IFD Young Roofer Competition 2024: Celebrating the roofers of tomorrow

By Heidi J. Ellsworth.

The competition hosted top talents from eleven countries who showcased their skills in facades, flat roofing, pitched roofing and metal roofing. 

Innsbruck, Austria, hosted the 2024 International Federation of Roofing Trades (IFD) Young Roofer Competition and RoofersCoffeeShop® was there. This year was especially significant as the United States made its debut appearance, with standout performances from teams representing KPost Roofing and Waterproofing (Dallas, Texas), Global Roofing Group (Phoenix, Arizona) and Durable Slate (Cleveland, Ohio). 

The teams included: 

• Global Roofing Group (metal roofing): Kasey Green and Doug Rojas, coached by Ridian Cami, Eric Stiller and Shawn Wood. 
• KPost Roofing and Waterproofing (flat roofing): Marco Espinoza and Alex Gutierrez, coached by Glauco Gutierrez. 
• Durable Slate (pitched roofing): Adam Wilcher and Luke Freudiger, coached by John Chan. 

As the first time that the U.S. was competing there was a wide learning curve for all the teams from working with new materials, systems and timeframes. The overall feeling from all the participants was that it was a great learning experience. The flat roofing team had an amazing finish on day two with a complex modified bitumen assembly and all the teams showed American creativity and performance with their freestyle roofing installations on the last day. The freestyle event highlighted their ingenuity, with the flat roofing team crafting a U.S. flag design using fluid-applied coatings, the metal team creating a striking metal American flag and the pitched team showcasing intricate craftsmanship with a slate roof featuring a complex pattern. 

Held biennially, the competition celebrates the artistry and precision of roofing while fostering international collaboration. Over three days, participants constructed detailed roofing structures judged on accuracy, innovation, safety and adherence to technical standards. The event’s camaraderie was a highlight, as competitors formed lifelong friendships during the traditional Austrian night featuring authentic music and dancing. 

The competition closed with a celebratory gala at Innsbruck’s Congress Center. Medals were awarded to the top three teams in each category. The Gold Medal Winners included: 

• Team Switzerland for facades 
• Team Austria for pitched roofing 
• Team Austria for flat roofing 
• Team Hungary for metal roofing 

A special presidential award was granted by IFD presidents from the free style competition and was awarded in flat roofing to Team China and Team Germany. It was special for both teams in that Team China had just returned to the competition after not attending since covid and Team Germany’s flat roofing team was comprised of all women.   

RoofersCoffeeShop was honored to document this great event and share it through our YouTube channel so all of America could celebrate the excitement of this competition. We commend the event’s sponsors, including NRCA, SRS Distribution, Carlisle, GAF, DensDeck, OMG and Owens Corning, for their support. 

With plans underway for the 2026 competition in Budapest, Hungary, Team USA is poised to build on its success, and RoofersCoffeeShop looks forward to being there to cheer them on.