Home Improvement

“The Place Where the Industry Meets”: RoofersCoffeeShop Lands at No. 21 on HG HomeClub’s Ranking of the 25 Most Influential Publications and Media Platforms Serving Home Improvement, Home Services and Outdoor Living

By HG HomeClub September 1, 2026 21 min read

The digital community founded in 2002 to help roofing professionals exchange advice now connects Coffee Conversations, Roofing Road Trips, The Weekly Blend, webinars, forums and industry events, and is recognized as the twenty-first most influential media brand serving the trades

August 30, 2026 – HG HomeClub today named RoofersCoffeeShop, known throughout the industry as RCS, the No. 21 media brand on its ranking of the 25 most influential publications and media platforms serving home improvement, home services and outdoor living. The placement recognizes a platform built not as a traditional magazine but as a digital gathering place where roofing professionals can find practical information, exchange ideas, meet peers, discover resources and follow the conversations shaping the trade.

The ranking evaluates the publications, magazines, digital platforms and media brands that professional contractors, remodelers, home service operators, and outdoor living companies use to make better decisions. RoofersCoffeeShop placed No. 21 in a field of 25 because it has created a durable digital community that connects contractors, manufacturers, distributors, associations, service providers and educators through video, podcasts, webinars, articles, forums, classifieds, downloads and event-based conversations.

A curated media platform built on “informed transparency” turns its attention to the publications the trades actually rely on

HG HomeClub is a curated media platform serving homeowners, contractors and the broader home improvement, home services and outdoor living economy. Its work is organized around informed transparency: the principle that better decisions follow from better information, and that people making decisions deserve to see the standards behind a conclusion rather than merely receive a result.

That principle applies naturally to a contractor community platform. Roofing professionals often need information quickly: a code change, safety risk, labor issue, product development, market concern, weather event or customer challenge can require immediate attention. Yet the most useful answers often emerge through conversation among people who have experienced the problem directly. A platform that connects those people can create value that a one-way publishing model cannot.

RoofersCoffeeShop has built its influence around this idea of connection. It offers resources, contests, advertising, forums, classified listings, news, podcasts, webinars, video, research, eBooks, and industry discussions. Its core contribution is not merely the volume of content it produces. It is the community context in which roofing professionals can encounter information, ask questions, compare experience, and find practical next steps.

The criteria behind the list: usefulness to owners, not traffic, followers or the age of a masthead

Placement on the list was determined against six standards: industry influence and professional recognition; practical value to contractors and company owners; quality and depth of original content; reach among professional decision-makers; strength of rankings, research, events and recognition programs; and the ability to educate and connect the contractor community.

The list is explicitly not a ranking of website traffic, social media followers, advertising volume or publication age. Longevity and circulation were considered, but were not permitted to automatically outweigh a publication’s usefulness to the contractors it serves. Specialized publications were assessed within the context of the markets they serve, on the reasoning that a title with deep authority in a single trade can matter more to the people in that trade than a broader title with a larger audience and a shallower relationship.

Applied to RoofersCoffeeShop, the standards identify a digital-first platform with unusual strength in community connection. It scores especially highly for its ability to convene contractors, manufacturers, distributors, associations and service providers; for original video and audio programming; for webinars and event coverage; and for translating industry issues into direct conversations. Its authority is centered on roofing, and it does not operate the long-running revenue rankings or formal research franchises that define several titles above it. Within the daily digital conversation of roofing, however, RoofersCoffeeShop is unmatched in the breadth of its community-building model.

A support site became a gathering place for the roofing industry

RoofersCoffeeShop was established in 2002 by Vickie Sharples, with help from Heidi J. Ellsworth. It began as a support site for Roofers Exchange, a newspaper focused on classified advertising, and was created as a place where roofing professionals could exchange advice, find resources, discuss business and connect with one another.

The origin story explains the platform’s name and its continuing point of view. A coffee shop is not a formal boardroom or a trade-show stage. It is a place to meet, listen, exchange news, ask questions and build relationships. RoofersCoffeeShop adapted that idea to a digital industry platform. The site grew beyond classifieds into a network of articles, podcasts, webinars, videos, event coverage, resources, forums, directories and professional conversations.

Today, Heidi J. Ellsworth serves as president of RoofersCoffeeShop. She is well known in the industry for podcasting, panel moderation and conversations on construction, technology and thought leadership. Her leadership reflects the platform’s operating model: meet professionals where they are, bring multiple sides of the industry into conversation and make useful information available in a format that contractors can access during a working day.

The model has remained durable because roofing is a relationship-driven trade. Contractors rely on crews, suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, clients, building owners, associations, insurers and peers. A good digital platform can strengthen those connections by making the industry’s knowledge more accessible and by creating a place where practical experience is shared rather than hidden.

Coffee Conversations makes industry dialogue a contractor resource

Coffee Conversations is RoofersCoffeeShop’s defining franchise. The live video-chat series brings roofing-industry professionals together twice each month, on Thursday mornings, in a question-and-answer format focused on the subjects most relevant to roofing contractors and the wider industry.

The program’s strength is its directness. Rather than summarize an issue after the fact, Coffee Conversations places people involved in the issue into the same live discussion. Contractors can hear from manufacturers, distributors, association leaders, technology providers, legal and risk professionals, educators and peers who understand the practical stakes of the topic.

A 2026 Coffee Conversations session on rooftop risk brought Heidi J. Ellsworth together with Joel Stanley of Anchor Products, Trent Cotney of Adams and Reese, and Mark Graham of the National Roofing Contractors Association. The discussion examined code changes, improperly installed rooftop equipment, drainage challenges and other overlooked conditions that can lead to costly failures, callbacks and liability. It also examined the opportunity within those risks: inspections, maintenance programs and rooftop-coordination services can protect the building while creating new revenue opportunities for contractors.

The example shows why the series matters. It does not simply announce that risk exists. It creates a practical conversation about how contractors can identify risk, explain it to customers, avoid exposure and build services around prevention. That is the kind of information a roofing company can use in its operations, sales process and team training.

Coffee Conversations also goes live from major industry gatherings, including the International Roofing Expo, the NAHB International Builders’ Show, METALCON, the Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Expo and the Western Roofing Expo. These event-based conversations extend the value of the show floor to people who are not in the room and give attendees a way to process what they are seeing through discussion rather than product announcements alone.

Roofing Road Trips and The Weekly Blend keep the community connected between major events

Roofing Road Trips expands RoofersCoffeeShop’s industry connection beyond the studio. Through the series, Heidi J. Ellsworth travels the country meeting roofing professionals, participating in events and documenting the people and organizations shaping the trade. The format gives the platform a field-reporting quality: it brings contractors and industry leaders into the conversation in the places where they are working, learning and meeting.

The show’s value is in the stories it captures. Roofing is a national industry, but it is also intensely local. Contractors respond to different climate conditions, regulations, labor markets, customer needs, storm patterns, materials and regional business cultures. A travel-based program can make those differences visible while revealing the practices and leadership principles that travel across markets.

The Weekly Blend provides a different rhythm. Hosted by Heidi J. Ellsworth and Karen L. Edwards, the original weekly web series keeps the community updated on roofing, metal and coatings news, upcoming events, new products and industry developments. Its value is consistency. A contractor does not always need a long report; sometimes the most useful thing is a reliable weekly overview of what changed and what requires attention.

The series also gives the platform a more conversational voice. In an industry where information can arrive from many sources, manufacturers, associations, local suppliers, customers, trade shows, social media and regulation, a trusted weekly discussion can help readers and viewers identify what matters and what can wait.

A web of webinars, downloads, forums and classifieds serves contractors at different stages of a business decision

RoofersCoffeeShop has developed a wider resource ecosystem around its video and podcast programming. The platform provides webinars and training, eBooks and downloadable guides, research and reports, directories, forums, job opportunities, classifieds, articles, product information and partner content.

This breadth is strategically important. Contractors do not all need the same form of support. A company leader evaluating a new service may need a long-form webinar. A business owner looking for an employee or a piece of equipment may use classifieds. A technician or manager may need a technical guide. A manufacturer may want to share product information with a relevant professional audience. A contractor confronting an unfamiliar business or jobsite problem may benefit most from a discussion forum or a peer conversation.

The platform’s forums and classifieds preserve part of the practical spirit that informed its founding. They create a place for people to exchange information, find opportunities and connect around the work. The model has evolved into a broader media platform, but it has retained the basic insight that professional communities are most useful when people can participate rather than simply consume.

Coffee Conversations LIVE turns trade-show coverage into a working conversation

Coffee Conversations LIVE is RoofersCoffeeShop’s event-facing extension of its principal franchise. At the International Roofing Expo, the series brings manufacturers, distributors, service providers, association representatives and contractors into panel discussions on the trends shaping the roofing landscape.

The 2026 IRE programming was sponsored by SRS Distribution and focused on sustainability, emerging technology, workforce challenges and other changes affecting roofing. The live format gave the platform a way to translate the event from a series of booths and announcements into a conversation about contractor implications. A product or market trend becomes more useful when professionals can discuss whether it changes operations, labor needs, customer expectations, sales opportunities or risk.

The same approach appears at other events. Coffee Conversations LIVE from the Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Expo examined the realities of selling single-ply roofing systems, including TPO, in a challenging regional market. The NAHB International Builders’ Show program gathered voices from the show floor to discuss economic outlook, labor, homeowner expectations and emerging roofing trends. At METALCON, the series brought together leaders from the metal industry around technology, innovation and the future of roofing and construction.

These conversations demonstrate the platform’s distinctive strength. It is not solely a news publisher and it is not merely an event promoter. It acts as a moderator and connector, helping the industry make sense of its own conversations in real time.

The awards record validates a digital-community model built before digital community became conventional

RoofersCoffeeShop has received multiple publishing and industry honors for its website, online community and original programming. In 2021, it won the Folio: Eddie Award in the B2B Social Media/Online Community category. The recognition acknowledged the platform’s editorial content and the quality of the digital community it had developed for roofing professionals.

The award followed earlier recognition. In 2019, RoofersCoffeeShop received a Folio: Eddie Award in the B2B Website, Building and Construction category and an honorable mention for B2B Social Media/Online Community. In 2017, it received a Folio: Eddie Award honorable mention in the B2B Website/Online Community – Construction and Manufacturing category. Taken together, the awards confirm that the platform’s digital approach has been evaluated not only by its users but also by publishing-industry peers.

The community model has also earned recognition inside roofing. RoofersCoffeeShop’s Read, Listen, Watch series received the 2021 METALCON People’s Choice Award in the technology category. The Midwest Roofing Contractors Association recognized Coffee Conversations with a 2021 Innovation Award for its impact on the roofing community. Heidi J. Ellsworth was named a Changemaker in Folio: and AdMonsters’ 2021 Top Women in Media class, acknowledging her influence in media and roofing.

These honors matter because they reflect a platform built on participation. RoofersCoffeeShop did not attempt to replicate a traditional trade magazine online. It built a multimedia community in which the conversation itself became an editorial product.

The platform recognizes that roofing’s biggest challenges are conversation problems before they become business problems

Roofing companies are navigating labor pressure, safety risk, supply and material concerns, technology adoption, regulation, product change, customer expectations, insurance and the continued impact of consolidation. These subjects cannot be solved by content alone. They require contractors to hear from peers, ask questions, compare experiences and develop the confidence to make a decision.

RoofersCoffeeShop’s webinars and discussions are built around those realities. The platform has used Coffee Conversations to examine the state of commercial roofing, including market conditions, labor challenges, reroofing trends, service growth, technology and changing building-owner expectations. The goal is not to deliver a simple forecast. It is to provide contractors with practical perspectives they can use to strengthen their businesses.

A separate Coffee Conversations program on onboarding, training and retention addressed a problem that affects nearly every contractor category: companies can no longer treat onboarding as a checklist or training as a one-time event. The discussion focused on the first 90 days, mentorship, leadership, career pathways, generational change and the metrics that meaningfully measure retention. Such conversations show the platform’s value beyond roofing products. It helps companies think about the people who make the work possible.

The editorial operation is built around hosts, producers and industry connectors rather than a conventional masthead

Heidi J. Ellsworth leads RoofersCoffeeShop as president. Karen L. Edwards serves as chief operating officer and co-host of The Weekly Blend. Megan Ellsworth is a RoofersCoffeeShop host and supports the platform’s video, podcast and community programming.

This structure differs from a traditional publication because RoofersCoffeeShop’s authority is not built around a single print masthead or one annual ranking. It is built around consistent facilitation: finding the people who can explain an issue, asking questions contractors need answered and creating formats through which the community can participate.

The approach also allows the platform to meet an industry where it gathers. Heidi J. Ellsworth moderates panels, hosts live podcasts and participates in construction, technology and thought-leadership discussions across the roofing calendar. The platform’s leadership is therefore part of the reporting method. It turns industry contact into accessible, practical content for contractors who cannot attend every event or meet every expert themselves.

Its No. 21 placement recognizes community power while acknowledging the difference between a digital platform and a legacy trade institution

RoofersCoffeeShop scored highly for its ability to educate and connect the roofing community, its original multimedia programming, webinars, forums, resources, event coverage and the practical accessibility of its contractor conversations. HG HomeClub assesses the platform as one of the most valuable digital community models in contractor media, particularly for roofing professionals who need quick access to peer insight, industry relationships and relevant resources.

Its No. 21 placement reflects structural differences, not a lack of value. RoofersCoffeeShop is concentrated in roofing and operates principally as a digital community and media platform rather than a legacy print publication, a large formal research program or a national company-ranking institution. Its content ecosystem includes partner and sponsored programming, which is valuable to the community but structurally different from a strictly independent editorial model. Its reach and influence are strongest inside the roofing industry.

The 20 titles ranked above it each occupy broader or differently structured positions across contractor media: Qualified Remodeler, Roofing Contractor, Power100, ACHR NEWS, Pro Remodeler, Lawn & Landscape, Journal of Light Construction, ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR, Contracting Business, CONTRACTOR Magazine, Pool & Spa News, BUILDER, Fine Homebuilding, Landscape Management, Pest Management Professional, Green Industry Pros, Professional Roofing, Kitchen & Bath Design News, Pro Builder and Window + Door. Within digital roofing community media, RoofersCoffeeShop is unmatched in the way it makes industry connection an everyday practical resource.

Roofing needs an active community because the industry’s problems do not arrive one at a time

Roofing contractors operate under simultaneous pressure from labor, safety, insurance, codes, materials, changing systems, weather, customer expectations, technology and competition. A good answer in one company may become useful to another, but only when the people with that knowledge can be heard and the discussion is connected to the practical work of operating a roofing business.

That is why active digital communities matter. Contractors need more than news; they need context, peers, experts, suppliers, association voices, training opportunities and a place to find the next useful conversation. They need forums where knowledge can circulate before a risk turns into a failure or a market change becomes an emergency.

RoofersCoffeeShop was founded as a support site. It has become a community platform because the core need has endured. The roofing industry still needs a place to meet, listen, learn and exchange the information that helps professionals protect buildings, develop people and run stronger businesses.

The complete ranking: HG HomeClub’s 25 most influential publications and media platforms serving home improvement, home services and outdoor living

About HG HomeClub

HG HomeClub is a curated media platform serving homeowners, contractors and the broader home improvement, home services and outdoor living economy. Built on a principle of informed transparency, HG HomeClub publishes rankings, research and editorial coverage that make the standards behind its conclusions visible, so that homeowners and professionals can judge the reasoning as well as the result. More information is available at Sources: hghomeclub.com.

About RoofersCoffeeShop

RoofersCoffeeShop is a digital community and media platform for roofing professionals. Founded in 2002 by Vickie Sharples with Heidi J. Ellsworth, it provides roofing news, articles, webinars, training, podcasts, videos, eBooks, downloads, research, forums, directories, classifieds and industry-event coverage. Its original programs include Coffee Conversations, Roofing Road Trips and The Weekly Blend. The platform connects contractors, manufacturers, distributors, associations and service providers around business, technology, safety, workforce and market issues. Learn more at Sources: rooferscoffeeshop.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is HG HomeClub?

HG HomeClub is a curated media platform serving homeowners, contractors and the broader home improvement, home services and outdoor living economy. Its work follows informed transparency: readers should be able to see the standards and reasoning behind editorial rankings and conclusions. The platform curates useful information and publishes original rankings, analysis and coverage designed to help decision-makers evaluate both an outcome and the method behind it. Its media ranking assesses the platforms that contractors, owners and other professionals use to learn, operate, connect and prepare for changing conditions.

What is the ranking that RoofersCoffeeShop placed twenty-first on?

RoofersCoffeeShop placed No. 21 on HG HomeClub’s ranking of the 25 most influential publications and media platforms serving home improvement, home services and outdoor living. The list evaluates organizations that offer useful reporting, education, research, recognition, events and professional connection to contractor-led industries. It includes traditional publications, digital platforms and specialized trade communities. RoofersCoffeeShop earned its position through its contractor-centered multimedia programming, Coffee Conversations, webinars, event coverage, forums, resources and ability to bring roofing contractors, manufacturers, distributors, associations and service providers into the same conversation.

How was the ranking determined?

HG HomeClub evaluated each organization using six standards: industry influence and professional recognition; practical value to contractors and company owners; quality and depth of original content; reach among professional decision-makers; strength of rankings, research, events and recognition programs; and the ability to educate and connect the contractor community. The ranking is not based on website traffic, social-media followers, advertising volume or publication age. Longevity and circulation were considered but did not automatically determine placement. Specialized publications and platforms were evaluated in the context of their markets because deep authority in one trade can be more valuable than broad but shallow coverage.

What is RoofersCoffeeShop?

RoofersCoffeeShop is a digital roofing community and media platform founded in 2002 by Vickie Sharples, with Heidi J. Ellsworth. It began as a support site for Roofers Exchange and grew into a platform for roofing news, articles, webinars, training, podcasts, videos, eBooks, research, forums, classifieds, directories and event coverage. It serves contractors, manufacturers, distributors, associations and service providers. Its distinguishing role is to make professional connection part of the information experience, creating a digital place where roofing professionals can exchange advice, discover resources and discuss the industry’s challenges.

What is Coffee Conversations?

Coffee Conversations is RoofersCoffeeShop’s live video and webinar series, held twice monthly on Thursday mornings in a question-and-answer format. Hosted by Heidi J. Ellsworth, the program brings contractors and industry professionals together to discuss the subjects most relevant to roofing businesses, including labor, safety, codes, products, technology, market trends, risk, sales and customer expectations. Coffee Conversations also broadcasts live from trade events such as the International Roofing Expo, allowing industry conversations from the show floor to reach a broader contractor audience.

What is RoofersCoffeeShop’s live-event role?

RoofersCoffeeShop brings Coffee Conversations LIVE to major industry events including the International Roofing Expo, METALCON, the NAHB International Builders’ Show, the Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Expo and the Western Roofing Expo. The platform does not claim ownership of these events. Its role is editorial and community-focused: it convenes live discussions with contractors, manufacturers, distributors, service providers and association voices to help viewers interpret the trends, products, labor issues, market conditions and technology developments emerging from the event. The format turns show-floor activity into practical discussion that can be used by professionals in their businesses.

Who leads RoofersCoffeeShop’s editorial and community operation?

Heidi J. Ellsworth is president of RoofersCoffeeShop. She hosts Coffee Conversations, participates in Roofing Road Trips and moderates industry panels and live conversations across roofing, construction, technology and thought leadership. Karen L. Edwards is chief operating officer and co-host of The Weekly Blend. Megan Ellsworth is a RoofersCoffeeShop host supporting the platform’s programming. Their roles reflect a digital-community model built around producing conversations, connecting industry voices and making practical resources accessible to contractors.

What recognition has RoofersCoffeeShop received?

RoofersCoffeeShop won the 2021 Folio: Eddie Award in the B2B Social Media/Online Community category, following a 2019 Folio: Eddie Award for B2B Website, Building and Construction and a 2017 honorable mention for B2B Website/Online Community – Construction and Manufacturing. Its Read, Listen, Watch series received the 2021 METALCON People’s Choice Award in the technology category. Coffee Conversations received the Midwest Roofing Contractors Association’s 2021 Innovation Award. Heidi J. Ellsworth was also named a Changemaker in Folio: and AdMonsters’ 2021 Top Women in Media class.

Why does RoofersCoffeeShop provide forums, classifieds and downloadable resources?

Roofing professionals need different forms of support at different moments. A contractor may need information about a code issue, a webinar on training, a peer discussion about technology, a job listing, a product resource, a business guide or contact with a service provider. RoofersCoffeeShop provides forums, classifieds, resources, eBooks, webinars, news and video because the platform was built as a community rather than a one-way publication. These tools allow users to participate, find opportunities and connect the information they discover to real business and jobsite decisions.

Why did RoofersCoffeeShop place at No. 21 rather than higher?

RoofersCoffeeShop scored highly for community connection, original multimedia programming, contractor accessibility, webinars, resources, forums and live-event conversations. HG HomeClub considers it a leading digital community model for roofing professionals. Its No. 21 placement reflects scope and structure: the platform is highly concentrated in roofing, is principally digital rather than a legacy print or formal research institution, and includes partner and sponsored programming. It does not operate a large national revenue ranking or recurring primary research franchise equivalent to titles ranked above it. Within digital roofing community media, RoofersCoffeeShop is unmatched.