Founding members discuss Roofing Technology Think Tank (RT3) and their goals for the roofing industry.

Following their live meet up at Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute, a few RT3 founding members took the time to explain how the group started and what they hope to accomplish.

Dale Tyler is a founding member of RT3 and president of National Roofing Partners. He says that last year, he was meeting with his team and trying to plan for the future within his business and they were struggling with the technology portion. It was then that he realized, if he was having a hard time with this topic, there were probably many others in the roofing industry that were too.

That’s when he reached out to colleagues and other industry thought and technology leaders to form the Roofing Technology Think Tank. Since then, the excitement has grown and the group meets regularly to share, learn, grow and encourage the use of technology innovations within the roofing industry – especially on the roof.

Tyler says that the leaders in the roofing industry must come together and impact the industry in any way they can. With massive labor shortages that won’t be solved simply through hiring, the industry will require other solutions and much of that will be centered around technology. Watch Tyler’s interview here.

Heidi Ellsworth of HJE Consulting Group, RoofersCoffeeShop.com and National Roofing Partners worked alongside of Tyler to get the group off the ground and start the conversation about technology in the roofing industry.

Ellsworth says that the group consists of leaders that believe in the importance of bringing technology onto the roof in order to help the industry and to attract the next generation of workers into the industry. The roofing industry, says Ellsworth, is being left behind the other trades, such as masons, who are beginning to use robotics to help them build concrete walls. Watch Ellsworth’s interview here.

Trent Cotney of Cotney Construction Law and RT3 founding member says the group is designed to be a collective of industry-leading professionals who are focused on technology and are forward thinking. Their job is to be sure that the group is learning about technology and integrating those new technologies into their everyday business operations. Watch Cotney’s interview here.

With nearly 40 members, it’s clear that the industry agrees with Tyler, Ellsworth and Cotney. If you are interested in learning more about RT3 and joining the movement, visit www.RT3thinktank.com.

Editor’s note: This article first appeared on the RT3 blog and can be viewed here.