Like much of the country — and world — Reid Ribble and McKay Daniels watched in horrified disbelief as Americans stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 and disrupted the transfer of power between presidential administrations. But it hit a little closer to home for both leaders of the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), considering how much time, sweat and even tears were spent during their careers at the highest levels of public service.

“I literally got sick to my stomach. I could not believe what I was seeing,” Ribble, a former three-term Congressman from Wisconsin, told RC in his recent visit to the Roofing Contractor Podcast Show. “We saw a mob break into the Capitol, do millions of dollars worth of structural damage… I was disheartened. And my emotions went from being so, so disappointed to just getting downright angry about it.”

The emotions similarly impacted Daniels, now the NRCA’s COO, on a personal level.

“Having worked there for a number of years, it was a terrible day for me and took me back to 9/11,” said Daniels, who was working as a staffer in the U.S. Senate when the Sept. 11 attacks occurred.

As it applies to Roofing Day March 23-24 in Washington D.C., Daniels said the Capitol attack reinforces the need for advocating with clear, unified goals and consistent delivery of reliable information — which the virtual fly-in event hopes to achieve.

"The other trades will continue to be active, and we need to be there with just as much fervor,” he said. “The Jan. 6 stuff speaks to that in a broader sense because it shows the power of information and education, and the importance of it.” 

Hear the entire discussion on RC’s Podcast page, and follow RC for full Roofing Day coverage.

For more information about Roofing Day in D.C. 2021 and registration instructions, visit nrca.net/advocacy/roofingday or contact NRCA’s Washington, D.C., office at 800-338-5765.