There are stories that remind you why the trades matter. Mason Miller’s is one of them.
Mason is 18 years old. He grew up in Larned, Kansas, a small agricultural community where summers meant wheat, corn, and beans, and winters sometimes meant checking on cattle and building fence. He didn’t set out to become a roofer. He didn’t have a five-year plan. What he had was a willingness to show up, and an aunt with a roofing business who needed an extra pair of hands.
One late-night drive in a storm, a 1,400-pound black cow in the road, and a totaled pickup later, Mason found himself with some unexpected time on his hands. He called his aunt. She put him to work. Two weeks on a commercial job changed everything.
This week, Mason is competing at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC) in Atlanta, one of more than 6,800 state champions gathered from across the country at the Georgia World Congress Center. He earned his spot by winning the Kansas state championship in commercial roofing, and this is his second time at nationals. Last year he placed seventh. This year he came ready to finish.
The competition itself is no small thing. Competitors are given a 10-by-10-foot roofing simulation and four hours to complete it. They work through penetrations, parapet walls, TPO membrane seaming, and insulation, with only one variable from the judges: which direction the water needs to drain. Everything else is on them. Finishing within the time limit is considered a serious accomplishment. Mason did it at state for the first time this year.
He got here by putting in the work. After those first weeks on the job with his family’s business, Mason enrolled in the NRCA TRAC program, trained through SkillsUSA at Larned High School under advisor Adam Hewson, and kept sharpening his skills until the state competition wasn’t a question anymore.
When Mason was looking for sponsors to help fund his trip to Atlanta, a connection through his community led him to Coryell Roofing. One Zoom call was all it took.
“Mason is exactly the kind of young person the industry needs more of. He started a business before he graduated high school, he’s already completed commercial TPO work, and he’s heading to college for construction management. We’re proud to stand behind him, and hopeful that this is the beginning of a longer relationship between Mason and Coryell.”
— Ken Wells, President, Coryell Roofing and Construction
Mason felt it too.
“Having Coryell’s support has helped me significantly with funding this opportunity in my life. This competition is a chance not only to test my skills, but to network and grow as a person.”
— Mason Miller, Kansas State Champion, Commercial Roofing
Mason isn’t waiting around to see how things unfold. He and his best friend already co-founded their own construction company several months ago. He has a commercial TPO job lined up when he gets back from Atlanta. This fall, he enrolls at Fort Hays State University to study construction management. His family’s roofing business will help him navigate licensing as his own operation grows.
When we asked what he would tell other young people from small towns about the trades, he didn’t hesitate.
“Start early. I wish I would have gotten into it sooner. From my freshman year on, I learned all the skills to where now I’m good to go. The sooner you start, the better your understanding gets.”
The skilled trades are facing a generational shortage. Roofing, like every corner of commercial construction, needs young people who are serious, capable, and ready to build something real. Mason Miller is 18 years old, already running jobs, already competing at the national level, and already thinking about how to build something that lasts.
That’s exactly who Coryell Roofing wants to invest in.
We’re proud to sponsor Mason, and we’ll be cheering him on from Oklahoma City.
