A Story of Roofing Success: Erasmo "Mitos" Fuentes

Good employees are key to building a successful contracting business—but recruitment and retention don't happen all on their own. Employee rewards and recognition programs can help you foster workplace loyalty and strengthen employee retention, and there are many ways to reward your staff and crew for the work they do every day. Why It's Important to Reward Employees It's crucial to create an environment that prioritizes rewarding and acknowledging employees—without them, you wouldn't be able to sustain your business or serve customers. Paying someone a salary is great, but establishing a workplace culture where people feel that they're valued for their contributions is just as important. Building a successful company comes with a lot of sacrifices, and not just for you as an owner. Your employees work long hours, deal with challenging projects, and provide great service to customers even when they may test their patience. This loyalty is worth acknowledging. But rewarding employees is more than just its own reward. There's also a more practical reason: incentives have a concrete impact on employee recruitment, morale, and retention. According to SHRM, nearly 10% of employees who quit their jobs do so because of compensation and benefits, which includes rewards and incentives. Staff turnover is expensive. Studies have found it costs between six and nine months' salary to replace and train a salaried employee. During this time, other team members may have to assume more responsibility, which only hurts your company's productivity, efficiency, and profitability. Bonuses Everyone desires financial stability, and bonuses can provide an additional way for your crew to support their families. In addition to rewarding staff and crew, though, developing a bonus incentive program can be a tool to reach quarterly or annual goals. The key to an effective bonus incentive is to align it with performance metrics. For instance, you might reward a crew for finishing 90% of their projects on time or ahead of schedule. Or, your office staff may earn a year-end team bonus tied to marketing goals and customer satisfaction targets, such as if they achieve a year-over-year increase in customer referrals, win a record number of positive online reviews, or bring the company's social media following to a certain number. Financial incentives can be a huge motivator for employees, but they also demonstrate that you appreciate their efforts to drive better results for your business. Profit-sharing You can also recognize employees' loyalty by letting them financially share in your company's success. With a profit-sharing program, you set a goal for your annual revenue and net profit. If the company achieves its goals, all team members get an equal share of the profit at the end of the year. This approach gives every employee an equal stake in the company's future and overall performance. It also boosts employee retention, since profit-sharing can foster collaboration and camaraderie—everyone is working toward the same goal. Rewards & Gifts Acknowledgment may come in the form of smaller gifts and rewards. This could be as simple as giving your office manager a $25 gift card for providing exceptional service to a homeowner throughout a challenging project or handing out sporting event tickets to your crew after they complete a huge roofing project. While bonus and profit-sharing programs come with a more formal structure, giving small gifts throughout the year is a casual way to say thank you to employees for all the little things they do every day to make your business thrive. Recognition Sometimes the most effective way to show employees you appreciate them is to just say so. Employee of the month programs and staff appreciation awards offer a way to publicly praise employees throughout the year and highlight their contributions. Sending a company-wide email detailing how they made an impact can show employees how much you value them. Keep in mind that you don't have to call these recognition programs by their traditional names—if "employee of the month" sounds trite, then lose the name and keep the spirit of recognition. The most important thing is to find a way to highlight your employees' contributions and show your gratitude on an ongoing basis. How You Can Fund a Rewards Program While you can fund your rewards program out of the revenue coming into your business, you also can leverage existing programs such as the GAF Rewards program. Forty-six percent of contractors in the GAF Rewards program use the rewards they earn from buying qualifying GAF residential roofing products to give back and reward employees. You can redeem GAF rewards for gift cards, merchandise or even a vacation—both of which you can pass on to deserving employees. Through GAF Rewards*, GAF Master Elite® contractors earn 2.5%, GAF Certified™ earn 2%, and Non-certified contractors earn 1.5% just by simply submitting a valid purchase receipt or invoice containing qualifying GAF residential roofing products. Submitting your invoices to earn points will take you a step closer to reinvesting back into your business, or rewarding your employees! It's as simple as 1 – 2 – 3. Submit. Earn. Redeem. Whether you take advantage of the GAF Rewards program or create your own bonus, profit-sharing, or awards initiatives, it's important to thank employees for their loyalty, dedication, and hard work. Making this effort shows employees that you don't just recognize them—you recognize how indispensable they are to your success. *GAF Rewards is open to individuals and professional roofing contractor, builder and remodeler companies. U.S. only. Points earned may vary based on membership tier. GAF reserves the right to audit all claims. Cannot be combined with any other promotion or offer unless specified by GAF. Visit gaf.com/rewards for complete terms and conditions, special offers and qualifying GAF products.

In business, time is money. With advanced roofing technology, you can save time, improve your team's efficiency, and boost your company's bottom line all at once. Ranging as widely as business management systems that streamline productivity and digital measuring tools, here are a few roofing products and solutions to incorporate into your business so you can work smarter rather than harder. Drone Photography and Video Getting aerial footage of customers' properties is a great way to show homeowners what their roof looks like before, during, and after work is complete. Drone photography and video can also save time and streamline how contractors service their customers. For example, you can safely investigate and document storm damage in less time—and without having to go up and down ladders or walk on potentially dangerous structures to perform manual inspections. During the inspection process, homeowners may be able to receive images via the drone's app. You can also show customers different visualization tools to demonstrate what their new roof would look like. Accurate, Fast Measuring Reports When a customer decides to repair or replace their roof, they want a speedy estimate. With GAF QuickMeasure, contractors get accurate roof measurement reports for single-family homes within an hour for as little as $18*. Once your customer confirms the job, you can make ordering materials a breeze by using the included materials page. Project Management Systems To organize photos, inspection reports, incoming leads, and in-progress jobs, you need a reliable, user-friendly project management system. GAF Project ** offers an all-in one solution to help teams stay on top of documentation, streamline sales presentations, and schedule job estimates and installation alike. This tool has a built-in digital signature process for contactless agreements as well as the ability to share your screen with others on your team. You can also integrate GAF Project with certain other software platforms your company may already use. Cordless Nail Guns and Innovative Roofing Materials Lightweight, cordless roofing nail guns can bring new efficiencies to labor-intensive installation. Many models feature an adjustable depth guide, comfortable grips, and single-action side load canisters for easy, safe use. When nails are not placed correctly, shingles could rust or leak due to delamination. Jobs go much faster when you have a larger nail zone and better nail placement accuracy. The GAF Timberline® Shingles with LayerLock™ Technology feature the industry's largest nail zone—the StrikeZone™ Nailing Area—allowing you to install roofing shingles more quickly and accurately. Shingle- Starter Strips Add another time-saver to your roofing kit with precise, pre-cut Starter Strips from GAF instead of cutting up 3-tab asphalt shingles to make a starter strip. This product features properly positioned adhesive, reducing the risk of shingle blow-offs at the rake and eave edges. They also enable your crew to create clean, finished roof edges. Just tear the strips at the factory-made perforations, and you're ready to install. Plus, pre-cut starter strips offer more coverage per bundle compared with manually cut 3-tab shingles. Storm Trackers You can go beyond the weather app on your phone when it comes to helping your team target customers who need your services. GAF WeatherHub ***can show you which properties have recently been affected by severe wind or hail storms. With this insight, your team can generate new roofing leads. Advances in roofing technology not only help boost your business but also make roofing more efficient. GAF offers several connected tools to help contractors manage jobs. For additional business support, visit www.gaf.com/getthere or contact your local Territory Manager. *Terms and conditions apply. Prices vary based on contractor and report type. Visit quickmeasure.gaf.com for details. ** Subscription required. Terms and conditions apply. Visit gaf.com/project for details. *** Subscription required. Terms and conditions apply. Visit gaf.com/weatherhub for details.

Business owners have a unique opportunity to leave a legacy on their industry through their business, even after they've retired. Frank Zehna, a 25-year veteran of general contracting and the roofing industry, shared some tips in a recent webinar* for preparing to sell your business. In it, he offers a range of advice, including how to create a plan for making your roofing company profitable and why it's important to implement certain steps right now. How Will You Leave Your Company? Most business owners will either allow their company to go out of business, pass it down to their children, or sell it to someone else. When preparing to sell your business, it's much better if the business is profitable. Zehna helps roofing company owners build up their businesses so they sell for maximum value. He says it's crucial to be sure things can run efficiently without the owner being there. The better a business runs, the more money you position yourself to get at closing—or, alternatively, the better chance your children will have when taking over where you left off. Create Processes to Ease the Transition Zehna sees many people who know how to sell and install a roof but who may not know how to run a successful business. Implementing efficient systems will not only boost your business's value to potential buyers but also reduce stress and free up more time for roofing company owners to spend with family, he notes. That's because organized companies are easier to run and are more attractive to buyers. When employees have a system to follow, there's no guesswork. "For a roofing business, you need to systematize so that when there's a problem, you can figure out where the problem is," says Zehna. For example, consider using ordering form templates—that way, your team orders the same way every time and can keep tabs on prices so you know what you've paid in the past. Implement specific systems for quality control, including placing someone in the field to double-check guidelines and procedures. Follow up on past-due accounts with a good billing and receiving system, and likewise have a system to track warranty repairs. Hire Smart People and Treat Them Well "When you delegate, you train people so they can do the task. You help them flash a chimney, and you check on it," Zehna explains. He advises it's important to learn the difference between delegating and dumping a problem onto someone else. "If it's a process measuring a roof, make sure they understand what's expected of them and let them do it. Allow your employees to grow and to make mistakes. If you don't, you become a micromanager and the business never outgrows you. Hire people who are smarter than you, because they can grow the business when you're not there. Treat them right, and they'll stay there a long time." Nobody will pay a premium for a company where the owner does everything, adds Zehna. A motivated, well-trained staff shows buyers your company is worth investing in. "Cultivate employee retention. You want to have the kind of company that good people want to work at," he says. Strive for Value Zehna suggests having several things in place to shore up your company, including written goals and projections to help keep you on track. It's crucial to maintain clean books so that potential buyers can see how much money the business is making. Having strong before-tax earnings, recurring revenue streams such as residential and commercial maintenance plans, or work done for property management companies can all show buyers how profitable your business is. Ensure that the business has proper financial controls in place, such as purchase order system so you see where your money goes and judge if jobs are profitable. Limit access to your accounts, but make sure someone knows where they are and how to access them. Also keep accurate customer relationship management, financial, and marketing information, which can highlight to buyers how many clients you have and how you handle them. Retain testimonials from customers—if you can show many years' worth of happy homeowners, potential buyers may be more likely to pay more for your company. Prepare for the Unexpected As a business owner and a cancer survivor, Zehna knows that anything can happen to a business owner. Make sure you carry adequate health, business, and key person insurance and that all information pertinent to your company—including bank account numbers, logins, usernames, and passwords—is organized and accessible to your heirs, he advises. "Your paperwork, estimates, and signed contracts should be filed in an organized manner, whether it's digital or paper files, so someone can find them if you're not there," explains Zehna. "Make sure your backlog of work, bankers, accountants, financial planners, and loan information is all listed." Build Up Your Network Zehna suggests taking advantage of GAF's webinars, online classes, regional get-togethers, and conferences where you can meet vendors and roofing contractors from across the country. "There's nothing better than sharing good ideas and best practices with someone who's not in your market," he says. Hire good professionals if you don't already have any—including an accountant, lawyer, and financial planner—because they'll help you save and make money, adds Zehna. "I want roofing company owners to sell their business to someone else for a big profit so you can go to the beach with your family," he says. "Get a profitable business so you can leave it successfully one day." For additional training and resources for your business, visit the CARE Contractor Training Center or gaf.com/getthere. *To access the GAF Learning Portal you must either log into your account or register to create a free account.