CRA'S INTRODUCTION TO ROOFING
Hi all, Hannah here. Thank you for visiting our company’s website & blog! I’m excited to share this post with you after recently taking the Colorado Roofing Association’s Introduction to Roofing course.
The CRA is an excellent organization with a commitment to “promote the ethics, education, and image of the roofing industry throughout the State of Colorado through the actions of its members.” There is a huge variety of members within the industry and a wealth of knowledge throughout. In this blog post, I highlight the education aspect of the CRA.
Introduction to Roofing
“CRA’s Introduction to Roofing course will expose your employees to the basics of roofing and teach them what they are doing, why they are doing it and upon completion give them an understanding that roofing can lead to several career paths within the industry.”
The course is 6 days covering both steep slope and low slope roofing. It is held at the CRA’s very own training center in Aurora which is fantastic. There is both education in a classroom setting & hands on in the facility. Our group of 10 students was a variety of people within the roofing industry, both men and women. We had many AMAZING instructors during the 6 day course who I am very grateful to have learned from.
Steep Slope
The first 3 days of the course cover steep slope roofing. Our instructor for these three days was Ray Phillips with RTP Roofing who was excellent! He was joined by Tim Black and Joseph Yackamovich with Black Roofing who helped out with the class.
Day 1 - Steep slope roofing overview
Day 2 - Steep Slope (Decking, Underlayment, & flashing details)
Day 3 - Asphalt Shingles (overview) & other steep slope systems
I enjoyed the classroom setting and the CRA provided a very helpful Intro to Roofing binder that I will definitely be referencing back to. My favorite part of the course was in the training facility for the hands on learning and installation. As a manufacturer’s rep, I had little experience in installing both steep slope and low slope roofing systems so I enjoyed getting more involved with the application of products.
I can 100% say I know 100% more about steep slope roofing after these first 3 days. I also now know how difficult shingles can be to cut, or was that just me? You see that great looking “roof” Arik, Shantelle, & I made (minus the shiners)? Yeah after we built it, we tore it off.
Low Slope
The second half of the class was held a week later (all classes are Weds, Thurs, Fri) and focused on low slope roofing. We had many instructors over these 3 days including Rich Boon with Construction Support Services, Curt Boyd with Academy Roofing, Dave Scheirer retired from Johns Manville, Dan Cupit with Professional Roofing Consultants, Ivan with Kudu Roofing, Frederico with Academy Roofing, Jeremiah Mahan with Broomfield Flat Roofing, and Tyler with Sherwin-Williams. A lot of people with a lot of knowledge!
Day 4 - Metal Roofing, Low slope roofing overview
Day 5 - Single Ply - Thermoset (EPDM, etc.) and Thermoplastic (TPO, PVC)
Day 6 - Coatings & Waterproofing & Final Exam
I could not have asked for a better group of people to take this class with! They truly were all so friendly, smart, and eager to learn. If you are nervous to take the class, don’t be! There will be more great people in the upcoming classes because that is how the CRA works - great people wanting to promote the ethics, education, and image of the roofing industry.
I personally recommend this class to anyone and everyone in the roofing industry! I walked away with so much more knowledge, confidence, and relationships within the CRA and industry. Whether you are new to the industry or just want more hands on learning, you or your employees have a lot to gain from the Intro to Roofing course.
Take the course!!
The CRA is offering this same Introduction to Roofing course next month December 4 - December 13. The classes are on Weds, Thurs, Fri of each week from 8-5 PM.
The CRA Training Center is located at 1660 Jasper St Unit 1 Aurora, CO 80011.
You can learn more and register on the CRA website HERE!
Again, I highly recommend this Introduction to Roofing course offered by the CRA. Steve and I are both proud members and it is amazing to take advantage of the education offered by this association. If you aren’t a member, you can learn more on their website here and please reach out if you have any questions!
I appreciate you taking the time to read this and hope you all have a great week!
Best, Hannah