Roofing Could Be Your Key to a Thriving Career in 2023

As a roofing contractor, keeping yourself and your employees safe is crucial, which involves using the right equipment. Ladder hooks, sometimes referred to as roof hooks, are used to secure a ladder over the top of a roof's ridgeline. They're an essential piece of safety equipment for steep-slope roofing work.How Do Ladder Hooks Work?These hooks resemble a shepherd's crook that hooks over the roof's ridgeline and stays put with an attached T-bar to secure it to the other side of the ridge. The bottom of the crook has a smaller hook that holds the ladder and prevents it from slipping or sliding down the roof. Ladder hooks are typically made from heavy-duty steel and can support several hundred pounds. They essentially turn the ladder into a more stable set of stairs, creating a safer and more efficient work environment for roofing professionals, especially during steep-slope work.Most hooks also feature a rubber wheel that can help you get the ladder safely up onto the roof. Once you secure the hook on the rungs of the ladder, roll the ladder up the slope (on its back). When it passes the roof ridgeline, flip the ladder over to secure the hooks over the top of the ridgeline.Why Should You Use a Ladder Hook?According to the American Ladder Institute, 500,000 people are treated for injuries from using ladders every year, with 300 of those injuries leading to fatalities. With newer home styles featuring more dramatic rooflines with steep pitches, you may find yourself facing 10:12, 12:12, and higher pitches more regularly. Ladder hooks can help make working on these roofs safer.They can provide stability and security on lower-pitched roofs, too. You may also want to use them for performing repairs around skylights or chimneys, especially if the roof surface is icy or slippery. And they can provide secure footing in cases of suspected damage, such as a weak or rotting deck.These safety devices are designed to prevent the ladder from damaging shingles, so there's no downside to using them.Can a Ladder Hook Replace Other Safety Measures?Using a ladder hook can make you feel more secure and stable on a steep pitch. But you shouldn't forego other safety measures, such as using a personal fall arrest system consisting of lifelines, lanyards, and deceleration devices attached to an anchor point and connected to the body harness. Remember, the anchorage should be able to support 5,000 pounds per employee. Ladder hooks are designed to secure the ladder to the rooftop—not to secure a person or prevent them from falling.How Do You Choose the Right Ladder Hook?To find the right ladder hook, contact your ladder's manufacturer to see if it has a hook designed to work with its ladders. If it doesn't offer any, review the ladder hook manufacturer's guidelines to see what types of ladders are best suited for its hook. If your ladders are due for replacement, you can also look for manufacturers that offer kits with both the ladder and the hook.For more learning opportunities and resources to help you succeed in your roofing business, visit the GAF Center for the Advancement of Roofing Excellence (CARE).

Spirits were high at the second annual GAF Latinos in Roofing Expo, where more than 600 Latino roofing professionals gathered in Houston, Texas, for networking, business growth, and education seminars—all in Spanish. "To have a conference dedicated to Latinos, I love it," says Jorge Parada. "I'm sitting next to somebody that looks like me, that speaks the same language. It's a different experience from other conferences."Empowering Attendees at the Latinos in Roofing ExpoThe Latinos in Roofing Expo is one way GAF is working to level the playing field for Latino roofing professionals. Rather than take a one-size-fits-all approach, the expo provides education and resources that consider the Latino community's unique challenges. For example, industry experts taught classes in Spanish such as The Power of Latinos in Your Company's Culture, In-home Selling, Single Ply TPO, Coatings, and The Power of Content Creation for Roofing Companies.In addition to networking with other top-tier contractors, attendees received education in Spanish about the newest GAF contractor products, programs, and trainings designed to help roofers run—and grow—their companies. According to several attendees, these "culturally intended" business growth sessions, offered in Spanish, were one of the most valuable aspects of the conference.Many other conferences and training opportunities expect Latino roofing professionals to thrive with resources that cater to the non-Hispanic, English-speaking contractor community. In contrast, the Latinos in Roofing Expo empowered attendees through culturally intended offerings and shared language."The majority of these [Hispanic] contractors speak English, but it's also cultural. So, the way we do business has to feel culturally intended. Do business like Hispanics do business. Speak the language Hispanics speak," says Alan Lopez, GAF CARE training operations manager. Lopez has been a leading advocate for Latino roofing contractors at GAF and in the roofing industry as a whole.Improving Latino Roofers' Access to ResourcesMany Latino roofers have experienced disadvantages when rising in the roofing ranks because of language and/or cultural differences. For too long, the industry has pigeonholed Latinos into labor roles. As a result, Latinos are drastically underrepresented in roofing leadership, despite making up 57.7% of the roofing industry. Improving access to resources and cultural interactions is a sign of the roofing industry evolving."GAF is the front-runner in helping Latinos, because they have given us so many free resources and free seminars in Spanish," says conference attendee Junior Garcia, CEO. "They have allowed us to get to know what other [non-Hispanic] contractors already know." Some of the GAF culturally intended resources include:Spanish-language GAF website with the same user-friendly features as the English-language GAF website.Spanish-language GAF Document Library for Residential and Commercial GAF roofing products, including technical bulletins, warranty guarantees, data sheets, and more.Spanish-language GAF CARE trainings and resources, including business development courses, hands-on-trainings, and more—all taught with the needs of Latino contractors in mind.Spanish-language events, such as the 2023 GAF Latinos in Roofing Expo, designed to develop Hispanics in roofing leadership.Connecting with Latino ConsumersDeveloping Latino contractors also creates a powerful financial opportunity to serve Latino consumers. This benefits Hispanics in roofing and the roofing industry as a whole.Too often, Latino consumers are overlooked and underestimated. In fact, the Latino consumer base currently has unmet needs of more than $100 billion. Empowering Latino roofers to develop and grow as business leaders is one way to help bring change. "If you want to do business with the Latino community, you have to speak their language," says Hugo Saldaña, GAF territory manager in Houston, Texas.Speaking as a Latino professional in the roofing industry, Saldaña explains that people are at the heart of increasing a consumer base and growing contractor opportunities. "My parents preferred to do business with people who also spoke Spanish, their native language," says Saldaña. "Every day, when I go into work with these guys, it's like helping my dad or my mom. I think when you do that, and these guys know there's a caring relationship there, it goes a long way."Moving Towards the FutureLatinas in RoofingWhile the Latinos in Roofing Expo is a huge win, GAF and the roofing industry still have opportunities to grow. For example, GAF recognizes that female Latina roofing professionals may experience more challenges than their male counterparts. "There are a lot of challenges we [women roofing professionals] face, but there are opportunities for leadership. Now there are more resources and training and more opportunities to build our skills and build our knowledge, and be able to have the same opportunities as men," says Valeria Avila of Servi Express Roofing. GAF provides opportunities to empower women in roofing and recognizes the benefit of forming better bridges between women and the roofing industry.Resources for GrowthAlthough there is work to be done, the 2023 GAF Latinos in Roofing Expo is another step forward for the roofing industry. "Our company has done an amazing job—we now have a Spanish website and cater a lot to the Hispanic community, but there's still greater need," said Andres Beltran, a GAF CARE training manager based in Greenville, South Carolina.As the industry continues to evolve, Beltran encourages Latino roofers to connect with the free, Spanish-language training services and business development opportunities at GAF CARE Contractor Training Centers. "Whether it be from a marketing standpoint, financing, business development, leadership, insurance, and restoration—we can help Latino contractors to elevate their game," says Beltran.Learn more (in Spanish) about GAF resources and GAF certification opportunities today.

The roofing industry can provide a reliable and rewarding living with potential for growth. As the industry faces an unprecedented labor shortage, pay rates are increasing, and the industry has expanded offerings for training and certification programs to elevate roofing practices across the board.How Much Do Roofers Make?A roofer salary will vary based on a number of factors, including whether the work is residential or commercial. Residential roofing is more straightforward and can usually be completed in a short time.Commercial roofing, on the other hand, may require more specialized training. The jobs are also much larger—sometimes lasting weeks or months, depending on the size and complexity of the roof.The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that in the top five states with the highest employment level in roofers, the average annual salary ranges from $42,000 to $63,000. Depending on where in the country you work as a roofer, the annual salary can be as high as $87,000 per year. In 2022, the median roofer salary was reported to be $51,910 annually or $24.96 per hour.What Makes Roofing a Rewarding Career?The roofing industry can deliver a rewarding career with plenty of opportunities for advancement. Being able to work outside every day with amazing views from the rooftop inspires many craftsmen to consider a career in roofing. Often, workers start as an installer and then advance their way up to roles with more responsibility such as project manager, superintendent, estimator, or sales. Some even go on to start their own roofing companies.Working in the roofing industry is typically stable. According to the US Census Bureau, there were roughly 144 million homes across the country as of July 2022. Every one of those homes has a roof that will need to be replaced at some point. On the commercial side, the Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey estimated in their most recent report from 2018 that there are 5.9 million commercial buildings in the US. These commercial buildings will require regular maintenance, repairs, and eventually a new or restored roofing system.What's Elevating the Modern Roofing Industry?Working in roofing was not always seen as a professional, reputable line of work, but organizations like the National Roofing Contractors Association have worked hard to elevate the reputation of the industry. They have established the Training for Roof Application Careers (TRAC) program to provide training for commercial and residential roofing installation as well as prepare workers to become successful foremen and managers.In addition to the TRAC training program, the NRCA has started a ProCertification® program that allows experienced roofing installers to demonstrate their knowledge and skills and become certified in the installation of specific roofing systems.How Can You Get into Roofing?If you think that a career in the roofing industry might be a good fit for you, there are plenty of opportunities. In the past, many installers could only learn on the job. Today manufacturers, including GAF, offer programs that prepare workers to enter the industry.The GAF Roofing Academy is held in locations across the country and offers one- or two-week hands-on training programs that arm you with the skills you need to start your career in the roofing industry. Learn about the experience from recent graduates, and explore upcoming courses in your area.