There was no sophomore jinx at the 2005 Roofing Contractor Best of Success event, as the second annual conference held in the Dallas-Fort Worth area was, by all accounts, even better than last year's initial offering in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Nearly 200 contractors joined manufacturer sponsors and industry executives for the two-day educational conference, and a packed house was on hand to tap into the knowledge of industry experts.
Inspired and supported by our advertisers and readers like you, the parent of Roofing Contractor sponsored one of the more than 200 homes built in Michigan during Habitat for Humanity's 2005 Jimmy Carter Work Project (JCWP) this summer.
Business owners realize that a job well done can be the most valuable testament to a contractor's quality workmanship. A new roof that turns heads can be a billboard more effective than any advertisement, one that's visible to everyone who drives through the neighborhood.
With apprenticeship programs virtually nonexistent, the task of training and educating the guys pulling the mop and bending the panels is being fulfilled through a variety of venues, from contractors to distributors to manufacturers.
It's no secret that the Internet is becoming the leading research tool used by consumers. But did you know that it's also becoming a primary way consumers search for roofing professionals? New research from the Kelsey Group, a New Jersey-based consulting and research firm, shows that 70 percent of adults in the United States use the Internet as an information source when shopping locally for products and services, including residential roofing professionals.
My first introduction to the E-Myth came by way of roofing contractor Joel Thompson of Anthony Roofing, LTD. Roofing Contractor had the opportunity to spend some time visiting with Joel and his world-class roofing operation some six or seven years ago. After the reviews of the facilities and roofs and the interviews were over, Thompson handed me a book with a recommendation that I read it. The book was The E-Myth Manager by Michael Gerber.
Companies naturally seek efficiency in business operations as a matter of staying profitable and surviving. Efficiency is generally achieved by the automation of processes with machinery and equipment. It is important for business managers to remember, however, that safety is just as important to the success of your business, and that good safety practices can even contribute to your overall efficiency.
The metal roofing industry continues its forward march. Recent articles in Roofing Contractor authored by the Metal Roofing Alliance (a not-for-profit coalition of metal roofing manufacturers, paint companies, coil coaters, associations and contractors formed to introduce homeowners to the many value benefits of metal roofing) note that over the past seven years, the residential metal roofing market has grown at double-digit rates, doubling the market share from 3 percent to 6 percent. The MRA also cites a report from the Freedonia Group Inc., a Cleveland research firm, which predicts that the residential and commercial metal roofing market will grow 25 percent in five years-from $2.4 billion in 2003 to $3 billion in 2008. In other words, the firm estimates that metal roofing will make up at least 8.4 percent of the overall roofing market by 2008.
How long have you been in business? Diversified Roofing has been in business for 10 years. We started as an exteriors company until we came upon fairly new metal roofing
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