Using Manufacturers to Help Develop Your Metal Installation Skills

MCS Influencer John Sheridan says that manufacturers often provide useful training programs for installing metal construction products.

Editor's note: The following is a transcript of an interview between John Sheridan, owner of Sheridan Metal Resources, and Karen Edwards, COO of the Coffee Shops. You can watch the interview or read the transcript below.

Karen Edwards: Hello everyone, and welcome back to the RoofersCoffeeShop Sound Stage. We are at the FRSA Roofing Expo. I'm Karen Edwards, and I am being joined by John Sheridan, of Sheridan Metal Resources. Welcome.

John Sheridan: Thank you. Good to be here.

Karen Edwards: We're glad you're here. So, how has the show been? You've been out on the floor.

John Sheridan: The show's been great. Yeah. Very good crowd.

Karen Edwards: It is very busy.

John Sheridan: Yes.

Karen Edwards: Very busy. Record attendance, we hear. So, John is one of our MetalCoffeeShop influencers, and has quite a lot of experience in metal.

John Sheridan: Thank you.

Karen Edwards: Give us a little bit about you.

John Sheridan: I've been in the business over 40 years. Started training about 20 years ago, and was lucky enough to run into RoofersCoffeeShop while they were developing MetalCoffeeShop, and get in on the ground floor of that initiative with the MetalVue Program with Cheryl Williams, and have been working with Cheryl Williams and MetalCoffeeShop to develop a training program.

Karen Edwards: And one of our initiatives with MetalCoffeeShop is to really focus on training and education, and our influencer topic for July, this is so appropriate, is how can a contractor really expand into metal, and expand their offerings that they offer?

John Sheridan: Part of that is just straight through manufacturers. A lot of the manufacturers have training programs that get you into the process. What I offer is a little more detailed. So, once you get in and find a manufacturer in your area and you want to develop further skills, then we can help you do that.

Karen Edwards: And that's kind of what the MetalVue Program from Sherwin-Williams is all about. Can you just talk about that on a high level?

John Sheridan: So, the MetalVue Program is a pretty comprehensive program that covers all of the aspects that you need to get into the metal roofing business. So, they have a sales branch of it that helps you generate leads, they have the EagleView that's hooked up to help you measure roofs. There's a program in that MetalVue Program that helps you put together a cut list, if you're not familiar with how to put together a cut list for a metal roof, a pricing program to help you price out a job, and then my end of it is a training program. Once you get all the above together, then I can help you get tuned into whatever particular system is the hot system in your area.

Karen Edwards: I don't think there's anything else out there like this.

John Sheridan: There is definitely nothing like this, and I like the way that it deals with it through the different manufacturers. So, it supplements what the manufacturers already have available, and it's a great thing to get started in the metal business.

Karen Edwards: So, now, we were chatting earlier and you said you've been in Florida doing some inspections and stuff. What do you see happening in Florida, in terms of the metal roofing market?

John Sheridan: Florida is really growing in metal roofing, for sure. I mean, just through this show and a few other shows, I've had a lot of people interested in training in Florida. So, a very, very hot market right now.

Karen Edwards: So, what's to come, I guess, for MetalCoffeeShop in terms of training?

John Sheridan: So, what we're doing right now is we're trying to develop video content, because I can't be everywhere.

Karen Edwards: Right? No, you can't.

John Sheridan: And you want people to have access to information when they need it. So, we're going to start out with some basic 101 kind of video training information, and then we'll start to branch off into more detailed trainings that people can access and just refer to improve their skills, or you do a two or three-day training and you forget everything when you leave, so it's nice to have a video to refer to.

Karen Edwards: Okay. So, we'll be building out a library on MetalCoffeeShop?

John Sheridan: Right, and that will be supplemented by everything that MetalVue also is kicking into that program.

Karen Edwards: Wow.

John Sheridan: So, it's cool. It's going to be pretty cool.

Karen Edwards: There's no reason not to add metal to your business, if you don't have it.

John Sheridan: Absolutely not. No, it's not trending down, it's trending way up. So, metal is definitely a coming thing.

Karen Edwards: Yeah, and it's really, the cool thing about metal is there's so many different colors, and styles, and its longevity.

John Sheridan: Longevity, styles. If there's going to be a big... The green build in America, there's going to be a big push for that. Metal roofing really lends itself to any kind of solar application, so it has a lot going for it.

Karen Edwards: Yeah. If you're going to put solar on a roof, you want to make sure that roof is going to last.

John Sheridan: Right. Yeah, you don't want to put solar on a shingle roof and then have to replace that roof in 15 years. You want to put solar on a metal roof that's going to last 40 years. So, to me, that's where metal's future lies, in just being a more longer term solution.

Karen Edwards: And sustainable solution.

John Sheridan: Very sustainable, very recyclable, several different green systems out there. In a state like Florida, there's several metal roofs that are available that have cool coating that help in cooling your house. So, it's good. You've got a lot of good things going for it.

Karen Edwards: So, there's no reason not to, like we said.

John Sheridan: There's no reason not to add it to your offering, for sure.

Karen Edwards: And we have the resources through MetalCoffeeShop.com and the MetalVue Program that can help you get started, or help you grow. If you already have metal in your business and you're looking to expand those offerings, it's all right there.

John Sheridan: Mm-hmm. Absolutely.

Karen Edwards: Well, John, thank you so much for everything you do for the industry, for our contractors, for MetalCoffeeShop. We are so glad that we found you.

John Sheridan: You're welcome. It's great to be part of it. I'm glad you guys brought me on board.

Karen Edwards: Yeah. So, check it out. Visit MetalCoffeeShop.com. Sheridan Metal Resources has a directory out there. There's a Directory for the MetalVue Program, so you can go into more detail about what all is involved. And stay tuned, because we are going to be broadcasting live all day long from the sound stage at the Florida Roofing Expo, here in Orlando. I'm Karen Edwards, and until next time, subscribe, and ring the bell