The challenge of recruiting and retaining employees has been perhaps the most difficult for the roofing industry and T&K has not had an easier time given Iowa's less than 3% unemployment rate the last few years.

In an effort hire and keep employees at T&K, the following approaches and programs have been implemented:

• Major Contributor and Member NRCA Industry Alliance.
• Use of Welfare-To-Work Programs.
• Joint effort with local work release programs for recruitment of personnel on a work release program.
• Joint Participation in local youth programs with roofers union to expose roofing as a career to area young people.
• T&K hardship loan program. Many T&K new or younger employees encounter financial hardships with regard to housing or transportation simply because of poor financial decisions or simply because of the economics of their previous career. T&K has implemented a company loan program by which an employee can borrow set amounts of money to help them work toward a better financial situation.
• Providing and coordinating travel to and from T&K office for employees with transportation problems. This led to the use of T&K's first official Company Employee Shuttle. More shuttles are in the planning stages.