Best of Success 2016: Who Said It?

Marco Island, nestled along the cascading islands along Florida’s Gulf Coast, certainly has its share of beautiful sights and sounds. Palm trees, shell-covered shorelines and the swoosh of pelicans diving into the ocean for the fish inside immediately come to mind. But even with that picturesque backdrop around them, more than 400 roofing contractors and industry professionals gathered to learn business tactics, and a little more about each other at Best of Success 2016.  

Below is just a taste of the sounds inside and around the Marco Island Marriott during the two-day conference. If you were fortunate to be there, then enjoy this refreshing reminder, and if you didn’t get to participate this year, there’s still time to view some of the presentations from the roofing industry’s best on-demand by clicking here. But hurry, the sessions will close on Dec. 26.

They Said It

“Roofing is like cat-nip for a compliance officer.” — Keven Yarbrough, a former OSHA officer with more than 25 years of experience.

“The hunter is becoming the hunted!” — Jim Johnson, Head Coach of RoofCoachPro, when discussing the paradigm shift underway currently in the roofing industry as technology influences how roofers do business.

“My door is probably a little more open then it would be if I were male.” — Molly Mortensen, COO of NMC Exteriors & Remodeling, when describing her approach to building a strong team within her company.

“I met with one of our real competitors and we went out to dinner,” said Israel Elgamil, owner of Park Heights Roofing Inc. in Baltimore. “I learned that we both do things the right way and now we both have a new respect for one another.”

“It all has to do with manpower. That’s the bottleneck.” Dennis Conway, NRCA Chairman, on the biggest issue he believes facing roofing contractors today: workforce.

“We are witnessing the slow-motion implosion of Obamacare,” Craig Brightup, of the Brightup Group, on what’s changing on Capitol Hill. 

“It’s by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done as a business owner, or leader,” said KPost President and Head Coach Steve Little about managing the company in the wake of his protégé Brent McFarlin’s unexpected death. “The emotion of the situation is so overwhelming that if you don’t have a playbook, you’re in trouble.”

In Thanks

I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank all of the sponsors that help make Best of Success happen.

ABC Supply Co., Inc.; Allied Building Products; American Weatherstar, APOC, Beacon Roofing Supply; Center for the Advancement of Roofing Excellence (CARE); CertainTeed Roofing; Copper Cat; Dataforma; DCI Products; Duro-Last; EagleView Technologies; Equipter, FollowUp Power, FCS Commercial Roofing Software; FiberTite; FollowUp Power; GAF, Hapco; IKO; Johns Manville; Karnak Corp.; Malarkey Roofing Products; Owens Corning; Polyglass; PulseM; Royal Adhesives & Sealants; SRS Distribution; Stealth Bond; TAMKO Building Products; Titanium Synthetic Roofing Underlayment; Tropical Roofing Products.

Take in the sights of Best of Success 2016 here and see the highlights in our latest video.

I hope you’ll join us next year in Tucson, Ariz. for Best of Success 2017, on Sept. 18-19.