Latest / RoofersCoffeeShop / Building a Career at WTI
Transcript
- Karen Edwards: Welcome to Roofing Road Trips, the podcast that takes you on a thrilling journey across the world of roofing. From fascinating interviews with roofing experts to on-the-road adventures, we'll uncover the stories, innovations, and challenges that shape the rooftops over our heads. So fasten your seatbelts and join us as we embark on this exciting roofing road trip. Hello everyone and welcome back to Roofing Road Trips. I'm your host, Megan Ellsworth, here at rooferscoffeeshop.com. And I'm really excited because today I'm here chatting with Eric Benson from Tremco WTI. and we're talking about building a career at WTI and within the roofing industry overall. So, Eric, welcome to the show. I'm so excited to get to know you more. Thank you, Megan. Yeah, absolutely. Let's start out by having you just tell us a little bit about your role at WTI, how you got here, all that good stuff. Yeah, no problem. so my role is I'm the field resources supervisor for the Boston area in the Northeast region. I've been here for about two years now. Okay. Amazing. And I've been in this role for one year, actually. Okay. So that's cool. You got a little bit of a bump. I love it. What was your role when you first started? What were kind of those early days like? so I first started, I actually started as a as a foreman. what happened was I was working as a roofing and building envelope supervisor for a data center developer in the Boston area. And I've been there for like five years. it was getting a little stagnant. So I didn't really see a lot of growth opportunity there. So I did post my resume on Indeed. And actually Cali Lopez, our recruiter, got in touch with me about a position as a tech. So I said, it's a recognizable company, obviously. I've been in this business for a long time. So I said, Maybe this is an opportunity where I can get some advancement that I'm looking for. So I took it and we interviewed. It went well. She set up a second interview with regional business manager and supervisor of this area. that went well. They subsequently offered me a role as a foreman in the Boston area. I Gladly accepted and here I am. That is really cool. It it's it's so cool to just put yourself out there, not expecting anything, and then have it work out. That's such a great feeling. Yeah, it was nice. Yeah, that's great. I love it. it's so cool too that they like approached you. You didn't have to send out a bunch of stuff. so your career path has taken you from tech from a tech to a foreman. To now a supervisor, what helped you kind of make that initial move from technician to foreman? well, obviously I had children. I wanted to advance my career. that's a big factor in it. and I think after having kids, I I I really kind of buckled down and took like a lot more ownership of what I was doing. you know, and just really concentrated on being the best I can be. I'm I wanna be a good role model for my family and I think Doing what you do every day is like the is the best way to teach your kids what they're capable of by working hard. So I just buckled down, kept working hard, seized every opportunity I could get to to advance and and take ownership of projects. And in the end, I got the opportunities that I needed and kept moving forward and then and it was great. That's awesome. I love it. That's really cool. I love that sentiment of setting a great example for your kids and your community as well. That's one thing I really love about construction and the trades is People, you know, working with their hands to create a better life for their families, themselves. what kind of training or development opportunities were kind of given to you or or offered that helped you grow within this foreman to now supervisor role? I mean, speaking on WTI, I mean, there there are really so many opportunities here. The safety team, they're they're amazing and they they have a really comprehensive program that they really they they really concentrate on getting everybody ready to work safely on the roof and stuff. So that's been that's been huge, and it's a big factor here. I'm also taking advantage of the Rise program, which is a opportunity to go to college on the company's company pays for it, which is amazing. You get a property man project management degree, I mean. so another great opportunity that you don't get anywhere else. That's like one of those huge and we have a couple of other guys that are in my division that are techs that are working towards that as well. beyond that, they just come up with a new program called Deepow where they have like these video tutorials about all the different products we have and different things we have to do safety wise and and that's been just a vital tool for our field and for myself too, because I don't know everything. I don't know every product and like the it's a great way to kinda get a handle on what what you're doing and and understand like what the processes are and stuff like that and learn how to do it the way that the company wants us done and so I mean really the sky's the limit with training opportunities here. As much as you want, it's there. You know, they have a ton of little modules, learning modules on Oracle and they have an apprenticeship program. I mean, it's like they're setting the industry standard when it comes to training for sure. Yeah. Yeah. I didn't know about the Rise program. That's huge. So massive. especially for people that when you're when you're fresh out of high school, sometimes you don't want to go to college. You wanna just get your hands dirty and and start working and join a trade. And then to be able to have that opportunity later on if you want, is huge. Yeah, that's really cool. Some of us aren't ready at first and it's it's definitely when it comes down the line and you kinda get your eyes on a career. I mean, it's a it's a nice thing to have, you know. my gosh. Yeah, no. It's ridiculous how expensive college is. And I mean also, even if someone did go to college, could they use the could they go through the RISE program again to do a different degree, like you said, project management? Yeah, absolutely. I mean, they definitely allow you to transfer credits and stuff like that too. So if you have pre existing credits, you're gonna move through that much faster. And the opportunities are limitless from there. I mean, there's so many opportunities in this company. That can take advantage of and they really love promoting from within. So it's a it's a great thing. That's really cool. I love how you mentioned the safety team. I'm really good friends with Mandy McIntyre who works on the safety team and does a lot of mental health trainings. Have you been a part of any any of those yet? I haven't done any of the mental health trainings though. She we did have a a little module at our safety week event this week in Poughkeepsie, New York. So we got a good rundown there and they pr presented us with a lot of information and stuff about available mental health care and and how and just kinda what what we're expected to do in our roles of supervisors and the safety team and stuff to just kinda make sure that everybody's okay here. So it's great that they do that 'cause it is a problem. I've been in the construction industry for a long time and I've seen it all unfortunately and it's something that definitely doesn't get addressed enough. Yeah. Yeah. Couldn't agree more. It's definitely not addressed enough. I think it's being addressed now more than ever, which is great, through companies like WTI, Tremco, NRCA is doing a lot of prevention work. But it's cool that you and other supervisors were made aware of, you know, obviously you already knew that this was a problem in this industry, but tools and and tips and tricks and stuff, that's cool that they went over that. Yeah, absolutely. So how do you support? Kind going off of that. How do you support technicians, foremen, and your crews in the field? on a on a work level, I handle all the minutia the background. so I'm doing the estimates, the planning, scheduling, stuff like that. I take care of the warehouse, make sure we have enough inventory and all vital things for making their life easier and keeping their stress levels down. on a personal level, I try to be available to the guys. They Especially my main guys, we're in contact quite often throughout the day and they they tell me what their needs are and I I do my best to support them from the background so they can concentrate on what they're doing and not get overburdened with with the stress and stuff like that. Obviously I try to lead in the right direction for any of their needs. If I can't handle them personally and just really just try to be available at at all times. I mean, that's my job i in the end. I'm the supervisor, but really I'm the The support for the team. Those are the guys that are getting the actual work done and I'm just here to facilitate it as much as I can and and make that as easy for them as possible so they want to show up tomorrow and and keep on working. Yeah. That's awesome. It's it's so so needed to have a supervisor like that that's making sure that you're doing okay in terms of work, but then also personal and making sure that your stress levels are down or manageable. It's so nice to have that person that's kind of looking out for you. I do I do my best. I've been I was in the field for twenty five years, hands on. I know what it's like out there. I know it's tough mentally, dealing with the the hot, the cold, the hard work. You got personal things going on that are in the back of your head and I try to be understanding. We're all humans and we all got our things going on and it's not easy to be a roofus. I got nothing but respect and admiration for these guys for coming in every day. Yeah. Yeah. What challenges have helped you become a stronger leader throughout your career? I think the time I spent hands on in the field and it was a long time, like I said. I mean, I'm going right now, I'm going on twenty eight years in the business. that's awesome. I've been I've been through a lot and I've worked with a lot of different foremen with a lot of different styles of leadership and I've seen what works and what doesn't work and kinda try to avoid the things that don't work and and go with the things that I found positive in in my leadership over the years. There there's a lot of guys that think they can run a job and They just fall apart. It's hard. There's a lot of stress involved and then there's other guys and and they seem to have it. So I think really paying attention over the years helped me kind of figure out the best ways to go about things in a work related thing to keep the stakeholders happy, but also in a worker relations thing, 'cause I understand that, like I said, roofing is a hard job and it can be stressful and I I know the struggle. So I I'm Yeah. Yeah. And that's so needed from a supervisor or a foreman. That's so needed. I'd love to ask kind of a follow up question on that. Having been in in this industry for twenty eight years now, have you seen a slow uptick in the amount of women joining crews or joining the industry? Has it stayed stagnant? Are there more women? What what have you seen? I'll tell you, when I started roofing back in the in the mid nineties it it we did not see a lot of women. There was a c there there were a few floating around. not even in the in in the industry itself though. I mean it was very male dominated industry. And I think that there's definitely been an uptick in women in the field and in the operations side of things. the kind of the the back of the house we'll call it. and it's good. I mean it it definitely brings a different perspective and so there's a this industry's come a long way in my in my career. Yeah. And technology wise and culture wise and and everything. So working at WTI is nothing like what it was like when I started twenty eight years ago. It was a totally different ball game and it's nice. It's nice to have to have a more diverse type of people to work with and and really, you know, we all have our strengths so they definitely bring a lot to the table. Yeah, absolutely. And I love that you mentioned like there's been such a difference between when you started and now. Especially at a place like WTI. what do what makes WTI a place where someone can build a long term career? Like how do they do that? I mean, like I said, the possibilities are endless here with the training opportunities and you got the the college program, we there's endless resources and I mean if you wanna step up and and you let us know then we're gonna try and guide you and and get you moved up. And the They they're basically I mean there's under this umbrella we have multiple companies, there's multiple roles and different types of things that I think anybody who's really dedicated to to work and career advancement can find some find a way to move up very easily by just keeping an eye on those roles, talking to the right people, getting a foot in the door. I mean, we wanna advance people inside this company and and make I mean, just looking at our leadership, most of these people have been here for twenty plus years. And that says And I mean you don't see that everywhere. This is an industry where people chase them chase the buck and they're moving on all the time. And just that kind of retention really shows what kind of opportunities are out here to advance. Yeah, that is such a good point. You you're so tr you're so right on that. You you do see kind of in our industry CEOs bouncing between different companies and what have you. But with with WTI Trimco, you it is so cool. Like your higher ups have been there for decades. And it shows that they're and they started from the bottom. It shows that you can really grow in into the company and and try different things and succeed, fail, what have you. how would you say WT guys focus on training, development, and safety and this idea that you can grow in the business? How does that show up in the field? I think it shows up in a couple of different ways. Obviously it makes for better techs. the guys are more aware of what they need to do. they understand the processes, the products, all that stuff. So I think it makes us a little more successful than your average crew out in the field because they do have that support. the other thing is I think it they see the at least a lot of the guys who want it, not everybody wants to move up. Some people are happy and that's fine. But the guys who do want it, like the opportunity is there for them to move up and they see it and we provide a a quick pathway to do it if you're if you're interested. For instance, I just I hired a guy about sixteen months ago. no roofing experience. He had some other construction industry experience and stuff, but within a year we made him a lead tech and he got a significant raise with that. And just at our safety event last week he ended up getting the award for tech of year for the entire Eastern Division, which is I mean that's huge for a guy with less than two years of experience. He's in the he's in the college program, he's doing his apprenticeship, he's he's just banging it out and super motivated and he's being recognized quickly and and that's that's what it's like here. So I mean if you follow that example, the the sky's the limit. That's really cool. I mean for the entire Eastern Division, that's huge. That's like thousands and thousands of people. It is. It's huge. Thousands of guys who've had like a lot of field experience with this company too. So to stand out is it's a testament to his hard work, but also to the opportunities that to learn that the company has provided him that he can be that successful that quickly. Yeah, totally. And did you say you were his supervisor? Yes. Yep. Yeah, he's great. Yeah. And my foreman just got tech of the year for the foreman of the year for the North East region too. So We cleaned up and then one of our other foremen got the safety award for the region. So we're we're kicking butt over here in the Boston area and you must be so proud. And like I'd be like teary eyed. Right? That's awesome. Not bad. Yeah, that's really cool. Well, congratulations. You should be very proud of those accomplishments 'cause they they they shine on you as well, right? Overseeing and making their jobs easier. Those guys make my job easier too. So I mean it goes all around circle. That's awesome. That's awesome. So where do you see your career going from here? What's your next big goal? It's a big one. I don't know. I mean I'm doing what I'm doing here right now and I'm I'm happy with that. We've got goals and milestones that I'm looking to meet and and I need to see that through down the road. I who knows, I I mean, I could see myself moving into an RBM position p potentially. That that'd be nice. Yeah. I I wouldn't mind helping out in kind of the field training and career development portion of things too. I I think I have a lot of field experience that I could be useful to guys and developing training programs and stuff like that for different applications, not just we do use a lot of Tremco products, but we use other products as well and th that's that's something that I could really help get these guys up to speed with and And kind of figure some stuff out. So I mean the sky's the limit really, who who knows where I'm gonna be. There's so many interesting roles available that just pop up from time to time and it's like I I mean, I know some guys who've been here and they've been in seven or eight different roles o over the course of their long careers and stuff. So I like to keep it interesting and keep things moving forward. So we'll see how it goes. But I think next stop would probably be RBM if I can get one, you know? Nice, nice. Well, good luck and congratulations. And it's so cool to see that. I mean, you've only been at WTI for two years, right? Or three years? Yes. Two years, yep. Two years. And you've already moved up. And it's just it's just working for a company where you can see upward growth and potential for yourself, it it makes life feel better, right? You're not gonna be stuck in the same thing. It it makes it a lot easier to get out of bed in the morning. I know what it's like to feel stagnant and that this place it's it's different. So it's nice. Yeah. That's so cool. Well, I've loved hearing your experience at WTI today. So thank you so much for sharing it with all of us. If someone out there is like, I need to work for this company, where can they learn more about all the different career openings and opportunities that WTI has? Well, locally we definitely have plenty of postings on Indeed, which is a great spot to do it. So You can probably look us up on Indeed, but also if you go to the Tremco CPG dot com slash careers, I believe that is the where all the job postings are for pretty much the entire company and the entire country. So that's that's the spot. Awesome. Well, Eric, thank you so much and congrats again on all the successes and being in a great role. this has been a blast getting to know you. So thank you. Thank you. I appreciate the opportunity. Absolutely. Everyone can also go to the Tremco WTI directory on rooferscoffeeshop dot com to learn more. There's job postings there as well. So go check it out. And I think this is a company someone out there listening to this podcast needs to work for. So definitely apply and we'll see you all next time on the next roofing road trip. Thank you. If you've enjoyed the ride, don't forget to hit that subscribe button and join us on every roofing adventure. Make sure to visit rooferscoffeeshop.com to learn more. Thanks for tuning in and we'll catch you on the next roofing road trip.