As a pragmatist and longtime believer that karma can – and often does – boomerang quickly, I wouldn’t dare call wrangling up this year’s class of Roofing Contractor’s Young Guns an easy feat. However, there is something to be said about the high interest this year in RC’s annual attempt to highlight those roofing professionals under the age of 40 that are making strides in their respective companies.
While it’s never been a struggle to find young, entrepreneurial types looking to make a name for themselves or garner a little extra attention for their respective roofing companies, nominations tend to trickle in slowly throughout the year. They also tend to crystalize once registration opens up for RC’s annual Best of Success conference, where we bring these young entrepreneurs together and offer a little added value to coincide with an already unique learning experience.
As last December’s event in Scottsdale, Ariz., approached, that typical trickle turned into a steady flow. Full disclosure: It wouldn’t have happened without the help of regular RC contributors Anna Anderson, CEO of Art Unlimited, and Ryan Groth, CEO of Sales Transformation Group. Their industrywide connections and continued commitment to help highlight some of the brightest minds, hardest workers and all-around rising stars in roofing remains invaluable.
Within minutes of posting a call-to-action to become a Young Gun on their various social media channels, the pair launched a cascade of inquiries from roofers in markets big and small. Not only does it speak to the power of their reach and ability to mobilize a network, but it showed how valuable a tool social media is for this and future generations of roofers.
Ultimately, 10 candidates made it out to Scottsdale, Ariz., for the 18th Best of Success. That’s the largest single class of Young Guns we've selected since launching the series a decade ago – so large that we’re going to split our coverage into two groups. We’re introducing the first group in this issue, and while this diverse collection of roofers represent different sectors of the business, come from various regions and have distinct backgrounds, the commonalities are profound.
Each has an undeniable entrepreneurial spirit and a demonstrated desire to improve personally and professionally. They all want to be successful at business, but also want to get there by doing things the right way, and staying laser-focused on serving their customers. While that’s reassuring, I left Scottsdale feeling more encouraged by their perspectives on the long-term. All five are passionate about changing perceptions of roofers both inside and outside the industry. Hopefully, this opportunity offers a platform to help.
For those that haven’t met these Young Guns yet, I’d encourage you to read on and get a glimpse of their shared drive to succeed and common belief that they are each part of something bigger than themselves by being in an evolving roofing industry. For those that do know them – whether a little, or a lot – you, too, should explore their profiles in this issue and hopefully pick up something you didn’t know about them or gain a different perspective on what makes them tick.
And look for features of the other Young Guns in upcoming editions of RC.
In the meantime, the effort to identify and nominate the next Young Guns class is underway. Will you or someone you know be next? Getting started is easy, just email me at aisnera@bnpmedia.com, and clear your calendar from Dec. 3-5 to join the best the roofing industry has to offer at Best of Success 2023 in Dallas. We’re heading back to the Star in Frisco, Texas, and are planning another memorable experience.
Art Aisner
Editor-In-Chief
Roofing Contractor/Roofing Supply Pro
