Supporting contractor success across the West

By Emma Peterson. 

How WSRCA’s education, resources and community help roofing professionals in the Western U.S. thrive.  

In a new episode of Roofing Road Trips®, Megan Ellsworth hosted Joel Viera, the executive director of the Western States Roofing Contractors Association (WSRCA), and Marcus Clinco, the sales manager for C.I. Services, Inc./Commercial Roofing Excellence. Joel and Marcus have been long-time members of WSRCA, both being strong believers in the WSRCA’s ability to help contractors build successful careers and businesses.  

WSRCA was founded in 1974 as a way for industry professionals to promote the unique needs of contractors working across the Western United States. Today, that mission still guides them. Joel explained in more detail how that mission is present in their current operations:  

Our whole goal is to help contractors succeed. And we work towards that in a variety of ways. We bring professionals in to help our members, like Trent Cotney offering legal support, Ken Klein helping with the technical and Steve Zacidal with safety. We also have a ton of education resources surrounding business development and then, obviously, networking with things like our marquee event, the Western Roofing Expo (WRE). 

By providing their members with different forms of education, networking and support, WSRCA is truly setting them up for success, both in their day-to-day business operations and in their long-term career goals. Marcus offered an example, sharing, “There are countless examples of how WSRCA programs or resources help in the daily life of a contractor. A big one is safety.”  

For a lot of contractors, the intricacies of navigating safety regulations fall to the backburner compared to other tasks which feel more pressing, such as getting their license and keeping jobs moving. And a lot of contractors don’t even realize they aren’t meeting a requirement until an OSHA inspector is knocking on their door. What WSRCA is able to do is educate contractors and give them the tools they need to make sure they are in compliance without adding a ton to their existing workload. Marcus explained:  

WSRCS provides plans and programs for educating our members about safety. One example is the weekly toolbox talks. OSHA and almost all other state organizations require you to have weekly safety meetings and for many, that can feel like a lot to plan and organize. Well, guess what? If you’re a WSRCA member, you just download the toolbox talk of the week and you’ve protected your crew and your company.  

This is just one example of how WSRCA resources and programs help contractors in the field. Other examples of their offerings include a safety companion app, technical bulletins, webinars legislative updates and more!  

Want to learn more about WSRCA resources that support member companies and individuals? Listen to the whole episode or Watch the recording.