Business View Caribbean | August 2022

95 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 9, ISSUE 8 ROOFTOPS S I L I CONE DI STR I BUTORS INC . COVID kind of disappeared that along came the supply chain issues and the availability to get materials which hit us very hard.” Bressi recalls that “there were jobs that we couldn’t do for eight months because we were waiting on materials. It has opened up a bit and definitely has become easier, which is livable if you get the orders in, submit, and get all the products in and approved well in advance. The price of lumber has also played havoc. It was crazy – three months ago we paid about $74 dollars for a sheet of 3/4”plywood.” With a recent tweaking of their company logo to help brand the business that coincides with a complete updating of the company’s website, Bressi is confident that Rooftops is well prepared to meet the anticipated construction demand over the next three years. He reports, “FEMA has put a lot of money into the U.S. Virgin Islands. More money, I think, than ever One innovation that Bressi mentions is the use of drones to help in the roofing process. Just as in other construction sectors, developers and contractors are realizing the potential that technology plays in providing efficiencies that were not obtainable in previous years. As Bressi points out, technology also came into play with the lessons learned during the pandemic. Online applications became more of a lifeline to continue with business-as-usual during a highly unpredictable and unusual few years. Although not a problem during the height of the pandemic, other factors came into play as COVID-19 waned. Those factors still impact Rooftops today, including the skyrocketing cost of materials. Supply chain shortages have also affected Rooftops business model. Bressi acknowledges, “All throughout COVID we were busy. We never had trouble getting any materials, it was just business as usual. We didn’t have any supply chain issues. It was after