The National Roofing Contractors Association has released two new episodes from its podcast series, "Stories of an Extraordinary Industry." The purpose of the podcast is to elevate the roofing industry by sharing important lessons to be learned and stories of which the industry can be proud. 

The episodes examine the unique kinship of Chicago-area roofing contractors. Sponsored by ABC Supply Co. Inc., Beloit, Wis., “Building Chicago Twice,” highlights the story of Moses Powell, who started a roofing company in Chicago in 1847 when he was just 16 years old. Powell worked hard to build the city as the number of residents swelled, but he lost everything during the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. Tony Roque, president of M. W. Powell Co. and a seventh generation roofing contractor, and Bill McHugh, executive director of the Chicago Roofing Contractors Association, explain how Powell joined forces with other roofing contractors after the disaster, sharing tools, inventing fire-resistant materials, and laying the groundwork for the creation of CRCA and other roofing associations. 

In “Sustaining Greatness,” sponsored by DensDeck^® Roof Boards, Roque and McHugh continue explaining how Chicago roofing contractors banded together after the city was devastated by fire. Local contractors set aside their competitiveness in favor of pursuing greatness and working together to collectively solve problems they faced and improve the roofing industry. An early challenge was how to combat some contractors’ poor business practices and shoddy workmanship. Contractors who joined the Gravel Roof Protection Association, later the CRCA, established a code of ethics to encourage customers’ trust. As years passed, association members continued pursuing greatness by working together and diversifying outreach efforts to women and young people to help secure the industry’s future. 

Podcast episodes are available at roofingstories.podbean.com; on NRCA’s website at nrca.net/news-events/podcast; or wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Google, iHeartRadio, Spotify and Stitcher.