By Emma Peterson.

Former lawmakers and roofing advocates discuss one of the most consequential elections in decades and what it means for contractors.

In a brand-new Coffee Conversations® episode, sponsored by Elevate, Heidi J. Ellsworth sits down with a panel of experts to discuss the historic events of Tuesday, November 3, 2026 and what the future looks like for roofers. This panel included Reid Ribble, Denver Riggleman and Brad Stine.

Reid spent six years representing Wisconsin in the U.S. House of Representatives. Beyond that, he has experience as a contractor and was even the CEO of the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA). Denver is also a former congressman, having represented Virginia in the House of Representatives. He is also an Air Force veteran and technology entrepreneur. Brad has also spent some time in Congress working with legislative assistants and directors. Today, he uses that experience in his work as NRCA’s director of federal affairs.

When we asked about the midterms, Reid shared some historical context to help us understand how significant the wave was. He shared, “For a historical event that looks similar to this, we have to go back to 1932 to find an election that would look similar with this big of a wave.”

In 1932, 12 U.S. senate seats and 95 house seats flipped in response to President Hoover passing the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act. Looking at this year’s election, the panel saw similar factors at play. Denver explained:

The fact that we saw such a huge wave this year in favor of the Democrats isn’t just an outlier, it’s a repudiation of economic policy...It's not really about red or blue, it's about economic and fiscal policies that people on the street don’t see helping their families. And when that happens, you have this kind of groundswell in this election.

Reid echoed Denver’s point, “The story of this election is really about what the American people said and they said that they wanted to see something different. That’s why such a big wave happened.”

Looking ahead, as these new congresspeople head into session, there’s a lot of opportunity there for the construction industry. Brad shared, “From a roofing industry perspective, we need to take advantage of this change. And the change, whether you like it personally or not, was a referendum on the Trump administration policies, especially on things like immigration.” He continued, “What I see is an opportunity for our industry to make our voices heard and really push for political changes, like immigration reform, that will help our businesses and communities succeed.”

Learn more by watching the podcast recording on YouTube.

By Emma Peterson. 

Catch up on the biggest industry stories from May 2026. 

This last May, The Coffee Shops™ crew has been working hard to keep up with all the news and developments of the industry, whether it’s new events, evolving technology, shifting regulations or something else! To help readers like you keep up with everything, we like to put together a list of the top articles each month so you can see what the industry has been talking about.  

This month, we saw multiple articles about artificial intelligence (AI) on our top ten list. In eighth spot was “Cutting through the noise around AI,” which highlights Patrick Garcia of SRS Distribution and Fred Castonguay of Reworked.ai’s insights into how business can use AI effectively. The other article, in the fifth spot on our list, explores the common fear of AI taking human jobs with Denver Riggleman, the co-founder and CEO of Hootl. 

This month’s top list also saw articles from Coffee Shops’ President Heidi J. Ellsworth and our friends at Cotney Consulting Group. In her article, Heidi shares how Thomas Roofing delivers both quality craftsmanship and community support. As for the Cotney Consulting Group article, it dives into the difference between business and profitability, emphasizing how successful contractors are the ones who operate with better habits.  

And in the top spot for the month is one of my articles about “how the Farnsworth Group fosters business growth by helping contractors and other professionals better understand the market around them.” 

May 2026 top article list 

10 - Thomas Roofing and Supply builds a legacy through family, quality and community by Heidi J. Ellsworth 

9 - The operational habits that separate profitable contractors from busy ones by Cotney Consulting Group 

8 - Cutting through the noise around AI by Emma Peterson 

7 - Kick off the summer with the SRS XTV Soccer Tour! by Emma Peterson 

6 - Investing in people, not just positions by Emma Peterson 

5 - Is AI coming for our jobs? by Emma Peterson 

4 - When your company grows beyond you by Emma Peterson 

3 - Beyond the roof: Taking care of families in need by Emma Peterson 

2 - Training as the foundation of a stronger roofing industry by Emma Peterson 

1 - Seeing the big picture by Emma Peterson 

By Emma Peterson. 

Denver Riggleman shares his thoughts on how AI will impact jobs and the larger workforce. 

As AI and automation increasingly become present in our daily lives, a common concern is that these technologies will take jobs away from people. This type of concern is not new. Every time a new technology is introduced, people naturally have hesitation and fear how things will change. And it does change things; think about the now-obsolete jobs like switchboard operators and projectionists. But it’s also important to remember that the technology that took over for those roles also made new opportunities. 

To look at how AI might change our workplace, both in creating jobs and taking over certain roles, Heidi J. Ellsworth spoke with Denver Riggleman, the co-founder and CEO of Hootl, for an episode of Contractor Outlook all about AI.  

The honest truth is that AI might take away some jobs, just like how technological advancements over the years have changed the roles necessary for operation. Denver shared, “I'm going to be very blunt, AI will take jobs that automation can automate. Take call centers, for example. I would say in the next 15 to 20 years, they will be all AI regardless.” But at the same time, automation is also a powerful tool for enabling businesses to grow and hire more employees in other sectors. Denver explained:  

Say you ‘lose’ 10 jobs at the admin processing level because AI is automating the mundane tasks. You now have the payroll space to hire people or have the people that were working those jobs change focus to working on higher-skill level tasks. And then with more people working on those higher-level tasks, you’re able to expand your gross revenue with a higher margin. 

In other words, AI might take over certain roles. By taking those mundane and tedious tasks off of people’s plates, however, it allows them to work on high-level tasks that not only are more engaging for them but also can help your company grow. And company growth often goes hand-in-hand with hiring new employees.  

Listen to the whole episode or Watch the recording to hear more insights into the role of AI in our workforce. 

RIIG - HOOTL develops AI-driven solutions that streamline and automate critical workflows across the customer lifecycle.

We’re excited to share that RIIG - HOOTL is now a full member of the Roofing Alliance.

Joining this community marks an important step as we expand our presence in the roofing and broader field service industries. We look forward to collaborating with industry leaders, contributing to the Alliance’s mission and gaining deeper insight into where the market is heading.

At RIIG, we are actively working alongside leading data providers and industry partners to develop AI-driven solutions that streamline and automate critical workflows across the customer lifecycle, including lead generation, estimation and customer interaction.

To further support this effort, we are proud to welcome two new board advisors:

• Steve Little – head coach at KPost Company | Building Envelope Contractor and CEO of National Roofing Partners.
• Reed Gooding – CEO at GSM Roofing.

Their industry experience and leadership ensure our solutions remain grounded in real-world operational needs while accelerating adoption across the sector.

We believe the next wave of innovation in roofing will be driven by intelligent automation, better data utilization and seamless system integration, and we’re excited to help shape that future alongside the Alliance and its members.

Visit www.riigtech.com for more information.

By Emma Peterson. 

Denver Riggleman dives into how AI can be a lifesaving tool — and why improper use could expose sensitive business data.  

When we talk about AI, most conversations focus on the type of business management tasks it can manage. What is often overlooked is how AI can play a role in maximizing safety, on both sides of the coin. To learn more about the safety benefits and risks posed by AI, Heidi J. Ellsworth and Denver Riggleman sat down for an episode of Contractor Outlook Newscast all about AI.  

Denver is the co-founder and CEO of Hootl, a healthcare company that uses an AI model to improve the insurance workflows and reduce the number of denials. Prior to this, he worked in military intelligence, government and tech entrepreneurship. These experiences have given Denver a unique and informed perspective on both the benefits and risks of AI.  

Safety benefits 

Denver started the conversation talking about how AI can be used to improve safety regulations and measures, explaining, “AI can be used in tandem with cameras to help keep crews on the roof accountable...In a few years, I bet contractors could put up a two-camera mast on a tower on a building site with PPE detection quantified. It will automatically alert if it senses no PPE.” Would this be a perfect system? No, nothing is perfect. But Denver is the first to point out that you would still need a site manager to review for false alerts. But, as he put it, “Better false than dead.”   

Cybersecurity concerns 

While AI has the potential to save lives in terms of increasing use of PPE on job sites, it does come with its own risks. And, while not physical, cybersecurity is a huge concern. For one, most AI engines like Claude or ChatGPT are public. This means that information put into them is accessible to anyone else using the program.  

So, what should contractors who want to use AI do to make sure they are being safe? The first and most important thing is to have a cybersecurity training plan in place. Denver explained:  

You need to have somebody who looks at security of how every person at your company is using AI...From there, you need an AI trainer, someone who makes sure that everyone is using AI properly. For example, you don’t want to just get a personal ChatGPT account and start putting in proposal information from your company. That's public data and that data is actually parsed by the AI to utilize for other people. You need to have your own separate platform or program. AI trainers can help you get that. 

Overall, AI is a powerful, powerful tool. But it is just that, a tool. And like any tool, it comes with pros and cons. The key to successfully moving forward is knowing how to effectively leverage its benefits and minimize its downsides.  

Listen to the whole episode or Watch the recording with Denver to learn more about integrating AI in a safe manner.