Ready to restart

At press time, several governors have presented phase-in plans to reopen many of their states’ businesses. Although roofing, in most places, has been considered an essential business, several NRCA members have noted a contraction in work as the economy was grinding to a halt.

But once more businesses open and the economy rebounds, the demand for roofing work—and roofing workers—will resume. As part of its ongoing effort to attract more workers to the industry while continuing to provide roofing contractors with valuable resources and information, NRCA has launched two new offerings that address both issues.

First, NRCA now has a Spanish translator on staff to help the association offer more Spanish-language resources. In April, NRCA launched a new Facebook page, Ruferos de los buenos, aimed toward the Spanish-speaking workforce. The page celebrates Latino culture while showcasing pride in the roofing industry, as well as shares important news related to COVID-19 and the roofing industry. Within days of its launch, it garnered more than 1,000 followers.

NRCA also is developing a Spanish-language section of its website that will include Spanish-language products, membership information, and training and educational offerings. Currently, there are 18 Spanish-language publications available in the NRCA Bookstore, and more are forthcoming. The popular Training for Roof Application Careers and NRCA ProCertification^® also are offered in Spanish.

In addition, NRCA has launched its new Workforce Recruitment section of its website, which features a recruitment toolkit to help contractors attract new workers to their companies. Resources within that section will include Spanish and English recruitment handouts and collateral; tips about how to talk to parents, guidance counselors and prospective workers; and sample customizable job descriptions.

No one knows when the U.S. (or the world) will return to what was once “normal” behavior and activity. But we do know roofs, roofing contractors and roofing workers always will be in demand. And NRCA is here to help.

Ambika Puniani Reid is editor of Professional Roofing and NRCA's vice president of communications and production.