Empowering roofing contractors with training

By Emma Peterson. 

Whether it’s a formal class or a message to an expert for advice, training is key to success. 

In an episode of Roofing Road Trips®, Heidi J. Ellsworth met with Kyle Stavish and Chris Kuykendall of Mule-Hide about training needs in the coatings industry and what options are available for contractors. Kyle has worked with Mule-Hide for almost six years and is their national training and business development manager. Chris is a territory manager in Texas, with extensive experience across the contracting and coatings industries.  

Mule-Hide is dedicated to building a stronger industry via these trainings. Kyle explained, “We're very, very well-rounded in being able to train new people, being able to train existing people again and always make sure that we're at the forefront of training.” Elaborating on his point, Chris explained the importance of relationships in their training methodology. He said, “Mule-Hide view our team as a resource, as a relationship that's going to help them improve.”  

This type of training is key to giving contractors the confidence they need to succeed. Chris recalled, “When you're trying to grow your business, especially in an economy like ours it's daunting. It can be overwhelming and scary.” Further, Kyle touched on how the industry is constantly evolving, and keeping up with those changes can add to the overwhelming nature of the industry. By building a system of coaches and supporters, trainings like Mule-Hide's set people up for success.  

These trainings can come in many forms. A key focus for Mule-Hide is their training centers. Kyle explained their benefits, “By having training centers and being able to have focused training we're able to bring people out of their environment and have their full attention.” These formal environments are great ways to introduce people to the industry or a specific topic, but it’s not the only way that training can occur.  

Within the time span of the podcast, Chris received four messages from separate contractors about their training program. He explained, “Training isn’t just limited to formal environments. I believe that hundreds or thousands of contractors are being trained via text message, phone call, roof walk and FaceTime every single day by Mule-Hide territory managers.” 

Read the transcript or Listen to the episode to learn more about training in the coatings industry.