We’re all in this together

By Emma Peterson. 

We're all working in this industry together. Once we know that we're all roofers, we can stand collectively and make our careers come true. 

In this episode of Roofing Road Trips®, Heidi J. Ellsworth talks with Luke McCormack and Reid Ribble about the industry as a whole and what to expect in the future. Luke is the CEO of McCormack Partners, which is a roofing recruitment firm. He explained, “We've been recruiting in the roofing industry from managerial to executive level for the last decade. And over the last few years, I've moved my business from the UK to America.” Reid is now retired but has built a strong reputation for himself over the years. He has served as the CEO of the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), a representative in the U.S. House for Wisconsin and spent over 30 years as a contractor, boots on the roof. 

One of the big things the duo has observed is an industry shift when it comes to looking at labor as a holistic need. Reid explained, “I think when we talk about labor in general in the roofing industry, we have to look at it more holistically. Every roofing business needs accountants, they need salespeople, they need administrators, they need project managers; they need general laborers and roofing workers.”  

This is something that has begun to shift. Heidi, having over 30 years in the industry herself, chimed in, “When we look a decade ago, contractors, people, they were kind of working together, but not to the extent they are today. They’ve also started collaborating and they've really started making some strides.” Luke added his international perspective, saying, “Since coming to the other side of the pond, it's been quite breathtaking how collaborative the industry has and from all angles. From RoofersCoffeeShop, from the NRCA, from the Roofing Alliance, from the manufacturers, from the contractors, so many people giving up their time, their money, their energy and their ideas to try and address the collective labor shortage.” Looking at it as a collective issue is a huge step forward, but the labor problem still persists. 

Read the transcript, Listen to the podcast or Watch the episode to find out more about why the labor shortage is still here and what is being done to mitigate it.