Why SkillsUSA matters for roofing’s future

By Emma Peterson. 

How competition and mentorship help students find careers in roofing. 

As the 2026 SkillsUSA National Championship get closer (it’ll be hosted June 1-5, 2026, in Atlanta, Georgia), we wanted to take a moment to highlight the way this organization supports students and celebrates the trades. To do so, we hosted the student champions of the 2025 SkillsUSA roofing competition, Chase Huang and Damien Holloway, as well as their mentor Tim Stephens (also the VP of Architectural Sheet Metal Inc.) for an episode of Roofing Road Trips®. 

Tim opened the conversation talking about how he got involved in SkillsUSA:  

I learned about SkillsUSA from Rick Damato. Rick was one of the people who really pushed for National Roofing Contractors Association to adopt it and when that did happen, my team reached out to get involved... The reason why we wanted to be involved is because workforce matters. It's everybody's number one issue and has been for centuries. And the main issue with expanding the workforce is that students don’t know the trade are there; this program addresses that by introducing trades to students in school.  

Two such students that SkillsUSA connected to the trades were Damien and Chase. Reflecting on his experience, Damien shared, “Before the competition, I didn’t really see roofing as a job opportunity. Now I know that it’s something that I enjoy and can do. I’m planning on studying welding in a college program, but it’s really great knowing I have a job with Tim once I get out of school.” 

Chase had a similar experience and shared, “Winning a silver medal significantly boosts my confidence in roofing. It serves as proof of my ability, confirms my proficiency and shows that I can be in construction. And now I know what I can do in my future career.” In fact, that career is already in motion for Chase, who is working at Architectural Sheet Metal Inc. with Tim!  

At the end of the day, SkillsUSA is far more than a competition – it's an introduction to and celebration of trades like roofing. As Tim put it, “We need people in roofing and there are so many students out there who are looking for opportunities. And if you give them a chance and provide a bit of mentorship, they’ll blow you away... Really the power of SkillsUSA is in getting the trades’ story, like roofing, out there and connecting young adults to great career paths.”  

Tune into the whole podcast to hear more from Tim, Damien and Chase!