The Value of Local Associations

By Cass Jacoby. 

ARCA President Larry Miller tells RCS about the value of ARCA in his career and the many reasons to participate in the 53rd Annual Expo this fall. 

In a new Roofing Road Trips episode, Heidi J. Ellsworth visits with Larry Miller, ARCA president, for a conversation about the upcoming Arizona Roofing Contractors Association (ARCA) Expo taking place this September 29-October 1, 2022. The expo, now in its 53rd year is the only roofing expo and tradeshow in Arizona!  

This year, the expo will be at Harrah's Ak-Chin Casino and Resort in Maricopa. The three-day event is packed with seminars, networking opportunities, competitions and unbelievable deals in the Roofers' Auction (over $40K in roofing materials). The show boasts plenty of opportunities for education, training and fun! 

“ARCA was originally created as a place where people could get together to discuss issues that were important to the industry. Over the years it's grown into an association that has actually shaped the industry by listening to its members, and it's striving to overcome challenges that the industry faces,” says Larry. “One of the things I think is important is the time we take to get together each year. It's a business meeting as well as a social function, with lots of different things to educate our members so that they can be better in the industry.” 

Larry tells Heidi that, in addition to providing the industry with opportunities to grow professionally through training and education, the show has been an invaluable resource for networking. “My participation in ARCA has allowed me to meet a lot of industry partners that helped me to build my career,” says Larry. “And those relationships allowed me to provide more value to my customers, which allowed me to be more successful.”  

The value of these tradeshows, past the ability to learn more about products and best practices, is that they connect you to a larger community of roofers and link you to an association that works to ensure the industry is always improving. The more involved you get, the more it comes back to you, personally, professionally and for your business. 

“I would say ARCA was probably the most instrumental thing in my career to get me where I am today,” says Larry. “I can't even imagine where I'd be today if I had not started becoming more active in ARCA.” 

Listen to the podcast to learn more about the ARCA and for an inside look into the 53rd Annual Expo! 

Learn more about the Arizona Roofing Contractors Association (ARCA) in their RoofersCoffeeShop® Directory or visit azroofing.org