He Was a Roofer, Then a Congressman, Now He’s Rewriting the Industry’s Legacy

[00:00:01] Reid Ribble: I wanted to find out what their perceptions were of the
industry itself. What did they think of themselves and the work they did? And what did
they think, the community at large, how did they think American citizens viewed them?
There was an overarching theme: they got up every single day and did really noble, very
important things, but they didn’t feel like they were respected in it. That came through
loud and clear. We were at an executive committee meeting, I think it was in October
2017, so I’d only been there eight or nine months. I laid all this data out for the
executive committee and I started asking them if they felt the same way. To a person in
the room, they felt exactly the same way. I said, “We can’t leave it like this. The whole
part of an association is that we associate together to lift everybody up”. But how do
we lift up people who look down on themselves? You can never get people to respect
what you do until you respect what you do.
[00:01:05] Todd Kavanaugh: Hey there, and welcome to Under the Roof, the official
podcast of Baker Roofing Company. I’m Todd Kavanaugh.
[00:01:12] Matthew Elban: And I’m Matt Elban. We’re here to connect the dots
between field and office, leadership and crew, values and action.
[00:01:20] Todd Kavanaugh: In each episode, we dive into the stories, lessons, and
updates that matter to our team.
[00:01:26] Matthew Elban: From safety and career growth to company milestones and
good old-fashioned storytelling, it’s all about living out what makes Baker, Baker. Let’s
get into it.
[00:01:38] Todd Kavanaugh: Hey there, and welcome back to Under the Roof. I’m
Todd Kavanaugh, and I’m with Matt Elban. Today, we’re sitting down with someone who
has had one of the most unique career paths in our industry: Mr. Reid Ribble.
[00:01:52] Matthew Elban: Reid’s journey is pretty remarkable. He spent thirty years
running his family roofing business in Wisconsin, served three terms in Congress
representing Wisconsin’s Eighth District, and then became CEO of the National
Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), where he led some of the most ambitious
professionalization initiatives our industry has ever seen.

[00:02:12] Todd Kavanaugh: His journey gives him a perspective very few people in
our industry have. He’s seen it from the contractor’s desk, from Capitol Hill, from the
association boardroom, and now from corporate boards. We’re going to talk to him
about what he learned in each of those roles, his vision for elevating roofing as a
profession, and where he sees the industry headed.
[00:02:36] Matthew Elban: Reid, welcome to Under the Roof. We really appreciate you
being here.
[00:02:40] Reid Ribble: Hey, it’s good to be with you guys.
[00:02:42] Matthew Elban: I like to start off with a question I always like to ask our
guests. What’s the last book you’ve read, and what did you take from it?
[00:02:52] Reid Ribble: It’s interesting that we were talking about golf before we
started recording. This is a book I’m reading right now called Caddy Tales. It’s by a
former pastor in Wisconsin who ran into some difficulties in his church work, lost his
job because of personal failures, and became a caddy at Whistling Straits, one of my
favorite golf courses in the world. The subtitle is “A Looper’s Search for Lost Golf Balls
and What He Found Instead”. What he found instead was an attitude that there’s
always another chance. For anyone who has played golf, you know that if you have a
bad shot, there’s always another shot; there’s another chance to fix what just went
wrong. He applies these life lessons through “looping” at one of the most beautiful
spots on Earth. There are all these fascinating life lessons in that book. It’s great.
[00:03:56] Matthew Elban: Yeah, I’ll have to pick that one up.
[00:03:58] Reid Ribble: I literally just finished it this morning.
[00:04:01] Matthew Elban: That’s awesome. I appreciate that. I like to keep a list of our
guests’ book recommendations and try to make my way through them. Before we get
into the full story, contractor, congressman, CEO, really quite a resume. Do people
believe you when you tell them this is what you’ve done, or do they think you’re making
it up?
[00:04:21] Reid Ribble: It depends on who you’re talking to. The interesting thing is
people are so fascinated with the congressional part that they miss seeing what a
person’s life actually is. I’ve been writing my memoirs mainly for my boys, and after
about 45 or 50 chapters, it finally dawned on me I’d never even mentioned I was in
Congress. Yet, if I’m recognized, that’s one of the first things they want to talk about. I
find it the least interesting of all the things I’ve done.

[00:05:00] Matthew Elban: That’s funny. The first time I met you, I was introduced by
Jason Stanley with IB Roof Systems, and I recognized your name immediately from
your association with the NRCA. To be honest, I’m not convinced I even remembered
you were a congressman before that; my recollection of you was from the roofing
industry.
[00:05:18] Reid Ribble: Right, which is where I base all my learning. The things I’ve
really learned in life happened there; that’s where I’m more invested.
[00:05:27] Todd Kavanaugh: Yeah, this is a great jumping-off point then. You’re going
to discover we’ve done our research, Reid.
[00:05:33] Reid Ribble: Oh, now I’m realizing that not everything on the internet is
true!
[00:05:38] Todd Kavanaugh: That is absolutely true. But for folks who might not know
your whole story, I think it’s helpful to get some context. Can you give us a thumbnail
sketch of your journey? How does a kid from Wisconsin end up running a roofing
company, serving in Congress, and then leading the NRCA?
[00:05:57] Reid Ribble: It’s a fairly brief story about getting started in my roofing
business. My dad was a Baptist minister and a chaplain for Winnebago and Outagamie
counties in Wisconsin. He had six kids, and then at some point, my mom and dad
decided to adopt two more, apparently six wasn’t enough. They were all boys, so they
adopted two girls. You can’t really feed that many people on that type of income. He
was handy with his hands and a World War II Marine Corps veteran, so he started selling
roofing and found it profitable enough to start his own very small residential roofing
company.
When I graduated high school, he had maybe three or four employees, and it was more
of a hobby for him. Since he didn’t need the money anymore, he asked if I would be
interested in taking it over. There wasn’t a lot to it; they were doing maybe two roofing
jobs a week, and only during the summer because of the Wisconsin snow. I thought I’d
give it a shot, provided he taught me how. During my own research, I discovered the
NRCA because I felt if I was going to make a career of this, I’d better learn what I was
doing. I reached out and became a member in 1975. My relationship with the NRCA is
the driving point of virtually every success I’ve had throughout my career. That’s how I
got into commercial roofing.
[00:07:54] Todd Kavanaugh: It sounds like the NRCA has been a focal point of your
career. You became the NRCA CEO in 2017 with a clear vision: “The recognition of our

members as professionals and to unite the industry to that purpose”. This wasn’t just
talk; you backed it with funding. What made you believe the industry was ready for this
transformation in perception, from contractors to professionals?
[00:08:42] Reid Ribble: After I left Congress, the NRCA was gracious enough to offer
me the position. Bill Good, who had been CEO for thirty-five years, was anxious to
retire. When I took the job, the first thing I did was refamiliarize myself with the
industry to understand where they thought they were. We surveyed about 1,500
respondents, contractors (members and non-members), distributors, and
manufacturers. I wanted to find out what their perceptions were of the industry and
themselves.
There was an overarching theme: they didn’t feel respected in their work. They did
noble and important things every day, but they didn’t feel respected. This came
through loud and clear. In October 2017, I laid this data out for the executive
committee and asked if they felt the same way. To a person, they did. I said we can’t
leave it like this; an association is meant to lift everyone up. But how do we lift up
people who look down on themselves? I used a line in a speech: “You can never get
people to respect what you do until you respect what you do”. That resonated.
I remember a trip to meet a major industry player. I went to the hotel bar around three
to have a beer, and a gentleman sat one chair over. I asked what he did, and he said he
was in the construction business. It turned out he was the person I was supposed to
meet for dinner. Later, I asked why he didn’t say he was in the roofing business, and he
said, “Well, it just doesn’t sound as good”. That summarizes the problem: we think we
don’t matter. Why give your life to something that makes you feel that way? The work
is so important, and those moments drove me to say we have to completely change
what we’re doing and professionalize the industry.
[00:12:18] Matthew Elban: I love that idea. You said something at the 2017 Best of
Success Conference: “There’s not a single mom or dad on the planet who, when their
son or daughter is born, looks down on that bassinet and says, ‘Wow, I hope you
become a roofer when you grow up'”. That’s brutally honest and likely factual. How do
we change that? Respecting what we do has to change for growth and success to
follow.
[00:12:55] Reid Ribble: That’s a difficult sociological question. This isn’t a new issue.
Historically, immigrants coming to the U.S. found trades to do, primarily in agriculture
and construction. People found factory and farm work to be menial labor and were
anxious to get into more automated forms of enterprise. As America industrialized,

people gravitated to machine jobs and then to professional services like banking and
finance. The jobs they vacated were often filled by first-generation immigrants. That’s
still true today, and unfortunately, people often look down on these workers until they
actually need a roof done or landscaping. Invariably, customers will tell you, “I can’t
believe how hard those guys work”.
We have this sociological problem where we want something “better” for our children.
But if we want to elevate the trades, we have to talk about them differently. That’s why
I’m thrilled about SkillsUSA and other efforts to professionalize the industry and get
people excited about this work.
[00:15:12] Matthew Elban: Roofers have typically been a self-effacing,
self-deprecating group, describing their own jobs as something no one wants to do.
They don’t talk about the good things we do, and the industry is actually very
benevolent and gives back to communities. Attracting the next generation means we
have to figure out how to stop the “do something better than what I did” mindset. I’m
proud of what I do in the roofing industry.
[00:16:10] Reid Ribble: Of course you are. Every roofer I know, when driving past a
building with their kids, says, “Daddy did that roof”. You’re proud in front of people you
trust; you’re only self-deprecating around people you don’t know. My own boys didn’t
go into the business because they saw me working too hard. They later discovered that
if you want to be successful, you have to work hard at whatever you do.
To get young people involved, we have to talk about the technology, drones, computer
systems for estimating, software, and robotics. We have to give them an accurate
vision of what the modern roofing industry actually is.
[00:17:40] Matthew Elban: I like that idea.
[00:17:44] Reid Ribble: The younger generation is very aware of global climate change.
The roofing industry supports that through things like solar work. If you engage them in
those types of purposeful things, you’ll draw that kind of person into your company.
[00:18:20] Matthew Elban: That’s great advice.
[00:18:22] Todd Kavanaugh: Let’s pivot slightly. This innovation is impacting the
structure of the industry. You sold your family business to your nephew in 2009
following a traditional succession path. Baker chose a different path through employee
ownership (ESOP). Looking back, were there factors you weighed when thinking about
succession?

[00:19:15] Reid Ribble: It happened so fast because the opportunity to run for
Congress came up. In hindsight, I think an ESOP like what you guys did is a better path.
I wish I had done that. Giving employees ownership is a critical component in building
pride. Now, they look at a roll of TPO or EPDM differently because they aren’t throwing
away the company’s stuff; they’re throwing away their own stuff.
It’s a superior succession plan to the current private equity wave. ESOPs build for the
long term, whereas most private equity purchases aim to build a company and sell it
quickly for profit. That can downgrade the image of the industry rather than upgrade it.
[00:20:50] Matthew Elban: Consolidation through private equity is a massive shift
right now. How do different ownership structures position companies to compete
today?
[00:21:15] Reid Ribble: Because boomers own about thirty-seven percent of the
roofing industry, it has drawn a lot of private equity money. Private equity gives these
owners a way out. There have been plenty of successes and pitfalls. Among
contractors who joined private equity firms, it’s about a fifty-fifty split on whether they
liked it. Short-term profit incentives can damage a company’s reputation.
I love the employee stock ownership model because every employee is seeking the
best interest of the company because they have a self-interest in doing so.
Self-interest is what drives everything, and directing that toward the common good is
a superior model.
[00:22:53] Matthew Elban: That makes a lot of sense.
[00:22:56] Todd Kavanaugh: Reid, this has been fantastic. We think this conversation
is worth breaking into two episodes. We’re going to cut this here and release part two
later.
[00:23:25] Matthew Elban: To be continued.
[00:23:28] Todd Kavanaugh: That wraps up this episode of Under the Roof. Thanks for
joining us and being part of the Baker Roofing family.
[00:23:49] Matthew Elban: As always, we’ll leave you with this: “We shall do good work
at a profit if we can, at a loss if we must, but always good work”. See you next time.