Here is my wish list for the 2022 holiday season:

A humble wish list always begins with “world peace.” How many of my other wishes would be either solved or made much better if only this one would come true? 

So, I do wish for world peace, but not solely for the benefit of me, my friends and family, the roofing industry, or even this nation. It is for the people of Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria, Ethiopia, Somalia, Haiti, and wherever peace has been so elusive for so long. 

And, selfishly, for improvements in the supply chain that will come with a more peaceful and stable world. If, before 2022, you did not believe roofing in the United States is part of the “world economy,” I am sure you do now. 

I believe it’s important to remember just how good we have it. I also believe we will need to remind ourselves of that often in 2023 as the nation’s economy seems to be facing more and more headwinds. 

As supply chain issues begin to ease, inflation in the price of certain roofing and building materials should begin to ease as well. That is not necessarily great news as rising interest rates may continue to slow the pace of economic growth. 

That leads to my next wish for my roofing contractor readers, friends, and associates: cash. I wish for you the ability to manage it with great care and caution. I wish for you total control of your cash and your ability to set aside enough of it to get through whatever may come in 2023.

While I’m at it, I wish for a soft landing no matter which way this next cycle of business goes.

I wish, should business slow as many are predicting, that roofing contractors will take the opportunity to seek out ways to offer better educational opportunities to their roofing workers. Cross training is always a good thing, but in a season where your workforce must be reduced, you want to hold on tight to your best, brightest, and most versatile workers. 

I wish that the leaders of our country would recognize the value of trade workers, including roofers. I wish for more and better funding for career and technical education.

I wish for great success in the roofing industry’s participation in technical schools. I wish that every single roofing contractor in the country would reach out to their community high school and post-secondary trade school and offer curriculum, as well as help in instructing students about the roofing trade. 

I further wish that roofing contractors would join with the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) to help put roofing courses in technical schools all across the nation. The NRCA has the tools and course content to offer as well as good advice on how to interact with your local trade schools. 

I wish a fast recovery from the ravages of tropical weather in 2022 for all of my good friends and all the people of Florida. And for those roofing contractors who participate in the rebuilding, I hope they will find a way to build strong and resilient roof coverings according to or better than Florida’s strict codes. This will not be their last tropical storm season.

Last, but perhaps most important, I wish for all of you a year of safe roofing operations. My wish is really that every single roofing contractor and every single roofing worker would make this job number one each and every day. That is the only way to make this wish come true.