Korellis’ Felix Torres, NRCA Qualified Workforce Development Manager, builds skills & hope at unique training center

Korellis’ Felix Torres, NRCA Qualified Workforce Development Manager, builds skills & hope at unique training center

Since they first started laying roofs over 60 years ago, Korellis has always operated as an employee-centric company. By doing right by their team, their team is always in a position to innovate and perform at the high-levels at every job site.

Korellis’ unique, high-performance training center has long been a part of that employee-focused philosophy. It offers a place for the field team to continually learn and grow, equipping apprentices with the tools they need to succeed on the most challenging jobs. This year, Korellis elevated their standards even higher by bringing on Felix Torres, a full-time trainer, as their workforce development manager.

“When I saw this position, I knew it was an opportunity to push Korellis to a new level when it comes to their culture,” Torres said. “Rather than just having apprentices go through their programs learning as they can, we’re building a chance for them to fast-track their skills both within a real-world setting with the roof decks that we have as well as in our classroom.”

The Korellis Training Center boasts indoor and outdoor roof decks, which are highly modifiable to replicate different scenarios – both in and out of the elements. Torres is also an NRCA Qualified Trainer (National Roofing Contractors Association), while the facility itself is an NRCA ProCertification Approved Training Center – allowing Korellis employees to earn valuable accreditations that can boost their careers.

“We’re one of the only contractors in the United States that can say that,” he said. “We’re a union employer, so our employees will still go to their union halls for training as well. A lot of companies just don’t see this kind of training center as worth the time or investment, where we want to give our team a chance, the best opportunity to push themselves as early as possible.”

Whether it is roofing, sheet metal working, masonry, or carpentry – Korellis’ trades are not easy, and earning those certifications is a challenge. When he stepped into the role as workforce development manager, Torres knew that building morale would be just as important as building skills.

“One big thing I’m trying to do is build hope,” he said. “This is a tough industry. The work is tough, the weather is tough, and you’ve got to work your way up. Bringing them in here gives them an opportunity to build themselves up quickly, so they’re more beneficial to their crew as soon as possible. Korellis wants you to train – and they’ll pay you to do it.”

Torres said that few things about his job are more satisfying than seeing an apprentice proud to have applied a skill they learned at the training center to a real-world jobsite. He described a recent example of an apprentice who was diligent about coming to the center on bad weather days to shore up their weaknesses.

“He came in the other day with a big smile on his face, so I asked him what was going on,” Torres said. “He said he got to use something we’d been working on out in the field. Normally his crew hadn’t been letting him do that task yet, but once he’d practiced it – it was all they had him doing the entire day and he was so proud of that. I gave myself a little pat on the back after that one.”

The ultimate goal, Torres said, is to get those apprentices, their crews, and the whole team working together to spread the lessons learned at the training center.

“We’re pushing the roofers themselves to a point where they can coach and train each other,” he said. 

“When you talk about changing culture, it starts at the top but goes all the way down. If we don’t have people in the field willing to coach their colleagues, it’s going to take us that much longer to get there. So it’s been exciting to see apprentices pick something up quickly, and turn to the guy next to them and help them when they’re struggling. We’re in this together, not only to help ourselves but to push along that next person in line.”

To learn more about Korellis, visit korellis.com.