Building trust in the industry

By Emma Peterson. 

With almost 50 years of experience, RCAT continues to build programs to help contractors succeed.  

In this episode of Roofing Road Trips™, Megan Ellsworth spoke to Sarah Ramon, the executive director of the Roofing Contractors Association of Texas (RCAT). RCAT was founded almost 50 years ago by contractors in the Texas area. Their main goal is to amplify the voices of contractors in Texas by bringing them together. Sarah explained, “We want to promote ethics and education and the image of the Texas roofing industry through the action of our members.” 

One of the largest spaces they fill is in establishing regulations and standards in the Texas industry. For background, Sarah explained, “In Texas, roofing is not regulated by the state, meaning there's no licensure or insurance requirements here in Texas.” This creates an interesting market, and a somewhat difficult one to navigate as a consumer specifically due to a lack of quality assurance. This is where RCAT steps in with their Licensed Roofing Contractor program.  

This program has existed in different forms for decades but was revamped in 2014 to its current state. Sarah elaborated, “It is a voluntary self-regulation program, and the purpose of it is to really boost consumers' confidence that these contractors have gone above and beyond.” To do this, the program verifies that contractors carry insurance, pass an examination and maintain continuing education credits each year.  

Currently, RCAT has almost 400 participants in this program! For interested contractors, there are many opportunities to become a part of the program. Sarah explained that when they have the chance, like at their annual roofing expo happening September 11-13, 2024, they hold examinations for certification in person. As an extra incentive for contractors to go the extra mile, RCAT offers qualifying and participating members of the program free registration to all the other conference events.  

Read the transcript or Listen to the full podcast to learn more about RCAT and their Licensed Roofing Contractor program.