In the wake of the tornado that left parts of St. Louis in ruin, one roofing company is swapping tarps for tools — and hope. Last month, GAF’s St. Louis Mega Roofing Academy equipped residents with more than just skills needed to do a job. It also paved a path to rebuild homes, restore livelihoods and reshape a community one rooftop at a time.
Academy graduates recently attended a job fair held to connect them with immediate employment opportunities and help strengthen the local roofing workforce, accelerating recovery efforts across the region.
“Money is one thing, but the way you feel when you walk away from taking something that was traumatizing for this family and get to be a part of rebuilding it — it does something for you that money can’t buy.”
Gary Pierson, GAF employee
Roderick Colvin, a national recruiter for GAF, says the company’s St. Louis Mega Roofing initiative was born from the tragedy of the May 16 tornado.
“I was inspired to get my company involved to re-root St. Louis,” Colvin said. Colvin’s vision was to bring in people who came from the impacted neighborhoods of the north and west sides. “To use it as an opportunity for employment.”
Colvin says contractors are coming to St. Louis to aid in the rebuilding efforts, but many lack the bandwidth to handle the overwhelming volume of storm-related repairs.
“We are offering the students an opportunity to be employed by the contractors who are coming in to do the work,” Colvin said. “It just makes sense to me to involve people from the community.”
The roofing industry has a long way to go when it comes to diversity, Colvin says. One key challenge, he notes, is the lack of visible representation, which makes it harder to attract the next generation of skilled workers from underrepresented communities.
The partnership with the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis and the Family & Workforce Centers of America played a key role in recruiting 55 students, Colvin says. According to the National Student Clearinghouse, rising college costs are fueling increased interest and enrollment in vocational training programs.
Since launching its free Roofing Academy in 2020, GAF has trained more than 4,400 people, placing more than 2,500 of them into jobs. The roofing academy emphasizes untapped talent pools, including veterans, women, people with prior criminal justice contact and other groups in the roofing trade.
The percentage of Black or African American workers is between 7.8% and 11.1%, according to the Construction Employers Association. Colvin, who is formerly incarcerated, sees the initiative as a way to give back.
Christopher Gajewski joined the program to have more opportunities in the roofing field. Gajewski, who was formerly incarcerated, says GAF is giving him and others like him a chance to help those distressed neighborhoods.
“This program is helping us to help others,” he said. “And it’s going to open doors for a lot of these young guys to help keep them off the streets and give them something beneficial to do with their lives.”
Gary Pierson, who has been with GAF for six years, says he’s excited about the impact the Roofing Academy is making. He describes the week the academy was held as “special.” Pierson says the initiative is about giving back to those who need it the most.
“There is not a soul here who doesn’t know at least one person who was affected by this tornado,” Pierson said. “This is going to do so much for their community and spirit.
Money is one thing, but the way you feel when you walk away from taking something that was traumatizing for this family and get to be a part of rebuilding it — it does something for you that money can’t buy.”