Putting in the work

By Emma Peterson. 

Find out how the Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association has been supporting the industry for over a century. 

This year, the Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association (FRSA) celebrated their 102nd annual convention and expo! In preparation for the event, FRSA President and owner of Armstrong Roofing, Les Sims, stopped by The Coffee Shops™ for an episode of Roofing Road Trips® to chat about their century of work in the industry.  

One of the big things that Les emphasized was how supportive the community as FRSA is. They truly want everyone to succeed in their careers, whether they are competitors or not. And the FRSA is not just pushing individuals to be better, they have consistently been pushing the Florida industry to build a stronger community and healthier market. Les explained, “FRSA works through active legislation, participation and engagement. This means meeting with our state legislatures yearly or more.” Beyond advocating in on the legislative side, FRSA also engages with the Florida Building Code process, “ensuring that code modifications are reviewed and submitted that are in the best interest of the contractors and the consumers.” 

Beyond bigger picture advocacy, FRSA looks to serve their community on individual levels as well. Les shared, “As an association, we provide services that contractors need, whether it be workers' comp, credit union for loans, the education foundation for seminars and industry research and obviously the monthly magazine, which helps to disperse information, important information to the Florida contractors.” FRSA also connects their members to resources that are not usually accessible on individual-basis, such as access to their technical director for code support and assistance with building officials (currently Mike Silvers). Les explained, "It's invaluable to have somebody to call and say, ‘Hey, what's the latest code thing? Because I have these inspectors telling me this or I have a homeowner telling me that or another contractor.’ Outside of FRSA, where do you get that? Who do you call when you're in a bind?” 

Read the transcript or Listen to the podcast to learn more about FRSA and the work they have done and continue to do in the industry.