MARCO ISLAND, Fla. — Roofing Contractor’s 10th Best of Success was the biggest and most action-packed event yet. This year’s conference was held in Marco Island, Fla., Sept. 22-23, and the beautiful setting was the perfect complement to two days of intense seminars on topics designed to help contractors improve their businesses. Best of Success 2014 also set records for both registration and the number of live attendees. More than 400 roofing professionals registered to attend the conference and 373 were on hand for the education and networking opportunities, including the launch of a mentoring program that paired non-competing contractors from across the country. In addition to the live attendance, more than 300 people registered to view webinars of select sessions that were broadcast live over the Internet. The webinars will be available for three months on demand for free at the Best of Success website, www.bestofsuccessconference.com.
Roofing ContractorPublisher Jill Bloom reminisced about the creation of Best of Success as she welcomed attendees on the event’s 10th anniversary “It’s our goal each year to create an environment where contractors know this is the place to learn what they don’t get anywhere else,” she said. “We want to create an atmosphere where everyone is approachable and ideas are shared freely in the safest of places. We don’t want attendees to just leave with one idea, but relationships that will shape and change lives and businesses.”
This year’s topics included safety, motivating your sales team, lead generation, risk management, recruiting strategies, implementing a solar program, and many more. Speakers included experts such as Trent Cotney, a board certified construction lawyer with Trent Cotney, P.A., and Keven Yarbrough, who retired after a 25-year career with OSHA to form his own consulting firm, Yarbrough Safety Solutions. Jeff Moxley, an employee benefits advisor with Roofing Risk Advisors, was on hand to help business stay compliant with new federal health care requirements. Craig Brightup of the Brightup Group shared his predictions for the upcoming national election and how its outcome could affect the industry. Brian Pratt and Rob Foote of Frank H. Furman Inc. showed contractors how risk management could bolster their bottom line.
The majority of speakers were contractors themselves, who shared their strategies, insights and success stories with their peers. The lineup this year included contractors such as Richard Nugent of Nations Roof, Ken Kelly of Kelly Roofing, Larry Marshall of L. Marshall Roofing & Sheet Metal, Doug Lanier of Collis Roofing, Chris Zazo of Aspenmark Roofing, Anthony Schena of Schena Roofing, Tim Hershey of Thoroughbred Contractors, Rob Springer of Springer-Peterson, Gregg Wallick of Best Roofing, Rod Menzel of GreatWay Roofing, Steve Little and Tracey Donels of KPost Company, Gary Register and Lincoln Register of the J. Register Company, Wendy Zubillaga of PetersenDean Roofing & Solar, Andy Wray of Wray Roofing and Tim Leeper of Leeper Roofing.
Contactors were also eligible to win drawings for prizes from sponsors Black Rhino, Qualcraft and GripRite, as well a two-night getaway at the Marco Island Marriott and cash giveaways to mark the event’s 10th anniversary. Best of Success sponsors included 3M, ABC Supply, AccuLynx, Allied Building Products, APOC, BAK/Hapco, C.A.R.E., CertainTeed, DataForma, EagleView Technologies, Eagle Roofing Products, Equipter, FCS Control, GAF, Hunter Panels, IKO, PreSalesTracker.com, Royal Adhesives & Sealants, Roofing Supply Group, SRS Distribution, TAMKO Building Products, and the United Association of Storm Restoration Contractors.
“I’d like to thank our speakers, past and present, for taking the time to share their stories and helping us build our legacy over the past 10 years,” Bloom said. “And I’d like to issue a special thank you to all of our sponsors because none of this would have been possible without their support.”
For more details about the 2014 Best of Success conference and information on next year’s event, stay tuned for the December issue of Roofing Contractor and visit www.roofingcontractor.com. To view free Best of Success webinars on demand, visit www.bestofsuccessconference.com.
