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.

By Emma Peterson. 

Hear from Lloyd Anderson about how he went from an 18-year-old installing gutters to a business owner.  

In a new episode of Stories from the Roof, Megan Ellsworth sat down with Lloyd Anderson, the owner and founder of Armadas Exteriors, to hear about his career in the roofing industry, which started when he was around 18 years old. Lloyd shared, “I was wrapping Christmas presents at JC Penney's. It was a seasonal job, and it wasn't paying very well, I think $4.25 an hour. And I just realized I needed a real job that pays better.”  

Low and behold, Lloyd ended up seeing a sign looking for experienced gutter installers. So, he called up a friend working in drywall and asked him if he’d worked with gutters. Based on the info his friend gave him, he was able to make it through the interview process and got hired. While that job was his first introduction to working on the roof, it wasn’t the only career Lloyd had. He shared, “I pursued several different career paths, but at one point I ended up getting an opportunity to do an apprenticeship program that fast tracked me through an optical program. And that's what I did for about 10 years in private practice.” 

But, as we all know, once you become a part of the roofing industry, you always come back to it. And that’s what happened to Lloyd. He explained, “When I met my wife, we were both single parents. We had some financial difficulties and I said, ‘I'm going to buy a gutter machine and do that to make money.’ So, I got the machine, hired her son (who was 17) and her brother and we had a gutter crew.” From there, he continued to grow his operations, adding roofing to their offerings about two years later.  

Today, Lloyd has settled into his roofing career as the owner of Armadas Exteriors in Portland, Oregon. Looking back, he is thankful that roofing was the career he settled into. He explained, “I always come back to the collaboration and the education that is provided for you in the industry...three or four years ago I attended Western States on a whim, from seeing an ad like I had seen for that gutter position all those years ago. And I was just enamored by the fact that the roofing industry has organizations like this that really elevate the contractor help to bring them to the next level...It's just terrific.” 

Listen to the whole episode to learn more about Lloyd and his journey.

Por Dani Sheehan, traducido por Jessica Bravo.  

Desde la ampliación de las sesiones en español hasta nuevas e inspiradoras alianzas, este año el WRE demostró una vez más por qué sigue siendo el evento de techado más importante del oeste de Estados Unidos. 

Western Roofing Expo (WRE) 2025 volvió a reunir a la industria del techado para un fin de semana inolvidable de aprendizaje, networking e innovación. Organizado por la Western States Roofing Contractors Association (WSRCA), el evento continúa su larga tradición de apoyar a los contratistas a través de la educación, la comunidad y las oportunidades. Con más de 4,300 asistentes, está claro que la comunidad de techadores del oeste está prosperando. 

“Gracias a todos en RoofersCoffeeShop® por su ayuda y apoyo en la promoción del WRE 2025 y WSRCA,” compartió Chris Alberts de WSRCA. “¡Terminamos con nuestra segunda asistencia más alta de la historia... 4,346 personas!” 

Expandiendo la educación y la inclusión 

Este año marcó un hito emocionante para el WRE, con más de seis sesiones educativas presentadas en español, reflejando la creciente diversidad de la industria y su compromiso con la inclusión. 

Jessica Bravo, coordinadora del programa En Español de The Coffee Shops, estuvo presente cubriendo estas sesiones y entrevistando a líderes de la comunidad latina de techadores. 

“Fue increíble ver al WRE ampliar su educación en español, ofreciendo más clases este año que nunca desde que comenzó el programa,” compartió Jessica. “Hablamos con Bernal Fernandez de QXO, quien está promoviendo su aplicación, ahora disponible completamente en español. ¡Manténganse atentos al próximo episodio de La Voz de los Ruferos (LVR), donde profundizaremos en esta iniciativa!” 

Jessica también condujo entrevistas en vivo con los Influencers En Español de RCS, Moises Morales y Teresa Ramirez, capturando conversaciones inspiradoras que destacaron el impacto de la educación bilingüe y la representación dentro del sector del techado. Puedes ver la entrevista a continuación.  

Aprender, grabar y crecer juntos 

Para Drake Porter, coordinador de relaciones con la industria de The Coffee Shops, quien asistió a su primera feria comercial con la empresa, el WRE fue tanto una introducción a la industria como una experiencia práctica de aprendizaje muy inspiradora. 

“Operé la cámara el primer día, asistí al grupo de Jóvenes Profesionales, ayudé a Jessica con el contenido en español y conocí a muchísimas personas apasionadas por el techado,” compartió Drake. “Uno de los momentos más destacados fue conocer a Adam, de Redemption Blueprint, quien ayuda a personas recientemente liberadas de prisión a encontrar oportunidades laborales en techado. Fue increíblemente inspirador y espero que podamos colaborar en el futuro,” enfatizó. 

Conversaciones que importan 

Alex Tolle, gerente de marketing de The Coffee Shops, ayudó a coordinar el stand y condujo varias entrevistas en el escenario principal, conectando con contratistas, líderes de asociaciones y miembros veteranos de R-Club. 

“Fue genial pasar tiempo con las personas que hacen posible el WRE, como el Director Ejecutivo Joel Viera, el nuevo presidente de la WSRCA Stan Robinson de Pacific West Roofing y Lloyd Anderson de Armadas Exteriors,” compartió Alex. “La energía y la pasión de todos por la comunidad de techadores realmente se notaron este año.” 

Alex también asistió a varios eventos clave de networking, incluyendo las Table Talks de National Women in Roofing (NWIR) y la mesa redonda de Jóvenes Profesionales de WSRCA, donde las conversaciones giraron en torno a la tecnología, la inteligencia artificial y el poder de la narración en el techado. “Hablamos de todo, desde cómo prevenir el agotamiento laboral hasta cómo crear contenido auténtico para redes sociales,” explicó Alex. “La gran conclusión fue que el techado está evolucionando rápidamente, ¡y la próxima generación es quien impulsa ese cambio!” 

Entre conversaciones poderosas, una asistencia récord y un enfoque en la innovación y la inclusión, la Western Roofing Expo 2025 demostró cuán fuerte y conectada está la comunidad del techado.El equipo de The Coffee Shops se sintió honrado de ser parte del evento una vez más, celebrando a las personas, ideas y colaboraciones que mantienen en crecimiento a esta industria. 

¡Revive toda la emoción y mira las entrevistas en vivo en el canal de YouTube de RoofersCoffeeShop!

By Dani Sheehan. 

From expanded Spanish sessions to inspiring new partnerships, this year’s WRE proved once again why it’s the biggest roofing event in the Western U.S. 

The Western Roofing Expo (WRE) 2025 once again brought the roofing industry together for an unforgettable weekend of learning, networking and innovation. Hosted by the Western States Roofing Contractors Association (WSRCA), the event continues its long tradition of supporting contractors through education, community and opportunity. With over 4,300 attendees, it's clear that the Western roofing community is thriving. 

“Thank you everyone at RoofersCoffeeShop® for all your help and support in promoting WRE 2025 and WSRCA,” shared Chris Alberts of WSRCA. “We ended up with our number two all-time highest attendance... 4,346!” 

Expanding education and inclusion 

This year marked an exciting milestone for WRE with more than six educational sessions presented in Spanish, reflecting the industry’s growing diversity and commitment to inclusion. Jessica Bravo, The Coffee Shops’ En Español program coordinator, was on site covering these sessions and interviewing leaders in the Latino roofing community. “It was amazing to see WRE expanding its Spanish-language education, offering more classes this year than ever since the program began,” Jessica shared. “We talked with Bernal Fernandez from QXO, who is promoting their app now available entirely in Spanish. Stay tuned for an upcoming episode of La Voz de los Ruferos (LVR) where we’ll dive deeper into this initiative.” 

Jessica also hosted live interviews with RCS Influencers En Español Moises Morales and Teresa Ramirez, capturing inspiring conversations that highlighted the impact of bilingual education and representation in roofing. You can watch the interview below. 

Learning, filming and growing together 

For Drake Porter, The Coffee Shops’ industry relations coordinator who attended his very first trade show with the company, WRE was both an introduction to the industry and an inspiring hands-on learning experience. 

“I ran the camera for the first day, attended the Young Professionals breakout group, helped Jessica with Spanish content and met so many people passionate about roofing,” Drake shared. “One highlight was meeting Adam from Redemption Blueprint, who is helping people recently released from prison find roofing career opportunities. That was incredibly inspiring, and I hope we can partner together in the future,” he emphasized. 

Conversations that matter 

Alex Tolle, The Coffee Shops’ marketing manager, helped run the booth and hosted several soundstage interviews, connecting with contractors, association leaders and longtime R-Club members. “It was great to spend time with people who make WRE happen, like Executive Director Joel Viera, new WSRCA President Stan Robinson of Pacific West Roofing and Lloyd Anderson of Armadas Exteriors,” Alex shared. “Everyone’s energy and passion for the roofing community really came through this year.”  

Alex also attended several key networking events, including the National Women in Roofing (NWIR) Table Talks and the WSRCA Young Professionals roundtable, where discussions centered around technology, AI and the power of storytelling in roofing. “We talked about everything from preventing workplace burnout to creating authentic social media content,” Alex explained. “The big takeaway was that roofing is evolving fast – and the next generation is driving that change.” 

Between powerful conversations, record-breaking attendance and focus on innovation and inclusion, the 2025 Western Roofing Expo showed just how strong and connected the roofing community is. The Coffee Shops crew were honored to be part of it once again – celebrating the people, ideas and collaborations that keep this industry growing. 

Catch up on all the excitement and watch the live soundstage interviews on the RoofersCoffeeShop YouTube channel!

By WSRCA.

These individuals volunteer their time to make membership with WSRCA a worthwhile investment, and the roofing community a better place!

For decades, the Western States Roofing Contractors Association (WSRCA) has served the roofing industry through sharing education, creating spaces for communication, hosting the Western Roofing Expo and more. All of these initiatives and programs are made possible through the support of our members and the work of the volunteers that make up our officers and board of directors. To highlight the incredible people who are dedicating their time to make our organization and industry a better place, we wanted to introduce them to you! 

WSRCA officers

• President: Stan Robinson, Pacific West Roofing LLC
• Senior vice president: Ron Lloyd, Kokua Roofing Service
• Immediate former president: Kris Hitesman, Capitol Roofing Service
• Vice president - 1 year: Hillary McPartlon, McPartlon Roofing
• Vice president - 1 year: Austin Barnhardt, Quality Roofing and Sheet Metal
• Vice president - 2 years: Stephanie Baird, Bliss Roofing, Inc.
• Vice president - 2 years: Scott Riopelle, Interstate Roofing
• Executive director: Joel B. Viera, Western States RCA

WSRCA board of directors

WSRCA committees