Younger, Safer, Smarter: The State of Roofing in 2019

We’re fresh off a trip to the IRE and about to fly out to Vegas for SVG’s annual education convention. Last week, we met and talked with vendors and contractors alike, trying to define the industry’s pain points and devise opportunities to solve them. This week’s blog is our thoughts on the state of the industry and where we fit into roofing in 2019. Read on!State of Roofing 2019

TKatrina and Chelsea at the NWIR Education Dayhe first thing that struck us at the IRE was that the attendees and vendors all seemed so young. We’ve been reading reports about the roofing industry showing its age, and struggling to attract younger employees, but the 2019 crowd seemed to buck that trend.

It could be that companies sent their younger employees to scope out the show and enjoy Nashville’s nightlife, but it’s promising to see a new generation joining the ranks and changing the game. We’ve built RoofSnap so users with all levels of tech experience can use it confidently, but we know that the younger generations are more comfortable seeking software solutions, and that’s exciting.

We love software, but we also love seeing practical tech solving issues in the industry. We spotted some incredible tools, trucks, and TPO systems at the show this year but what caught our eye was the sheer number of fall-prevention tools available on the market now.

If you keep up with roofing news at all, you’ll know that employee falls and failure to comply with OSHA fall-prevention regulations tend to dominate the headlines. Repeat offenders face huge fines and actual incidents hurt employers and employees alike. Finding a fall-prevention system that works for your crews and the work you do can require some work, but given the number of providers, we have to think that there’s a system out there for you.

We also believe that RoofSnap is a bit of a fall-prevention itself! Keeping your sales team off of the roof, or limiting their time taping from ladders can be a load off of your mind and your liability insurance.
Jen and Katrina greet contractors at the RoofSnap Booth

Lastly, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that we also saw some competition at the IRE this year. The measurement software space has attracted some new players over the last few years and we welcome more choice coming to the industry. We have yet to see another company offer the flexibility of RoofSnap, with our multiple imagery sources and access to the low-price, low-turnaround SketchOS measurement service, but we welcome the friendly competition!

If you attended the IRE and have thoughts on the state of the industry, leave them in the comments below, we’d love to hear them! If you’re going to be in Las Vegas this week for SVG’s convention, be sure to stop by Booth #602 and say hi to the RoofSnap team. And finally, if you want to see how RoofSnap can help you stay current and competitive in 2019, schedule a demo with our team!

Thanks for reading!

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