The Future is Metal. Are You Prepared?

By Yvette Cruz. 

The call for metal roofing is steadily increasing and many contractors may not have enough labor or training to support the demand.  

In Season One, Episode Two of MetalCast, Heidi J. Ellsworth speaks with the man of metal, John Sheridan of Sheridan Metal Resources LLC, about the future of metal roofing.  

John has been in the metal roofing industry for almost 50 years. Working both commercial and residential, he has insight on the latest trend of roofing. “Metal has become more accessible,” says John. “While there were just a few different types of systems and manufacturers way back, there are a lot of systems out there now. From agricultural buildings to very high-end commercial projects, there's a metal to fit that requirement.” 

With the rise of metal, there is also a demand for contractors who need to learn how to work with metal roofing. “There is plenty of room to grow and there is plenty of desire in that group of people that are shingling now to move into metal work,” John explains. “I think the demand is definitely there. There's a huge chunk of people that want to move into the metal business but don't have the resources to do it.”  

With limited resources and limited training, John began to get creative to train and consult with more companies. By selling tools, John believes “it’s a good thing to not only teach people techniques but the tools associated with those techniques.” Sheridan’s consulting also offers training classes so combining tools and tactics easily becomes knowledge that goes hand in hand.  

The most important concept to remember though is that anything worth learning is going to take time and practice, especially in a growing industry where metal is constantly becoming innovated with new technologies and ideas. “You can only learn so much in three days. Nobody is going to become an expert in three days.” 

Listen to the podcast or read the transcript to learn more about other metal training and the different resources available.