With nearly 1,000 Latino contractors filling the expo hall, GAF's annual Latinos in Roofing Summit in Atlanta Sept. 12-13 underscored a fundamental truth about the American roofing industry: Latino professionals are not just participants—they're a driving force behind the sector's growth.

"Latinos are the backbone of the roofing industry," said GAF CEO John Barkhouse, highlighting statistics that paint a clear picture of the community's expanding influence. Latinos comprise 21% of all U.S. roofing contractors. More than 2,300 GAF contractors are Latino, with over 3,000 contractors having attended GAF's Latinos in Roofing Summits to date. 

The Atlanta summit addressed a critical need in the industry: providing education and resources in Spanish while respecting cultural nuances that go beyond language.

"It's not necessarily that they don't know English, but they feel more comfortable with Spanish, and they're struggling to find ways that they can improve their businesses and grow their business," said Alan Lopez, GAF CARE trainer. "They can come here to this expo completely free and learn about different tools, whether it's marketing, whether it's sales, finance for the business, financing for the offering as an opportunity to sell, product knowledge, commercial, residential."

The comprehensive curriculum reflects GAF's understanding that successful contractor support extends beyond product training. Lopez emphasized that the approach, which launched in 2022, recognizes "it's not just about speaking Spanish, it's about understanding the culture, the way that people do business, understanding Hispanics and family relations."

Family Businesses Building Legacies

The summit attracted established family businesses looking to expand their capabilities and pass knowledge to the next generation. Kendrick Maradiaga of A&B Commercial Construction in Lawrenceville, Ga., exemplifies this multi-generational approach. Working alongside his father, who started the business in 1999, Maradiaga has helped grow the company into a significant player in educational construction.

"He started to start from the bottom," Maradiaga said. "Thankfully, I've gained his trust and he's my right-hand man. I'm his right-hand man, and we learn from each other, from mistakes."

The company has successfully secured contracts across multiple counties and universities. When asked about their formula for success, Maradiaga pointed to fundamentals: "communication, good communication, leadership, and of course, everything that we've done with our crews."

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Transitioning from Residential to Commercial Markets

One of the summit's key educational focuses was helping residential contractors expand into commercial work—a transition that presents both opportunities and challenges.

Eddan Zuniga of High Quality Roofing, based in Gwinnett County, Ga., brought most of his crew to the event specifically for sales training and commercial education. From Honduras, Zuniga's company handles primarily residential work but is actively pursuing commercial opportunities.

"We have the capacity to do the work, but when you don't have the knowledge about where to get the work, it can be a little bit tricky," Zuniga explained. The summit's commercial classes and networking opportunities provide crucial intelligence for making this transition successful.

Zuniga's business model reflects the insurance-driven nature of the Georgia market, with insurance claims comprising roughly 90% of his company's work. "For us in Georgia, it's more about insurance claims, that's what we do the most, and that's what we know the process from A to C," he said.

The summit also drew seasoned professionals like Lida Euceda of Miami Roofing Solutions Corp., whose family has been in the roofing industry for decades. With her husband's 35 years of field experience and her 16 years handling administration and technical support, their partnership represents the kind of established expertise that drives the Latino roofing community.

"For us, it's very important to attend these events because we have the opportunity to learn and innovate and to be able to share experiences in everything we've done so far," Euceda said. Their Miami-based operation handles both commercial and residential projects, along with maintenance and repair services.

Euceda emphasized the community aspect of GAF's support: "We feel honored to be part of this community, be a community of Latinos." The summit allows contractors to "put a face to every call that we do as contractors to warranties, services, products, our regionals, representatives."

A Contractor-Centered Philosophy

GAF's approach to the Latino market reflects what Lopez described as a fundamental business philosophy: "We here at GAF believe that the contractor is at the center of everything."

This contractor-centric approach has proven particularly effective in Atlanta, which Lopez identified as "a very good market for Hispanics" where many contractors "have been missed" by the industry.

The free summit, expected to draw 950 attendees with some natural attrition, represents GAF's investment in addressing this historical neglect while building long-term relationships with a community that's reshaping the roofing industry.

As the Latino population continues to grow as both contractors and homeowners, events like the Atlanta summit signal the industry's recognition that supporting Latino professionals isn't just good business—it's essential for the sector's future growth and success.