Embracing Metal is All About Having the Right Tools

By Cass Jacoby. 

MetalCoffeeShop™ interviews Tom Stortz on the importance of having the right tools for the job LIVE! At METALCON! 

Heidi J. Ellsworth welcomes  John Stortz & Sons’ Tom Stortz to the MetalCoffeeShop soundstage at METALCON! 

John Stortz & Sons has a long history within the industry. “We're a fifth-generation family business,” says Tom. “We started in 1853. We have been selling specialty slate and sheet metal tools into the roofing industry for 160 or so years.” The company continues to provide the tools for seaming panels, forming details, cutting, soldering and many other accessories from the same factory where the business began. 

John Stortz & Sons demoed plenty of their tools at METALCON as well as at the National Slate Association Conference. “I think the slate market guys who do slate are definitely less than the people who do metal, but they do mix a fair bit,” says Tom.  “Usually when you're getting into those higher end materials like slate and copper, then they are working with these different types of higher end tools... It's a skilled industry and that that's the next step, trying to get people to commit to learning the trades.” 

As metal booms and more homeowners demand the material, the importance of quality metal tools needed for contractors to excel and feel proud of the work they have done grows. Accessible high-end tools are key to building a skilled workforce of craftspeople. “Contractors can visit stortz.com for all these high-end specialty tool products,” says Tom. “We ship out nationally year-round.” 

Learn more about John Stortz & Son in their Directory or visit stortz.com. 

About Cass  

Cass works as a reporter/writer for RoofersCoffeeShop, AskARoofer and MetalCoffeeShop. When she isn’t writing about roofs, she is putting her Master degree to work writing about movies and dancing with her plants.