Western Roofing Expo Kicks Off with Scholarships and Live Auction

Silent bidding stayed open through Tuesday.

By Patricia Soto Servin, Strategic Content Editor

Auction and Scholarships WRE 2026 — Roofing Contractor/Patricia Soto Servin

LAS VEGAS -- The live auction at the Western Roofing Expo’s Sept. 27 welcome event opened with a video tracing the Davis Memorial Foundation’s origins after Larry and Mary Davis died in a 1995 plane crash. Their daughter then presented a $25,000 check to start the fundraising on behalf of her uncle and aunt, Rich Olazaba and Valerie Cartwright.

From a Caribbean getaway to buckets of roofing sealant, the auction catalog offered items for travel, sports and work. Live auction offerings included a QXO-donated Caribbean vacation package, a guided hunting and fishing trip at Bay Flats Lodge donated by Malarkey Roofing Products, a golf and hotel package donated by Johns Manville, and roofing materials from Karnak Building Products.

Silent auction items included a GoPro, a YETI cooler, a Blackstone griddle with Omaha Steaks, sports tickets and designer accessories.

While the live auction took place Sunday, the silent auction continued through Tuesday, Sept. 29, the Expo’s final day. No official fundraising total was available as of Wednesday. Auction proceeds benefit the Davis Memorial Foundation scholarship fund, which assists students pursuing careers in roofing.

The program also welcomed scholarship recipients and their families, and recognized the 2026 winners on stage.

The Foundation awarded 15 scholarships of $5,000 each. Three recipients were in attendance: Alexis Klein of Northern Arizona University, Hannah Ford of Oregon State University and Justine Davies of Weber State University.

In her statement on the Foundation’s website, Ford wrote that the scholarship “will help me pay for my final year of college” as she pursues a marketing degree at Oregon State University.

The Foundation was established in 1997 in Larry and Mary Davis’ memory. Fundraising alongside WRE has helped expand its awards: after raising more than $110,000 in 2024, the Foundation increased its annual scholarship program from 10 awards to 15, each worth $5,000.

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Patricia Soto Servin is a journalist with more than a decade of experience covering local communities across the U.S.

Originally from Mexico, she has focused much of her work on issues impacting Hispanic audiences, including public safety, immigration, and community concerns. She has reported on major markets like Atlanta and North Carolina.

At BNP Media, she covers the topics that matter most to Roofing Contractor readers, including industry trends, policy, workforce, safety, and innovation in roofing.