Viva la Cultura: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month - PODCAST TRANSCRIPTION

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of a live interview with Laura Hernandez from Southeast Contracting, Sergio Terreros from the National Hispanic Contractor Association, Amparo Sancen from Latinos En Roofing and Jessica Chavez from Labor Central. You can read the interview below, listen to the podcast or watch the webinar here.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Good morning and welcome to Coffee Conversations from Roofers Coffee Shop. My name is Heidi Ellsworth, and I have to tell you, today is a very special coffee conversations. We are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, sponsored by Johns Manville, and we have amazing, amazing guests today. Before we get started, let's do a little bit of housekeeping just to get started. First of all, as I said, we are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month today and it is sponsored by our friends at Johns Manville. Thank you so much. This is such an important month and it's such an important topic overall, we're very excited to be discussing this and having a great conversation this morning.

I also want to remind everybody that this is being recorded and it will be available on demand within the next 24 hours. The chat is open, so please let us know who you are, where you're from, and ask questions as we go throughout the conversation or make comments. We would love to hear your thoughts and we really want to get into talking about the beauty and the culture of our Latino and Hispanic culture. It's going to be a great day. Let's get started. First of all, we would like to introduce Theresa, who could not be here, she is in Turkey. But instead of Theresa, we have Laura Hernandez who has joined us, also with Southeast Contracting. Laura, can you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your company?

Laura Hernandez: Yeah, thank you. Good morning everyone. My name is Laura Hernandez from Southeast Contracting Services. I am the regional manager. We are located in Brownsville, Texas, border with Mexico. I am born in Mexico, but I live here in Texas, and it's more than 15 years. We are a staffing agency and our services is more focused in roofing industry. Construction industry, but we are more focused in roofing industry, concrete industry. So for our company, we provide labors for the construction industry. We fill your gap, we help you for if any company or contractor or anyone needs support for the labor force. We are here for do everything, recruitment, payroll, replacements, termination. So one of our more population are Hispanic. Why? Because we are in the border with Mexico.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: I love it. Laura, you and Theresa do such a wonderful... It's such a wonderful company and you do so much for the industry, so thank you. We're going to talk a lot more about that as we go along. Next, I would like to introduce Sergio with the National Hispanic Contractor Association. Sergio, welcome to the show and can you introduce yourself?

Sergio Terreros: Definitely, thank you so much. Thank you guys for having me. I feel privileged. I'm around all women here, so I really feel privileged here and special. Well, yes, Sergio Terreros, first generation Latino from Monterrey, Mexico. Arriba Monterrey. Well, I'm the president and CEO of the National Hispanic Contractors Association, an association that bring all the resources to cover all the needs of the construction industry for the Latino community.

We understand they are hard workers, we just try to put all the programs together to become better in the business side of the construction industry, and of course roofers is a huge industry that our members are related to. Well, our members always can find more information about our association in our website. But that's who I am, a first generation Latino, and yes, our mission is to empower and bring tools to the Hispanic construction industry.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: I love it. I love it. Thank you so much for being here today. This is great. Then I would love to introduce Amparo. Amparo is with Latinos En Roofing. We've just met at a couple shows just this last couple weeks, so we're so excited to have you today. Please introduce yourself and Latinos En Roofing.

Amparo Sancen: My name is Amparo Sancen, I'm started in the roofing business 13 years ago and I was feeling the pain of don't have the knowledge and the right tools. That's when I started Latinos En Roofing like year and a half ago. I was in this industry for so long time and I make really good connections. This is what Latinos En Roofing is, bring the knowledge that I have, bring the connections to my community, that's my passion.

When you feel have passion to provide the need for your community and how we can see how we grow, I feel so proud to be part of this beautiful team here with Sergio, with Laura, with Jessica. We are working with the same mindset to grow and help our community and we see how strong we are and I'm thinking this is the beginning of really good things for our community. We still together, we will be growing so much, and I feel so proud to be part of this coffee [inaudible 00:06:11], because Latinos, we working and this is great month to just promoting ourselves on this Coffee Shop.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: I love it. Oh, I love it. This is the kind of passion that is so exciting. So we're going to talk some more about that. Welcome, welcome. This is just so great. Last but not least, I'd like to introduce Jessica Chavez with Labor Central. Jessica, I'm so happy you're here today. Please introduce yourself and your company.

Jessica Chavez: Hello, Heidi. Thank you for having me. Hello, everyone. I am Jessica Chavez, the senior account manager at Labor Central. I have been in the roofing industry a little over 10 years. Me and my husband do own a roofing company. I'm bilingual, I speak English and Spanish. I am the one who recruits and onboards the crews into Labor Central, and I help manage contractor accounts as well.

I am very excited and happy to work with Jason Stanley, the founder of Labor Central, and John Van Beek, our chief revenue officer. They have a great belief in making a change in the everyday life of a contractor and crews and they wanted to make sure that they had someone that could help the Latino community in the roofing workforce feel welcome, and so I am just very happy to help and contribute.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: I love it, I love it. We've been working a lot together and so I've been seeing all that, Jessica. That's so great. I want to dive in just a little bit more into all of your associations so that everyone out there sees all these resources, the associations and the companies that you are all doing.

So Sergio, can you talk a little bit about National Hispanic Contractor Association, how it started, and really what you've seen in growth? Because I think it's really interesting because we always talk roofing, but it's across all contractors, so we'd love to hear more about that.

Sergio Terreros: Yes, definitely. Well, it's kind of curious because back in 2018, I had my own marketing agency, Hispanic marketing agency, and I came up with an idea to create an expo because I was representing a brand. I couldn't find an construction expo or trade show for any Spanish. I said, okay, so as a good entrepreneur I say, "There's not market, I create the market." So I came up with the idea of Expo Contratista, hopefully you guys hear about it by now.

Expo Contratista brought me a lot of people around me that are in the construction industry, and talking with them, the audience itself was asking me like, "Hey, what kind of association is this? I want to get involved. Talk to me more about it." In my ignorance, I was like, "Okay, no, I'm not an association. I'm just company, I can help you out with advertising." So then when we regroup after the event, my brother and I, we came up with idea like, "Hey, let's put together an association, what we need."

So we brought experts in association, they give us advice, how to do it, how to start it, and that's how we started. Basically the same people, the construction industry asked for it. We put it together, we put all the pieces together and that's how NAHICA born. Then we say, "Okay, first of all, we need to find something to a mission, right?" You always have to establish your mission, the vision of the association. And myself, because I'm a first generation, most of us as a first generation starting construction, it's easy to start making money, and I feel the pain of not getting paid. I feel the pain of the sun working from sunrise to night. So I said, "Well, what about if we teach them how to run a business, not do the labor because they know how to do the labor, but how to do the business?"

That was basically what tricks or programs that we have around United States. Actually, I'm in Chicago right now because we have a program this Saturday at a seminar and that's how we started, and then you have more people. As soon as you have a good mission, a good vision, and you move forward, you're really helping, you've been really making a difference, people start offering their hand. Thanks to all the people that is involved in the association. Now, we've been saying that we're helping a lot of the community.

Now, what we saw in those seminars is that a huge percentage of them, they work in construction, but they are multi-trained. They do roofing, but sometimes they do roof modulation, things like that. So we say, "Okay, let's start getting more involved in the roofing industry. They need help. They need to understand how to move from this size of projects to a better project or bigger project for them to make more money." That's how we started. That's basically how we came up with the idea. The people basically, we're a people association, they created it.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: That is awesome. I've had a little bit of experience with associations, too, and I know how much work goes into what you've done and putting all this together. What does your membership look like? How many members do you have across the country?

Sergio Terreros: Yes. Right now I think it reached around 26,000 contractors.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: That's awesome.

Sergio Terreros: Well, we have seminars. For example, we have seminars that we put together every week. We try to put four seminars a month with an average of 50 people. So we touch around 200 peoples every single month. Plus all the people that's in our social media, we reach around 1.6 million contractors in a year basis through platforms. So we have a good marketing attraction. And the message itself, the message itself, people start sharing. So we get really easy.

We have actually members that show up in a convention that we are here from Louisiana, from Atlanta that they just came here to visit us to say hi. That's good because the message is out there. They know they have the resources and we have the connections to help them out. So the membership, we have an annual membership. It's really affordable for a hundred bucks. They get all the promotions or partners and sponsors provide and connections that we have.

Actually, yesterday we make some connections with Chicago Housing Development with some of the contractors that visit us on the booth. So yeah, we're trying to put connections because our community, they want work. They want to work. If they get close to us, it's like, "What they going to get for me?" And that's normal. That's what it is. They want something from us or ideas, knowledge, provide knowledge and provide connection and projects of course.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: I love it. That's what it's all about right there to make. So everybody wins and goes through.

Sergio Terreros: Yes.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Okay. We're going to come back to that too, Sergio, because I love that. I do. On the same, as what we're talking about, I want to talk a little bit more again about Latinos En Roofing because this, Amparo, you have started this and similar to what Sergio was saying, you're really focused on training, too. So just tell us a little bit more about, I know you said it a little bit in the introduction, but how it started and where you're at today.
Amparo Sancen: We start on April, one year and a half ago, we started a coffee table. I just tried to do some helping some of my friends. That was a coffee table for 10 girls. At the end on April, we have on our first coffee table, we have 45 attendings. That was kind of scary, a lot of emotions because I don't know what happened because we just tried to just do a little network for my friends, but they invite their friends, their husbands, their husbands invite more people. And this one was organic, like wow. That's how it start. We start with no plannings to do nothing. We just start helping my friends. But when we have together and I feel they need it, and I invite a couple of my friends and someone was the attorney, someone was a public adjuster, we see they really are hungry of knowledge and they want more, they want more.

And I get back with my family and I told my daughters, "Oh, next month we're going to have another coffee table." And they told me, "Are you crazy? You don't do this. We don't sell anything. We're just roofers." That's something I feel the passion, when you feel and you help somebody and they use the tools that you bring to them. This is how I am. This is why I feel that this is my mission to be there because for one reason I was up and down. I was on 2010, I started my business and I have to close my doors. I have to close the office. Why? Because I don't have the right supply. I don't have the right manufacturer and I don't have knowledge of how I can work with the insurance. I was working with the insurance and I have a huge project and I have to close because I don't do supplements.

When I feel the pain about don't have the right knowledge, the right connections, that's what I feel. Okay, I already know a lot of people in the industry and I think that this is the time, so we can just bring them and do every month something. That way we can learn together and grow together. We was doing three months here in Dallas. On the third one we went to Orlando, then since that we went to Chicago, we went to New York. We was on June on Manhattan. Everyone say, "Why you went there?" We have almost a hundred people there, a hundred roofers. They came there and that was amazing to be there. We went to San Francisco, that was amazing, see how they are hungry and make the connections because we bring all the connection that we need for the roofing industry. Sergio do more for more contractors too, and they help with the commercials and the government, but we just focus on industry, on roofing and help them how they can work better and have all the tools they need for working with the insurance.

This is something that we, or that's my goal and that's my target, working with the insurance. And when you have the right connections, the right people, and Sergio, you do a great job on your expo, I'm missing, but have a Jessica, have a Laura working together, bring to my community, say, "Hey, this is the right tools. We can work like a team." This is like a family. For us, we treat like a family. We spent a few days in Las Vegas. And we have so much connections with everyone because on social media, they bring you close. And when we do some trainings, we want to do monthly trainings on different states, but plus we do webinars. We do Facebook Live all with knowledge, and I invite right people to bring the right things what they needed.

We do some private consultants, too. And now we're just so excited to launch. Our Latinos En Roofing University is coming soon. We are so excited because we do some trainings in one state, but we are still missing some other states. But I'm thinking, so Latinos En Roofing University is going to be a huge impact on the community because we are going to bring everything what they need step by step on that university. Technology is more easy for us. Right now we are using the technology to be together, and this is how we are working so hard right now on our university for target more and helping more roofers.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: I love it. I love it. Both of your associations, your groups is just solving such a need with what we have. Speaking of that, we constantly are talking about the labor shortage, but there probably are a lot more people than we realize. Laura, you and Southeast, you and Theresa and Southeast Contracting Services has really fit a niche. So I've talked so long with both you and Theresa about how this has really created such great community where roofing professionals from the Rio Grande Valley and from that Brownsville area are able to go across the country. So talk just a little bit about how that has really created that inclusion and how you are helping bring more workers and companies together.

Laura Hernandez: Yeah. Well, we start more than 40 years when we start to see the necessity for labor force in the construction industry. Our mission is provide the labor for the companies for do all the works they need, or when they do government jobs or big jobs or small jobs, any jobs, they need it. And the same time we try to help all the time toward people here in Brownsville, Texas. We live in the south of Texas in a little town. So we have a lot of people available for work to the state of Texas because they have more opportunities to learn or have a better pay rates because we live in the small city.

So at the end of the day, we have a huge Hispanic population because we live in the border with Mexico. The good thing is now with all these association like Latinos Roofing, NAHICA and everything, we have more opportunities for our people for land. We have more training, certifications, protocols, safety protocols and everything in Spanish. That is very good thing for our people because they have more opportunities for land and do the better their jobs. This is really, really good in my opinion because I think, I don't know if I am sure, but I'm thinking the roofing industry, the Hispanic population is very huge.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yes.

Laura Hernandez: Very, very huge. So this association, we can work like a team. So for us, we feel very excited because we feel more support for our people with all this association.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah. It is changing. It is. I know. That's the part that is so great to see. And I think a big part of it has been technology, too. I mean, it's been the people and it's been putting all these great associations and groups together, but it's also been the technology. So Jessica, talk just a little bit about Labor Central and how that is bringing the communities together, too.

Jessica Chavez: Yes. Let me tell you a little bit. Labor Central was created to help the labor shortage as well. We are facing those challenges in the connection with the contractors and the crews. So right now with Labor Central, the platform will allow the contractors to easily find and connect with a roofing crew across the country. They'll be able to search for a crew by their criteria and qualifications and they can stop searching in Facebook and Craiglist. This is the one spot that they can come to and be able to connect with the labor that they're needing.

And also for the roofing crews, this platform is allowing them to continue to stay busy and find more work. They're going to have access to the projects that the contractors are posting in the platform. This is not bids. These are real live projects that contractors have available for them to bid on. Also, the ability that the contractors have to quickly and find each other and connect to do work is just great. It's a win-win for both the contractors and the crews for both to be successful.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Right. And your platform is all bilingual, and so you're able to really bridge that gap, the language gap.

Jessica Chavez: Yes, it is bilingual, yes. We have the website and people like myself to help with Latinos, to help them in Spanish. The website will be in Spanish. The app itself is in Spanish for them to have access to that information in their own language. Yes.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: That's awesome. That's awesome. Well, I want to say again, thank you all for sharing this, such rich companies and associations. So we want to get into Hispanic Heritage Month and then just talking about overall the trends that we're seeing. But we're going to start with the importance of Hispanic Heritage Month and really celebrating the culture. So Sergio, I'd love to begin with you just on how important this is overall for everything, for our country that we are celebrating the richness of the Hispanic culture.

Sergio Terreros: Well, yes, it is definitely a very important month and awareness that it creates. We all have to be reminded that we are in a whole unit of country where our world should feel welcome. I love the company that get involved in the Hispanic Heritage Month. That means they're making an effort. That means that they are aware of the inclusivity that is needed. It will reach their companies and the way to do business because at the end of the day, the Hispanic community, different state have different size of population.

There is a huge population we represent. I think it come out with a number of 1.6 trillion or something like that, I don't have the number with me, in that consumption or the contribution to the economy. We are here, we love all the companies to jump to the celebrations. The celebrations it required, I think is from October 15th to September 15th. Yes, something like that.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: September to October. Yep.

Sergio Terreros: Yes. And different countries celebrate their Independence Day. That's why it's the Hispanic Heritage Month, but loving it. I enjoy every time. In my marketing perspective, when I see companies pushing content or pushing initiatives for the Latino Hispanic community because we always have this situation, right guys? It is Hispanic or it is Latino? We don't know.

That is our debate to find out the solution. But yeah, I feel I like it. I like it. It is important. The companies will make a difference. They're going to have employees, they're going to have soon relatives with Hispanic heritage and yeah, that's my point in the marketing perspective. Awesome. Hispanics, we bring entrepreneurship, can be I would say entrepreneurship mindset to the companies where we are very collaborative. We like to put our ideas together and that always will make a difference in the performance of any company that hired Latinos. Of course, as Latino, proud to be part of these celebrations.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Sergio, we always have to have a little bit of these conversations. So I love what you said. It's like do we say Latino? Do we say Hispanic? Is it interchangeable? And I would love to have everybody. I mean, what are all your thoughts?

Sergio Terreros: Well, be careful because I just start a war here. I know some people, they are married with the term of Latinos because it's more inclusive. But my perspective, okay, I'm going to have to put it out that in my perspective, Hispanic is for the one that speak Spanish, right? So Brazilian, sorry guys, you guys don't speak Spanish. I know you as Latinos, but if you're from Brazil, you don't speak Spanish. Just kidding. But yeah, that is always when we have meetings, marketing meetings with the company that we represent, it's always in the, "How we call this program? Latino, Hispanic, Latino, Hispanic?" I said, "Man, just how you feel more comfortable." To be honest, and I'm speaking for myself, we don't care. It just we just speak Spanish. We communicate. Because there's more terms actually, Latino, Hispanics, Latinx, and I don't know. Just a lot of option that we have.
But for me, my opinion is Hispanic. That's why we call it Hispanic programs because it's for the one who speaks Spanish, but also we had the other part where, okay, not because there's a group of Hispanics that then do not speak Spanish. The four generation of Latinos or Hispanics that they're born here, they're four generation, they are Lopez, but they don't speak Spanish and they don't have to. So I always have to put it out there. People get mad and I don't get mad like, "Hey, it's not his fault. He's way a lot of generation after." So yeah, I don't know what you guys think. Amparo, Jessica, Laura, what you guys think about it's Latino, it's Hispanic?

Heidi J. Ellsworth: We just had a comment from Reina.

Amparo Sancen: Latino.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah, Latino. Go ahead.

Amparo Sancen: I love to say Latino. I feel part of feel the... We always say, "Hey, we're Latinos." And when we were on these type of events, when we... Sergio know and Jessica and Laura know. We go to these events for Latinos, it's different because we feel like we are family because sometimes we missing our family. I'm here in Dallas, I don't have family close to me. I just have friends. Now my network or my family, and we feel like, "Oh, my God, long time no see." Like Laura, I met you Laura in person last year, right, Laura? Or this year? This year.

Laura Hernandez: This year in Florida.

Amparo Sancen: Yeah. We get together and we feel like, "Oh my God," like you are my family. This is something that when we do these events and we invite English speaking, they are there. Maybe they don't... Because I'm asked them because they don't understand any Spanish word, but they feel something different. Like, Oh, you know. It is something they're feeling. Sometimes they ask me, "What is the Latinos En Roofing? What is the difference?" I just told them, you have to be on one of these events. When you are there, you're feeling it's something different. You're feeling Latinos, we like to be party, dancing. This is how we are, and you see the difference now.

Sergio Terreros: We're loud.

Amparo Sancen: Yeah.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: I love it.

Amparo Sancen: Every time that we do something, we like to have Latino real food. Why? Because this is who we are, and we are Latinos event. We like to have our own food. Different countries, but we still have Latinos food. That way we can share with the other people. We invite them, they can try and they can see to know how we are. Or if you are there, you feel different. This is how we are. We are different when we are together. And you can see the difference.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: I love it.

Amparo Sancen: Right, Sergio? Right, Jessica, Laura?

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah.

Laura Hernandez: Yes. Absolutely.

Sergio Terreros: Yeah, definitely. Sorry, go ahead, Laura.

Laura Hernandez: No, no, go ahead, Sergio.

Sergio Terreros: Well, yeah, yeah. It fits really good because you have different cultures, right? We all know that for this Cuban, oh, okay, he's going to speak really fast. Oh, he's Venezuelan. Oh, some words, I'm going to understand. So that's the thing that, or it makes different things. So it makes it really... I think that's who we are. We are more party oriented, I can say. We don't take too much serious. We are not that serious.

Actually, in business, we are more like... I close most deals. I think most of my deals I close for Expo Contratista is in a bar. I'm talking in a bar like, "Hey, you know what?" Or this event, like the events where we connect and meet with you guys, or IRE in the roofing expo, of course. When we met there, it is what Amparo say, it is different. And yeah, we are loud, we are party oriented. I think we like to celebrate everything. Actually, at Expo Contratista, I have this, the [inaudible 00:33:24], and everyone was telling me what this guy is? "Oh, I said, we celebrate that. We actually celebrate that. So believe me, we know. I know what Amparo means. We are connected. We are in a celebration, I think environment.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: I love this. So Jessica, as you were talking to all the crews out there, every day you're talking to so many people. Two things. First of all, Latino or Hispanic, we're going to get to everybody on that. And then also what did you just hear... I mean what I'm hearing from Sergio and Amparo too is just this growth of the culture and the pride and just inclusiveness. What are you seeing that way?

Jessica Chavez: Yes. Well, I'm going to say I don't have a preference, but I feel like I've been using more Hispanic as the term. But I understand what Amparo was saying. Latinos is the word for us to make us feel as family, for us to be together. So either one I'm okay with. I do think that Hispanic heritage is very important because it does help us and allows us to recognize all the achievements and contributions that Latinos are doing in the community. And yes, like Sergio is saying, it is a celebration of our growth and the success that we are making and contributing and it's very important.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: I love it. I love it. Laura, you are, like you said, right on the border, you live it and have such a rich community. What do you think?

Laura Hernandez: Yeah, well, we use more Hispanic, but the end of the day, the Latinos are Hispanic. We feel the same. We feel like Amparo, Sergio and Jessica say we are. It's a language maybe or for us, we don't have preference to. So we use both words, but at the end of the day, we feel normal. We feel like family, everyone, Latinos, Hispanic, or when we see one of you guys in learning events or anything, it's like we feel like family all the time. We feel super grateful for be part of the same industry and can help together for a long time.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: When we left Western States this year, Tim, my husband and I were walking out and I was talking about Amparo and I was talking about Laura, you and Theresa and Jessica, and I said to Tim, "I said, I feel like... First of all, I feel like there is such the diversity and the Latino culture that was there at Western States was larger than it had ever been. Same at Texas RCAT, it's always been a little bit more, but Western States just seemed to be so much. And I give really credit to Latinos En Roofing because you were out there with your table and the inclusiveness that was coming through.

But I also just was like I said, I feel such a part with you are all my friends and that sense of family and bringing everybody together, I don't know. I know I'm getting a little bit, but it's brought so much to the community and to the roofing industry overall. So I want you... 'Cause I don't want to run out of time 'cause this is so important. Oh wait, and I got to read this first. So Reina Mora, thank you Reina for being here. She says, "To some of us it is interchangeable. Not everyone feels the same." So we'll still be careful as we go along.

I do want to talk about IRE because just having come off Western states, I was so excited about that. And then RCAT with the Texas show was the same way. Now we're going into IRE. You're all speaking, you're all involved with the IRE. So Jessica, I'm going to start with you because Jason and Labor Central have been just a huge advocate. We talked about it so much last year. We've talked about in the advisory forum about how important it is to have an inclusive culture, to have Spanish-speaking stations, to be able to have both languages. Talk a little bit about that and how that all came about and what you're seeing happening with the IRE.

Jessica Chavez: Yes, Heidi. Last year, like you mentioned, Jason went out above and beyond to reach out to the IRE to get crews in the IRE for free and for them to be able to register and have the forms available to them and the information in Spanish, because that wasn't available. It was all in English. Jason was very passionate to advise that it's very important to have this information available to them in their language for them to feel welcome and for them to come to this wonderful event, the IRE.

This is the place where we can get together and find the resources and the information that they need to be able to grow and expand in their businesses that they're building. I was able to help translate some of the information and gather all that information for the IRE. And yes, it was a great outcome. We had a lot of Hispanic Latinos involved in the event, so that was absolutely great. I can't wait to continue to make the difference and impact and help all the Latinos as much as we can.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: I want to say I have been so impressed with Brandy and all of the folks from Informa because they've really... This came up and everyone is saying this is a need and they really have moved forward to make this happen. There's going to be Spanish-speaking classes during IRE, there are stations for registration with Spanish-speaking customer service. So I don't know. I'm just really excited about it.

I mean, we've already seen some great things at the, and I'm saying IRE, I'm sure everybody knows, but just in case International Roofing Expo, which is going to be February 6th through the eighth in Las Vegas. But we've seen so many of the like SRS with their para Latinos, which has had some great success. There's been a lot of really good things, but to me it feels like it's exploding. Laura, what are you seeing as... I know Theresa's going to speak. Theresa's been going to Roofing Day every year. There has been a lot of changes going on.

Laura Hernandez: Yes, yes, yes. We try all the time. Well, Theresa, normally we have more than four, five years going to the Washington, DC for Roofing Day. We try to participate in a lot roofing expos or RCAT or different association because we want to support them and know more people. We know this... Well, and my opinion is the Spanish language in USA is the second language more common in USA because we know it's more than 40 million people in this speaking primary language. So for Southeast or Hispanic or Latino community, I know this is very important and we want to run up and support everyone all the time.

We think all the time in the diversity is very important and this feel more comfortable more in our office with our people or Jessica or people when they normally are bilingual, but some of them we live at the border, some of them don't understand Spanish. So right now we have a lot of documents or a lot of training, and thank you for do that guys like Amparo, Sergio. Thank you for support these people because they have more opportunities to learn and have, we can reduce injuries, accident in the job site with all this opportunity when we have more support with this association for have more trainings and more in different languages.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah, I love it. I love it. Yeah. We should be doing this in Spanish, but we want... You all are bilingual, I wish I was, but we are going to be getting that out there, too. So maybe at the end we'll have just a little bit of Spanish here so that we can send that message out, too.

Amparo, I want to talk again because I know you're speaking at, and I mean a lot of you are going to be involved or have a booth. You're going to have a booth at the different shows. So talk to me a little bit about how important it is for you to take Latinos En Roofing to the International Roofing Expo and what you're going to be doing there.

Amparo Sancen: Okay. First, I'm going to tell you the difference that I see. I was on my first IRE on 2010 in Orlando. Just I went for on last day because I just find out at the last minute. For me, change my life because on that moment I was close my office, but I get the tools that I need to learn and connect with and more learning about how I can certify and get on the commercial side. This is how I make the connections. On that IRE on 2010 [inaudible 00:43:50], so that's when I'm jump real on the roofing industry. Why? Because you learn. I remember I have the bag and I get everything, all the flyers, all the information, and I was get the connections there. That was my really start in the business because before, I was in the roofing business with no knowledge and I already know I have to start from the right thing.

And see the difference on 2010 and see the difference last year. Well, this year in IRE, that was impressed. On 2010, you don't see a lot of Latinos. On this year, we make a line for three hours and when I was getting on the IRE, I was like, "Oh my God. Hey, how are you? Hey." Say, "Hi everyone." I see all these connections that we make on California, on Seattle, on New York, Connecticut. I see these people who came to my... When I went and they came to my classes, they are there. Why? Because I'm always promoting. IRE change. This is the right way. When you want to learn any other traits, any other tools you want to use, this is the right place because the technology that's going to be every year on this place.
This year, I'm so happy and excited because I'm thinking, so we are here in the coffee shop right now talking about how we are proud to be Latinos and how we like to do things. I think that this year is going to be a huge difference. We're going to make a history because if we are working together and make something and impact our community and invite them to this trade show, I don't know how many people we're going to fit on this trade show, but I know it's going to be huge. It's going to be a lot.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Do you hear that, Brandy? You better make sure you have lots.

Amparo Sancen: I just started promoting. I'm excited right now.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: That is excellent.

Amparo Sancen: You will see how last year we see a lot of Latinos, but this year you will find out how we are together, how we're going to impact everyone or not, everyone. The thing is we're going to grow together and we will find to know more. We're like a family. We always say like a family, and this is how we are.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yeah, it is. That's roofing, too. Roofing feels like just a huge family and you've just brought it even bigger and better. It's so great.

Sergio, I am really excited about what you are going to be presenting on how to start with commercial projects. It's going to be taught in Spanish, which is just amazing. Tell us a little bit about that.

Sergio Terreros: Well, with the past years on all the seminars that we have every year, we found out that the roofing industry is needing a lot of information about commercial projects. They want big projects, they're really good in what they do, but they need more knowledge. So what we want to talk about is where to find project, how to bid the project, how to prepare yourself to, because sometimes you say, "Well, I want to win a project," but when I ask them, "Hey, okay, let's say you win a hundred thousand dollars project or half a million dollar project, what are you going to do next?" So they freak out like, "Oh, how should we start?" So we explained them, "Hey, this is the process. This is what you're going to do." So we take it from their hands to all the process in how to win and maximize revenue in commercial project, because we explained them.

Look, as long as you start, you win a project. Now your mentality had to change. Now during the risk management industry, you have to make sure that everything goes smoothly, no problems, no accident, no nothing. So yeah, we get deep. Probably in IRE, we want to have a brief information about all that we do, how they can start, how they can jump and go into commercial projects because they want it. Like Amparo say, they're eager for knowledge and the community, they're good workers. They just need more knowledge and we are here to help them. Actually, yesterday I had a roofer that came from Louisiana just to enjoy a day with us [inaudible 00:48:08] stuff, and we invite him to the Roofing Expo, tell them, and I told her, "Look, you have to be in these expos. These expos, roofing expo, every single person that you need to know, it's going to be there."

So instead traveling all the United States trying to find, go to IRE, the people is going to be there. Of course, NAHICA is going to have a booth that get prepared. We come with a great show or 10 by 20 is going to be amazing. Hopefully Julissa doesn't get mad without, because she had a really good project. She had a really good booth there. But yeah, we want to be part of the festivities. I don't really call it festivities, but this huge national reunion of the roofing industry at IRE. We want to make something different. Not that loud, I promise, but [inaudible 00:49:06].

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Oh, I think it'll be loud and I think that's okay. That's good. Well, the Roofers Coffee Shop will have their live sound stage out in the lobby. We will be having all of you come out into the lobby too for a little quiet and speaking on the sound stage. So it'll work out great. And then we're going to be coming into the party, I tell you what.

Sergio Terreros: Get ready, get ready. We're going to bring a Spanish challenge for you.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Okay. Okay.

Sergio Terreros: Okay, get ready.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Okay, I'm ready. Well, speaking with... Okay. First of all, if you have any questions or comments, please put them in the chat and we're going down to thing, but okay, so I'm going to ask something that's a little bit different, but I would love it for each of you to share in Spanish why the Latino community should be coming to IRE. We've done most of it in English. So let's finish this off in Spanish and just let them know why they should... Sergio, you kind of just said it, so let's say it again in Spanish. Why should they be there? So Sergio, let's start with you.

Sergio Terreros: [Spanish 00:50:15].

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Thank you. Gracias. Yes.

Sergio Terreros: There you go.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: I didn't know what you said, but thank you. Gracias. Okay, Amparo.

Amparo Sancen: [Spanish 00:51:44].

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Gracias. Thank you. That is awesome. Okay, Laura.

Laura Hernandez: [Spanish 00:51:54].

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Oh, thank you. Thank you. Gracias. Jessica.

Jessica Chavez: [Spanish 00:52:55].

Heidi J. Ellsworth: You're also beautiful. Thank you.

Amparo Sancen: [Spanish 00:53:25]. One more thing.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Yes, go, Amparo.

Amparo Sancen: One more thing. They have to take a lot of pictures and post on social media and just know hashtag IRE, Latinos, Latinos En Roofing, NAHICA, Labor Central. What is the other one?

Laura Hernandez: Southeast.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Roofer's Coffee Shop.

Amparo Sancen: All of these, because that's how we grow. We have to take a lot of pictures, something that I'm always doing and some that works for me. Take a lot of pictures with the right people and post on your Facebook. That way they don't forget you.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: I love it. I love it. I am so excited for IRE in Las Vegas because of all of you. Thank you. This is the first time I've gotten to meet Sergio. Sergio, we're now going to be friends for a very long time. So that's kind of how the coffee shop works, much like the Latino culture.

So yes, thank you all so much for being here today for sharing the beauty of the Latino Hispanic culture and really celebrating that within roofing because that's what's so important above all. Thank you all and we're going to be doing this again, so I'll be calling you and we'll see everybody in Las Vegas.

I just want to remind everybody that it is on February 6th through the eighth at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Get your hotel rooms now. Registration is opening any day now, so be sure to get registered. It's going to be an amazing, amazing event. Again, Jessica, Laura, Amparo and Sergio, thank you so much for being here today.

Sergio Terreros: Thank You.

Amparo Sancen: Thank you. Thank you.

Jessica Chavez: Thank you.

Laura Hernandez: Thank You, Heidi, for the opportunity.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: It's just so awesome. Thank you so much. I am just kind of speechless, which doesn't happen very often. So there you go. I do want to say a big thank you to Johns Manville because they're our sponsor today. They have a rich culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and they're constantly, in fact, they wanted to make sure to sponsor celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. So Johns Manville, thank you so much for everything you do in the industry and for all your support.

Then I want to let everyone know that we are going to be doing coffee conversations live at Metalcon next week. We have an amazing panel, Terry McGuire from New Tech Machinery, Mark MacDonald from Sherwin-Williams and Michelle Kettering from LTD Roofing. They're going to be talking about what's going on in the metal construction industry, what's happening at Metalcon, and just the trends of metal overall. I'm super excited about that and so we'll be seeing you all again next week. Before we go, I just one last time, Sergio, Amparo, Laura, Jessica, thank you so much for being with us today.

Jessica Chavez: Thank you, Heidi.

Sergio Terreros: Thank you.

Laura Hernandez: Thank you, Heidi.

Heidi J. Ellsworth: Thank you for the chats. I love it. I see some chats coming through and thank you everybody for being here. We'll be seeing you next week live on Metalcon, and after that we'll be back with our coffee conversations on their regular on November 9th with our Trends Report sponsored by Beacon. So find out what's trending in the roofing industry. We'll see you all then. Have a great day.