Young roofers unite!

By Emma Peterson. 

This is a must-attend event for young professionals looking for an impactful yet informal way to grow together. 

The 2025 Western Roofing Expo (WRE), hosted by the Western States Roofing Contractors Association (WSRCA) is coming up at the end of the month! This incredible show is a great opportunity for all members of the industry to come together to learn and grow. With countless educational sessions, networking opportunities and booths to explore on the trade show floor there’s something there for everyone. Say hi to The Coffee Shops™ crew at Booth #12! 

And for young professionals in the industry, they can look forward to an event tailored for them — WSRCA’s annual Young Roofing Professionals Discussion! To learn more about how this discussion will help young roofers and professional elevate their careers, Dani Sheehan sat down with Mindy Dahlquist (TRA Snow and Sun), James Wolfgram (Duro-Last) and Rachel Garcia (Malarkey Roofing Products) for a quick interview. 

Rachel shared a bit about how this event came to be, saying, “The Young Roofing Professionals Discussion is an open conversation designed for the next generation of leaders in the roofing industry. It started a few years ago as a way to make sure younger voices had a platform at WSRCA. It’s structured more like a roundtable than a presentation, lots of open Q&A, audience interaction and candid conversation.” Overall, it’s a great place for young professionals to connect and learn in a way that is both impactful and informal.  

When it comes to what topics will be covered in the session, it changes from year-to-year based on what’s most relevant to the industry. Mindy explained, “We had an endless amount of opportunity to bring up topics. We tried to narrow it down to what we thought were the biggest issues for 2025, concerns or conversations that would be helpful for a young roofing professional.” They ended up settling on four key topics – AI, professional development, networking and the labor shortage. 

James shared his thoughts on these topics, saying, “For me, the most exciting topic is AI. AI has really taken the industry by storm on multiple different levels. From service channels to sales channels to base fundamental tasks, you’re hearing about AI. I think AI is going to be a very prevalent part of our industry and learning about that is going to be so helpful.” Mindy added, “I'm really curious to see how other people are utilizing it for their work and if it's benefiting them, if they found flaws in it, etc.” Rachel is also excited for the conversation about AI, saying, “I’m especially looking forward to talking about how AI and technology are impacting roofing. It’s something everyone is thinking about, and hearing different perspectives will be really valuable.” 

If you are a young professional, you don’t want to miss this discussion, happening Tuesday, September 30, 2025 from 10:15 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the 2025 Western Roofing Expo!