A Word with the President
Conversing about the Future with Stan Robinson, the New WSRCA President
by Marcus Dodson, Publisher
The Western States Roofing Contractors Association (WSRCA) is ready to welcome Stan Robinson as its landmark 50th President. Robinson is a first generation roofing contractor, and he founded his company, Pacific West Construction, Inc., in 1980. The company later evolved into the successful roofing business that it is today, DBA Pacific West Roofing (PWR).
“After high school I had a couple of jobs selling hot tubs and pool covers,” said Robinson. “I completed two terms at community college, and decided that it wasn’t for me, so I returned to the working world for a year before starting my own company.”
Robinson currently acts as a co-owner for PWR alongside Brian Jarvis, who’s son Reed Jarvis, is also currently working within the company. After 30 years in Tualatin, Oregon, PWR moved its business office and warehouse to a new location in Hubbard, Oregon, where it now helps with the roofing needs of customers from Vancouver, Washington, to Salem, Oregon, as well as customers from the Oregon Coast, inland east of the I-5 corridor about 50 miles. While PWR primarily uses asphalt shingles and standing seam metal, the company always strives to stay abreast of new innovations in the industry.
“We pride ourselves on our ventilation expertise, which is promoted by everyone in our company to help homeowners understand how they can extend the health and life of their roof. PWR focuses on continuous improvement and training,” said Robinson. “For example, we have a training roof deck on wheels in our shop for new-crew training and refresher training as well.” When he has time away from his business, Robinson follows his passions for woodworking and making custom furniture for clients. Robinson learned his wood shop skills from his father, and he uses them to make personalized tables, bedroom furniture, and specialty restaurant furnishings. He hopes that his craftsmanship can become his future job during retirement.
“I would be remiss if I didn’t confess that my end goal is to sell PWR in the next few years,” Robinson said. “I turned 66 in July and after 45 years of this great industry, it will be hard to leave it behind. I would like to remain connected to the industry, so I’ll teach community college classes in a roofing division or at a trade school. I taught for several years over a 20-year period in the past and it would be fun to return to that. “We managed to speak with Robinson when he was free and asked him some questions about his plans for the future of the WSRCA.
Western Roofing (WR): What makes the WSRCA unique?
Robinson: Our three-legged stool: legal, technical, and safety. There is such a high value attached to those. The level of quality from these leaders is beyond words and I have so much respect for all three of them. The real uniqueness which most people can’t see is our WSRCA staff and their unwavering dedication to making this association shine brighter than the sun. The efforts they make to create a smooth and thriving EXPO is nothing short of heroic. Not one letting the other team member down. They work lockstep in unison with the board and the executive committee who make the final recommendations to the voting board. I’m proud and honored to serve with these individuals.
WR: Does the WSRCA have any new resources for its members?
Robinson: We are working on several areas surrounding safety and doing The Road Show safety training offerings, but we need our associate members and friends to help make these announcements on our behalf. The WSRCA email campaigns need to hit more internal company emails so that word spreads faster, not just to the owner of the company, but the safety coordinator, production staff, operations, etc. My hope is that member owners will push emails out to all department heads to “spread the word” internally to their companies.
WR: What can the WSRCA do to help the roofing contractor improve their business?
Robinson: The roofing contractors can help themselves by being involved with what WSRCA is all about. Technical, safety, and legal information is pouring out of our WSRCA website and through email blasts to help educate and inform our members with the latest in all three of these highly important areas. These areas have impact on our companies whether we like it or not, so to avoid the pitfalls of a legal situation or a safety situation, read up and stay informed through these avenues of information.
WR: Is your company experiencing a labor shortage or lack of properly trained personnel?
Robinson: Yes, COVID-19 created a fast drop in available roofers. Many roofers retired and new people are not filling their shoes, but we all know this and have for over 15 years.
WR: How is the current rising construction climate affecting the Western roofing contractor? Do you see an increase or decrease in the number of contractors in the West?
Robinson: There is always a glut of new companies with shiny new logos on their trucks, but they ebb and flow depending on the tide of the economy. I think some have the idea that starting a company is easy and the profits are big, but they don’t understand liability, costs, and all the other considerations that a business owner has to manage. After decades of seasoned roofing contractors seeing these new companies come on the scene and then falter, we don’t get bothered about it. We just hope some quality ones make it through, and we are here to help.
WR: How is the current economy affecting the WSRCA?
Robinson: My hope is people stop listening to the news and cease tightening up every time a politician says this or that. The markets react and then consumers don’t follow through with their plans for that new roof this year.
WR: What is the toughest problem the WSRCA faces as an association?
Robinson: We need to focus on membership recruitment. This might sound like an ad for WSRCA, but I think the value of a WSRCA membership is a well-kept secret that needs to get out. We have such tremendous value in the WSRCA that it baffles me that we aren’t twice the size we are. I feel that our associate members (i.e. suppliers and manufacturers) need to shout from the rooftops about how important it is to belong to this association and explain the sheer value companies are missing by not utilizing our resources. Each member has the opportunity to gain knowledge from: our technical articles by Kenneth Klein, the smartest building envelope guy in the country; our legal articles by Trent Cotney, which are outstanding resources providing invaluable information; and our safety training from coordinator-educator Steve Zasadil, who does an incredible job with our Safety Toolbox Talks, but more importantly, our WSRCA Safety Companion app which no other association can match with the safety forms and toolbox talks right on the app.
WR: What are some problems facing the Western roofing contractor today?
Robinson: OSHA fines and insurance costs are driving overhead out of control. We need more unification from both governmental agencies and private business to support more training in the roofing industry to keep our workers safe, which will then reduce costs in this area. Workers need to better understand the risk to themselves and to the business when they do not follow safety procedures and protocol.
WR: What are some unique problems you have encountered?
Robinson: Social media is great, but it can also be a thorn. People want to complain. For one potential job PWR bid, the homeowner had a personality difference with our sales representative, so the homeowner blasted it over Google Reviews. We never did any work for this person; he just didn’t like to hear the bold truth about the advice he was given and asked for and felt the need to berate us. These are rare but they do happen. We had another gentleman write a negative review on a job we did for the customer he bought the house from and said we did a terrible job because we didn’t install a taper system under the membrane roof and it ponded a bit. We tried to explain to him that we highly suggested it to the daughter of our customer who represented her dying father, but they didn’t have the money to spend on a tapered insulation system. The new homeowner said we should have forced it on the previous owner regardless. That’s not who we are, and we give people options especially under these circumstances. He wouldn’t listen, and that resulted in a one-star review.
WR: How is the WSRCA helping Western roofing contractors handle government regulations and OSHA enforcements?
Robinson: This is tough for me to comment on as I can’t keep abreast of all the changes and shifts in regulations, so I have to depend on our Washington D.C. Representative, Craig Brightup to bring this information to us.
WR: What does the WSRCA have to offer the roofing industry and roofing contractors?
Robinson: I’ve said this too many times: education. However, the WSRCA also provides a sense of community where we can share ideas/issues and see how others are managing those issues.
WR: Does the WSRCA have any special projects, programs, or studies going at the present time (TPO, asphalt shingles, modifieds, tile, synthetics, iso, waterproofing, coatings, safety, etc.)?
Robinson: I know we have a few new topics coming but it would be a spoiler alert to tell you now and how would we draw people in if we gave this information out prematurely? It’s like reading the final chapter in a book then going to the introduction, no sneak peeks allowed. Trust that WSRCA always something interesting brewing.
WR: How will these projects or studies help the Western roofing industry turn out a better product and members improve their business?
Robinson: It’s what we do and it’s who we are. We aid in continuous improvement and education. WSRCA has been around for years to support research that has helped change the industry.
WR: Has WSRCA membership gone up or down in recent years? Do you expect thus trend to continue for the near future?
Robinson: My goal for the 2025/26 year is to advance membership by bringing WSRCA information to the corners of states where roofing companies may not know much about us. We need to raise a team of suppliers and manufacturers to help pave the road to these contractors who need the help but don’t know where to find it. We have got to reach previously untapped populations and get the word out. If we could adopt an “each one reach one” attitude, I think we can make a huge impact on the roofing contractors in our states.
WR: What do you see ahead in terms of long-term growth potential for the WSRCA?
Robinson: This is not a glass ceiling. We need to see blue sky in order to soar into it. I believe we have lots of room for growth in both membership and in services we could provide. I would love to see us be able to provide group benefits like health insurance, dental plans, or even liability insurance discounts for members in the roofing industry. As membership grows, so should our ability to provide these types of benefits.
WR: Why did you join the WSRCA? How long have you been a member?
Robinson: I joined Western States years ago, I think in 2013, when a board member gave me a free membership to go to the EXPO in Seattle. I took it as a way to see new products available to the roofing industry. This got my brain fired up. I learned about a new product at the Seattle EXPO and ended up bringing it to the Portland market. Anyway, I applied to be a board member, and in 2014 I was voted into the fold.
WR: As the new president, what are your immediate goals?
Robinson: My immediate goals are simple. Make sure that our committees are cranking out great educational materials that will make big impacts on every member of the association, from safety and legal information to low slope, steep slope, and waterproofing technical to the advisory committee.
WR: What are your long-term goals?
Robinson: This goes back to my comments about expanding membership and reaching untapped markets of members. Let’s find the people who need our help so they can start reaping the benefits of a WSRCA membership as soon as possible. We need cheerleaders, promoters, salespeople, or whatever you want to all our membership team to get the word out about WSRCA. Perhaps we can begin a train the trainer program so there is a consistent, structured, and organized way for our members and suppliers/manufacturers to promote WSRCA benefits. I want us to see beyond the big cities. I want to spread out to the corners, if possible, but that could be a logistical challenge. I hope our board will embrace this concept.
WR: How is the Western Roofing Expo shaping up for September?
Robinson: WSRCA EXPO is completely sold out, I think this year will be the most exciting one, but of course, I’m biased.
WR: Can you give any details about this year’s Davis Memorial Scholarship?
Robinson: I can tell you that Chuck Chapman, Chairman of the foundation, is excited and hopes to have more scholarships to offer. They are getting creative in their offerings so again, I don’t want to spoil the surprise, that’s for Chapman and the Davis board to decide what the scholarship totals will be, but it has a huge groundswell of donors for the auction.
WR: A year from now, what do you want people to say about your term in office?
Robinson: I would like for people to be able to say that I brought to light the WSRCA benefits, which helped make an impact into the lives of roofing contractors and changed the trajectory of their businesses.
