The Midwest Roofing Contractors Association (MRCA) issued its prestigious James Q. McCawley Award to roofing industry veteran Bob Pope, MRCA associate managing director, during a special ceremony on the first day of the 2024 MRCA Conference and Expo in St. Paul, Minn.

The capstone award was presented on Monday by 2023 winner Greg Bloom of Beacon Building Products, who was accompanied to the dais by other former McCawley Award recipients. Bloom opened his remarks by providing the backstory of the award before introducing this year’s awardee.

“The James Q. McCawley Award was established in 1969 to honor a man who was deeply devoted to the roofing industry,” Bloom said. “James held a card in the carpenters’ union and worked as a roofing mechanic. He went into business for himself first as a building contractor, and then as a roofing contractor. He was a member of President Roosevelt’s Construction Industry Council and a member of the U.S. Labor Department’s Federal Apprenticeship Committee.”

McCawley passed away in February 1969, and the MRCA established an eponymously named award for an individual worthy of it.

“In 2015, Bob Pope was hired to administer the Midwest Roofing Contractors Association as a longtime advocate for the industry,” Bloom said. “Bob was a key factor in mending fences and setting MRCA on the path to being an effective industry organization by facilitating strategic organizational relationships."

He noted that when Pope was hired, economic stress in the early 2000s had significantly impacted the association. Pope led the effort to distill the association's accounting to reflect its financial health. 

“He worked closely with the board and the executive committee to complete a strategic business plan for member benefits and programming,” Bloom said. “The planning was effective, and now the MRCA continues to grow and is financially stable.”

Since 2015, Pope has served as staff liaison to the MRCA’s Technical and Research Committee, which Bloom said has historically been the “core of the MRCA.” Pope was also praised for working closely with committee members, consultants, and national staff, which yielded continued success for the organization.

“These are all stellar accomplishments in their own right,” Bloom said, “but if you talk to anyone who has interacted with Bob Pope, professionally or personally, his lengthy career of achievements is not what they are struck by. 

“What is striking about Bob is his way with people and his dedication to people; the relationships that he has built and cultivated over the past 50 years of his professional life are what has made Bob a success,” Bloom concluded, giving Pope his award.

Pope said he was honored to join the ranks of the people who have previously won the award. 

"This award means a lot to me. What an industry award to be presented," he said, then adding with a laugh, "I've known a lot of [the previous awardees] all my career and a lot of them are troublemakers and got me in trouble, but great guys. It's a great industry.

"Very surprised, but very humbled," he said.