Best of Success 2023: Exploring Authenticity

Hundreds
of roofing contractors and industry professionals from around the
country returned to the Omni Frisco at the Star just outside Dallas for Roofing Contractor’s 19^th annual Best of Success conference last month. 

The
unique, two-day conference returned to the site of the Dallas Cowboys
headquarters with a lineup of speakers and special events geared to help
roofing contractors in any market close the year strong and start
building momentum for 2024. The speakers also continued a long-standing
tradition of Best of Success; roofers willing to share their wins and
losses with authenticity.

“I always encourage our speakers to not just speak to our audience, but to tell their stories,” said RC Publisher Jill Bloom. 

She
reminded the roughly 500 in attendance that she started Best of Success
in South Carolina in 2004 with just 75 roofing contractors. Bloom then
dedicated the conference to former Diamond Roofing President Kevin
Gwaltney, who died earlier in 2023 after battling cancer. She spoke
about Gwaltney’s authenticity and how he displayed it on the Best of
Success stage 10 years ago when sharing his challenges upon taking over
the family business after his father’s unexpected death.

“Kevin
shared his very personal story … and I know it had an impact,” she said.
“He made me realize that the relationships in this industry are unlike
anything I had ever experienced.” 

Other highlights from the
opening day included presentations by Scott Mullins, owner of Legacy
Restoration, who discussed building a roofing company with purpose and
vision; RC Legal Insights Expert Trent Cotney, partner with
Adams and Reese, walked attendees through recent trends in business
contracts, and how to prepare a roofing company for sale.

Peter
Horch, president and CEO of Horch Roofing in Maine, talked about how
giving back to his community in various ways over the years led to
unexpected success and immense personal fulfillment. He also shared the
valuable lessons learned and tools he now has in place after a local
nonprofit he’s now part of was bilked of more than $4 million by a
staffer. 

RC Young Gun alumnus Zach Wallick, owner of
Kairos Roofing, detailed his journey through personal and professional
struggles before leaving the family business on a leap of faith for his
own venture. Wallick became emotional several times expressing his
heartfelt thanks to his father Gregg – seated just a few rows into the
audience – for his unwavering love, support and mentorship. He left the
crowd stunned and applauding as he announced the recent sale of his
roofing company after just four years in business.

The
attendees also witnessed a first-hand crash course about artificial
intelligence in the roofing space. Christian Madsen, CEO of Madsen
Roofing & Waterproofing; Madsen’s Director of Service and Business
Development Elizabeth Sanford; and Ben LeDonni, of BNP Engage, discussed
the practical uses of AI, and how the long-time commercial roofing
company found efficiencies through a pilot project implemented last
fall.  

The group demonstrated in real time how effective their
system could create conversational information to share with roofing
customers and prospects alike. Using the technology led to immediate
time savings in communications and marketing, but there’s more untapped
power in data-capture capabilities, with proper human guidance, Madsen
said. 

“You still have to think. You can’t just push a button and
let it go,” he said. “There are tremendous data transfer capabilities
and what we learned was there was so many other ways to use it.” 

The
wonder and authenticity continued on the conference’s second day, led
off by National Roofing Contractors Association CEO McKay Daniels, who
accentuated his annual NRCA update with a heartfelt reflection. The NRCA
continues to combat the industry’s workforce problems with a
comprehensive training strategy that starts with career technical
education at the high school level. From there, he explained they can
move on to the NRCA’s TRAC online program, its Qualified Trainer Program
and ultimately ProCertification.

Daniels said getting through to
teenagers and young adults is a space roofing has pushed into by
participating in programs like SkillsUSA for the first time. 

“We’ve fallen flat and been negligent,” he said. “We’ve been playing catchup.”

Daniels
also said the NRCA was playing catchup in response to another
industry-wide issue that’s often unseen and unspoken: suicide. The
suicide rate among the construction trades is roughly three times higher
than other professions, and it hit home at the NRCA last August with
the loss of Board Member John Embow, president of Grove Roofing Services
in Buffalo. 

“This is happening in our industry,” Daniels said,
pushing back emotions while describing his late friend, and pledging to
start and industry-wide conversation. “We’re playing catchup, but we’re
going to do it in a hurry and bend this curve down.”

Garen
Armstrong, executive director of Shamrock Roofing in Kansas City, Mo.,
kept the authenticity going with a touching recount of his survival
story and comeback from a heart infection that nearly took his life –
twice. Armstrong detailed his journey through six complex surgeries,
including a heart transplant that enabled him to grow his roofing
company into a Midwest powerhouse. 

Other highlights included a
sobering overview of the political landscape heading into a critical
election year by long-time roofing lobbyist Craig Brightup, of the
Brightup Group; South African immigrant Kirt Linington’s success story
and driving Stronghouse Solutions following an acquisition with private
equity; and a close look at the meaningful mistakes the team at BFARR
Contracting in Florida made and learned from while starting their
roofing company from scratch.

Early Start

New to Best of Success this year, RC welcomed the Latinos en Roofing group for a special gathering before the official welcome party. 

Roughly 50 Latino roofing contractors listened to presentations in Spanish, expressing a passion for learning how to improve themselves as businesspeople, while finding the right resources to grow their companies.

“The
Latino community, they are hard workers but they don’t know how to make
a business,” said organizer Amparo Sancen, owner of Sancen Contracting
in Richardson, Texas. “That’s why we are here, to bring the knowledge,
the training, on how they can run their business.”

Presentations
ranged from exit planning to sales tactics. Sancen said she was happy
for such a strong turnout and hopes to draw more attendees in the
future.

Best Of 

Two roofing contractors considered among the best in the country were named RC’s Contractors
of the Year. Greenwood Industries of Worcester, Mass., was named 2023
Commercial Contractor of the Year, while Indianapolis, Ind.-based Bone
Dry Roofing was awarded 2023 Residential Contractor of the Year at the
conclusion of the first day. Each winner was selected among dozens of
well-qualified nominations submitted throughout the year.

Founded
in 1993, Greenwood Industries has nine locations throughout the
Northeast. Staying true to founder Dave Klein’s idea of working on “any
type” of roofing project helped Greenwood earn jobs, as did its
commitment to union-oriented projects. That flexibility led to more
commercial roofing opportunities and a steady pool of trained workers
that helped propel revenue to $218 million last year, placing in the top
10 of RC’s 2023 Top 100 list.

Upon
accepting the award, Klein reflected on how his parents taught him
determination and integrity, and thanked COO Matt Brown for his vision,
leadership and friendship over the years.

“This achievement is the
culmination of years of relentless work and a shared vision with
everyone who works at Greenwood,” said Klein. “We have a truly
exceptional team. I may be the one accepting this award, but it belongs
to everyone at Greenwood.”

Founded in 1993 by Gene Judd in his
Speedway, Ind. garage, Bone Dry Roofing earned $65,000 in revenue in its
first year. Building upon a reputation of excellent customer service
and high-quality work, it capitalized on a 2006 hailstorm in
Indianapolis that gave the company entry into adjacent markets in Ohio
and Kentucky. It continues to grow through a strategic plan calling for
acquisitions as well as establishing an in-house training program.

In 2022, the company reported $121.6 million in revenue, earning the 18th spot on RC’s
2023 Top 100 list. Aside from roofing, the company has diversified into
gutters, siding, drywall, painting, masonry, heating and cooling, and,
most recently, establishing Bone Dry Solar.

Judd called receiving
the award “humbling and surprising,” and said his success boiled down to
having good people in his company, including the families that support
his employees.

“I’ve been blessed. Bone Dry has been blessed over
the years with a ton of great people in the organization past and
present, so I want to recognize all their hard work and effort they put
into taking care of our customers and doing it the right way and doing
it the Bone Dry way,” Judd said.

The Roofing Technology Think Tank (RT3) presented John Kiesel,
president of Imagine Technology Group, with the 2023 Innovator of the
Year Award. The honor highlights a roofing professional who advocates
for the advancement of technology in the industry and/or has contributed
to product development in areas like production, safety, client
service, employee recruitment and environmental impact.

“It’s been
a four or five year journey,” said Kiesel, who also serves as president
of Division 7 Roofing in Galena, Ohio. “It’s really rewarding to see
the industry starting to change and move over a bit to ‘how do you
improve roofing?'”

Along with Ryan Resides, Division 7’s vice
president of sales and estimating, Kiesel developed Advanced Imagery
with Optelos, a cloud-based imagery software that uses drone-captured
imagery to create detailed 3D models of rooftops for customers. The
program allows for virtual reality integration that can transport
building owners and managers to the roof without having to leave their
office.

Kiesel joins an elite group of roofing professionals who
have received the award since its inception in 2019. These include
Curtis Sutton, president of Rackley Roofing in Carthage, Tenn.
(2019); Scott Riopelle, owner and CEO of Denver-based Interstate Roofing
(2020); Ken Kelly, former president of Kelly Roofing in Bonita Springs,
Fla. (2021); and Joe Hoffman, CEO of Hoffman Weber Construction New
Brighton, Minn., and Roofle (2022).