The Midwest Roofing Contractors Association (MRCA) issued its prestigious James Q. McCawley Award to roofing industry veteran Fred Horner, owner of Advanced Industrial Roofing. 

Horner, a former MRCA past president, is one of the association's most active members and has been a driving voice for education, training and growing the industry as a whole. His roofing career began the day he turned 18 and walked on a jobsite in 1974. In just four years, he completed Ohio’s roofing apprenticeship program and earned his journeyman’s certificate. 

After more than a decade of working for local roofing companies, he co-founded Advanced Industrial Roofing, which has grown into one of the most reputable roofing companies in the United States. Today the firm employs nearly 90 hardworking professionals and specializes in industrial and commercial roofing as well as architectural sheet metal.

In addition to serving as president, Horner currently sits on the MRCA Board of Directors and Executive Committee, and now chairs the HAWT Safety Training Program. He is also the current president of the Ohio Roofing Contractors Association and has been a strong voice on ORCA’s safety, insurance, and legislative committee.

The award was established in 1969 to honor McCawley, a roofer by trade who became a business owner before joining President Franklin Roosevelt’s Construction Industry Council and a member of the U.S. Labor Department’s Federal Apprenticeship Committee.

McCawley passed away in February 1969, and the MRCA has issued its highest honor to a deserving and dedicated roofer each year since. 

"This year’s recipient is the embodiment of what the McCawley Award represents: service and leadership in roofing," said former MRCA President Mark Langer while issuing the award during the Midwest Roofing Expo last month in Chicago.

"And his dedication doesn’t stop with our industry. In his hometown, he is a tireless volunteer—supporting high school athletics, serving on historical preservation efforts, engaging in local business and legislative initiatives, and remaining active in civic and fraternal organizations," Langer continued.