It’s heartwarming to watch someone realize the praises an award presenter is sharing are actually about them. Roofing Contractor captured one such moment during the Midwest Roofing Contractors Association’s 2023 Conference & Expo.

The MRCA event, held Oct. 18-20 in Omaha, Neb., served as the venue for presenting annual awards to its members, including the James Q. McCawley Award. The award is the MRCA’s highest honor and has been given annually since 1969 to a roofing professional that demonstrates outstanding service to the industry over a long period of time.

“This year’s winner is the epitome of what is good in roofing and has spent the last 40-plus years of his career devoted to bettering our industry,” said Mark Langer, a member of the MRCA council, said of this year’s recipient.

In RC's video, the camera pans over to a table full of MRCA members, and as Langer explains how the award recipient began his career with Allied Building Products – where he worked in a warehouse during his first summer after freshman year of college and joined the firm as an outside sales representative after graduation – the recipient’s reaction is priceless.

“We honor not only an industry icon but also a cherished friend in Greg Bloom,” Langer said.

Bloom serves as vice president of national and strategic accounts at Beacon Building Supply. Allied, a once-stalwart building materials supplier based in the Northeast, was acquired by Beacon Building Supply in 2018.

“I am passionate about what I do; I am passionate about this industry,” he said upon receiving the award. “I am passionate about this association, and I’m passionate about all of you.”

View the McCawley Award presentation here.