We’re all in this together

By Emma Peterson. 

Find out how Expo Contratista is bringing together professionals from across different trade industries to make one another strong! 

The Coffee Shops™ crew joined in on the celebration this October when they attended the 2024 Expo Contratista! Sponsored by National Hispanic Contractors Association (NAHICA), Expo Contratista is a keystone event for the Hispanic contractor community and an incredible place to experience what the industry has to offer and find out what’s coming up! In this episode of Roofing Road Trips®, Megan Ellsworth had the chance to talk to NAHICA President Sergio Terreros about how this event empowers Hispanic contractors and pushes the industry forward.  

Expo Contratista was first held six years ago, in 2018 when Sergio and his partners realized that there was a gap in the industry for serving Hispanic professionals. Sergio shared, “I had an advertising agency and we were working with and helping companies trying to reach the Latino community. They already had a schedule of the trade shows and they were looking for a Hispanic trade show.” Sergio quickly found out that there wasn’t a trade show out at the time that was specifically catering to Hispanic individuals.  This was surprising, as “68% of the entire Hispanic community tend to work in construction and in roofing, 80% of the participation in is Latino Hispanic oriented.” And so, Sergio, with his partners, created Expo Contratista. 

One of the really unique things about Expo Contratista is that it is a multi-trade event. Sergio explained the thought process behind it, saying, “We wanted to bring all the trades in because we found out many individuals in the Latino community are often multi-craft. They don't like to leave money on the table. So if they have a roof to do and you need help installing windows or siding, they will never say no.” By building a multi-trade space, Expo Contratista offers a holistic perspective on the state of the industry. It also allows attendees to build unique and mutually beneficial networking relationships. Sergio shared, “At the expo, we see these small companies, like mom and pops as we call them, growing because  they're now referring each other’s businesses. And that's the complete goal of Expo Contratista. We want to invite every trade to connect, because, at the end of the day, one project, one house, one commercial building or industrial, whatever it is, needs multiple trades.” 

Read the transcript or Listen to the full episode to learn more about Expo Contratista and what they are doing for Hispanic contractors in the industry.