5 Lessons Learned in 2020

Commercial roof maintenance programs are a great way to expand your business and build long-term relationships with school facility managers. You may already be offering commercial roof maintenance services, or perhaps you're interested in branching out. Providing roof maintenance to K-12 schools and universities can be a good source of reliable, ongoing work. But you'll need to consider these facilities' nuances.Schools' Current Roof Maintenance ChallengesIn an educational environment, students' safety and comfort come first. Buildings must be secure and functional, and they must provide an atmosphere conducive to learning. Creating this environment starts with the roof, but this can easily be put off or forgotten about as many school facility managers focus on day-to-day maintenance issues. If students and teachers complain about a lack of hot water or classroom temperatures that are too hot or cold, facility managers swiftly address these issues.However, facility managers should prioritize regular roof maintenance in addition to addressing the most immediate facility concerns. Even something like a small leak from deferred roof maintenance can lead to much larger, and more costly repairs, creating headaches for everyone involved, that could have been avoided.The Value of Commercial Roof Maintenance ProgramsThe roof protects everything inside the school—from books and computers to shop equipment and musical instruments. If a roof leaks, many items could suffer damage. At the end of the day, ensuring a quality roof through regular maintenance not only protects everything inside the building, it can also help extend the life of the roof. Moreover, some roofing system manufacturers may require regular roof inspections to maintain warranties or guarantees. A roof maintenance program can meet this requirement, providing inspection records and evidence that any issues were addressed.How to Develop a Maintenance Program for SchoolsA commercial roof maintenance program for schools isn't much different from what you already do for other commercial buildings. And while regular maintenance inspections can be completed anytime, a neglected roof can often end up requiring repairs that need to align with the school's calendar to plan for minimal disruptions to the students. This can cause inconvenient delays, or date changes that could be avoided with regular inspections and maintenance.GAF Senior Product Manager Benjamin Runyan says that it's important to identify the manufacturer of the existing roofing system to ensure you are using compatible products that won't void the warranty or guarantee. "You want to be looking at this from a maintenance standpoint," says Runyan. "What does the roof look like? How was it built? How have they been maintaining it?"To start, Runyan recommends that you inspect the entire roof system and document its condition with photos and notes. Pay particular attention to the more vulnerable areas, such as seams, fasteners, flashings, edge metal, drains, and gutters. Look for cracks, missing roofing materials, evidence of ponding water, or of birds or other animals, and signs of moss or algae. An infrared scan of the roof can determine if any moisture is present and help pinpoint areas that need immediate attention.Your program should include basic tasks such as clearing debris from drains and gutters, removing leaves or branches, and making minor repairs where existing sealants are losing pliability or are showing signs of deterioration. If you identify larger concerns, you can document that with photos and provide an estimate for the repairs. Also, note how long the repairs should take and what products you'll use.Getting Started with SchoolsPreventative maintenance programs aren't just a benefit to the schools, they can also lead to other school roofing work including re-roofing opportunities. If you're ready to add school commercial maintenance programs to your business plan, GAF has the resources you need to get started. Runyan explains, "Your first step should be talking with your GAF Territory Manager as they will likely already have established relationships with school districts, colleges, roof consultants and architects in your service area."From commercial roofing system specifications to WellRoof® Guarantee Extensions, plus roof restoration options, GAF meets all your needs for stepping into the world of educational buildings.

Spirits were high at the second annual GAF Latinos in Roofing Expo, where more than 600 Latino roofing professionals gathered in Houston, Texas, for networking, business growth, and education seminars—all in Spanish. "To have a conference dedicated to Latinos, I love it," says Jorge Parada. "I'm sitting next to somebody that looks like me, that speaks the same language. It's a different experience from other conferences."Empowering Attendees at the Latinos in Roofing ExpoThe Latinos in Roofing Expo is one way GAF is working to level the playing field for Latino roofing professionals. Rather than take a one-size-fits-all approach, the expo provides education and resources that consider the Latino community's unique challenges. For example, industry experts taught classes in Spanish such as The Power of Latinos in Your Company's Culture, In-home Selling, Single Ply TPO, Coatings, and The Power of Content Creation for Roofing Companies.In addition to networking with other top-tier contractors, attendees received education in Spanish about the newest GAF contractor products, programs, and trainings designed to help roofers run—and grow—their companies. According to several attendees, these "culturally intended" business growth sessions, offered in Spanish, were one of the most valuable aspects of the conference.Many other conferences and training opportunities expect Latino roofing professionals to thrive with resources that cater to the non-Hispanic, English-speaking contractor community. In contrast, the Latinos in Roofing Expo empowered attendees through culturally intended offerings and shared language."The majority of these [Hispanic] contractors speak English, but it's also cultural. So, the way we do business has to feel culturally intended. Do business like Hispanics do business. Speak the language Hispanics speak," says Alan Lopez, GAF CARE training operations manager. Lopez has been a leading advocate for Latino roofing contractors at GAF and in the roofing industry as a whole.Improving Latino Roofers' Access to ResourcesMany Latino roofers have experienced disadvantages when rising in the roofing ranks because of language and/or cultural differences. For too long, the industry has pigeonholed Latinos into labor roles. As a result, Latinos are drastically underrepresented in roofing leadership, despite making up 57.7% of the roofing industry. Improving access to resources and cultural interactions is a sign of the roofing industry evolving."GAF is the front-runner in helping Latinos, because they have given us so many free resources and free seminars in Spanish," says conference attendee Junior Garcia, CEO. "They have allowed us to get to know what other [non-Hispanic] contractors already know." Some of the GAF culturally intended resources include:Spanish-language GAF website with the same user-friendly features as the English-language GAF website.Spanish-language GAF Document Library for Residential and Commercial GAF roofing products, including technical bulletins, warranty guarantees, data sheets, and more.Spanish-language GAF CARE trainings and resources, including business development courses, hands-on-trainings, and more—all taught with the needs of Latino contractors in mind.Spanish-language events, such as the 2023 GAF Latinos in Roofing Expo, designed to develop Hispanics in roofing leadership.Connecting with Latino ConsumersDeveloping Latino contractors also creates a powerful financial opportunity to serve Latino consumers. This benefits Hispanics in roofing and the roofing industry as a whole.Too often, Latino consumers are overlooked and underestimated. In fact, the Latino consumer base currently has unmet needs of more than $100 billion. Empowering Latino roofers to develop and grow as business leaders is one way to help bring change. "If you want to do business with the Latino community, you have to speak their language," says Hugo Saldaña, GAF territory manager in Houston, Texas.Speaking as a Latino professional in the roofing industry, Saldaña explains that people are at the heart of increasing a consumer base and growing contractor opportunities. "My parents preferred to do business with people who also spoke Spanish, their native language," says Saldaña. "Every day, when I go into work with these guys, it's like helping my dad or my mom. I think when you do that, and these guys know there's a caring relationship there, it goes a long way."Moving Towards the FutureLatinas in RoofingWhile the Latinos in Roofing Expo is a huge win, GAF and the roofing industry still have opportunities to grow. For example, GAF recognizes that female Latina roofing professionals may experience more challenges than their male counterparts. "There are a lot of challenges we [women roofing professionals] face, but there are opportunities for leadership. Now there are more resources and training and more opportunities to build our skills and build our knowledge, and be able to have the same opportunities as men," says Valeria Avila of Servi Express Roofing. GAF provides opportunities to empower women in roofing and recognizes the benefit of forming better bridges between women and the roofing industry.Resources for GrowthAlthough there is work to be done, the 2023 GAF Latinos in Roofing Expo is another step forward for the roofing industry. "Our company has done an amazing job—we now have a Spanish website and cater a lot to the Hispanic community, but there's still greater need," said Andres Beltran, a GAF CARE training manager based in Greenville, South Carolina.As the industry continues to evolve, Beltran encourages Latino roofers to connect with the free, Spanish-language training services and business development opportunities at GAF CARE Contractor Training Centers. "Whether it be from a marketing standpoint, financing, business development, leadership, insurance, and restoration—we can help Latino contractors to elevate their game," says Beltran.Learn more (in Spanish) about GAF resources and GAF certification opportunities today.

The GAF Roofing Academy is making a difference in the lives of its students and in local communities throughout the U.S. The program offers both classroom and on-the-roof training at no cost to participants, and whenever possible, the on-the-roof training portion helps provide roofs to those in need, working hand in hand with GAF's non-profit partners.As part of GAF Community Matters, GAF led a special initiative in the Gulf Coast region to help build resiliency following the devastating hurricanes that impacted families and communities. This was a perfect opportunity to offer a GAF Roofing Academy class in the area that would train community members, like Louisiana native Andre Henson, in essential roofing skills and contribute toward repairs and reroofs for affected homes. Additionally, the class was joined by acclaimed actor, and New Orleans native, Anthony Mackie to work alongside the students to help reroof a home in their communityWe had the chance to speak with Henson, who graduated with this special GAF Roofing Academy class, about his experience with the program, its impact on his life, and how giving back to a veteran in the Gulf Coast community affected him.Q&A with Andre HensonWhat was it like growing up in New Orleans?Growing up in New Orleans, everybody was close. All my family would stay right down the street from each other. I would see them every day, and we just had that relationship that was very tight-knit.I'm super blessed. My mom was in the military. We were down here probably a year before Katrina hit, and then we moved up to north Louisiana. She invested in real estate, so we were always just out at the houses cutting grass, fixing places, and we stayed active.What are some of the challenges you faced after being relocated by a storm?I'd say the biggest challenge was getting out there to meet new people and understanding different walks of life. People from Louisiana are different than people from Texas; people from Texas don't act like people from California. It's just getting used to different surroundings and interacting with different people.How did the storms that hit New Orleans affect your family?My mom's part of the family all came up to north Louisiana. It was just like a big family reunion. I had cousins that I didn't really know well, and now we were going to school together, so it was like the storms brought us closer together. That was the upside of the storms.They were out of their homes for about a year and a half. But my mom had real estate houses, so she put them in the houses and [told them] whenever you're ready to leave, you can leave.Why did you decide to take part in the GAF Roofing Academy?The reason why I decided to join the GAF Roofing Academy was because I wanted to find a new trade. I've done fitness, I've done construction, I've done demolition, but not roofing—roofing was new for me. I joined the class, and the instructors were very knowledgeable. I loved the course—he was very hands-on. That's what I really liked about the course.How does it feel to be able to give back to others affected by the storms through GAF Community Matters?It's an unforgettable feeling. [The homeowner is] a veteran, and my mom's a veteran, so I know the toll that takes on them. Having the community come out and reach out their hand—I know that he's going to sleep good at night knowing that his community cares about him.Were you surprised to see actor Anthony Mackie at the project?I was like, wow! He comes up, and I was thinking he's probably here for publicity, but he actually knows about roofing. His parents owned a roofing company, and he's been doing this since he was eight years old. He was up there teaching me some things I didn't know. I just got done with the class, and he's an expert. So, I'm just taking all the pointers he can give me.How do you think learning the skill of roofing will impact your future?I feel like it's a lifelong trade that I will forever know, and I'll be able to pass it down to my kids, my cousins, and my family members. My mom is in real estate, so if she has a roofing problem, I can go up there. I know how to [install] shingles. GAF has taught me a whole lot about everything I need to know.I am looking to start a career in roofing. I want to learn from the inside out how roofing works, and they are setting us up for interviews.Getting InvolvedWant to know more about how you can learn a new trade at the GAF Roofing Academy while supporting your community? Find training near you and sign up to take a class today.