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Cox Crew: Meet Ed Long, production supervisor

For more than 40 years, Ed Long has been in the roofing industry. He joined Cox Roofing in 2007 as a roofer, quickly moving up the ranks and eventually securing the top production job in the company, overseeing a team of more than 30 roofers, laborers, repairmen and inspectors.

 

Learn the long and short of his career with Cox Roofing.

 

Q: “You oversee a big team, with multiple crews working year-round. How do you support the roofers in the field?”

A: “I tell my foremen that they have to build a team of guys who work well together. It’s not just doing the job right, which we always do, but making sure the guys click, that they like working together. That’s what makes it work.”

 

Q: “You’ve been roofing for 41 years. What do you like about roofing?”

A: “I like being outdoors, I like being around the guys. The challenge, too. There’s always a challenge. Architects come up with the craziest things, and roofers just have to figure it out. I like taking on the challenge, and I like math, too. I like figuring the numbers on a job. That’s fun for me, too.”

 

Q: “What’s the biggest challenge in your job?”

A: “The hardest thing right now is finding good people to join our team. We’ve never shut down; we’ve always had the work. But getting people, getting the right people for our company, it’s hard. This is not easy work, but we pay well and we treat people right. We know if they make it to 30 days, then we know they’ll stay.”

 

Q: “What do you like about your job at Cox?”

A: “When people call and say we did a good job, that’s very rewarding. It makes you feel good. We get a lot of production done and don’t have a bunch of problems. Some weeks, we won’t have a problem at all. Those are rare given the amount of production we do, but when they come, they’re really enjoyable. Everybody’s feeling good, making money and doing a good job. When everything clicks, it’s great.”

Q: “What are some of your hobbies?”

A: “I like to take naps. I like to play with my grandkids, shoot my guns. I like to play in my garden. Anymore, I grow onions, garlic, peppers and tomatoes, lots of peppers. It’s fun.”

Q: “What’s your favorite vacation you’ve taken?”

A: “I didn’t take any vacation before I came to Cox. I was just working to get by. But my wife and I, we’ve been a lot of places. My favorite was probably Branson. We went out somewhere in the country with nobody around, nice and quiet, and just got to enjoy it. It was peaceful.”

 

Q: “What does Cox Roofing mean to you?”

A: “Family, undoubtedly. It’s like family here. Anytime you have problems, you can just go tell somebody and they’ll take care of it. It’s like us and roofing. When we say we’ve got you covered with your roof, well, we’ve got each other covered, too. It feels like home.”