By John Boling
Roofing industry professionals descended upon Washington, DC, April 18–19, 2023, to participate in the 2023 Roofing Day in DC. IIBEC’s delegation, led by Amy Peevey, president, and Brian Pallasch, executive vice president and chief executive officer, was joined by Chris Giffin, immediate past president, and Melissa Barrows-Lieb, IIBEC Advocacy Committee chair, as well as John Boling, IIBEC’s director of government relations.
The 225 Roofing Day in DC attendees heard from Congressman David Kustoff (R–TN) and Bruce Mehlman, founder of Mehlman Consulting, who spoke about key policy and political trends. A bipartisan panel of congressional chiefs of staff gave attendees insight into how to be effective before heading to Capitol Hill to meet with senators and representatives and brief them on the issues important to the roofing sector.
Participants spread out across Capitol Hill to discuss how to increase the supply of workers through immigration reform, provide more support for career and technical education, offer tax certainty for small businesses, and support the Department of Energy Building Technology Office, which helps commercialize products and techniques in the building sector.
Pallasch said, “Roofing Day in DC provides the industry an opportunity to engage our legislators to educate them about the importance of roofing and what policies need to be changed to ensure our industry can meet the needs of the nation.” He continued, “As a member of the committee that organizes the event, IIBEC appreciates the opportunity to both lead and support our industry colleagues as we lobby for smart policies and helpful programs.”
