Trades Takeover is back! In this episode, Director of Historic Trades Natalie Henshaw speaks with John Chan, Principal and Executive VP for the Durable Slate Company. John is a nationally recognized expert in historic roofing and a passionate advocate for preserving traditional roofing methods. He started slate, tile and copper roofing at The Durable Slate Company while on college summer breaks in 1986 and joined the company full-time in 1989 after graduating from UCLA. After working through the ranks in the field, he became a principal of the company in 1992. In 1996, he relocated to open the Cincinnati branch, then went on to open the New Orleans branch in 2006. During this time, he worked on over 10,000 slate and tile roofs all over the United States and Europe.

John’s expertise in slate and cooper roofing has led to his role as a board member of the National Slate Association. He also served as the organization’s president from 2012-2018, tripling the typical term limit for the position. Over the years, his lectures and educational outreach have influenced best practices across the industry.

Take a look at the Norwegian Embassy’s pre-patinated copper roof John mentions in the episode, and learn more about Durable Slate at https://www.durableslate.com/

Episode Links:

• International Federation of the Roofing Trade  (IFD) https://ifd-roof.com/index.php/en/about/
• National Slate Association (NSA) https://mobile.slateassociation.org/
• National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA)  https://www.nrca.net/
• The Slate Roofing Contractors Association of North America, Inc. (SRCA) https://www.slateroofers.org/
• The Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA) https://www.smacna.org/