By Emma Peterson.

Experts explore why siding has become an attractive growth market for roofing contractors and how training programs are removing barriers to entry.

As markets remain competitive and differentiation becomes more important, many contractors are looking for ways to expand their offerings. Why? Not only do diverse offerings create multiple paths of income for a business, having a wide portfolio can help you stand out to home and business owners!

One of the easiest ways for roofers in particular to expand their offerings is to add siding. To learn about why this is a good market for roofing contractors to expand into and to explore the different training opportunities available to help get your crew up to speed in a new market, we hosted Josh Wilens, Alex Birnbaum and Kristina Hill on an episode of Coffee Conversations all about how “siding is becoming a key part of how contractors build stronger customer relationships and grow project value.”

Siding is a great opportunity for roofers. Not only does it allow you to present yourself as a complete exterior solution provider, but it is also a fun challenge for your crew. Kristina reflected on the process of adding siding into her business, HomeShield Roofing & Exteriors:

Siding has been a bit of a pain point for us with finding good team members that fit the way that we like to do things. We've fired many subcontractors because of quality of product, ability to take feedback, etc. But we keep at it not just because it’s a great market opportunity but when you can find team members to add in your pocket that do things the way you do, it is such a fun thing.

And one of the best ways to create those teams that make expansion more than just a logistical choice is to train them. Alex, who is a senior director at QXO explained, “The biggest barrier that we see is people don't get into siding because they're concerned about learning how to do installation or finding that reliable team.”

In response to this pattern, QXO has made it a priority to make comprehensive training programs available to contractors all over the country. Josh explained, “This year alone we've run four trainings focused on siding at various hot markets around the country with one of our vinyl suppliers. And the way we developed these trainings is to be helpful for all audiences. We’re focused on expanding awareness and making sure that everyone feels confident, whether that’s an in-house crew or a subcontracting one.”

The result of these trainings? Attendees leave with more than just product knowledge, they leave with hands-on experience and a familiarity with the product that gives them the confidence they need to start installing siding in the field. In other words, they become those ideal crews that Kristina noted help make the expansion of siding not just a good business prospect but a fun challenge.

Listen to the whole episode or Watch the recording to learn more!

By Emma Peterson. 

As TPO and PVC continue to gain market share across commercial roofing, BITEC® is expanding its offerings with Stronghold™ single-ply solutions designed for long-term protection. 

Thermoplastic Polyolefin (TPO) and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) are two common types of low-slope roofing systems. Both are single-ply, a name that refers to the single waterproof layer used in these systems. To learn more about TPO and PVC systems, we hosted Shane Millwood of BITEC® for an episode of Roofing Road Trips®. 

Prior to coming into his current work with BITEC®’s single-ply systems, Shane spent most of his career working with multi-ply products. He explained, “When I came into this roofing industry, I was multi-ply only, but I didn’t realize how much single-ply work there was...I heard some numbers at the end of last year saying that there's about 2 billion square feet of TPO done in a year and about 500 million square feet of PVC done.”  

And industry demand keeps growing for these systems. As Shane put it, “Single-ply roofing has become the primary roofing system for low-slope roofs.” It’s this growing demand that motivated the BITEC® team to develop their newest line of products – Stronghold™.  

Within this line, BITEC® has both TPO solutions and PVC products*. In our conversation with Shane, he dove into these two systems and when they shine as the best solution:  

• TPO: TPO tends to be the lowest-cost product to install as well as one of the easiest to install. In Shane’s words, “TPO is good for a lot of things, but tends to not handle foot traffic great. So, one scenario we see it used in is when you need to cover a large building, like a warehouse, and the primary need is weather resistance, not puncture.”  
• PVC: Alternatively, PVC roofs are a great option for areas that need the extra durability they can’t get from something like TPO. As Shane put it, “PVC is a more durable product to certain things like grease and foot traffic. So, we’ll see it get used on things like fast food restaurants and such.”  
  • Note: In this line, BITEC® also provides a Ketone Ethylene Ester (KEE) system, which is a blend of KEE and PVC. In Shane’s words, “KEE, which is also a PVC product, is like PVC on steroids. It's going to be very long lasting and great for the harshest rooftop conditions.” 

Overall, BITEC®’s Stronghold™ single plies are great examples of the high-performance single-ply systems that have been growing in popularity in today’s roofing market.  

Want to learn more about Stronghold™? Listen to the podcast, Watch the recording or visit BITEC®’s website!  

By Jesse Sanchez. 

Presenting financing options early can reduce sticker shock and improve closing rates. 

Roofing contractors are working in a market where homeowners are paying closer attention to how they manage large expenses. With interest rates elevated, inflation influencing household budgets and insurance deductibles increasing, many customers are actively seeking flexible solutions that make major projects more manageable. Speaking on this episode of Roofing Road Trips®, Jon Abernathy of TAMKO argues that financing* should no longer be treated as a backup plan. Instead, it should be introduced at the very start of the sales conversation. should no longer be treated as a backup plan. Instead, it should be introduced at the very start of the sales conversation. 

Jon said the timing of the financing discussion often determines whether a deal moves forward. When contractors open with a full project total, homeowners can disengage before they fully understand what is possible. To avoid that reaction, he recommends leading with structured payment options instead of a lump-sum figure. Framing the conversation this way, he explained, shifts the focus from sticker shock to affordability and flexibility, keeping homeowners engaged in the decision-making process. 

Jon pointed to his own experience as a former multi-location roofing contractor. When his company formally introduced financing and trained its team to present it consistently, the results were immediate. “I know the first year that we introduced financing was actually back in like, I think 2015 and we were going to train on it that year. We grew the business 30% and that 30% was because of financing,” Jon said. He attributes that growth to a simple shift in approach. Rather than opening with a lump-sum number, he recommends offering structured options upfront. 

Stressing that financing should be offered on every job, whether insurance-driven or retail, Jon said consistency is critical to making the strategy work. “I always, always, always offered it on every deal. Whether it was insurance, retail, it didn’t matter. Every single time it was offered,” he said. If a homeowner ultimately prefers to pay cash, that conversation can follow a complete inspection and scope review. By that stage, the contractor has built trust, clarified the scope and positioned financing as an option rather than a last-minute tactic. 

As deductibles increase and unexpected roof replacements become more common, financing provides a practical path forward. Contractors who build it into their standard sales process, Jon said, are better positioned to close more deals in a challenging market. 

* For informational purposes only — not legal, financial, lending, or compliance advice. No guaranteed results. Financing examples are illustrative only; terms and disclosure requirements vary by lender, state, and applicable law (including TILA). Consult qualified advisors before acting. 

Listen to the entire podcast to learn more about financing strategies for roofing contractors! 

By The Coffee Shops®. 

Aligning roof solutions with performance goals, service life expectations and future building needs. 

As Roof Hugger celebrates its 35th anniversary, President Dale Nelson joined Heidi J. Ellsworth on an episode of Roofing Road Trips®, to discuss a practical question contractors face every day: How do you determine the right solution for an aging metal roof? According to Dale, the answer starts with understanding what the building owner hopes to accomplish.  

 Heidi J. Ellsworth noted that one common proposal is a roof coating, pointing out that contractors often encounter owners looking for maintenance, aesthetic improvements or short-term life extension. According to Dale, coatings have a place in the market but said it is important to understand their intended purpose. “A roof coating is intended to extend the life of the surface of whatever it is coating,” he explained. “It is not a waterproofing material.” 

Coatings can be effective when an existing roof remains in good condition and has been properly prepared. However, roofs experiencing leaking end or side laps, corrosion or other significant deterioration may require a different approach. 

For those situations, Dale highlighted the advantages of retrofitting. Rather than simply treating the existing surface, a retrofit system adds a new roof assembly over the old one while preserving operations inside the building. 

“When we retrofit, we're putting a new substructure down over the top,” Dale said. “We are actually bringing the building up to the current building code.” 

That approach can create benefits beyond weather protection. Dale explained that retrofit systems can accommodate additional insulation, improve energy efficiency and support long-term building goals. He also pointed to standing seam metal roofing as “the ideal platform for photovoltaics,” allowing future solar installations without roof penetrations. 

Ultimately, success begins by asking building owners the right questions and understanding their expectations before recommending a solution. Dale encouraged contractors to focus on long-term outcomes rather than just initial costs when talking with building owners about the available options. 

Listen to the podcast or Watch the recording to learn more about metal roof retrofit solutions. 

By Emma Peterson. 

By focusing on culture in addition to compliance, Tremco aims to strengthen safety practices across the industry. 

At Tremco, September is not just Hispanic Heritage month or Suicide Prevention month – it's also Safety Month! Recently, we brought Ro Lewis, vice president of HS&E for Tremco CPG Field Services, and Tony Kotnik, assistant director of field safety, onto an episode of Roofing Road Trips® to talk about Safety Month and how to build a true safety culture. 

Tony started the discussion with an explanation of what Tremco’s Safety Month is:  

Safety in our industry has come a long way. We're really proud of where we've gotten to, but we also understand that the journey does not end here and Safety Month is an initiative to keep us moving forward. Our slogan is Own it. Live it. Lead it. And what we mean by that is that safety is a responsibility of us all. Every person is important and should be both valued and cared for, and at the same time they have a voice in making the safe work possible. 

And when Tremco says safe work, they don’t just mean being compliant with regulatory bodies like OSHA. No, to their team, safety goes further than that. Ro explained, “Compliance in my estimation is basically the floor, it’s the starting point not the destination. True safety goes beyond that and into the culture of an organization. It’s all the stuff that happens when nobody's watching.” He went on, adding an example of what he’s talking about, saying, “True safety culture is when one employee says to another employee, ‘Hey, I need you to tie off,’ and that person hears it, sees it as somebody looking out for them as opposed to someone standing over them.” 

By encouraging individuals and organizations to create cultures where this scenario plays out, where people own, live and lead with safety in mind, Tremco hopes to help the entire industry move forward. As Tony put it, “The goal of Safety Month is to strengthen ownership across our teams, contractor partners and industry relationships.”  

Listen to the whole episode or Watch the recording to learn more about Tremco’s Safety Month initiative!  

Por Jessica Bravo. 

Conoce por qué entender las finanzas de tu negocio puede ayudarte a tomar mejores decisiones y construir una empresa más rentable. 

En este episodio de Almuerzo y Aprendizaje, Jessica Bravo conversa con Guille Cuspian de Advosy sobre los fundamentos de las finanzas empresariales y por qué comprender los números de tu negocio es esencial para tomar mejores decisiones. Desde la diferencia entre ingresos, gastos y utilidades hasta la interpretación de los estados financieros más importantes, Guille comparte conceptos básicos de manera sencilla y práctica para ayudar a los contratistas a fortalecer la salud financiera de sus empresas.  

En una industria que cambia constantemente, mantener una buena salud financiera es más importante que nunca. Para lograrlo, Guille enfatiza que "hay que tener la capacidad de tomar decisiones financieras claras, no hacer gastos innecesarios y planear cada una de las inversiones para el desarrollo y crecimiento de la compañía".  

Ninguna empresa puede alcanzar el éxito a largo plazo sin un plan financiero sólido. Conocer cuánto dinero entra y sale del negocio, así como comprender el papel que desempeña cada número, permite tomar decisiones más inteligentes y evitar errores costosos. Según Guille, "tenemos que hacer proyecciones de ventas. Tenemos que basarnos en lo que queremos, pero también en la realidad". Además, explica que "hay información que hay que analizar y esa información nos cuenta cómo estamos financieramente y cómo vamos a estar a futuro".  

Uno de los mensajes más valiosos de esta conversación es que los números representan mucho más que cifras en una hoja de cálculo. Son herramientas que ayudan a entender el presente y planificar el futuro. Como señala Guille, "Los números te cuentan una historia, y esa historia te cuenta las historias presentes y futuras".  

Más allá de aprender conceptos financieros, esta sesión invita a los dueños de empresas a pensar estratégicamente sobre el crecimiento de sus negocios. Guille lo resume de manera sencilla, "Uno crea una compañía para que siga creciendo, se desarrolle y se mantenga funcionando en el transcurso del tiempo".  

Mira el episodio completo para aprender por qué conocer los números de tu empresa de roofing es fundamental para lograr una operación rentable, tomar mejores decisiones y construir un negocio preparado para el futuro.

New associates to lead coastal carolina and Alabama, Mississippi, panhandle Florida territories

Low-slope roofing manufacturer MuleHide has hired two new territory managers. Tyson Britsch will lead the Coastal Carolina territory, which includes Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Wilmington and Fayetteville in North Carolina and Charleston, Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head Island in South Carolina. Jake Goodin will head the Alabama, Mississippi, panhandle Florida territory.

They are the company’s lead contact with customers in their territories. Their responsibilities include helping ensure that projects are completed efficiently and according to specification, working with contractors and ABC Supply Co. Inc. branch teams to develop the best solutions to meet property owners’ roofing needs and providing ongoing product, technical and sales training for contractors and ABC Supply associates.

Tyson Britsch

Britsch comes to MuleHide from TRUFAST, where he was a technical sales representative serving the Carolinas, Georgia and the Mid-South region.

“Tyson is passionate about delivering exceptional service and helping contractors find the right solution for each project,” said Mid-South Region Director John Pantesco. “He builds strong relationships with contractors, building owners and colleagues and earns high marks for his ability to help identify and fix issues on the roof. We are delighted to welcome him to the team.”

Britsch has a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in sales and service marketing from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio.

Jake Goodin

Goodin has 20 years of outside sales experience, including nine years in the roofing industry. He worked for ABC Supply as the steep-slope business manager for the Southeast region. He started in the roofing industry as a regional sales manager with Mid-States Asphalt, covering Florida and Georgia.

“Jake understands that roofing is a relationship business,” said Matt Bost, regional director for the Southeast. “He has formed lasting partnerships with contractors and ABC Supply associates throughout the territory and region, strengthening existing relationships and establishing new ones. We’re excited to have him build on that success as part of the MuleHide team.” Goodwin has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Southern Mississippi.

About MuleHide

MuleHide offers premium-quality, high-performance roofing products and systems that meet the current and emerging needs of the design community, contractors and building owners with a strong focus on sustainable solutions. More information is available at mulehide.com and on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

By ScopeTechnologies®

Why the monthly fee, not the report price, is where roofing software really costs you and how to right-size your stack before peak season is over. 

Pull up your last software invoice and ask yourself one honest question: how many of the features you're paying for did you actually open this month? 

For a lot of roofing shops, the answer is uncomfortable. The all-in-one platform pitch keeps getting bigger and pricier, CRM, proposals, payments, measurements, scheduling, all bundled, all billed monthly whether you touch them or not. For some operations that's a great fit. For plenty of others, it's a subscription they're a little afraid to cancel, quietly draining margin on capabilities they've never used. 

The sticker price you watch is usually the per-report cost. But the number that actually decides what your software costs is the monthly fee ,  and that's the one that's easiest to stop noticing. 

Two ways the monthly fee gets you 

The trap shows up in two forms and the second one surprises people. 

The bundle you half-use. All-in-one platforms are sold on the promise that everything lives in one place. The pricing follows a land-and-expand model: get you in at one tier, then layer on features and seats until the monthly number is substantial. The problem isn't that the features are bad. It's that you pay for all of them every month and use a fraction. The unused ones don't roll over, don't refund and don't come back, they simply expire at the end of every billing cycle. 

The "cheap report" with a hidden monthly cost. This is the sneaky one. A provider advertises a low per-report price to win the click, but to actually get that price you're enrolled in a monthly subscription or platform fee. Add the fee back in and the "cheap" report isn't cheap at all, especially in a slower month when you order fewer reports but the fee hits the same. Cheap reports can carry a hidden cost, and it's sitting in the monthly line you stopped reading. 

Either way, the damage is the same: you're paying every month for value you may never use, and the money is gone whether you used it or not. 

The cost-per-used-feature audit 

Here's a five-minute exercise that cuts through the marketing. 

1. List every feature your platform charges you for. 
2. Mark the ones you actually use in a normal week. 
3. Divide your total monthly spend by the number of features you genuinely use. 

That last number, your real cost per used feature, is almost always higher than you expect. A shop paying for a ten-tool bundle and living in three of them is paying triple the effective rate it thinks it is. Run the same math on a "cheap report" plan: take the monthly fee, divide it across the reports you ordered that month, add it to the per-report price and look at the true landed cost. Slow months make that number ugly. 

The point isn't that software is bad. It's that you should know your effective cost before you renew, not the sticker, the real one. 

When all-in-one makes sense and when it doesn't 

To be fair: bundles fit some shops. If you genuinely run your whole operation inside one platform, a real CRM, proposals, payments, the works, and you use most of it most of the time, the all-in-one math can work in your favor. There's real value in one login and one system of record when you're actually using the whole system. 

But for a lot of contractors, modular beats monolithic. You already have a CRM you like, a way you bid, a supplier you order from. What you actually need is the accurate measurement that feeds all of it, not a second platform asking you to rebuild your whole workflow inside it and pay monthly for the privilege. For those shops, the bundle isn't a convenience. It's a tax on features you don't use. 

A plan where every dollar goes to work 

This is where RoofScope is built differently, and it comes down to one principle: your money should go toward the measurements you actually use ,  never toward features that expire. 

You can order reports as you need them, no strings. Or you can choose a RoofScope plan and here's what makes the plan honest: 

• Every dollar you spend on the plan is applied directly to the cost of your reports. It's not a platform fee you pay on top of the work, it is the work. Your spend buys measurements, not the right to keep using the software. 
• Your balance rolls over if you don't spend it. Have a slow month? 
• The money doesn't evaporate at the end of the cycle the way a bundle's unused features do. It's still there when the next storm rolls through and you're busy again. 
• Plans come with up to a 17% discount on reports. You're not paying more for a subscription, you're paying less per report than you would one at a time. 
• All the features are included. RoofScope+ upgrades (Roof + Gutter), Rush Orders, ProDocs and the ProData Report come with the plan , not as à-la-carte line items that quietly inflate the monthly number. 

Read those four together and the model flips. A typical subscription asks you to pay monthly and hope you use enough to justify it. A RoofScope plan turns the same dollars into discounted, rolled-over, fully-featured measurements you were going to buy anyway. There's no "use it or lose it." There's no platform tax. There's no penalty for a quiet month. You keep the tools you already run, plug in the accurate measurement, and every dollar you commit comes back to you as work product. 

Right-size your stack before peak season is over 

Peak season is the worst time to discover you're overpaying, because that's when you're too busy to look. Do it now, before the calendar fills up: 

• Run the cost-per-used-feature audit on every tool you pay for monthly. 
• Cancel or downgrade anything you're renting but not using weekly. 
• For any "low per-report" provider, add the monthly fee back in and recalculate your true landed cost per report. 
• Decide what genuinely needs to be a platform versus what just needs to be accurate and portable, and make sure your measurement spend is money applied to work, not money that expires. 

Every unused subscription dollar is pure margin walking out the door. Going into your busiest, most profitable stretch, that's the easiest money you'll ever recover. 

The bottom line 

The all-in-one pitch will keep getting bigger, and the "cheap report" offers will keep burying a monthly fee in the fine print. You don't have to play either game. Pay for the accurate measurement, plug it into the tools you already run, and if a plan makes sense for your volume, choose one where every dollar is applied to reports, rolls over when you don't use it and brings the features along for free. 

Stop renting features you don't use.

See what accurate, pay-as-you-go reports, or a plan where every dollar goes straight to your reports, actually cost on your next job. 

Try RoofScope free and right-size your stack before peak season. 

Landmark PWR provides contractors and builders with a streamlined and scalable solution while delivering a sleek, low-profile aesthetic homeowners increasingly seek.

CertainTeed, a leading North American manufacturer of sustainable building materials and a pioneer in integrated solar roofing solutions, today announced the launch of the Landmark® PWR™ system, a next-generation solar roofing system designed to make integrated solar easier to install, easier to service and more affordable. Built on the trusted Landmark roofing portfolio, a legacy known for reliability, durability and ease of installation, the Landmark PWR system combines durable roof protection with renewable energy generation in a single integrated solution.

The product will make its official industry debut at the Western Roofing Expo in Las Vegas, where attendees can see the solution firsthand at the CertainTeed booth #333. The product further strengthens CertainTeed's comprehensive portfolio of roofing and solar solutions, providing contractors and builders with a differentiated, integrated offering that helps expand their business opportunities and meet growing demand for energy-ready homes. For the first time, building-integrated solar is price-competitive with a re-roof plus traditional solar panels. The system enables homeowners to take control of rising utility rates, lower their monthly bills and gain protection from grid instability, especially when paired with a home battery solution.

"The Landmark PWR solar roof represents the next evolution of our integrated roofing and solar strategy," added Andrew Wickham, director of product management. "As homeowner demand for energy-focused solutions continues to grow, contractors and builders need products that help them differentiate their offerings while simplifying the path to solar adoption. With our broad portfolio of roofing, solar and future-ready energy solutions, CertainTeed is uniquely positioned to help customers deliver high-performance, integrated systems that combine protection, energy generation and long-term value."

Landmark PWR provides contractors and builders with a streamlined and scalable solution while delivering a sleek, low-profile aesthetic homeowners increasingly seek. Simplified project design and coordination make installation easier for crews, while the flexibility of surrounding roofing materials allows homeowners to customize the system to their aesthetic and performance preferences.

Key benefits & features Include:

• An innovative 85W shingle with single shingle removability
• Class A fire rating
• Class 3 hail/impact rating
• Compatible with a variety of roofing materials around the solar array perimeter
• Compatible with a selection of module-level electronics (MLPE) solutions
• Backed by CertainTeed’s industry-leading 25-year warranty

"At CertainTeed, we're committed to advancing residential resilience through innovative building solutions," Wickham added. "With Landmark PWR, we're making it easier than ever for homeowners to invest in a roof that not only protects their home but also powers it."

About CertainTeed

With innovative building solutions made possible through its comprehensive offering of interior and exterior products, CertainTeed is transforming how the industry builds. As leaders in building science and sustainable construction, CertainTeed makes it easier than ever to create highperformance, energy-efficient places to live, work and play, so that together we can make the world a better home.  A subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, one of the world's largest and oldest building products companies, CertainTeed has more than 6,900 employees and more than 60 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and Canada. www.certainteed.com  

About Saint-Gobain

Worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction, Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and services adapted to the residential, non-residential and infrastructure markets. Its integrated and innovative solutions provide sustainability, performance and wellbeing for its customers. The Group is guided by its purpose “MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER HOME”. €46.5 billion in sales in 2025 More than 162,000 employees, locations in 80 countries Committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050

By The Coffee Shop®. 

Learn the proper method for measuring faced rigid cellular polyisocyanurate insulation and checking thickness. 

Accurate thickness measurements are essential when verifying faced rigid cellular polyisocyanurate, commonly called polyiso, insulation. According to this article by Hunter Panels, standard specification for faced rigid cellular polyiso allows thickness variation within plus or minus 1/8 inch. However, obtaining a reliable result depends on proper sample preparation and measurement locations. 

Measuring along the board’s outer edge does not provide an accurate or ASTM-compliant result. Instead, begin by cutting the board through the middle of its 4-foot dimension, creating two sections that each measure 2 feet by 8 feet. Avoid using a razor knife because the measurement cut should be clean and smooth enough to expose a true cross-section of the foam. A caliper is the preferred tool for measuring the sample. 

Next, take six thickness measurements to account for natural variations across the board’s surface. Begin each reading at least 1 to 2 inches from the edge and continue taking measurements approximately every 2 feet. One of the six readings should be taken at the center of the board. 

Once all six readings have been recorded, add them together and divide the total by six. This calculation provides the board’s average thickness, which can then be compared with the manufacturer’s stated product thickness. 

For the insulation to meet ASTM C1289 requirements, the final average must fall within plus or minus 1/8 inch of the labeled thickness. Following a consistent process that includes a clean cut, properly spaced readings and an accurate average help ensure the result represents the board rather than an isolated edge condition. 

Hunter Panels recommends following these same measurement principles. Their technical services team is also available to provide additional guidance and support. 

Learn more about properly measuring polyiso insulation in accordance with ASTM C1289.