By Dani Sheehan. 

After another season of giving, Trent Cotney shared insights on the significance of industry associations and his vision for future advancements. 

Over the last several years, RCS Influencer and partner at Adams and Reese, Trent Cotney, has made it his mission to give back to the roofing industry around the holidays by matching donations to select associations. This year, he set out to match donations made to the following organizations: Roofing Alliance, Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association (FRSA), Chicago Roofing Contractors Association (CRCA) and the Davis Memorial Foundation. For the Roofing Alliance and FRSA, Trent matched his highest promised donation, and he donated $5,500 in total thanks to this generous campaign. 

Trent loves giving back to the industry that has helped him provide for his family throughout his career. He shares, “I feel like it’s an obligation for us to give back to our next generation. A lot of these charities that we’re supporting give out scholarships and the goal is to leave the world a better place than what it was when you were there.”  

The holidays may be over, but there are still ways to give back, and a great way to get involved in the industry is to join an association, whether it’s state, regional or national. As Trent explains, “Associations serve as the mouthpiece of the industry. Roofing has a variety of challenges, everything from regulatory to liability to insurance issues and it’s hard to get a lot of that stuff out to legislators or wherever it needs to go without having some sort of mouthpiece to do that.” 

Additionally, these associations help to promote and conduct research to further advance our industry. The Roofing Alliance has several ongoing projects and the FRSA Education and Research Foundation has done a variety of studies dealing with hurricane impacts and how that affects the Florida roofing industry. 

It’s an exciting time to be in the roofing industry this year. Trent talks about his anticipation for 2024: “I’m always looking at risk mitigation. What does the future look like? There’s some uncertainty there. I look out into the landscape, and I don’t know what’s over the next hill, but with that I think comes opportunity. I think roofing is on that precipice where it can take the next step. Climb that next hill and start looking into technology or sustainability and see a change in how this industry is perceived.” 

Thank you to everyone who donated this year and helped Trent give back to this incredible industry. Whether it’s donating time, money or resources, the little things throughout the year go a long way. Get involved in an association this year and see if you can feel the buzz of all the exciting possibilities in roofing too.

By Dani Sheehan. 

Trent Cotney will help you give back to the roofing industry by matching your donations to this incredible foundation. 

There are a number of organizations throughout the roofing industry that make it their mission to support philanthropic and humanitarian causes as well as invest in the future of roofing through research and education. This holiday season, RCS Influencer and Partner of Adams and Reese LLP, Trent Cotney wants to give back to those foundations that work so hard to make a difference. For the entire month of December, he is matching your donation to one of four foundations across the industry. Help him reach his goal of donating $10,000 ($2,500 per foundation) back to the roofing industry by giving back this season! 

One foundation on Trent’s list is the Chicago Roofing Contractors Association (CRCA) Foundation. Their mission is to advance and support the roofing, construction and waterproofing industry in the Chicago area through the funding and support of philanthropic causes, research and education. The foundation brings together leading contractors, distributors and manufacturers committed to strengthening the future of roofing. 

Since 2000, they’ve provided over $700,000 in scholarship money to assist high school students in their dreams to enter college and work toward a degree in various fields. These scholarships are awarded and renewed based on academic performance, faculty recommendation, employment or extracurricular experience and an interest in a productive career. Additionally, they’ve provided over $120,000 to research in the roofing industry and over $65,000 to philanthropic and disaster relief efforts.  

Trent stands behind this foundation and others in helping current roofing professionals further their careers and make advancements within the industry. His purpose in giving back is to give thanks to a community and profession that has taken care of him, put food on his table and continues to spark his passions. 

Double your giving all month long and support a foundation that furthers the excellence and long-term viability of the roofing industry!

By Dani Sheehan. 

Members of CRCA in Chicago, Illinois can enroll in one of two opportunities to receive three important certifications. 

Spaces are limited! You won’t want to miss these training courses offered by the Chicago Roofing Contractors Association (CRCA) Chicagoland Women in Roofing (CWIR) at the end of this month. With HERC Rentals, CRCA members can receive certifications at no cost for Mobile Elevated Work Platform, Warehouse Forklift and Rough Terrain Forklift training. Choose from training one on October 23, 2023, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., or training two on October 24, 2023, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.  

Please limit your enrollment to four individuals per company. One week before classes, CRCA will open registration to additional members and if the training fills up, there is a waitlist available. They want everyone to have a chance to attend, so please be mindful that if you are unable to attend and do not show or cancel at the last minute, there will be a fee. All three certifications are good for three years from the date of completion.  

Make sure to bring your steel toe or composite boots for the day, as well as high-visibility vests and safety glasses. Harnesses are recommended, but not required. 

These training courses are a great opportunity to increase your work portfolio and are required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) before operating machinery. You will have both written and practical training in the safe operation of scissor lift and boom lift related tasks. It’s also a great way to meet other members of CRCA and network within your community. 

Learn more about CRCA and register for training one or training two before it’s too late! 

Heidi J. Ellsworth invites Ski Wysocki and Alina Bosak from Chicago Metal Supply to the RCS soundstage to talk about their booth and what 2023 has in store for their company! 

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of a live interview with Ski Wysocki and Alina Bosak from Chicago Metal Supply. You can read the interview below or watch the YouTube video.  

Heidi Ellsworth: I told you we'd be back and here we are. This is our first interview of the International Roofing Expo. My name's Heidi Ellsworth. So excited for this interview. I am with my friend, Ski and Alina from Chicago Metals. Welcome. Welcome to the Sound Stage.

Alina: Thank you.

Ski Wysocki: Thank you, Heidi.

Heidi Ellsworth: I know.

Ski Wysocki: Thank you.

Heidi Ellsworth: Okay. What I'd like to do, start out first, is I'd like to have you both introduce yourselves and then we're going to talk about how things are going and what's happening in your booth, any big news or anything like that.

Ski Wysocki: Okay.

Heidi Ellsworth: Go ahead.

Ski Wysocki: So I am Ski Wysocki, basically of Chicago Metal Supply.

Heidi Ellsworth: Yeah.

Alina: And I'm Alina-

Ski Wysocki: Sorry.

Alina: Of Chicago Metal Supply.

Ski Wysocki: We need more coffee at the coffee conversation.

Heidi Ellsworth: I know. We need more coffee at the coffee conversation. Okay. So, wow. Can you believe the sizes of the floor? How many... The booth, everything. So tell us about your booth. What's happening over there? Where the show's going to be opening in like 10 minutes?

Ski Wysocki: Yes. So we are at Booth 5123. We're pretty much at every year [inaudible 00:00:59] for the last probably 5-7 years, except for the pandemic. Big things as always. We have a lot of cool shiny things, but mainly we just want to talk about the historic restoration, historic preservation, the projects that we've been involved in. So really quick, some of the ones we've done recently is in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Heritage Hall. We've also done the... We're right now we're actually the projects finishing up in Lincoln, Illinois. It's the Lincoln County Courthouse. Very old pieces that we actually got to recreate.

Heidi Ellsworth: Wow.

Ski Wysocki: Over 120 years old.

Heidi Ellsworth: Really?

Ski Wysocki: That we got the pieces to-

Heidi Ellsworth: And so you're recreating all the ornamentals?

Ski Wysocki: Yes.

Heidi Ellsworth: Wow.

Ski Wysocki: And we partnered up with a company called the Durable Group. Great group of guy John Chan and Gary Howes.

Heidi Ellsworth: Yep.

Ski Wysocki: They're doing the install there. Also, Shane Day is the project manager on that one. A couple other projects, notable ones, the Historic Dome in Bangor, Maine. We did the gothic heads that were involved. Also, the whole scroll work. So that's one of my passions is that I love getting in the copper and being able to feel and touch the stuff and know that what we're going to do is going to be on for the next 80-150 years.

Heidi Ellsworth: And everything you do is so beautiful. It is so beautiful. You can hear they're about ready getting start. So this happens all the time on the sound stage. Not a problem. But everything you do at the ornamentals and obviously all the metal work you do is just so beautiful. And these big historic projects, it's so fun. I saw those pictures when we were at the slate on-

Ski Wysocki: International Slate Show.

Heidi Ellsworth: International Slate Show. It was so amazing. So, okay. I understand there's some big news.

Ski Wysocki: Yes.

Heidi Ellsworth: That we're going to talk about.

Ski Wysocki: Yes. So part of the introduction, Alina, is... So one of the things that we realized that if you don't change, the [inaudible 00:02:43] is if you don't move and change in the business, you're going to stay kind of in neutral. So what we feel, especially in our local market in Chicago, metro Chicago area, there's a big push to have MBE or WBE participation.

Heidi Ellsworth: Yes.

Ski Wysocki: So Alina's going to be coming on board and taking over as president of the company.

Heidi Ellsworth: Congratulations.

Ski Wysocki: And we're currently working on to get our WBE certification. One of the things that we feel is that just because there's only a few players out there, that doesn't mean we can't do it and do it better. And I think with Alina coming on board and helping us from a business aspect, but also she has a passion, it's in the family, it's in the blood.

Heidi Ellsworth: Right.

Ski Wysocki: Copper runs in the blood.

Heidi Ellsworth: You can't help it.

Ski Wysocki: We feel that she's going to really help us to get involved in some of those projects where a lot of the contractors need, will need help in that participating or participatory percentage. As a WBE.

Heidi Ellsworth: That is brilliant. But more than anything, congratulations.

Alina: Thank you.

Heidi Ellsworth: Because I am so excited for you. Talk about bringing in... I don't know, I just think it's very cool to have you come in as president to bring that element of WBE, but also the family.

Alina: Absolutely.

Heidi Ellsworth: And just youth, bring that in. So tell us a little bit about how you got here and what are some of your plans.

Alina: Yeah, so I'm just excited to continue on my father's legacy, as you guys said, the copper runs in the blood. So it's always been a part of our childhood. He's always owned a business in the trade sector, so I've always... I never envisioned that I'd be the one taking it over 'cause I have a brother. But this presents a great opportunity and I actually was in business throughout school and I worked for a liquor distributor, so I was always in operations and supply chains. So I'm really excited to bring that youth, as you said.

Heidi Ellsworth: Yes.

Alina: The different ideas that I've seen bigger companies do, bring it to us as we do expand and open ourselves up to the different possibilities and the different teams we can work with now that we have this certification.

Heidi Ellsworth: That is so great.

Alina: Yeah.

Heidi Ellsworth: That's so great.

Alina: Very exciting.

Heidi Ellsworth: And you know what we didn't say, I know you're out of Chicago.

Alina: Yes.

Heidi Ellsworth: Right?

Ski Wysocki: Yes.

Heidi Ellsworth: So what part of Chicago?

Ski Wysocki: Heart of the city. We're in Chicago proper, but again, we ship all over North America.

Alina: That's right.

Ski Wysocki: So there's never a problem. So somebody picks up the phone and says, "Look, I need XY from something simple as downspouts, counter flashing, standing seam metal roof." And also to the historic stuff we ship all over North America.

Heidi Ellsworth: That's excellent. So what are some of the things with these big historic projects and restoration factors who are doing that, but what are some of the things you're also seeing out there coming up? Are there any trends that are looking that people are... I'm thinking about how you recreated ornamentals that bring that history back, but what are some of the trends that you're seeing?

Ski Wysocki: It's been interesting because for a while it seemed like the push for keeping it historically accurate, unless it was in an area that was mandated by a municipality, everybody's like, "Let's do something different." What we've seen now is people are saying "I want the historic piece. I want to look different than all the 10 cookie cutter homes." Or "I'd like to bring my home back to historic accuracy." So right now we're working on a project where we're actually working off of pictures. So it's one thing to get a piece and we have to recreate and make the mold. So that's a challenge in itself. But we're talking about because the building has changed over the years to the point of there is no pieces. So our artisans that are working in that area, they're actually sculpting and making the molds from start, from a picture that's probably a hundred years old to try to recreate that because the building owner slash developer says, "I want that house to look like this." And for whatever reason, over the last 50-60 years, too many people changed it then took away from the original beauty.

Heidi Ellsworth: Right. That is so cool. So how fun is it to think about all these projects, nobody really does what you do. And is that kind of exciting about starting and jumping into that?

Alina: It is. I know it's going to be a lot of work with learning. Me and Ski, just talk about literally everything and anything regarding the business. So I'm excited because I'm a lifelong learner. And I really think when you are a change maker, when you want to learn about any kind of new sector or business, it's going to be fun. You're mind's going to explode of new knowledge. So I'm really excited for that. And I know that we do what no one else does.

Heidi Ellsworth: And the growth of metal. We're seeing such a growth in metal and iron.

Alina: That makes a huge difference.

Ski Wysocki: Yes, metal roof's exponentially. Where some of the stuff has kind of stayed stagnant, metal roofing has double digit increases every single year. And believe it or not, in some areas, a lot of the insurance companies for insurance work have said, "Listen, we are going to bump you to a metal roof because we know in the long term term, it's not going to come back to bite us when we have, let's say there's another hail storm or something of that nature."So yeah. And aesthetically people have finally got it and looked and said, "Metal roofing is cool. It's not just about an accent over at doorway. It can be my whole roof."

Heidi Ellsworth: Yeah, it is cool. It's cool and it's beautiful. Congratulations again.

Alina: Thank you.

Heidi Ellsworth: Congratulations. This is so exciting. And of course, I was already like, we're going to get you a National Women in Roofing, you just got to do it.

Ski Wysocki: Yeah, 100%.

Heidi Ellsworth: You're an inspiration to all the other young women out there.

Alina: Thank you so much.

Heidi Ellsworth: All the women all over out there.

Alina: Thank you.

Heidi Ellsworth: So I love it.

Ski Wysocki: Thank you, Heidi.

Heidi Ellsworth: Thank you both. Again, the booth number?

Ski Wysocki: 5123. Stop by. There's candy. There's [inaudible 00:08:11]. Come say hi.

Heidi Ellsworth: Yeah. And say congratulations to Alina.

Ski Wysocki: Yeah.

Heidi Ellsworth: Okay. So if you're watching this and you hear the show, be sure to go by and see Chicago Metal. Remember, we're going to be coming back with... Every 15 minutes we're going to have interviews, but we also have coffee conversations today at one o'clock. And we're going to have a great group here. So stay tuned. We're going to be back.

Chicago Metal Supply offers a variety of architectural sheet metal fabrications. 

MetalCoffeeShop™, the industry-leading place to get information on all things metal construction, is pleased to welcome Chicago Metal Supply into our community for metal contractors. 

Chicago Metal Supply specializes in architectural sheet metal fabrication and offers a variety of products to fit your project needs. They can help you with simple projects like gutter systems or metal roof panels as well as more complex jobs, like historical roof copper restorations. 

The company is award winning, family owned and world renowned, to name a few of their accomplishments. Their knowledgeable craftsmen have over a century of combined experience in all types of metal-smith and copper-smith techniques. The company has also been responsible for restoring historical buildings, such as Chicago’s Adams Street Bridge. 

Chicago Metal Supply offers these metal fabrications and more: 

• Coping 

• Flashing 

• Gutter systems 

• Standing seam metal roofing 

• Custom fabrication 

• Historical restoration 

• ACM panel cutting and supply 

• Water jet cutting 

• Roof and wall panel systems 

• Insulated metal panels   

• Scupper boxes 

• Stamping 

• Decorative accessories 

• Cupolas 

• Finials 

• Dormers 

• Conductor heads 

The company takes pride in the beautiful work they do with metal, but they also feel it’s important to live by the Golden Rule of: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” By maintaining this core value, they are committed to treating their customers and community with the kindness they deserve, all while producing beautiful metal products.  

MetalCoffeeShop™ is proud to welcome Chicago Metal Supply!   

About Chicago Metal Supply 

Chicago Metal Supply and Fabrication is an internationally award-winning, family-owned business with an expertise in custom architectural sheet metal fabrication and a passion for preserving and restoring historical landmarks and heritage buildings. 

Clients from around the world are drawn to us for our ability to fabricate a project of any size or difficulty using our unique, state-of-the-art equipment. Whether you’re an expert builder, contractor or architect, or you’re simply trying to figure out what’s even possible with your project, our attentive and knowledgeable team guides you every step of the way.

By Heidi J. Ellsworth. 

It is time for the roofing community to give back through foundations and education this week on Coffee Conversations. 

Join Heidi J. Ellsworth for a Coffee Conversation that hits the heart of the roofing industry: giving back through roofing foundations. Sponsored by Hunter Panels, this episode welcomes Trent Cotney of Adams and Reese and industry foundation representatives including Kelly Van Winkle, president of the Roofing Alliance; Chuck Chapman, chairman of Davis Memorial Foundation; John Hellein with the FRSA Educational & Research Foundation and Bill McHugh of the CRCA Foundation. 

On December 1, 2022, for the whole day of the Coffee Conversations, Trent Cotney will be matching donations made to these four roofing foundations up to $2,500 per foundation.  It is a chance to make your donation double! 

For the second year in a row, panelists will speak passionately about the top way to secure the next generation of roofers through giving back to foundations that support scholarships, research and education. Trent and company will discuss how supporting the roofing industry this way helps new and old roofing professionals alike grow professionally and thrive in our industry.  

As Trent kicks off the conversation by addressing why giving back is such a huge part of the roofing industry, he will also highlight how working with these foundations helps the industry rise to new heights while grounding the growing industry in what really matters.   

“Being involved with each of these organizations intimately is a great opportunity for me to focus on what's truly important,” says Trent. “We have all got to make a living, we've all got to make money, we all have to deal with the day to day, but for me, it's about being able to affect positive change. I think the foundations are the perfect way to do that in our industry.” 

For the entire day of December 1, 2022, Trent Cotney will match donations made to these four roofing foundations up to $2,500 per foundation. Learn more about each of the foundations on RoofersCoffeeShop Giving Back page!  Pour a cup of coffee and don’t miss this heartwarming Coffee Conversations sponsored by Hunter Panels.   

Register for this Coffee Conversation today! 

Heidi J. Ellsworth is the president of RoofersCoffeeShop.

The new episodes examine the community of Chicago-area roofing contractors.

The National Roofing Contractors Association has released two new episodes from its podcast series, "Stories of an Extraordinary Industry." The purpose of the podcast is to elevate the roofing industry by sharing important lessons to be learned and stories of which the industry can be proud. 

The episodes examine the unique kinship of Chicago-area roofing contractors. Sponsored by ABC Supply Co. Inc., Beloit, Wisconsin, “Building Chicago Twice,” highlights the story of Moses Powell, who started a roofing company in Chicago in 1847 when he was just 16 years old. Powell worked hard to build the city as the number of residents swelled, but he lost everything during the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. Tony Roque, president of M. W. Powell Co. and a seventh generation roofing contractor, and Bill McHugh, executive director of the Chicago Roofing Contractors Association, explain how Powell joined forces with other roofing contractors after the disaster, sharing tools, inventing fire-resistant materials, and laying the groundwork for the creation of CRCA and other roofing associations. 

In “Sustaining Greatness,” sponsored by DensDeck® Roof Boards, Roque and McHugh continue explaining how Chicago roofing contractors banded together after the city was devastated by fire. Local contractors set aside their competitiveness in favor of pursuing greatness and working together to collectively solve problems they faced and improve the roofing industry. An early challenge was how to combat some contractors’ poor business practices and shoddy workmanship. Contractors who joined the Gravel Roof Protection Association, later the CRCA, established a code of ethics to encourage customers’ trust. As years passed, association members continued pursuing greatness by working together and diversifying outreach efforts to women and young people to help secure the industry’s future. 

Podcast episodes are available at roofingstories.podbean.com; on NRCA’s website at nrca.net/news-events/podcast; or wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Google, iHeartRadio, Spotify and Stitcher. 

About NRCA

Since 1886, the National Roofing Contractors Association has been the home for generations of entrepreneurial craftsmen and enterprises who shelter and protect America’s families and businesses and each other. Our vision is the recognition of our members as professionals and to unite the industry to that purpose. NRCA is one of the construction industry’s most respected trade associations and the voice of roofing professionals and leading authority in the roofing industry for information, education, technology and advocacy. It represents all segments of the roofing industry, including contractors; manufacturers; distributors; architects; consultants; engineers; building owners; and city, state and government agencies. For information about NRCA and its services and offerings, visit nrca.net. 

By Karen L. Edwards, RCS Editor.

NRCA is supporting a proposal from Standard Industries for tax incentives to stimulate demand for construction.

Standard Industries, the parent company of GAF, is proposing that the federal government consider a 30 percent federal tax credit for the cost of improvements to residential and commercial buildings. National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) said they believe that the “proposal could be particularly beneficial to the roofing and construction industries to the extent that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to put pressure on homeowners and commercial building owners to delay and cancel construction projects in the medium and long-term.” 

The construction industry employs 10 million workers and generates $450 billion in wages every year. The proposed 30 percent tax credits would deliver urgently needed relief to the industry and to the workers whose livelihood is tied to the construction industry.

An overview of the issue provided by Standard Industries shares that homes represent 50 percent of total household assets in the United States and 65 percent of Americans are homeowners. Many residential projects have been delayed or stopped due to the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. With record unemployment, owners are reluctant to undertake home improvement projects. The proposal overview states that "helping Americans make needed and valuable repairs to their homes is more important than ever.”

Businesses are also being forced to make changes in order to follow recommended Centers for Disease Control guidelines in order to open and operate safely. It’s more important than ever that Americans feel they have a safe home and a secure job that is following social distancing and has implemented to needed safety improvements.

A letter being sent to key members of Congress along with President Trump, says that “proposed tax credits serve as an opportunity to counter this devastation, improving individual prosperity and supporting the economic recovery.”

Standard Industries along with the following industry organizations have signed the letter:

• National Roofing Contractors Association

• Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association

• Atlas Roofing Corporation

• Beacon Building Products

• Building Suppliers Corporation

• Cellulose Insulation Manufacturers Association

• Chemical Fabrics & Film Association

• Chicago Roofing Contractors Association

• Colorado Roofing Association

• EPDM Roofing Association

• Firestone Building Products

• GAF

• International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants

• Johns Manville

• Kansas Roofing Association

• Kentucky Roofing Contractors Association

• Metal Construction Association

• Mid-States Asphalt

• National Insulation Association

• North Texas Roofing Contractors Association

• Owens Corning

• Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association

• Roofing Contractors Association of Hawaii

• Roofing Contractors Association of Washington

• Roof Coatings Manufacturers Association

• SPRI

• SOPREMA

• Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance

• SRS Distribution

• TAMKO Building Products LLC

• Tarco Roofing

• US GreenFiber LLC

It is our hope at RCS that our administration steps up to support this proposed legislation. If you want to make a difference, reach out to your representatives in Congress to share your concerns.

View the complete letter to the president here.