The Davis Memorial Foundation announces changes for 2025

Davis Memorial Foundation increases scholarships, grants and announces new Board of Trustees members.

The Davis Memorial Foundation, a strong financial supporter of construction industry education since 1997, has announced its plans to expand its reach in the roofing industry. Setting the standard for other construction industry scholarships in the Western United States, these changes will help the Davis Memorial Foundation continue to increase its contributions to the roofing and construction industries.

Alongside the Western States Roofing Contractors Association's Western Roofing Expo, the Davis Memorial Foundation raised over $110,000 in funding for its scholarship program. With this amount in mind, the Board of Trustees for the Foundation has decided to increase the amount of scholarships that they are granting to students each year from ten to 15 scholarships, with each scholarship having the value of $5,000.

"Our goal is to continue to keep expanding our reach as our fundraising efforts also continue to grow," said Davis Memorial Foundation Board of Trustees member Chuck Chapman, with Tecta America, Phoenix, Arizona. Chapman stated that he believes the $5,000 scholarship is still the ideal amount to be giving out per student and that they have no plans to change the amount per scholarship when they could instead give more scholarships to more students.

The Davis Memorial Foundation has also announced that it will be providing grants to high schools that will use the funding to compete in the annual commercial roofing SkillsUSA® Conference. Eligible schools can apply to receive up to $2,500 to assist in attending the conference, with two grants being awarded to the high schools that apply.

Additionally, the Davis Memorial Foundation has changes coming to its Board of Trustees. Both Bill Baley and Dennis Ryan will be retiring from their positions as trustees at the end of 2024. Ryan and Baley have been pivotal to the Foundation's growth and development over the last few years, and the Foundation would not be where it is today without their support. Christian Madsen and Travis Nelson will be stepping up to take their places on the Board of Trustees.

These changes for the Davis Memorial Foundation will be going into effect in 2025.

About The Davis Memorial Foundation

The Davis Memorial Foundation was founded in 1997 in honor of Larry and Mary Davis, who perished in an airplane accident in 1995. Larry Davis had been an integral part of the roofing industry for many years and served on several roofing association boards, including that of the Western States Roofing Contractors Association. The Foundation was established to honor their support for industry education. The Davis Memorial Foundation awards annual scholarships to individuals who want to further their education. The Foundation gives priority to students who want to attend a trade school, or get a college or university degree that relates to the construction industry. Employees, spouses and children of roofing industry professionals are particularly encouraged to apply.