Loyal Roofing Contractor readers may have noticed a slight uptick in the number of videos, columns and articles we’ve offered in Spanish over the past few months. It’s no mistake and shouldn’t surprise anyone paying attention to the roofing industry’s evolution.

RC made a calculated decision to launch our Techos y Más (“Roofing and More” in English) free digital eNewsletter in Spanish this fall for the latest news and insights geared toward the Latino roofing contractor. Sign up now!

Working with our partners in manufacturing, distribution and roofing contractor associations, we plan to offer critical information and pathways for roofers to improve their businesses through our various content platforms. And we’re doing it in Spanish with the help of our partners at Latinos en Roofing.

The timing couldn’t be better. Each year, the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative at Stanford University’s School of Business releases a national survey of Latino business owners in the U.S. to better understand their current experience. Though there are no data points or questions specific to roofing, some of the biggest takeaways reflect how Latino roofing contractors continue to impact multiple markets.

The report's findings include that more than 3 million people in the United States are employed by nearly 350,000 Latino-owned businesses — the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. business population. Similarly, Latino representation in the roofing industry — particularly in leadership positions — has grown significantly across the U.S. over the past decade.

The industry responded, first through specialized consultants and eventually by developing contractor enrichment initiatives, with the growing Latino roofing workforce in mind.

Roofing Contractor first brought Latino roofing leaders together for a special meeting during the 2015 Best of Success conference in Phoenix. Many there predicted the growth of the Latino roofing workforce in the near decade but also signaled genuine worry about the lack of leadership training they were seeing industrywide. The need for future leaders to emerge from the next generation has only grown since then.

Roofing contractors that responded to our annual State of the Industry Survey indicated that, on average, more than one-third of their crew (36%) speak languages other than English on the jobsite. About 20% of senior management also speak other languages than English on the job. The vast majority (74%) indicated Spanish was the most common language spoken on roofing jobs, with English far behind at 51%.

We believe we’re adding a direct access point to the Spanish-speaking roofers and crewmembers out there and doing our part to help uplift the Latino roofing contractor looking to establish or grow their enterprise.

Techos y Más provides original content across RC’s multimedia platforms, including in-depth profiles, analysis of the latest events and trends impacting the industry, and how Latino contractors can level up their roofing businesses in any market.

Whether you’re a veteran roofer who’s worked your way up or a newbie, Techos y Más will feature a mix of original Spanish content about roofing that you won’t find anywhere else. We’re working hard with our partners to gauge their information needs and deliver the content they want to read, see or hear exactly how they like to get it.

Sign up now, share your ideas and enjoy!