One of the ways Roofing Contractor engages with various groups of roofing professionals industrywide every year is to ask directly about the issues, products and initiatives impacting business trends for our State of the Industry Report and subsequent webinar. A lot of that survey data and analysis ends up in the various forms of videos, podcasts, articles, and interactive eBlasts we create, while some material is typically left behind.

RC again caught up with industry leaders across the roofing supplier spectrum before and during the International Roofing Expo in San Antonio, and asked for their perspectives on the prior year and what lies ahead for an industry in continued change.

This time, without asking them to share, we noticed the following bold predictions for 2025 emerged in their responses. Rather than try to analyze or validate them, I thought we’d share them directly here to let you ponder. Do you have your predictions? If you were inspired like we were, read to the bottom, and please share them in the comments section below.

Strength in Solar

Piers Dormeyer, CEO, EagleView Technologies Inc.

In 2025, we expect to see further consolidation of the solar market within the roofing industry, making it easier for customers to add solar solutions to their homes. The softness in the solar market in 2024 led many quality solar companies to create roofing divisions. The roofing industry has had strong back-to-back years from the impact of weather. With legal and policy changes from the insurance carriers, 2025 will be the year that the roofing companies will significantly expand their offerings into solar. 

Strength in Solar, Part II

Rich Thompson, Vice President of Marketing, ABC Supply Co. Inc.

There’s a lot that we’re excited about, but renewable energy solutions are high on the list. There’s been so much traction with solar technology, especially solar shingles, which has created new opportunities for our team to evolve our products and services to meet the needs of this growing market.

Eyes on Insurance

Eric Miller, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Westlake Royal Roofing Solutions

We’re monitoring several areas, most notably interpreting how the insurance landscape is changing and how we can help our customers adjust accordingly through durable materials, continued support and collaboration with outside testing and research groups. We will also watch for potential changes by the new presidential administration and adjust our supplies and services to help contractors maintain seamless operations amid ongoing labor shortages.

We’re also investing significantly in roofing components — from underlayments to ridge vents — that allow contractors to ensure proper integration of the whole roofing project and advance the roofing system toward higher performance. By approaching the roof as a whole, contractors can ensure products work together to protect against moisture and air infiltration. Cool roof systems also continue to gain traction, as homeowners understand the return on investment of more energy-efficient options.

Training Turns Essential

Dan Williams, Managing Director, MuleHide

Labor is always a significant factor in whether a contractor can support demand. The training programs offered by manufacturers can help contractors navigate this in two ways — by ensuring that new crews know how to install systems correctly and safely and by helping existing installers further develop their skill sets and become more efficient in completing high-quality work faster.

Subcontractor Strategy

Reid Ribble, former NRCA CEO

The roofing industry has to examine worker certification and think more cohesively, strategically, and vertically integrated about subcontracted labor. At the end of the day, a roof works or it doesn’t work because of the skill of the worker on the roof.

The manufacturing community has done a really great job developing all kinds of solutions for roofing. We hear very little about material failures anymore, and true material failures are rare. Workmanship failures are not. So there’s still a need for training, for drawing young people into the trade and for certification.

More Machines

Roofing Contractor

And since we’re offering opinions, here’s our bonus bold take:

The digital revolution in the roofing space continues, and in 2025, roofing contractors will receive much more than improvements to operational software and customer engagements. The innovations introduced last year in robotics, AI-powered analytics, and remote-powered assessment and inspection capabilities don’t appear to be losing momentum in 2025. With the legal landscape regarding insurance and regulation also changing, technology that increases the efficiency and accuracy of roofing work will be at a premium.