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Finding the Right Workers

Why do we call ourselves a grassroot recruiter?

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Across the South of the USA and Mexico, Empire Roofing has been working closely with amazing contractors, professional tradespeople and skilled affiliates for nearly 40 years, and has become one of the most well respected construction companies in the country, with long standing blue chip clients and over 500 employees.

But a company is nothing without its people, and from day one, when our founders created Empire with a handful of talented professionals we proudly expanded our operations by never forgetting one key point: a company, especially one that operates in a vitally important construction niche, cannot grow without having the best in class on their roster.

So how do we find the right people for the right jobs, and how do we guarantee that only the best, most well trained and dedicated professionals will be working on your site, for your business and in your place of work?

Human Resource teams in every industry have a breadth of channels, tools and skills at their disposal to find talent. Whether it’s online, via sprawling jobs platforms; social media; networking and professional recommendations, or career’s fairs and door to door sales, opportunity comes knocking in a variety of ways.

Each industry has their own preferred way of speaking to and communicating with their potential next star worker.

However, when you’re recruiting for teams across a country-wide region, in a notoriously tough industry where diligence and ability is of a high priority, recruitment has to be focused, and efficient.

Recruitment at the scale Empire Roofing work at is a fine balance of quality vs quantity, and always has been.

The construction industry, especially one like ours which covers everything from basic roof maintenance to solar installation and management of installing entire roofing systems, is a fast moving, incredibly competitive industry.

We know that drawing the right talent takes an enormous amount of work, and that workers may not be able to find the right information, straight away, or at the right time, to tell them how we work and what we do. For instance, a job advert online tells you all about a job with us. But it won’t necessarily tell you about the charity work we do, and how the work you do helps others.

Also, working in the age of COVID-19 has put a strain on traditional recruiting and head hunting methods, not to mention work load limits or postponements, and client awareness of on-site social distancing and health and safety requirements has put a strain on teams across the region. We know the USA and Mexico has had a tough year, and many brilliant firms and amazing workers have struggled with the downturn in business.

However, our management and HR teams at our core office and with our affiliates have never swayed from some key recruiting tactics that had stood the test of time – we are still a grassroots employer. We know our company looks after its workers, but how we guarantee a worker’s buy-in with our company is by being an approachable grassroots employer, in your community, where you can find us, talk to us and understand what we do and why we do it!

What we mean by this is simple: we do engage with workers online, and we’re proud of our brilliant website and platforms where people can see the great work we do.

Be Storm Ready: 5 Things to know

WITH STORM SEASON UPON US, A BIT OF UNDERSTANDING AND PREPARATIONS CAN GO A LONG WAY IN MINIMIZING AND MANAGING THE IMPACT OF HEAVY RAINS TO YOUR PROPERTY.

1.Proper Drainage is Priority #1. During any rain, thousands of gallons of water are running across your roofs. Because your roofs have a “low slope,” it is very important that water reach the drains and evacuate as soon as possible. If you observe water exiting the roof via overflows and running down the walls on the exterior of your building, it may mean that the primary drain in that area is not operational or that a downspout is blocked. This condition has first priority and should be reported to your roofing consultant immediately.

2.Wind + Rain = Water Entry. Storms may have winds as high as 15 to 35 miles an hour and, while the roofing membranes on your buildings are watertight, every HVAC unit, vent, stack, louvered skylight and penetration is not. These rooftop penetrations are designed for rain to come straight down or at a slight slant. Intense wind will blow the rain sideways, not unlike taking a fire hose to every opening on your roof. If you observe water entering via these openings during a storm, you most likely have a one-time leak that cannot be serviced. Water entering via the fresh air intake of any HVAC unit is also a possibility, especially if the unit is shut down and there is no pressure in the unit.

3.Take measures to reduce interior damage. In each building and/or office, locate your HVAC registers. If there are computers or anything of value under these registers, move them. Likewise, if you have warehoused product that is under any type of venting, register, or louvered skylight and the product cannot be moved, find some way to cover it.

4,Know where the leak is coming from. It may sound obvious, but roofing contractors are often called for leaks coming from windows, doors, walls or under the foundation. Pay attention to where water is entering the building so you can engage the appropriate contractor to repair the leak. After a major storm, contractors are in high demand, so calling the right professional the first time can expedite the remediation process.

5.Be prepared to wait out the storm. If you have a roof membrane leak, remember there is very little a roofing contractor can do if it is raining hard or the roof is very wet. Available materials are very limited and getting something to stick through water is close to impossible—this is why proactive roof management is so critical to mitigating property damage. Once the rain has subsided, a proper repair can be made. Most importantly, please remember that during a storm, particularly if the winds are strong, it is not safe for anyone to be on a roof. Never send staff or a contractor onto a roof to inspect during severe weather.

Remembering 9/11

“September 11 was a reminder that life is fleeting, impermanent, and uncertain. Therefore, we must make use of every moment and nurture it with affection, tenderness, beauty, creativity, and laughter.”

“Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief.”

Ronnie McGlothlin of Empire Roofing Inc. named McCawley Award Winner!

The James Q. McCawley Award is given to an individual in recognition of their devotion to the roofing industry and is the most prestigious award given by MRCA. This award was first presented in 1969 and is a long standing tradition of MRCA.

This year’s recipient was Ronnie McGlothlin of Empire Roofing in Ft. Worth, TX.

Ronnie started in the roofing industry when he was thirteen years where he quickly learned the trade and was able to move up from day laborer to foreman and then superintendent.  In 1982, he started his own company, Empire Roofing.    He has grown Empire Roofing from a small mom and pop shop to a $150 million-dollar company. His dedication to the roofing industry is evident with his approach to running his company. Employees, Clients, and Workmanship are all first on his list. Ronnie still has five of the original employees that began the journey that is Empire today.  Ronnie is also very aware of the industry changes, whether it is new products, new applications or new safety designs, and is just as adamant about testing to ensure clients and employees receive the quality they deserve. He believes that if roofing contractors take best practices, we can share and learn from each other for the betterment of the roofing industry.

Source: MRCA