To provide a more expansive view of the state of roofing in North America as 2024 gets underway, Roofing Contractor
again caught up with industry leaders, asking for their perspectives on
the prior year and what lies ahead. We share the following responses to
complement the findings of the roofing contractors RC surveyed last fall, which generated our 2024 State of the Industry Report.

RC: How would you characterize the state of the roofing industry looking at 2024? 

Keith Stevenson (KS):
There will be strong opportunities in 2024. I think we will see normal
seasonality when it comes to activity, but there is definitely room for
optimism. While the economy will impact our industry, of course, the
demand for roofing will continue in both the retrofit and new
construction arenas. 

Rick Duncan (RD): It has
been consistent for our contractors. We have not seen an increase in the
industry’s number of roofing contractors. However, the ones that are
established seem to be doing well. Today, a lot of the projects out
there consist more of reroofing and maintenance. Work in these areas has
been steady.

Eric Miller (EM): The roofing
industry is currently benefitting from supply chain improvements in both
materials and lead times. Both of these areas stabilized substantially
in 2023 and should continue to do so in 2024. Unfortunately, indications
are that labor will continue to be a challenge, as it is for other
construction trades. A lot of this is driven by an aging workforce.
Thus, there is a strong need for the industry to focus on the
attraction, training and retention of its talent.

Dan Williams (DW): After
several extremely challenging and unpredictable years, the low-slope
roofing industry is settling into a “new normal.” The supply and demand
for materials are starting to get back into balance. And looking at the
broader economy, inflation and the general feeling of uncertainty have
eased. We [expect] another strong year for Mule-Hide, and we are
optimistic about the industry overall.

Rich Thompson (RT): We
expect to see an ongoing shortage of skilled labor in the industry,
causing challenges for contractors in finding and retaining qualified
roofers (which will also impact project timelines). Despite these
challenges, there is great opportunity for anyone interested in getting
into the trades due to high demand, new incentives and the exciting
increase in tech integration throughout the industry. 

RC: Any trends that developed in 2023 that you’re monitoring?

KS:
A trend we noticed last year that is economically driven has to do with
property owners delaying reroofing opportunities to defer spending.
Some owners are delaying reroofing their buildings and, instead,
extending roofing maintenance plans.  

EM: For a
while now, we have been paying attention to the growing awareness
surrounding energy efficiency and total cost of ownership. Building
codes and insurance criteria across different regions are also important
to watch as they relate to this. As a company, we also invest in
research [to get] to the heart of shifting architectural home style
preferences, as well as the accompanying roofing and color trends and
preferences among different demographic groups and regions.

RT: We’re
continuing to keep a close eye on the renewable energy sector, focusing
on changes in energy efficiency regulations and developments in
installation expertise. We’re seeing a rising trend of newcomers
entering the trade industry, offering potential opportunities for
training and technology. We are also excited to see the expansion of
Latino entrepreneurs establishing businesses across the U.S.  

RC: There’s a lot of optimism in the marketplace over sales. Do you share that view?

RD: From
a sales perspective, there is some expectation in certain regions that
roofing will pick up. Spray foam roofs, specifically, are almost always
low-slope applications in commercial construction. Commercial
construction is driven by demand for office and retail space;
unfortunately, not a lot of either is being built right now. I don’t see
as much optimism on the low-slope roofing side.

EM: Sustainability
and resiliency have become much more prominent considerations in
construction. Roofing contractors engaging in eco-friendly,
energy-efficient and weather-resistant solutions are likely seeing
heightened demand, contributing to the positive outlook among
contractors.

DW: The supply chain challenges of
the past few years have eased. Roofing contractors can once again bid on
a job and be confident that the price will hold and that they will be
able to get the products they need in a timely manner. General
contractors can stand behind the numbers and schedules they give to
building owners and developers without having to worry about massive
disruptions.

RC: What economic factors could determine a roofing contractor’s success this year?

KS:
Labor availability, training and quality products all continue to be
key to a roofing contractor’s success. As with all construction trades,
there is no way to be successful without the talent to complete the job.
Additionally, the best roofing contractors are well-trained and get the
job done correctly the first time. They don’t need to return time and
time again to the job site to fix things, which is obviously a costly
process.

RD: Certainly, inflation-increasing
material costs will impact roofing contractors. We experienced some of
that during the more recent material shortages, which ended about a year
ago. Because our products are petroleum-based, if petroleum prices go
up, we will unfortunately see increases in our material prices. 

RT: The
industry’s workforce shortage [impacts] us as a supplier since fewer
active roofers lead to delayed projects and increased workloads for
contractors. To support contractors, we’re continuing to leverage
technology with myABCsupply online ordering and our newest ABC API.
These tools enable contractors to seamlessly integrate ABC Supply data
into their existing workflows and help them keep their projects moving
efficiently.  

RC: How is your organization adapting to meet the anticipated roofing project and material demand?

KS: We
have invested heavily over the past few years to increase our capacity
and raw materials storage. We are also fortunate to be supported by a
parent company that is able to fund additional capacity projects if
needed.

DW: Communication is key. Regular
conversations with our contractors and distributor partners help us
understand their needs and what they are anticipating, allowing us to
plan accordingly.

We continue to invest in our people and new
technology. The goal always is to make it easier to work with us, from
placing an order to completing a job, and help us better support our
contractors. We are adding personnel across the board, including
territory managers, field technical representatives, and members of our
customer service, training, product management and business development
teams.

RT: To meet the growing demand and stay
current with our customers’ needs, we’re continuing to expand our
renewable energy product offerings and adding solar rooftop delivery to
our services in select markets. We’re also working closely with our
customers and manufacturing partners to make sure we have the right
products available to meet the growing demands of metal and coatings.

RC: What are the biggest concerns moving forward?

KS: The
overall economy is a concern. Labor is one as well, as it has been for a
while now. Something that isn’t necessarily a concern, but rather
something to keep an eye on, is that we are now in an election year.
Election years can be really fruitful or they can be interesting. We
will have to see how things play out as the year progresses.

RD:
The carbon footprint reporting requirements for our products will be a
challenge. While no regulations have been [implemented] yet, government
agencies are now discussing how they want to handle this. 

EM: One
of the biggest concerns for the industry at large will be escalating
raw materials costs. The aging workforce is another top concern, and it
is increasingly imperative that we make a concerted effort to attract,
train and retain the new generation in roofing. To complement this
effort, the industry must also focus on [developing] products that
reduce labor demands.

Additionally, with the number and intensity
of natural disasters that have occurred over the past several years,
there is a lot of activity surrounding the enhancement of building
codes.