A Quality Team

Spray Foam Magazine – Late Summer 2021 – Chris West is the President of West Roofing Systems, Inc. His uncle, Dick West, founded West Roofing Systems in 1980. Chris started working around the shop when he was 14, helping with oil changes, cutting grass, and taking out the garbage. Two days after finishing high school he started as a laborer and since then, he has been a hose man, a coater, an applicator, a foreman, a project manager, a sales rep, and has done everything related to installing a foam roof. He is currently the acting president of West Roofing Systems and stated, “I have learned all that I have about spray foam from experienced people in the industry like Dick West, Brian Chavalia (partner here at West Roofing), Jim Davidson (the owner at SprayWorks Equipment Group) and the rest of the team at West Roofing Systems.”

Chris West makes a point of adding, “You’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with. Our management team averages 35 years of experience in the spray foam industry, and we promote from within at the field level to ensure that our applicators are installing foam and coating the way we need our roofs to be installed. When you have high expectations for quality, there’s no better way to achieve that than to teach quality from the start and allow the individuals to excel at their own pace. It’s not something you can force; it happens with time and experience. 

All our applicators start as laborers and earn the opportunity for promotion. We have found that building up our employees this way allows us to mold them into the team we have built.”

Rickie Porter

Foreman with West Roofing Systems, Inc. for 8 years

Why do you like working at West Roofing Systems? I like working at West Roofing because it’s a family-oriented company. I work with a great group of people that I consider my friends. West Roofing has taken good care of me and my family and I look forward to working with them for many years to come.

Can you describe your typical working day? A typical workday for me can be long. When I get to work, I attend a foreman meeting and after the meeting I gather up my crew and discuss what our job and goals will be for that day. 

We then load the trucks with the equipment and materials we will need for the day. When we get to the jobsite, we set up safety and begin our day. When the workday is over, we go back to the shop or hotel, and unload the trucks and call it a day. Being the foreman, I must fill out timecards and daily logs for the day as well.

In your experience, what is the key to developing a good team? The key to developing a good team depends on a few things, but the most important for me is communication. Having a team that communicates well helps the day go smoother and makes sure everyone is on the same page. Also, when developing a good team, you must have good leadership skills and be able to assign job duties.

Give me an example of when you thought outside of the box and how did it help your employer? When I was working on a job that required us to work out of a manlift on some train tracks, a group of us had to put our heads together and figure out how we were going to get this job done on-time and safely. We came up with the solution of bringing in special wood planks to place on the tracks to hold the manlift in-place and this enabled us to get the job completed on time and safely.

What is the most challenging aspect of your job? I would say the most challenging aspect of my job is the weather. Bad weather makes it hard to get the job done. As the foreman, sometimes I must make difficult decisions based on the weather, and this can delay the job and put the company behind schedule.

Do you have to be physically fit to do your job? If so, how do you stay fit in your spare time? To do my job it’s important that I stay fit and in shape. As a roofer I do lots of manual and sometimes strenuous work, so I stay fit by being active outside of work. I like to golf, fish, and do other outdoor activities.  

Chris Williams

Foreman with West Roofing Systems, Inc. for 20 years

How, why, and when did you start in the roofing business? I became a roofer for West Roofing Systems in 2001. I had never heard of a foam roof before and figured I would give it a try. I was fresh out of school and had a baby on the way, so I knew I had to figure things out to be able to take care of my child. 20 years later I’m still loving the job.

What are your strengths as a roofing foreman? I’m a good people person. First and foremost, you need to have a good personality and patience to deal with different personalities. I have a good drive for my job, and I am always trying to better myself. I always try to develop my abilities to make a difference, and always strive to improve.

How has your career progressed at West Roofing Systems? My career has progressed by learning a lot about the foam industry. I started as a laborer doing all the grunt stuff from filling water jugs, climbing into dumpsters to leveling off debris, and pulling hose for the applicators. Now after all these years I have become a knowledgeable applicator/foreman, run my own crew and jobs as well as apply foam.

What is your relationship with your co-workers like? I have a good relationship with my co-workers, and we know how to have a good time and still be professional. We can have a serious conversation and turn around and goof off with each other to help make the day go by as we get our job done.

What is your greatest professional achievement? I have grown into a great applicator and have received multiple certifications as well as awards for the work I have completed on many projects. I have learned so much and met so many great people along the way.

If you were not a roofing foreman, what would you be doing and why? If I weren’t a roofing foreman, I honestly don’t know what I would be or where I would be at this point in my life. I started here at West straight out of high school. The only other job I ever had was when I was 16 as a stock boy for a convenience store.

I knew I didn’t want to make a career out of that for sure. Eventually I would like to be more involved with project management at West Roofing. I would also like to be further involved behind the scenes and learn the financial end of the business. There is always room for improvement.  

Ronnie Perdue

Project Manager with West Roofing Systems, Inc. for 33 years

What experience enables you to be a great project manager? At the age of 18 and fresh out of high school, I started in the field as a laborer and worked my way up through the years to a foreman. I then became an operations manager and then onto sales. This has given me the ability to understand all phases of the process and how things must happen. For example, scheduling, material ordering, billing, change orders, etc. All of this, as well as being able to deal with customers and know what their expectations are for their building and making sure that they are satisfied with the final product. I have worked on projects throughout the United States and Canada and understand that the roof system being installed must be of high quality to last the warranty and to keep the customer happy throughout the term of the warranty and after.  

What are the initial steps you take when planning a project? The steps taken for each project vary on the scope of work for each project. The first action is to review the extent of work and the details of the project regarding materials, overspray concerns and customer expectations. Creating a dialog with the customer is crucial as well as being as transparent as possible to how we see the project flowing and what issues may interfere with their operations. In addition to this, setting up a job hazard analysis platform (JHA) and assuring that all hazards are addressed before starting the project is fundamental.

Are you well organized outside of the workplace? I believe I am as organized outside of the workplace as I am while I’m at work. I will plan out projects I’m going to do at home with a materials list and layouts. That’s before I even leave to go and buy materials and start the project. This annoys my wife a little bit, but that’s just the way I’m wired.

How do you encourage your team to perform at the highest level? The best way to encourage our team is showing appreciation when they are doing a good job. It’s also important to understand that each day creates new challenges, encouraging them to be better not just at work, but in their personal life too, is important.

Share an experience in which you successfully shared a difficult piece of information? This is on a personal note–I was working out of town with a longtime friend and in the morning after getting up we discovered that he had a heart attack and passed away. I called his mom and dad to let them know what had happened and with knowing the family for over 20 plus years it was very difficult to break the news to them. After we returned home and went to the funeral service, his mom and dad thanked me for calling them rather than the news coming from a city official or coroner.

What is the most enjoyable aspect of your job? I get to work with guys I have known and respected for over thirty years. These are guys that I consider family and I truly do enjoy getting up to come to work. I’m pretty sure not many people can say that. It’s easy when you enjoy the people you work around and like what you do.  

Greg Haas

Project Manager with West Roofing Systems, Inc. for 35 years

Have you been personally involved in any of the landmark projects at West Roofing Systems, and if so, what was your favorite project? Yes, I was on a project called Thor Man out of New York. It was a very detail-oriented project and I worked with another one of our salesmen and was able to do a site visit. We worked together to propose the project, and then I was able to do the project with a few of my colleagues that I’ve worked with for many years. Just to be able to propose the work and complete the project with some of my fellow work friends was a great experience.

35 years in the roofing business is an impressive achievement. What makes this job so special that you have had such an established career? 35 years seems like a lot to some people, but when you work with great people, it’s not just work but it’s family. A lot of us grew up together in the roofing business here at West. I’ve created great relationships with co-workers and all the customers, with many people coming to us for help with their roofing needs. Being able to help people makes the job satisfying.  

How do you motivate your team and make sure they hit project target deadlines? I don’t forget where I came from. I worked many years in the field, and I understand what it takes to hit project target deadlines. I work with my field team as much as possible during the duration of the project and help them overcome the hurdles that they may face. I project a positive attitude toward each and everyone involved with the project. I constantly praise them and always tell them if they need anything I am here for them.

What kind of personality do you have to have to succeed as a roofing project manager? Conscientiousness would be the attribute that helps me succeed as a project manager. I’m hard working and take every project personally. I care what we do and how we do it. I treat every customer the way I would want to be treated and build trust in people so they can feel comfortable with West Roofing. I look at every project as if it were my own.

When you do have spare time, what do you like to do? Spending time with family and friends. My wife and I have a permanent campsite at our local campground, and we try to get there as much as possible. I also love the great outdoors and like to hunt and fish.

Do you have some advice for anyone wishing to become a project manager in the roofing industry? You need to be organized and willing to go the extra mile. There are a lot of moving parts to a roofing project and not every job is the same. You must adapt to each problem or situation that arises and have the answers and or solutions to keep a project moving forward. Communication is a key factor in project management from the customer standpoint, other trades and especially to the field employees.  

Talking with some of the dedicated employees at West Roofing Systems, Inc. was both inspiring and motivating. How many companies can honestly say that several of their staff have been working for them for over 20 years? This is a team who generally love their job and the people they work with. Chris West said it best when closing the interview, “I can’t imagine another industry, let alone another job, would be able to fulfill the experiences and opportunities we see every day. Any other contractor in the spray foam industry will tell you the same, you just can’t get enough of it. I guess you could say it’s in my blood.”