Todd Farr - Coatings Trends and Roofing Education - PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of a live interview with Todd Farr of EVERROOF. You can read the interview below or listen to the podcast.

Intro: Welcome to Roofing Road Trips, the podcast that takes you on a thrilling journey across the world of roofing. From fascinating interviews with roofing experts to on-the-road adventures, we'll uncover the stories, innovations and challenges that shape the rooftops over our heads. So fasten your seatbelts and join us as we embark on this exciting roofing road trip.

Karen Edwards: Hello everybody, and welcome to another episode of Roofing Road Trips from RoofersCoffeeShop. I'm your host, Karen Edwards and today we are going to be talking to Todd Farr from Everroof, not only about coatings, but about some special drawings and opportunities that they are offering to members of the industry, which is really cool. Todd, welcome. Thank you for being here.

Todd Farr: Thank you, Karen. We're excited to be a part of this.

Karen Edwards: Well, why don't you go ahead, introduce yourself, tell us what you do there at Everroof.

Todd Farr: Sure, absolutely. So my name is Todd Farr. I'm the national sales manager for Everroof. We are the roof restoration division of General Coatings. And so we produce top coats, silicone, acrylic, urethanes, primers, mastics, really the entire system for fluid-applied restoration. And so we've got two plants in LA, one in Fresno and I've got two plants in the Dallas, Fort Worth area.

Karen Edwards: All righty. Know coatings is just one of those hot topics right now. Everybody's talking about it, you see it's everywhere at the shows. So I would love to just hear from you, what are some of the trends that you're seeing out in the industry right now?

Todd Farr: Sure, sure. You bet. So the first overall trend we're seeing is just that contractors are focusing more of their marketing efforts, their production efforts on the fluid-applied restoration systems. They're realizing with the economy right now, building owners are looking for the most cost-effective solution to extend the life of the roof, 10, 15, 20 years. The most cost-effective solution are the fluid-applied restoration systems as opposed to a layover or a tear-off. Those options are certainly out there and not every roof is a good candidate for a fluid-applied restoration system. But the ones that are, these building owners and contractors are definitely taking advantage of it. It's a win-win-win, I like to say. So it's a win for the building owner. They're getting a long-lasting cost-effective solution. It's a win for the contractor. Basically, it's a very easy solution to implement. They don't have to have as much crew as they normally would on a different solution, and if they need to fill in themselves, they can do that as well. I know there's been a bit of a labor shortage, so that comes into play.

One of the driving factors there for the contractor is, it's one of the most profitable solutions for them. So there is a lot of profit margin for the contractor in that solution. So it's a win-win-win. It's a win for us 'cause we get to be part of this solution. So that's the first trend I'd like to point out. And that's the overall driving factor is it's a good time to apply fluid-applied solutions.

Another trend that we're seeing is a lot of contractors are saying, "Hey, I want to test these products myself." They're doing pull tests themselves. They're gathering all the products, our competition, everyone and they're physically putting the product down, doing some adhesion tests before they go into production, which is very wise. And we're hearing just glowing, glowing reviews from our contractors and they're saying, "Hey, we've tested your products. We didn't take your word for it. We tested it and you guys are the best of the best." And so that's what they're saying. So I'm loving it. I'm not coaching them to say that or anything. So I would encourage everyone, before you go into production, do a pull test on your substrates and just test different brands and just see who comes out ahead.

Karen Edwards: So let me ask this just to clarify, for those that might not know, explain what a pull test is.

Todd Farr: Sure. So a pull test is you're going to actually put some product on the roof substrate. You're going to lay down a strip of fabric, polyester fabric and then you're going to put more product on top of it. You let it cure for a couple days and then you attach a scale, like a fish scale to it and that's why they call it a pull test because you pull that piece of fabric up and depending upon the resistance number, that's how strong your pull test is. And so we've been hearing very strong numbers on those pull tests and that's why I encourage everyone just to do your own tests on these roofs. Before you go into production, it's a wise practice anyway. You want to be a hundred percent sure that that product is going to stay on that substrate. So it just gives you peace of mind with your client as well. So we've had great results in the pull test. I encourage everyone to do a pull test or adhesion test on all of our products before you go into production.

Some of the other trends that I'm seeing is, of course with that an uptick in video and pictures. We always like great video, great pictures of the job sites. It's an excellent practice to incorporate as well. You just want to keep track of the job before, during, after. It's important in warranty scenarios and just to document every piece of it. Building owners love it. Manufacturers love it. And contractors are really starting to embrace it. I mean, they've been embracing it, but we've seen an uptick in that. And just want to say kudos to all the contractors out there. You're doing a great job of documenting these things.

Karen Edwards: Nice. Nice. So it sounds like this is a trend that's probably going to stick around for a while and it has low barriers to entry, would you say because you don't need a lot of specialized equipment and the learning curve's not too big?

Todd Farr: That is correct. We've got some contractors that brush it on, that roll it on. They'll use their professional airless sprayers. We've also got those seed spreaders like you would use on your lawn or something. A lot of contractors have incorporated those and they really like the method. So there's several methods of application. Learning it, getting certified is fairly easy. You've got our full support. All of our contractors have my personal cell number, so they can talk to me 24/7. I'll get any technical advice that they need and get the job done. So it's one of the easiest methods to deploy, and there's a lot of profit margin in there for the contractors and it's a fantastic solution. So it's win-win-win all the way around.

Karen Edwards: Yeah, it is. And we talked about learning and educating and helping the contractors. Everroof really though, is taking their commitment to learning and education a step further. And I want to talk about the new roofing classes that were put together by Clemson University in conjunction with the Roofing Alliance and Everroof is giving them away, right?

Todd Farr: Yes, yes.

Karen Edwards: Tell me about that.

Todd Farr: Well, school's back in session. It is that time of the year. Everyone's getting back in school. And so it's a great time to have another giveaway. And we are excited to partner with the RoofersCoffeeShop, the Roofing Alliance and Clemson University. And these are just great courses. And this course, I believe there's three courses. We're giving away the first course, the fundamentals. And just in that first course alone, the curriculum is outstanding. You're learning the different types of roof systems, which is paramount when you get into the industry and as you go along, you're learning how to decipher blueprints, which is also paramount when you're bidding on some of these jobs as well. I believe it discusses safety protocols also, which who doesn't love to be safe on top of the roof? And there's a few other things. So it is Jam-packed with relevant content?

And I would say you definitely want to get in on this drawing. Put your card in, go by the RoofersCoffeeShop booth, go by our booth, put your card in. If you don't have a card, we can enter your information, but you definitely want to be a part of this opportunity. Don't let it pass you by because there's other courses that you can take that follow this first course, and it's just going to continue your education and take you down that path of success.

Karen Edwards: Yeah. So when you're saying, going by the booth, I just want to clarify that you're talking about the Texas Roofing Conference through the Roofing Contractors Association of Texas?

Todd Farr: That is correct.

Karen Edwards: Or if you're not going to be at the show, you can still enter by going onto RoofersCoffeeShop onto our promos and giveaways page. And you can enter there or look for the Everroof ad on our site. You can just click on that and enter. The RCAT Show in Texas is September 11th through the 13th, and the drawing is going to be live on YouTube on the 13th at 1:30, P.M. Central. So you want to be sure to subscribe to the RoofersCoffeeShop YouTube channel and watch that drawing because it could be you that wins. And this course, it's like an $800 value, right?

Todd Farr: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. For sure.

Karen Edwards: We're not talking... This is a literal college course, online learning and you get a certificate at the end when you-

Todd Farr: Yes, you do. Yeah. This is a serious thing and it definitely carries clout with it. And so it's not just for your learning, but yeah, people will recognize your certificate and I highly recommend that everyone takes advantage of this opportunity 'cause it is a great value.

Karen Edwards: And I think you have several weeks to take this course, from the time you start it I think it's six weeks or so. So you can pace it at your own pace if you want to do it on weekends or in the evenings. You don't have to do it all at once. They make it easy.

Todd Farr: Yes, yes, for sure. I wish my college experience was like that.

Karen Edwards: If only. If only.

Todd Farr: I know. Gosh.

Karen Edwards: Oh, man. So anyway, let's say the RoofersCoffeeShop booth is 352. Everroof booth is 406.

Todd Farr: 406, that's correct.

Karen Edwards: Yeah. So if you're going to the RCAT Show in Texas, please swing by, say hi to Todd. Tell him you heard him on the podcast. Say hi to Heidi. I won't be there, but our team will be. It's going to be a lot of fun.

Todd Farr: Yeah. Come on by. By the way, I've got a couple plants just right down the road in Arlington and Bedford. So I got to tell you, if anyone wants a tour, come find me at the show, come to our booth, number 406 and say, "Hey, I want to schedule a tour of your plant. I'm happy to set that up for you.

Karen Edwards: Nice. And just tell you, if you've not done a plant tour, I've not done one, but I'm not going to be at the show this year, but I should do that too, Todd, because it's fascinating.

Todd Farr: Absolutely.

Karen Edwards: To see the operations, how the product's made and it's a look behind the scenes.

Todd Farr: Yes. Yeah, it's pretty impressive.

Karen Edwards: So let's talk just briefly before we wrap this up about the future for Everroof. Where are you going to be? You're going to be in Texas next week, and then what?

Todd Farr: Yes. Well, let me put... So yeah, the future's bright. I had put my sun shades on just to tell you how bright the future, the current and the future looks. From a sales perspective, we're having an outstanding year. We've already surpassed where we finished the year last year. And so it is just a great time of year for us. Coming up, the shows that I have coming up, we've got the Western State Show that's going to be out in Las Vegas at the end of this month. There's a Builders Expo in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that I'm going to be at. We've got the Midwestern Contractors Association coming up in St. Paul, Minnesota. That's going to be next month. And of course, we have IRE in San Antonio in the great state of Texas coming up in the first part of the year. So we've got some great shows coming up. We're excited to see everyone, and it's just going to be a great third, fourth quarter and then going into first quarter of 2025.

Karen Edwards: Nice. Exciting. Good stuff. And thank you so much for being here today, Todd and for giving back to the industry. I mean, especially not only through your own education and support that you give contractors, but through this Clemson Roofing, Alliance Roofing class. That's really cool.

Todd Farr: Sure, sure. Thank you, Karen. We're excited to be a part of it, and we're honored to be associated with all the organizations, so thank you.

Karen Edwards: Yeah. And thank you all for listening to this episode of Roofing Road Trips. Be sure to follow us on social media so that you never miss a thing. And we hope to see you on a future episode. Take care. Bye-bye.

Todd Farr: Bye-bye. Thank you.

Outro: If you've enjoyed the ride, don't forget to hit that subscribe button and join us on every roofing adventure. Make sure to visit Rooferscoffeeshop.com to learn more. Thanks for tuning in, and we'll catch you on the next roofing road trip.