Welcome And Why This Matters

Ty Cobb Backer 0:00

And we are live. Episode 350. Swing for recovery, bringing people together to make a difference.

Speaker 2 0:09

We have a kind of a belief system that either we're going to push you up, we're going to push you out.

Ty Cobb Backer 0:14

I don't want to be around five other people that aren't pushing themselves to feet. That isn't about taking, but giving value first. Compensational follows contribution always.

Speaker 2 0:26

This is true of authenticity. This is true. Every week, this is our story. We share with you our journey. We share with you our scars. Please welcome your host, Ty Cobb Backer.

Ty Cobb Backer 0:36

Hey, hey, hey, welcome back to Behind the Tool Belt. I am your host, Ty Backer. And today is episode 353, 150 episodes of conversations about business leadership, the people behind the work, and today's conversation gets right to the heart of why those people matter. Because today, behind every tool belt is a person, someone with a family, responsibilities, hopes, and sometimes struggles the rest of us know nothing about. So today we're talking about showing up for people affected by alcohol and drug addiction and turning our desire to help into action. Joining me today is my brother, my fam, Steven Spence with Project Mapp It. Steve founded Swing for Recovery, a golf outing that raises money for a nonprofit roofers in recovery while bringing awareness and support to people seeking recovery. This year, Mark Steven's fourth annual outing. And here at TC Backer Construction, we we've we we we've been proud to support his mission by hosting our own swing for recovery outing now in our third year of this. And while golf brings us together, the purpose is bigger than golf. It truly is. Now I'll use it for you know clerical errors and and you know punctuation and stuff like that. Like if I'm writing an email or something like that, so I don't sound like a deliterate retard.

Stephen Spence 3:24

Let's not use that word Ty backer.

Ty Cobb Backer 3:26

Sorry, I I thought you could use, I thought you could use that again.

Stephen Spence 3:29

I thought everybody just so everybody knows context. I was a special education teacher.

Ty Cobb Backer 3:33

Oh shit, that's right.

Stephen Spence 3:34

That's right.

Ty Cobb Backer 3:34

That's right.

Stephen Spence 3:35

You can cuss all you want, just don't say the R-word.

Ty Cobb Backer 3:37

Sorry. Well, I was calling myself one. It does not matter. Okay, I won't use it. I'll try not to.

Stephen Spence 3:44

See, everybody, this is how we are. We're brothers, man. I love this guy. So I love you too. I don't mind talking about that stuff with you. Yeah, no, I mean it was a that was a really good intro, brother. I really thank you. It really was. You said it, you said it very well. This is this is a big year, man. For

The Three Swing For Recovery Tournaments

Stephen Spence 4:00

me, I I just I've put a lot of, I wouldn't say more, maybe I've put more effort into it this year than other years. Maybe because each year it grows, so you kind of want it to be better than the year before, right? We're both competitive people. I want to, I wanna, you know, two things. I want to spread awareness as much as humanly possible. I also want to bring in as much money as humanly possible, and I also want to. There's a lot I want to do. So this year, my so we have three tournaments, right? Baltimore, my tournament that I host in its fourth year is gonna be on September 21st. So if anybody wants to donate, just ask Ty. Um you can donate to Ty's tournament. I doesn't matter where the money goes, as long as it goes to it's gonna go back to Roofers in Recovery. All over Ty's Ty's tournament is on October 5th in York, Pennsylvania. And then we have Jake Jacob Kaidel from CR3 American Xteriors, who's been, I think, I think Jacob told me he's three years in recovery. He's in Ocala, Florida, and we sold him at as a Project Mappa customer in January or December of last year. And I, you know, we actually talk about bringing awareness tie. We we we put on our demos and stuff like that. We're proud advocates for roofers in recovery. And it actually, and every presentation I ever make, I'm on a I'm on a webinar at 12 o'clock with CNN, not CNN, CCN, Certified Contractors Network. I always get it's CCN. Yeah, let's bring politics into it. So so I'm on a webinar with CCN and I I have a slide every time at the beginning that says, you know, we're proud advocates of roofers and recovery. So this year's kind of a deep one,

Honoring Mike Ippolitti With Purpose

Stephen Spence 5:39

right? Like we're honoring all three tournaments for Mike ippolitti, yes, who died recently of addiction issues and struggles. And you know, he worked at Leap, so he was in our industry. I've talked to his parents, thanks to you. So everybody just tie hook me up with Georgette, Mike's mother. I've since spoken with Russ, his brother, who also works at Leap. And we've had some good open conversations, and they are super. I don't know the adjective because I'm not bright enough, but they're they are overwhelmed that we are using Mike's story to help you know spread awareness, yeah, but also just understanding that Mike meant that much to people in the industry. So this year we're honoring all three with Mike, and I've got some cool things that I'll bring to your tournament. And I've created with the help of Russ, like a nice board with a lot of pictures with Mike, and I've got some presents for Georgette and Ross that will present. So anyway, it's it's kind of got a deeper meaning this year as well, right?

Ty Cobb Backer 6:45

Yeah, it does, it truly does. And as you're you're talking, man, it it it gave me goosebumps. You know, Mike, we've known Mike for a long time. Mike, like you had mentioned, worked for for job progress and which is a CRM, which was bought by Leap. And we've we've been using job, it's still the the platform that we're currently on. We I think we're we were kind of grandfathered in on the whole job progress thing. And Mike was there at the very forefront of the the beginning stages in the building of job progress and take took took pride in that, like loved job progress, and and that's all he would talk about. And so we got to meet Mike through through that channel. And Mike would come over and help our team get educated and teach them and train them up on how to use job progress. And so our relationship was was much more than just business. It became it became personal over the years. And when job progress sold to Leap, you know, when most acquis acquisitions happen, you know, they cut people, you know, and they they make changes, they bring their own people in. And unfortunately, I think Mike was a part of that old regime because it seemed like a lot of the good people, the original OGs from JP, just disappeared. So, anyhow, Mike came to work for us during that transition, and Mike was a huge asset to us at TC Backer. And but we I knew, I knew his dreams and aspirations was was much more than just working for a roofing company, right? Like he he had he he always was on the tech side of things, and not that we were holding him back, but there's like only so much thing, so much that we could do to to continue to challenge Mike, I guess. You know, so Mike had an opportunity. Actually, let me rewind here a little bit. You know, Mike, Mike was a big pillar in in the creation and longevity of behind the tool belt as well. I don't I don't want to forget that part because that's where I think Vic and Mike grew a bond, like of like like brotherhood, when they traveled, like literally those two would drive from Utah to Texas, from Texas to Florida back to Utah. Literally drive. We lost our equipment one time, and I said that was the last time. And Vic Vic volunteered, and I went a couple of times on the long trips, but those guys, I'd have to fly home because I got a business to run. But those guys would stay on the road, man, for for weeks on end, and and they grew a bond there. And and I'm sure Vic won't won't mind me saying then saying this, but you know, a lot of it was through recovery. There was, I'm sure a lot of their conversations had to do with recovery, about recovery, how to stay sober, and the many blessings and gifts that recovery has given us. We would never have been able to do that if it wasn't for recovery. You know, there'd be no way I wouldn't even be on this podcast right now if I wasn't sober today and in the in the program that I'm in. And so had Mike, so I'm gonna jump forward here a little bit. Mike had an opportunity to start working with Service Titan. Service Titan came into our industry. It's a CRM that was in the plumbing space and HVAC space, and they're making a run at our industry. And and Mike being such a great asset, and they knew it, everybody knows it. That's in our industry on an asset that Mike can be, especially when it comes to SaaS and technology and and creation. And you know, he's not a code writer by no means, but I mean he probably could and did and has wrote code. But I mean, the dude was just so smart and so fast and so snappy and and so intelligent, so kind. And so he he had an opportunity there with them, and then I guess another opportunity came open with him for him at at Leap. And so, which was still a perfect fit. We still got to to take advantage of that, you know, because today we still use Leap, aka Job Progress, and so yes, the how special this year is, you know, the thing that bums me out because I don't want the message to get twisted or distorted, you know, because people hear me say that Mike was in recovery, and I don't want anyone to ever think that recovery doesn't work,

The Hard Truth About Staying Sober

Ty Cobb Backer 11:20

okay, because of the passing of Mike. The rec the program isn't for those of us who who actually want it or need it. Okay, there's a lot of people who need recovery, but if they don't want it, okay, they're not gonna get it. Okay, and Mike, Mike had some demons that he was struggling with and for a long time, and and you know, some of it would would leak out and to us, you know, his close friends, and and but there was something that Mike was still holding on to, and and any thought or idea of that you, if you're struggling with addiction and if you're in recovery, you're not going to stay sober unless you smash the idea that someday you may be able to be a functional alcoholic or drug addict. Okay, and for some reason, Mike couldn't make that connection of that. I think he thought that someday if he had enough time clean and sober, that he would be able to use functionally again. So, so having said that, you know, you addiction isn't something that you grow out of. Once you are an addict, there's once you cross that threshold, okay, and some say you may be born with it, some say that it's genetic, some say, you know, and it can be genetic, it can be all of those things. But the thing that I can tell you is that it's a disease, and it's a disease that tells you you don't have a disease, and that's where the problem lies, okay. And because we the program doesn't fail us, what happens is we end up failing the program. Okay, so I wanted to make that clear that at there was brief moments where Mike, I know for a fact, wanted it, but unfortunately, I don't think Mike could completely smash the idea of him being a functional alcoholic someday. Okay. So having said all of that, yes, we need to bring more awareness. Not everybody who needs the program wants it. Okay. However, we also want to provide a we a ways and means of them being able to get the help that they need, and that's where Roofers and Recovery comes into play here.

Stephen Spence 13:46

That was that was really beautifully said. You're on a roll today, so thank you for sharing that. How many years in recovery have you been now?

Ty Cobb Backer 13:54

I just celebrated 16 years.

Stephen Spence 13:56

I thought, I thought you did. My brother just celebrated four. So yeah, I mean, it's amazing.

Ty Cobb Backer 14:02

It's a gift, it's it's truly a gift.

Stephen Spence 14:04

And and it affects, you know, for for me, I don't have the disease, right? Like I I drink alcohol, not to excess or anything like that, but I drank. Paul Paul Reed, the founder of Roofers in Recovery, calls me a normie. So I'm a normie, but it affects me, right? Like my brother is in recovery, and we had to like see firsthand like how he functioned as an alcoholic and how he how it took him a while to function, and still learning how to function as a so sober person, too, right? Like it's not easy. And so it affects, I guess, the like you as a rec as someone in recovery spoke eloquently because you live it. I live live it indirectly with family members, and I think everybody, sober in recovery, not in recovery, are affected by somebody that's is struggling with drug or alcohol addiction in some way, shape, or form. And that's important for everybody to understand because really it truly affects everyone. You know, my kids were affected by my brother four years ago because he didn't know how to handle himself sober. And he well, we were on vacation as a whole family one day and he acted like a buffoon, like more than once because he was sober. He couldn't, he couldn't, you know, cope cope like he normally did with alcohol. And so everybody's affected. So anyway, I just I just want to point that out just from my perspective as well. So I really appreciate you

Bringing Roofers In Recovery To Life

Stephen Spence 15:28

sharing your perspective. And you know, this year, Ty, another thing, not only are we honoring Mike Ippolitti at each of our three tournaments, but Paul Reed is coming out to each of the three tournaments. He's traveling from Colorado to all three of our tournaments to be there, to speak. To he doesn't even play golf, but he's gonna be there to support the fact that we support his you know, roofers in recovery, which I think is pretty important, pretty amazing.

Ty Cobb Backer 15:53

Yeah, yeah, that's special. That's special that uh Paul's coming to see us and visit and share his experience, strength, and hope, and and be the face like, hey, listen, this is what these guys are doing, this is where it's going, and this is what we can do. I think that that makes the message even more powerful for those that may be on the fence or for those that may know someone, you know, because yeah, we can host a charity event, like, but is is the money really going where it's supposed to be going? I mean, how many times have we questioned, you know, you know, with the with donations, you know, or we just want to make sure and they're they're gonna know for firsthand. And then, like you said, Mike's Mike's mom is coming, and she is such an amazing woman and has been through a lot. And and I know that for a fact. You know, I don't know everything, but I just know from being on both sides of recovery. Yeah, I I get to see today on the other side of it what uh addiction can can do to people's mental and physical health and and the unmanageability that it brings into everybody's lives that that it touches. And and like you had mentioned, listen, man, like this if this this disease affects everybody. Everybody's got that that uncle, that aunt, that friend, that neighbor. You know, we all know somebody that that needs this thing. And a lot of these people don't know who to reach out to. And that's why it's important for us to host events like this, come out of the closet and say, hey, guess what? You know, and I'm not here advocating for a certain particular program. Okay. Again, I don't want anybody that I'm not a spokesperson, I am not speaking on behalf of any of these 12-step programs. I just want to make that super clear. I'm not allowed to do that, you know. But what I can do is advocate for what it has done for me and my life. Because, like I had mentioned, if I if you see me on the front page someday because I got a DUI or robbed a bank or anything like that, I don't ever want anybody to think, not for one second, that one of these 12-step programs don't work because they do, they don't fail us, we fail it. Okay, and today, fortunately, today, I'm trying to be the best example of the big book that I can possibly be in case somebody who's watching me from a distance, okay, has ever contemplated is recovery good, will that be a good enough fit for me? I want them to think that if it works for him, it can work for me too.

Stephen Spence 18:31

So we so here's something that's pretty cool, and I won't name his name just because I, you know, out of respect to him, but the person that helps me run the tournaments, he helped me run my first ever tournament four years ago. We had, I think, 12 people at that tournament. This year we're, I think, at 130 or something like that so far. Wow. With more to come, hopefully. But the person that helps me run the tournament helped me run it. He's good friends with my brother Dave, who was in recovery at the time. And because of my because of the tournament we held with 12 people, this guy was like, you know what, I think I want to, I want to be, I want to be that. I need to get better. Like, I need to, I think I need some help. And he went into recovery, and he's been in recovery ever since. So like just the tournament alone has affected one person that I know of. And yeah, all the money goes to Roofers in Recovery for sure. We've raised right tie in the last three years. I think we've raised $75,000 or close to it. This year, we're gonna eclipse the 100,000 mark, which is pretty, pretty awesome. I have more people, more I'm humbled by every year, it seems like my friends in the industry. So, you know, I go to all these Certain Teet events because we're really close to Certain Teed and partners with them. And there's four ladies, shout out to Meredith, Kathy, Lee, and Olivia. And they they're they're the ones that kind of run these big business building workshops that Certain Teed puts on. And I reached out to and I was like, hey, if you want to come down, they're they're all just just north of you, not far from you in Malvern. So if you want to come down and help run the tournament or just organize it, and they all they're all coming. They're gonna come the night before, stay at the hotel, help me run it. So just I'm humbled by you know, Paul Reed wanting to fly out to all three. Yeah, humbled by Certain Teed stepping up every year. ABC, I got to give them a big shout out. They're bringing lots of people. Wow. So, like my tournament is is on par to be the best one we've ever had. I'm excited about that. I'm gonna have a company friend of mine called Power 100 come and they're gonna set up and really do a good job shooting the tournament so that we can bring some brand awareness for future tournaments. So lots of cool interview opportunities. I've I've emailed, I don't know if you do this. I was thinking about you because you're always in the newspaper and on the news with all the great stuff you guys do at TC Backer. So I emailed WBL and all the news stations and the and the newspapers. Nobody's gotten back to me. So this conversation has inspired me to probably email them all one more time today just to see. But I would love to get some you know, some local coverage of the tournament because I think it's it's become something pretty big. People are supporting. I love it. I love I love it. I love it so much. It means

The Lightbulb Moment That Started It

Stephen Spence 21:20

a lot to me.

Ty Cobb Backer 21:20

Yeah, no, it is, it's such a great cause. And why don't you give our listeners the story? I love listening to the story, you know, about what what inspired you to want it to want to do this.

Stephen Spence 21:34

Yeah, I mean, it was it was four years ago when you had your studio set up and I came up, and what it was the first or second time I'd ever been on your show. And we're standing up, I remember your you had an elaborate studio. So studio was all set up. I met you, we're we're standing up behind your your cool booth that you had there with the microphones. I mean, it was legit. And you had mentioned Roofers and Recovery Day, like it was in April or whatever day it was. And like for a long time, I had wanted to do something to back to like something community service, right? For Project Map at my company. And I could never think of anything. I'm like, I'm a lacrosse guy here in the area. I'm like, I could do lacrosse, but that doesn't really like support the community of roofing and extra remodelers. So that didn't work out. I was thinking of other things. And then you mentioned roofers and recovery day. And I'm like, it literally was a light bulb. I told you that on the show four years ago. I'm like four and a half years ago. And I was like, man, I I want to support roofers in recovery. This means a lot. My brother had just my brother had just come come to me and told me like he he needed help and that he was going to be in recovery and he was starting to go to some meetings and stuff like that. So it was it was literally a light bulb on your show, the first or second time I ever met you. And that's where it was born. I mean, right away. I I like golf. I love golf. And and we had literally, I think I put together a tournament a month later, and we raised $2,000, I think, at my local tournament, my local golf course down here. Again, there were 12 people, certain teeth supported that one. They were like our only sponsor. 12 people showed up. There was one winner, and then it became much bigger at Eagles Crest Golf Course and Timonium. And then you came on board that year, the second year, and it's just grown since then. I mean, I really think you know that this industry is one of the highest, if not the highest. I don't know the exact amount. I should probably learn it. But, you know, as far as people that suffer from from mental disease and addiction disease, Paul Reed always says it. I say it every year when we have this episode is that you know, a roofer isn't on a roof looking over at his buddy and the crew and being like, hey man, I suffer from depression. Like they just don't do it, and they don't look at each other and like, hey man, I have a I have a cocaine problem. Do you too? Yeah, I do too. We need help. Like, you know, that's not the DNA of many roofers, and honestly, it should be. And if we could bring awareness, and when I say that, I think companies, contracting companies, they should have, you know, a program in their company that makes it okay and educates the employees in their company about the disease and how to get help and have an open policy. Like, we're not gonna fire you for anything. We we wanna we wanna help you. I mean, that's what you do, and like have meetings about it, have monthly meetings or whatever. And honestly, Ty, you know, you know, my my next career move is gonna be hopefully it'll probably be speaking to other software companies. I went from being a teacher 20 years to this. So, I mean, I think I feel like I've built a pretty good company with help, obviously, people like you mentoring me. But like another thing I'd really like to do is I'd like to join forces with Roofers in Recovery and and be the person that goes around to contracting companies to help them learn how to put a good program in their in their company to bring awareness to their employees and to be a safe haven for their employees to be able to stand on a roof and be like, John, I have a problem. I I need help, dude. So anyway, it it does, it means a lot to me. And it was it's a great story. Like, you really you're the reason. You're the reason why I started that tournament.

Ty Cobb Backer 25:46

That is a great story, and I remember that, like it was just last year, yeah. And you know, I I commend you for having the grit to to grind through, especially the first one with only 12 people. I think at that point in time, most people would have quit, right? 12 people, this is a big flop, but but finding that purpose, okay. And that I think everyone needs a purpose, you know. You know, everybody, it doesn't matter if you're an entrepreneur or not, you know, and watching that light bulb go off for you is is is has been pretty inspiring to me as well, and wanting to to jump on this, you know, with you and help support you in this in any way, shape, or form that we possibly can.

Building A No Stigma Work Culture

Ty Cobb Backer 26:30

And of course, by from being in recovery and and always, you know, for the past couple of years, Jan and I met Paul Reed probably man, I want to say coming up on 12 years now. We're at our first roofing convention out in Las Vegas called Win the Storm. Yeah, and we saw the sign, it was just a little sign that you know on the expo floor that said Roofers in Recovery. And, you know, we're at a storm restoration, you know. So we're like, Roofers and recovery, did you you think they're friend the Bills? Like, or is that like insurance recovery? Like, what is that? So Jana being the social butterfly that she is, she duped the dudes on over there and introduces herself. And and it was literally, they just had like couches and chairs in their booth, like that was it. And um, they're like, no, man, we're we're we're all about recovery. And I was like, dude, we're at a roofing convention and there's recovery here. We were like, man, jackpot, like this is the greatest day of my life. And so we've known, we've known Paul. I think Erica was there, and there's a couple other people there. I think Bubba Richards was there, and and some of the original OGs and founders of of Roofers and Recovery, and we've stayed in contact. I wish that we we would have started supporting them sooner. I think we gave a couple bucks, but I think it was about four or five years ago, probably five, maybe six now. We actually jumped on, they started a National Roofers and Recovery Day, and where we would pick a roof and we would, we'd we'd obviously do the roof, but the profits from that job would go to roofers and recovery. So we're like, yeah, we can do that, we can do that. But we took it one step further. We would find like a local veteran or somebody in need that would need a roof but couldn't afford the roof. So we we kind of turned it into like this this this this event, a company event where we would get all of our, we'd get the ladies from the office out there, we would get, you know, our gutter crew, you know, our window guys, and everybody, like there would be 30 plus of us out there tearing this roof off. And if it was a $12,000 roof, obviously we we didn't, we wouldn't have the homeowner pay for it. We donated all of the money, you know, if it's a $12,000 roof, we paid Roofers and Recovery $12,000. That was our donation to Roofers and Recovery. Plus, we gave somebody a new roof over their home to protect themselves and their families. And and I I tell you, that's that that sparked something in everybody. And that that is, I think, and that is what really galvanized, you know, one more galvanizer, you know, for our culture that we have today, and to make it like get to the to your point earlier, you know, on how uncomfortable it is to have those conversations as a roofer on a roof or in the office or in the lunch room, in the break room. You know, I think we've we've have created a comfortable culture where we can talk about it.

Stephen Spence 29:43

Yeah.

Ty Cobb Backer 29:44

You know, there's not a stigma in uh under our roof about if I'm struggling with it, it doesn't even matter. It's opened up many doors to any type of struggle, whether it's depression non-related to drug addiction, whether it's having issues at home with spouses or their children, you know, it's really opened up and has been we've been able to attract good quality people because of that type of culture that we have. That it's like, listen, it's life is life, and life is gonna throw things at us. And it's like we need a place that we can go, and why not make that work?

Stephen Spence 30:24

Yeah.

Ty Cobb Backer 30:25

Where we can feel comfortable to bring our shit to work in hopes that it doesn't affect our workability because we can talk about it there. Yeah, you know. So I don't know, man. It's just it's it's been, you know, trying to really articulate what it is that we've been trying to do. You know, you've kind of just threw another feather in our cap with this swing for recovery where we bring our team together to create to galvanize that type of culture that we have to make it a little easier so it's not so difficult to say, hey, I'm struggling.

Stephen Spence 31:03

Yeah, I love it. Yeah, yeah, I'm excited. Thank you. Thank you for it's a lot of work too. It is golf tournaments, are not easy, man. I text, I mean, I'm I'm like two, three hours a day.

Ty Cobb Backer 31:17

Just yeah, you have to, you have to dedicate um a few hours a day. Yes, you do, to to you know, make sure you got because there's two battles here. We're battling sponsorships and we're battling foresomes. Yep, you you know what I mean? So it's like because I'll get distracted, it's like I'll start focusing on foursoms, and it's like, oh shit, we still need sponsors. So then I'll start dedicating some of my my bandwidth over to like sponsorships, and then it's like, oh shit, I we need more golfers. And it's like this this thing that I go back and forth with every year, and it's like usually around this time, it's kind of like, dude, are we gonna make it or aren't we gonna make it? Are we gonna have enough golfers or aren't we gonna have enough golfers? And it seems like the last two or three weeks is when finally people start to sign up our foursome. So I'm kind of at that thing right now where our I felt like last year was like our greatest year, and I think you're there now. Yeah, but like I don't know if we got a little complacent where it's like, well, people will just sign up, and unfortunately, they haven't. You know what I mean? So, but I remember every year we go through this same thing every year where it's like the last minutes where people just start filling in, and next thing you know, we have too many people, and the golf course has to go rank golf carts from other courses.

Stephen Spence 32:32

I wish I wish we had that problem, man. I we are we I think last year we had 25, we're at 30 already, and I think we'll have like 34. I mean, we're a lot, we we can have up to 36. So we have we have 30 now, which means you know, two won't show, but we have 30 paid foursoms, so that's pretty cool, man. I'm I'm excited about that. I feel like a lot of our partners have stepped up this year too. So a lot of partners have sponsored. So we're we're on par definitely to to break, I think easily $20,000 uh for Rufus and recovery. But I'm I'm man, I'm shooting for $30,000 but it's gonna be tough. It'll be tough. I'm my biggest push now, there are two things that if any viewer or a Vic were to cut, you know, any of this video for social media over the next couple days, there there are ways that people can help.

Easy Ways To Sponsor And Donate

Stephen Spence 33:21

By the way, I was talking to Paul because we talk quite often because of everything, because of all the tournaments he's coming to. And, you know, one thing I have, I have a special sponsorship. It's $150. It's called PMI Project Map It. So it's called PMI Caddy Support. And what we do is if you are a partner of Project Map It's or a customer of Project Map It's right, we have hundreds and hundreds of roofing companies and contracting companies all over the United States. They can't come to the tournament and play because they're not traveling. Some are actually, but for the for 150 bucks, they get a sign with their logo on it, and the sign says like repping from the job site, meaning they're not they're they're at their job site working somewhere in Montana or Seattle, wherever they are, but they're they're supporting Project Mappet in the cause. So last year we had, I think we had about 40 signs, and what we do is we put them all in the first hole, right? So the first hole is just lined with Project Mappet customers and friends that paid that $150. This year we worked with Roofers and Recovery, and this is where the members can help out, but we have something called the R I R I R Roofers and Recovery Caddy sponsorship for 250 bucks, and that'll get your logo on a sign at all three tournaments. So wow, I'll bring the signs to your tournament, you know, when I come up to yours. But but yeah, for 250 bucks. So so they've been sending it out to all the roofers and recovery members. And so when I was talking to Paul the other day, you're shaking your head, yeah, because you already donated from that email. So there was an email that went out. I don't know if you know that you donated, but I'm sure you gave it the green light, or maybe you're the one that put in the credit card. But I was talking to Paul, he's like, you know, you send it out to all the members, and not many people have signed up for that roofers and recovery sponsorship. But Ty did. Ty runs the damn tournament himself, and he gave a spot, he gave a donation for it. So I thought that was pretty cool.

Ty Cobb Backer 35:18

Yeah, thank you.

Stephen Spence 35:19

You're welcome.

Ty Cobb Backer 35:20

Yeah, no, thank you for that. So this is, you know, every year special, but this year is particularly special because this one struck

Raising The Bar On Roofing Pride

Ty Cobb Backer 35:31

close to him. You know, Mike, I've had friends that I grew up with that I haven't been in contact with for many years that have passed away because of this disease. And Mike, Mike has been not to change subject, but I just want to, you know, solidify how important this year, every year after this is gonna be, and and the amount of awareness that we want to bring, you know, and it's not taboo. There's no stigma. Like I'm so sick and freaking tired of roofers having this stigma and where people think, you know, that you know, because you're a roofer, you know, it's because nobody else would hire you. There was no other place to go. That may have been the case for me many, many, many moons ago, but we are here today to change that stigma. Yeah, we were trying to bring the pro into the professionalism of roofing, you know, where it's not the last or end all be all of like nobody else would hire me, and it's the the bottom of the barrel. And I think companies like ABC and GAF and Certain Teed have helped us contractors bring the tools and resources and and training, you know, to be certified, to become certified and and study. We have to study. We there are certain criteria that we have to meet today where it's not just going up and banging shingles on it. There are certain things that we have to do. Yeah, there's a lot going on in the the science behind the shingles, how the the shingles are designed today and and how to keep a home watertight even without shingles is is much more sophisticated today than it has ever had been. You know, so the old style of of roofing is is no no longer exists. You know what I mean? The we are the new breed of roofing contractors out there where it's it's you know, recovery is the is the cool, is the new cool. Yeah. You know, and being a roofer is is is even cooler yet.

Stephen Spence 37:31

You you know, and you missed you missed a big piece. You you mentioned all the labor part of being a roofing company, but being a contractor now, you need to understand marketing, you need to understand AI and searchability. Like there's so much more that goes into it on a business standpoint. Yeah. And for the roofing companies or contracting companies out there that aren't, you know, hiring people to help them navigate that that new this new era that you're speaking of, not only on the understanding the manufacturing side of things and the installation side of things and the processes out in the field, but understanding in the office, like how to get your company found online and stuff. I mean, that's a whole new ball game now.

Ty Cobb Backer 38:14

Whole new, especially with AI, yeah, you know, SEOs and and pay-per-click ads and and trying to be creative. You know, a lot of people may not like this part, you know, because I know a lot of people are giving Tim Brown, you know, a bunch of crap about you know, a marketing company becoming, you know, a roofing contractor. What little do they know? We figured something out a long time ago that we are a marketing company that does roofing. You are that that's what we have become. And anyone that thinks any different than that, it's probably why you're struggling today. You you know, is because that they they like you had mentioned, they they haven't gotten their head, they're still out in the field.

Stephen Spence 38:56

Yeah, I mean Tim Brown is gonna be a lot more successful than a lot of people that are giving him crap. I didn't even know people were giving them crap. You let me know. Yeah, there's a few. Yeah, there's a few out there. Take care of them.

Ty Cobb Backer 39:06

Yeah, there's a few, few, yeah, small-minded people out there that are like, you're a marketing company that became a roofer, you know. Well, yeah, I mean, that's the for us, we became a roofing company before we got into marketing, but now it's kind of like as things evolve, technology evolves, and the way that people search for us, yeah, has changed. You know, word of mouth will always be the biggest thing. Door knocking's great too, but like you have to break through the noise. What what makes you different today, you know, than any other contractor out there? Because, like I mentioned earlier, anybody can go up and and put shingles on. I mean, anybody.

Stephen Spence 39:43

I'm gonna I'm gonna say something that's that people might poo-poo, and it's and they're 100%

AI Is Changing Contractor Marketing

Stephen Spence 39:49

wrong. So I've been presenting on AI and I know we're switching gears a little bit, but I do want to say this because of what you're saying. The new norm, not too far off from now, not too far off from now at all, is a contracting company like a roofing inside and exterior remodeling company is gonna get found and meetings booked with the homeowner never talking to that company. It's gonna be a homeowner asking AI what's the best company in the area and why. AI is then going to call three or four companies that it can find online that it would recommend. So robots are gonna be calling roofing and exterior modeling companies. They already are. I was on a webinar, one of our own monthly webinar the other day, and somebody said, Yeah, ask for me is what it's called. Look it up on Google, like Gemini and stuff like that. It's called Ask for Me, and it's gonna spread to Chat GBT and all the others. But pretty soon, customers gonna ask AI what's the best company? AI is gonna call three or four companies. AI is then gonna book a meeting, I mean, a free estimate with that company. AI is then going to email that custom that homeowner and say, hey, these are the three, these are the three times that we got slotted. Are you good for them? Yeah. And then AI will call back to confirm. So, like, I am working on an AI voice agent right now for my own company. So robots answering call. So soon, like AI robots from Google, like Gemini, are gonna call companies to talk to. There already are, and the companies should have an AI robot that's also talking to them. So pretty soon it's gonna be AI talking to AI, booking meetings. So, for those people that are so far out in left field thinking that you don't need to be a marketing agency and understand that stuff, I would say you're very wrong and you're gonna be left behind.

Ty Cobb Backer 41:39

No doubt. Amen to that. They will be. It is times are changing, times have changed quickly, yes, quickly, it and it's gonna continue to keep changing. And that's you know, that's just where it is. That's just where, and and again, getting back to how sophisticated, you know, I guess any company, but especially the roofing industry, is finally starting to get caught up. It used to be about a decade behind any other trade, HVAC plumbing, you know, all all all the other trades who have been so far ahead of us. I mean, I there's probably more roofing conventions, you know. Plumbing, there has been HVAC conventions forever. You know what I mean? And and finally, you know, there's there's more roofing conventions, and I can shake a stick at the technology is starting to evolve so quickly because so many smart people have come into our industry. Correct. You know, that that is helping change and evolve. And if you're not willing to be open-minded enough to adapt to these changes, you will be left behind. If not, you already are being left behind for sure, most definitely. So my man, yeah,

Final Takeaways And How To Reach Us

Ty Cobb Backer 42:51

yeah. So, no, it's it's thank you. You know, I guess we're gonna get ready to wrap this up, but thank you for what you do, Steven. And thank you for for joining us today and and for taking the initiative, you know, to start Swing for Recovery. You know, it's one of one thing to care about a cause, it's another thing to organize an event, bring people together, and keep showing up year after year, you know, and and you know, we're proud, you know, at TC Backer, to be a part of of this effort and to support the work you're doing for Roofers in Recovery. And and for for anybody listening, here's what I hope you you take away from today. You don't have to start something yourself to be to be a part of of something that matters. You can participate, you can help support an outing, you you can introduce this mission to someone who has heard about it or who hasn't heard about it, and and you can pay attention to the people around you and be willing to listen without judgment. You know, use the information Steve shared today to learn more about Swing for Recovery and Roofers in Recovery and take take a step towards getting involved. And to anyone listening who who might be struggling, you deserve support. Okay, asking for help does not take away from your worth, your character, or or what you have to offer. So remember, it there's no stigma, there's no crap, just just reach out to myself, Steve, Vic, any anybody at TC Back, or anybody at Project Map, and if you're struggling with anything, please don't hesitate. Thank you for being a part of of episode 350. Today's a special day because it's 350. And and Steven Spence is on today's show. But thank you for being a part of Beyond the Tool Belt and the conversations, you know. But anyhow, Steven, you want any closing thoughts?

Stephen Spence 45:05

I I'm not stealing your thunder, man. You said it beautifully. I appreciate you.

Ty Cobb Backer 45:08

Yeah, thank you. So until next time, keep building your business, keep building your people, and remember to look beyond the tool belt. There's a person there who matters. See you guys next week.

Sponsors And Where To Follow

Speaker 45:23

Thanks to our sponsors, TC Backer Construction, Hook Roofing Marketing, Roofal, and Project Map It. And thank you for watching. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Facebook. We are streaming on all major platforms. See you next week for another episode of Behind the Tool Belt.