least for ARCA, and we are proud to have Andy Clark of Tecta America, who is the incoming Western stage briefing incoming president as a member of our executive board. We also have Valerie Miller with JBS briefing on the Western States Board, and then Chuck Chapman of Tecta America on the NRCA board. And that's just, again, exposure, having resources. When they attend the meetings for those various organizations to be able to bring information back to us that we can then share with our members.

ARCA also has been very successful in supporting two youth at-risk nonprofits. We do that through our Phoenix and Tucson bowling tournaments. And it's like an amazing way for the roofing industry to give back to the community. And we have an extremely generous pool of companies and individuals for the philanthropic efforts. In 2022, ARCA members provided a new roof to Crossroads Mission in Nogales. We sponsored children for the holidays at the Home of Hope. National Women in Roofing, Arizona chapter hosted a drive for a no-kill shelter in Clarkdale, Arizona. And ARCA's young professionals made a two-year commitment to adopt a street, and once a quarter you'll find them in safety attire, picking up trash along that designated road. So again, I don't know much about the successes of companies individually, but as an organization, we have a lot of successful moments with the members.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: That sounds like a lot of success to me.

Jennifer George: Yeah, it is.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: That is great. When you talk about Chuck Chapman, he's also the chair of the Davis Foundation and-

Jennifer George: Correct.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: -on Western states. He does so much there. So you do. And Valerie's on Western states. Yeah. All of these people are so active.

Jennifer George: Correct.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Not just in the state, but in their regional and in the national. It does make a huge difference. I would love for you to just share just a little bit, too. I know you mentioned it earlier, but just kind of following up with all of this great stuff you're doing for charity and helping in the community, your foundation, Arizona Foundation, also is doing huge amounts.

Jennifer George: Oh, correct. So it's actually through ARIS, the ASU partnership with the accredited hours at the Del E. Webb School of Construction. And then Eric, as I mentioned, hosts the Phoenix and Tucson Bowling, and we support Youth at Risk, the sporting clay tournaments and our January golf tournament. Those funds, what is raised from those events, the funds we use to give out the scholarship. So based on how much we make, we determine also based on how many submissions during the application process, how many we give out, and how much money. And it is a process, definitely. But there are some kids out there doing also amazing things, and Eric is very involved with the actual ARCA organization.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: That is so cool. And as you're looking at what you're talking about with the workforce, I just think about all these things you're doing, helping at-risk kids, scholarships, the possibly Let's Build, everything you're doing with ASU. That makes such a huge impression on all of these young people about, hey, look at what roofing is doing.

Jennifer George: We don't always get the credit. The opportunities on roofing. And it's not just being an installer with the Veteran Affairs. We're actually looking to coordinate with them more for project managers and foreman and supervisors. A lot of the people that come out of the military have project management skills. So we're not necessarily looking for installers through that avenue, it's broadening the horizon, and hopefully the education and opportunities as well.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah, that's amazing. That is so cool. And just again, Jennifer, how long have you been [inaudible 00:14:29].

Jennifer George: I'm going on nine years here.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yes. I know, I've watched the association just grow and blossom with you leading it.

Jennifer George: Thank you.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: It's been amazing.

Jennifer George: So yeah, it's fun to find new ways, really listening, connecting dots I think is the biggest one. And again, just having our name out there, all the giving back that the organization does, and then just the exposure and hopefully through all that, increase our workforce.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: And membership.

Jennifer George: Yeah. Well, yeah.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: So

Jennifer George: Hopefully membership. I would love to increase the membership, and we'll be working on that, trying to find new ways to get people involved and understand. Unfortunately, there's a thought, there's some from old schoolers how ARCA may have been in the past, but really our focus is safety and education.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Right. And you see it all the time.

Jennifer George: Yeah.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: I mean, you guys are just very obvious. So contractors out there in Arizona who are listening to this podcast, you need to be a member. It is education, safety, networking, mentoring, you guys provide it all.

Jennifer George: Yes. Yeah. And the networking's huge. A lot of people don't realize that. And when you become a member, it's not just, okay, I'm a member now. Download the logo, use it on your estimates, show on your website. You can even put stickers on your truck. But in addition to that, you really need to get involved.

So the first thing a company should do if you're not a member already is to join. And then once you've become a member, visit the website. And this is true for everybody. Check out your listing. Make sure the information is correct, because we do use it as a referral resource for residential and commercial owners. And then follow us on social media. And if anything changes regarding your listing, make sure you provide updated information as needed. And I think that holds true for any membership that you belong to. So if you're not with ARCA and you're with another state association, it's kind of the same thing.

And then most importantly, get involved. Join a committee, sponsor an event, register for the training events, invite a guest, and utilize your time at the events. Come prepared with your business cards and volunteers are always needed, no matter what event is going on, sell some raffle tickets, hang out at the registration desk. You'd be amazed how many people you meet, new faces, or are able to put a face with a name and develop the relationships. And that's where you really get the return on your investment with your membership dues.

And as I mentioned, download logos if you belong to an association. Put it on your quotes and your invoices. Give yourself some, I guess, credibility as far as showing that you are being a responsible roofing contractor, or even an associate member and safety training. And just the old adage applies. What you put in, is what you get out.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: So true. It is so true. And when I think, you said something earlier, and I love this about that you spend a lot of your days solving problems. That's what members can look forward to, is how often as a roofing company do you need help? Whether it's legislative, regulations, safety training, whatever it may be, to have ARCA Association or any state association there to specifically help those companies. That's a huge membership benefit.

Jennifer George: Absolutely. And I would say for that, the number one is technical. We receive calls and emails from roofing companies and even roofing companies that aren't members that need some clarification on a technical issue. And we do have a technical committee. I forward the question to the two members on it, and within 24 hours they're responding. And actually homeowners, even. If we have a technical question from a homeowner, we're here to help. And as far as someone gets cited with the ADOSH, we will do everything we can to help them at least minimize the cost. And that may include getting them signed up for training, working with them on how to go through the process of what happens when you receive a citation. We have some webinars coming up on mock OSHA audits. If you need something and you're a member, we will do our best to help you and guide you through it all. If you're not a member, we still are here to help you, but we would love to have you involved in the membership.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Be a member. Be a member.

Jennifer George: Absolutely.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: That is so great. Well, and the thing that's awesome is that Jennifer is constantly sending us all these webinars, sending us all the information. So that also is on Roofer's Coffee Shop. It's in the ARCA directory, but it's also in our events. We have it in our upcoming webinars. So people, you can find all this. And even if you're not in Arizona, these are amazing educational classes that you might want to check in on. Because-

Jennifer George: Absolutely, yes. So the webinars, you do not need to be in Arizona and again, because we are company-wide. So for the members that may have a location, say in Denver or another city or state, you're technically a member of ARCA and hop on and register for those webinars. It helps us to have a better presence for the facilitator. And it's just information that you may need or want down the road.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Exactly. Well, Jennifer, awesome job. Thank you.

Jennifer George: Thank you.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah, thank you for all you do.

Jennifer George: Oh, no problem. This was fun. This is the first time I've done a podcast, so I know I was looking forward to it. And yeah, just hopefully if anyone has any questions, they're welcome to get in contact with me. They can reach me at 602-335-0133 or email me @arcaazroofing.org, and I would be happy to answer any questions.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Excellent. Excellent. Wow. Thank you for being on here. And again, you can find, if you caught just what Jennifer said, but you can also find non Roofer's Coffee Shop to get ahold of Jennifer. I'll take you directly there. So thank you again, Jennifer, for being on Roofing Road Trips.

Jennifer George: Well, thank you for having us.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Thank you. And thank you all for listening. This is stuff we love to bring to you. So whether you are in Arizona or in another state, check out your state associations. They are amazing. And you can find all the states or almost all the state associations on Roofer's Coffee Shop, along with all the other podcasts under the read list and watch initiative. Roofing Road Trips are on your favorite podcast channel. Be sure to subscribe and get those notifications so you don't miss a single episode. And we will 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.