Author: Rich Prue

Owens Corning Duration and IKO Dynasty are both laminated (architectural) asphalt shingles designed for steep-slope residential roofs. On paper, they share several “table-stakes” performance markers homeowners care about: Class A fire rating when installed as specified, and high wind test classifications (ASTM D3161 Class F and ASTM D7158 Class H) listed in their technical documents. Where they meaningfully diverge for homeowners is in three practical areas: First, hail/impact positioning. IKO Dynasty is explicitly positioned as a “Performance” shingle with a Class 3 impact resistance rating (per its technical data sheet and related disclosures), and it includes clear disclaimers about what…

https://youtu.be/KRX-WntP4z8At the recent Roofcon event, Richie Rossouw sat down for an insightful conversation with Tobias Patch, the founder and CEO of Brelly on The Roofer’s Helper podcast. Patch’s software company is on a mission to transform how insurance claims are handled, helping contractors, policyholders, and public adjusters collaborate so that claims are paid out “fully, fairly, and fast”.The Compounding Complexity of ClaimsPatch’s journey into building Brelly stems from his extensive experience on multiple sides of the industry. He began his career as an insurance adjuster before eventually building and selling his own restoration firm. Through these roles, he observed a…

https://youtu.be/j1Y4-JYhSV8?si=HJpARXQm51cjIXdP The insurance claim process has long been a thorny, stressful, and highly technical battlefield for roofing contractors, public adjusters, and policyholders alike. But what if artificial intelligence could step in to level the playing field, ensuring claims are paid fully, fairly, and fast? In a recent episode of The Roofer’s Helper podcast, industry veteran Mathew Mulholland sat down with Richie Rossouw to discuss his incredible journey from the roof to the classroom, and how a new AI platform called Brelly is set to revolutionize how claims are handled. The Man Behind the Mission: From Contractor to Educator Mat is…

Ask any roofing contractor what keeps them up at night, and you’ll likely hear the same answer. According to the Peak Performance: 2026 Roofing Industry Benchmarks for Success report from JobNimbus, a staggering 90% of roofers say finding skilled labor is their biggest challenge. But while many companies are desperately trying to hire their way out of the shortage, the industry’s elite performers have realized a hard truth: you can’t recruit your way out of a retention problem. While two-thirds of roofers maintain a turnover rate under 5%, some companies are losing more than a quarter of their workforce every…

(GoFundMe at bottom of article) A Texas roofing business owner, his wife, and his mother were among four people killed by a mass shooter in the Seth Ward neighborhood near Plainview, Texas in the early morning hours of Saturday, February 7. The shooter took own his life increasing the death toll to five. Hector Alonso Sanchez, 28, who was known in his community as a dedicated roofing contractor, was killed along with his wife, Tanya Paola Valadez Rangel, 30, and his mother, Rosalba Saenz Rodriguez, 47. A close friend, 21-year-old Reily Joseph Zavala Barrientos, was transported to Covenant Hospital-Plainview, where…

Roofing Shingles: Humor, History, and the Modern Gold Standard Let’s take a trip back to 1666, because who doesn’t like a little light arson history? Picture London, a city that thought “fire hazard” was a solid architectural style. All it took was one wayward spark in a bakery, and suddenly half the city’s thatch and wood roofs went up faster than a roofer’s coffee on Monday morning. The moral? Building your house out of tinder isn’t a long-term plan. Jump ahead to today and, believe it or not, some folks are still rolling the dice with materials that were around…

WICHITA, KS– A Wichita-area roofing contractor and his company have been ordered to pay more than half a million dollars after a court found they engaged in deceptive business practices that left multiple customers with substandard or dangerous roof work. A Sedgwick County judge entered a $510,755.40 default judgment against Tyler Sims and Flint Hills Roofing Co. LLC for unconscionable and deceptive acts under the Kansas Consumer Protection Act, the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s office announced. The Consumer Protection Division launched its investigation after receiving multiple complaints about Sims and his company. Prosecutors alleged 28 violations of the consumer protection…

CLOVIS, N.M. – A man has been sentenced to more than two decades in prison for his role in the robbery and killing of a Honduran roofer in Clovis nearly three years ago. Cordney Chardai Cooper was sentenced to 21 years on January 28 following a plea hearing at the Curry County District Courthouse, Ninth Judicial District Attorney Quentin Ray announced. Judge Drew Tatum presided over the hearing. Cooper pleaded guilty to accessory to second-degree murder and felon in possession of a firearm in connection with the July 9, 2023, death of Anival Ulloa-Salguero, who was working as a roofer…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIfxQbNXYhg Introduction: The State of the Industry Host Richie Rossouw recently sat down with Mitch from JobNimbus on The Roofer’s Helper Podcast at RoofCon 2026 in Oklahoma City to discuss the current landscape of the roofing industry, and the message is clear: the market is shifting, and contractors must adapt. It has been a challenging year for many, with the overall market down slightly. This downturn is driven by two main factors: homeowners are feeling skittish about the economy, and storm activity has been down in many regions. While we expect a bounce-back year soon, reliance on mother nature is…

Axis, Alabama– A roofing contractor was killed in a workplace accident earlier this week after falling more than 100 feet through a metal roof panel at an industrial site in Mobile County, according to the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities said deputies responded to a death investigation on January 20, 2026, at an industrial complex located at 12400 Highway 43. Investigators determined that contractors were in the process of replacing metal roof panels on one of the large buildings at the site. Two separate crews were working, one team on the roof handling deconstruction and reconstruction, and another on the…