Blog: Patrick Cochran

Have you ever dealt with someone you just knew was keeping some of the important answers from you? Someone you may not have trusted completely?  There are several keys to any successful relationship. Communication, empathy, and common goals come to mind.

There can be a fine line in people’s minds between confidence and arrogance. The distinction can often be blurred by our perception, but the differences are quite clear. Arrogance is a self-centered attitude that we’re better than someone else.

Are leaders born or created? Many would think some people are born leaders. They wouldn’t be necessarily wrong in that assumption, as some people have what seems to be the god given talent and drive to excel at leading others.

When you think of a roofer, what comes to mind? Be honest. You may not have had an empathetic, caring individual in mind. That’s the image that’s been created over the years of many folks in the construction field. Gruff, blunt, and rough around the edges.

Let’s face and admit it. We’ve all experienced poor customer service at one time or another… Here, we pride ourselves on the customer experience we deliver. It’s not by accident, though.

What happened to the trades? Why did they take a backseat while college was aggressively promoted in high schools?  To answer this question we need to really look at when the shift occurred and what happened prior to it.

Karma is a concept some believe in, others don’t. Regardless of your thoughts on it, the golden rule of giving, then receiving has been practiced for thousands of years. Beyond the receiving part, which can be a great benefit, giving is often simply just the right thing to do.

We want to talk about something not commonly spoken about in the construction or trades world. Mental Health. September is suicide prevention month. It’s a subject that many people squirm at when mentioned. It’s one of the reasons we want to speak about it, though.

This is part 3 of a three-part series on the state of the trades in America today. Part 1 spoke about the current state of the trades and the next generation, and part two spoke about what Red Dog’s Roofing is doing to raise awareness and solve the issue. You can read them both here: https://www.

In our last blog post, we spoke of the need to bring the trades back and what the current state of the situation was in the infrastructure system of the United States. (You can read it here: The Current State of the Trades).