It’s impressive what roofers do — professionally. 

Day in and day out, they’re hard at work managing people, tracking and meeting deadlines, and navigating an ever-evolving economic landscape where the conceptual simplicity of their work — providing shelter — is deemed essential but regularly underestimated and often underappreciated. 

That barely scrapes the surface of a roofing contractor’s daily challenges. Yet, I would be lax not to highlight what roofers also do philanthropically — year in, year out; it’s equally impressive (if not more so). And it comes into focus, particularly this time of year. 

Though it depends on the region, and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns have made that consistency more elusive, November’s onset typically heralds the conclusion of the roofing "season." While many roofers are now rightfully focused on how best to hold onto their workers through winter, the top ones also use this time to reflect on what went right — and not so right — and then consider what aspects of the business could use improvement.  

It’s also time for industry employers to give back to the public they dutifully serve. We RC editors are amazed yearly at the generosity roofers demonstrate as fall settles across America. While bighearted roofers impart their generosity year-round, there is a noticeable and steady increase in news releases, shared social media posts and related content — particularly toward military veterans and emergency first responders — as we head toward the holidays. 

Veterans Day and Thanksgiving, which act as November’s proverbial bookends, offer a focused perspective on our industry’s charitable largess. We feel honored to share the stories, reporting on ways the industry gives back to those who sacrifice so much for our freedom.

We can confidently say that the synergies between the roofing industry and our nation’s veterans remain strong and continue to grow. It also extends beyond roofing contractors who hire veterans, leaning into their work ethic, team-first mindset and operational skills. Distributors are making vocal statements through action: 

After reaching its five-year goal to hire 500 veterans a year early in 2022, SRS Distribution President and CEO Dan Tinker doubled down — pledging to hire 1,000 veterans through ongoing initiatives.

Beacon Building Products proudly promotes its more than 200 veterans on staff and will honor military veterans in need with a new roof as part of its Beacon of Hope program for the fifth consecutive year.

Last November, ABC Supply Co. Inc. announced it had hired more than 2,100 veterans since 2017; the company has added a veteran a day to its growing international distribution chain throughout 2022. 

ABC also made a multi-million dollar commitment to the nonprofit organization Homes for Our Troops, which builds and donates customized homes for severely injured veterans of post-9/11-era wars.

We’re proud to be part of that conversation, too. 

For the past few years, RC has intentionally highlighted the best stories about companies, individuals and communities giving back to veterans and first responders. We created a dedicated landing page on roofingcontractor.com called “Giving Back to America,” sharing how the roofing industry — at the contractor, distributor and manufacturer levels — started prioritizing veterans' benefits.

Happily, we can report that hiring attitudes toward those with military experience — and what they bring to the roofing industry (currently battling a workforce shortage) — have changed tremendously.

In our effort to help foster that continued evolution, RC remains steadfastly committed to highlighting companies helping veterans and first responders through philanthropy and specific recruitment initiatives to meet the industry’s continuing workforce challenges. 

That said, we’re only as good as our sources. So, this is our "Bat Signal" to readers: we want to hear about what’s happening. If your company has a veteran-related story or wants to highlight ways you’re giving back, send your ideas to aisnera@bnpmedia.com.