Lessons from a career in roofing

By Emma Peterson. 

Lloyd Anderson shares key moments from his career and advice for young professionals who are just beginning. 

Having been in the roofing industry off and on since he was a teenager, Lloyd Anderson, the owner of Armadas Exteriors and vice president of the Associated Roofing Contractors of Oregon and Southwest Washing (ARC), has seen a lot during his career. We had the chance to talk to him about key formative moments he’s experienced over the years in an episode of Stories From the Roof. 

One such moment that Lloyd mentioned was his decision to return to roofing. He explained, “I did some roofing when I was young, but then I went into optical before I went back to roofing. And I really took my time before I made that return...Looking back, part of me wishes I had gotten back sooner. But the other knows that if I had plunged early on, I'd have probably done it in a naive way because I was still learning to set aside my ego.” 

A fond memory Lloyd mentioned was his first time attending the Western States trade show, which was an impactful experience for him as a roofing professional. He shared: 

I went to the Western States show on a whim, I wasn't a member or anything, I'd seen an ad. And I was walking through the show and ended up at the Western States booth and Stan, who is now our president-elect, stopped me and asked me what I was doing. He just engaged with me and we had a conversation. He was just a board member at the time, and I was just enamored by the fact that in the roofing industry there are organizations like this that really elevate the contractor and help take them to the next level. 

And today, in a full circle moment, Lloyd is now a board member with Western States, getting to be on the other side of the table bringing people into the fold like Stan once did for him. Overall, he is a huge proponent of associations as he sees them as a “great way to elevate not only yourself, but also the industry around you.”  

Lloyd’s advice to young professionals is simple, “Stay with it. Roofing is a great industry and trade associations are a great resource for networking, education and job hunting.”  

To hear more from Lloyd, listen to his entire Stories From the Roof episode.