When speaking with co-workers of Terry Tilson, senior construction manager for Advanced Roofing Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., they often refer to him as a “gentle giant”—a tall man intimidating in stature but with a softspoken and calm manner.
“He has a subtle way of getting his message across, but you want to be sure you listen the first time,” says David Baytosh, vice president of construction for Advanced Roofing. “He doesn’t raise his voice. I’m a little jealous of how he can stay calm.”
Tilson’s composure likely comes from his 45 years of experience in the roofing industry.
“When Terry interviewed with Advanced Roofing, I sat in, and right away, his experience stood out,” says Rob Kornahrens, CEO of Advanced Roofing. “You could tell he’s not a screamer or yeller. He’s a teacher. He demands respect in the right way, carries himself professionally and people like him.”
Tilson recently won the Best of the Best award during NRCA’s 136th Annual Convention and the 2023 International Roofing Expo® in Dallas. The Roofing Alliance’s MVP Task Force presented Tilson with the award, which is an extension of the Roofing Alliance’s Most Valuable Player Awards. The MVP Awards program celebrates workers who are outstanding employees within their companies and recognizes them for their excellent performance outside the workplace. OMG® Roofing Products Inc., Agawam, Mass., and Professional Roofing co-sponsor the honor.
“Terry Tilson was an ideal candidate for the MVP award,” says Reed Gooding, president of GSM Roofing, Ephrata, Pa., and MVP Task Force chairman. “With his decades of experience, leadership and passion for roofing, he is obviously an invaluable member of the Advanced Roofing team. And his charitable contributions and community service set him apart from the other candidates and showcase his commitment to having a positive effect on the world around him.”
A strong worker
Born in Sandusky, Ohio, Tilson’s family moved around the Midwest when he was growing up; they also lived in northeastern Tennessee and Tekamah, Neb. Tilson’s work ethic was instilled in him when he was young as he and his siblings worked various jobs to help their family.
“I raked leaves and mowed yards,” Tilson says. “I loved when it snowed. I would knock on doors and see if people wanted driveways or sidewalks shoveled. I was lucky to be in Tennessee and Nebraska where farmers needed help; I would help lay the irrigation pipe, pull weeds out of beans, haul hay, clean out pig pens—generally anything they needed help with.”
Tilson grew up with an older brother and sister, a younger brother and two younger sisters, and he and his older siblings took on the responsibility of finding work.
“I did whatever I could find to make money,” he says. “We rented a farmhouse from a farmer in Tennessee, and we would do chores for him that would help pay the rent. It always helped that I was bigger than most kids my age, so farmers would pick me because I was stronger and could work as well as the older kids.”
Outside of earning money, Tilson worked on cars and played sports. At high school in Tekamah, he played football and wrestled. He attended Dana College, Blair, Neb., for a year, wrestling while studying to become a history teacher and wrestling coach.
When Tilson was 19, he left college and decided to look for a job in roofing.
“I left to earn more money because teachers and coaches were not making as much as roofing workers,” he says.
Tilson found jobs were scarce in Omaha, Neb. He answered an ad for D.C. Taylor Co., Omaha, and was hired as a laborer.
“My pay started at $5 per hour, which was pretty good back then,” Tilson says. “I started working, and it just felt good. D.C. Taylor opened a division in Chicago and asked me if I wanted to go, so I moved to Chicago.”
After working for D.C. Taylor, Tilson got a job with Midland Engineering Co. Inc., South Bend, Ind., where he worked as a foreman and ran all the crews in Chicago. Tilson then moved to Clark Roofing Co., Broadview, Ill., as a construction manager and worked there for 17 years.
“After that, I worked for a year or two at CSR Roofing in Oak Park, Ill.,” he says. “It was a small company with great people, but things got slow in the winter. After Hurricane Wilma hit Florida, roofing companies were looking for workers, so my wife and I moved to Florida.”
Tilson worked for Best Roofing in Fort Lauderdale for 10 years before moving to Advanced Roofing, where he has been for about eight years, starting as construction manager and becoming senior construction manager.
Always learning
Tilson appreciates the experiences he has had at different companies during his career.
“The best thing about all the jobs is you learn from the good and the bad,” Tilson says. “If you do that, you can always better yourself.”
Tilson says he has worked to better himself since he started in the roofing industry.
“How you handle the younger generation now is a bit different than before,” Tilson says. “When I first started, if you didn’t hustle or move fast, you would get yelled at and called every name in the book, but you learned. When I became a foreman, I found out fast that yelling at someone isn’t going to make them work harder. It’s just going to make them mad, and they’ll slow down.
“So I changed my attitude regarding that,” he continues. “I’ve always tried to teach people and make them better. I want everyone on my crew to know how to do everything—including my job. It has been my philosophy to give back; I try to teach someone else what I know and also learn what I can from someone and incorporate that in what I do every day.”
Milagro Mautner, administrative assistant for Advanced Roofing’s construction department, says Tilson is an amazing teacher.
“He’s so knowledgeable and a great communicator,” Mautner says. “He comes from a place of peace and has a calming effect here. It’s amazing how much he knows about roofing and the patience he has to explain things, especially with how complex roofing can be. He takes the time and always has the perspective of someone who loves the trade and wants to teach it.”
Tilson says his calm demeanor is one of his strengths.
“I’m a big guy,” Tilson says. “When I was with Clark Roofing, the owner at the time and a former NRCA president, Mike Promen, was the first to tell me I should sit down when I talk to people because I’m too big and intimidating. I’ve taken that to heart and learned that even though I may be angry, I should lower my voice and stay calm.
“My biggest asset is I don’t yell and lose it,” he continues. “I can get my point across without doing that. Many times, you could be getting mad at people who have something going on in their personal lives—it has nothing to do with work but carries over to work.”
Tilson says having the patience to explain is part of his management style.
“I let the crew know what needs to be done and how it’s going to get done,” he says. “If you do a sloppy job, you make everyone in the company look bad, so I try to put everyone in my position so they can see what’s going on. I explain why I’m telling them what to do.”
Baytosh says Tilson leads by example.
“He’s not afraid to go out in the field, climb the ladder and help,” Baytosh says. “He’s certainly someone who can walk the walk, talk the talk and do the job when needed.”
Sharing knowledge
Tilson’s knowledge, leadership and calm demeanor were assets when he taught classes for the Associated Builders and Contractors Institute Apprenticeship Program, which allows apprentices to take classes and train while working for a roofing company. Advanced Roofing is partnered with ABC Institute, an approved apprenticeship program provider of the Florida Department of Education, Department of Labor and Department of Veteran Affairs Benefits Division, to increase the pool of skilled workers in south Florida. The program teaches construction basics and roofing knowledge.
“It is run like a high school, and you have a set schedule for the school year,” Tilson says. “I taught second- and third-year classes from 6:30-9:30 p.m. after work. Seven weeks of the year, we would do a Saturday four-hour ‘lab’ class, which was hands-on.”
Tilson enjoys sharing his knowledge with apprentices.
“The guys learn a lot,” he says. “When they don’t understand something at first, you then see the light bulb light up above their heads when they get it. I like teaching and helping people. Every trade needs to do that; the more workers know, the more comfortable they are in the job, and it is more likely they will stay in the industry.
“I always tell apprentices: You are learning a trade,” he continues. “Once you go through this program, you can go anywhere in the world and do this job. There is nothing but roofs out there.”
Tilson acknowledges the struggle of finding good people who want to work and learn a trade.
“I think it’s something everyone is facing,” Tilson says. “All of us older guys are retiring and there aren’t younger people stepping in, so I think there’s going to be a void there. It is going to be tough to get anything done. That’s why these apprenticeship programs are the way to go; you get in there and teach them, they’re actually learning, and hopefully, they take what you give them and run with it.”
Tilson’s talents also are shared during the annual Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County Construction Career Day, which offers children hands-on opportunities to learn about the trades.
“When I started here, David Baytosh asked if I wanted to help with Construction Career Day, so I participated,” Tilson says. “You have roofing professionals teaching the kids, letting them use torches and heat guns and getting them involved.
“The Boys & Girls Clubs organization is great because it’s for anybody,” he continues. “It really helps families. If the kids get off school and have nowhere to go because their parents work, they can go there and learn things. It’s a good program and keeps kids out of trouble.”
Woody Weatherford, a former construction manager for Advanced Roofing, says Tilson is in his element when working with the children.
“The look in his eyes when he shows the kids how to torch or heat weld is really amazing,” Weatherford says. “He’s always sharing his knowledge with others. With a rookie on the crew, he’s showing and teaching him how to do things the proper way. He’s always with the young guys trying to help them and make them better people in roofing and in their personal lives.”
Downtime
In his personal life, Tilson loves spending his free time with his family. His son, Cody, lives in Chicago with his wife, April, and Tilson’s grandson, Atlas. Tilson’s daughter, Brittany, and granddaughter, Malaya, live with Tilson and his wife of 44 years, Robin.
“I get to go to a lot of Malaya’s events at school,” he says. “She is into theater, so we go to downtown Fort Lauderdale and see shows.”
Tilson sees family and friends as being the focus after he retires.
“I met my wife in Nebraska,” Tilson says. “We went to high school together. When the time comes to retire, we’re thinking about moving back to Nebraska. I’ve been working my whole life, so I plan to relax. We have family back there and a lot of friends we grew up with.”
Tilson also plans to keep learning after he retires.
“If you’re not learning, you’re not living,” he says. “You can learn something every day. It’s all up to you.”
Until then, Tilson will keep working and learning in the industry he has served for more than four decades.
“I like roofing because you’re always in a different place,” he says. “You’re always moving.
“I also like being around the guys,” he continues. “You’re always trying to teach them but also having fun. If you’re not having fun, it’s not worth doing.”
Standout projects
Tilson appreciates the unique projects he has been able to contribute to during his career.
“I worked on the Ba’hai Temple in Evanston, Ill.,” he says. “The temple has a dome shape and little roofs around it, but there were thousands of little corners that went in and out, and it was a triple-reinforced modified bitumen membrane, so we had to put patches on all those little corners. But that project was more than roofing—it is such a cool building, and the garden around it is unbelievable.”
Tilson also recalls one of his most challenging projects, which was a condominium building in Miami Beach, Fla.
“The roof system was coal tar pitch, which wasn’t so bad, but we built a concrete patio in the middle of the roof, and there was a lot of different waterproofing underneath it,” he says. “The concrete company poured the concrete and did the rebar, then we needed to waterproof the concrete slab, lay tile and install coal tar pitch around it. We also had to put a glass railing around the whole patio. We were the general contractor for the project and ran all the trades. It was challenging, but when it was done, it was a beautiful roof.”
Working well with customers on such projects is key, and Tilson makes the effort to create a good customer experience.
“I’m easy to talk to,” he says. “I listen to their concerns and do what needs to be done. I keep them informed. Our foremen do that, but it’s always nice to have the construction manager do it, too. You should always take care of your customers, listen to them and take action on their concerns.”
Kornahrens says Tilson is excellent with customers.
“It all starts with the planning, and Terry has really adapted to our whole process—having a handoff meeting with the project manager, a pre-construction meeting with the owner, meeting the owner two times a week and asking if there is anything we can do,” Kornahrens says. “If everyone does that, it works well, and Terry follows that procedure. He makes sure we close out projects in a timely manner and ensures the customer is satisfied.”
Experience and dedication
Tilson says he has always had a desire to do all he can for people.
“If I have to go out of my way to help someone, I will,” he says. “It’s just the way I am. I have no problem teaching people—it benefits me and the company. The more people you teach when you are a supervisor, the easier everyone’s jobs will be.”
Baytosh praises Tilson’s dedication to his job.
“On Easter, we got a call from a customer at 7:30 p.m., and Terry was on the job site at 8 p.m. to attend to a leak,” he says. “He is dedicated, loyal and a true tradesman. He came up through the ranks and has earned and deserved every accolade he’s ever received. He shows commitment in and out of work, professionally and personally.”
Weatherford believes Tilson’s experience makes him stand out.
“Terry was always my go-to guy because he has so much knowledge and experience in the roofing business,” he says. “He’s seen and done it all.”
Kornahrens was at NRCA’s Awards Ceremony and Cocktail Reception when Tilson won the Best of the Best award.
“When they announced Terry as the Best of the Best winner, we all felt like we were at the Academy Awards,” he says. “His wife just started crying, and we were all hugging each other. We were so proud of him, and to be there with him myself was special.”
Tilson says his award is the result of the efforts of many.
“You get back here and everyone congratulates you, but one person can’t win this award,” he says. “I have a good company and good teammates—everybody here at Advanced Roofing and everyone I have ever worked with during my career. You learn from everything, the good and the bad, and I’ll keep doing that until I retire.”
KRISTA BERNS is an NRCA director of communications.
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