A heartfelt thank you

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year celebration, and I wish you success as 2022 begins. But with every new beginning comes an end. Before the end of 2021, I received a note from my friend Brian Whelan, executive vice president of Sika Sarnafil® USA, Canton, Mass., announcing his retirement. It was a thoughtful note written to the industry that he served for several decades. I thought you might enjoy reading excerpts from it:

“My roofing journey started in 1978 after graduating college with a degree in architectural technology. I was fortunate enough to learn the roofing business from some of the industry’s finest, working with Carl Cash, Werner Gumpertz, Dave Adler and others at SGH Consulting Engineers.

“Single-ply roofing was new to the roofing industry in the mid- to late 1970s. I was first introduced to it in 1979. I was on a school roof in Massachusetts as a project manager for SGH. Part of the roof was ballasted neoprene (original rubber roof), and the other part was a product imported from Switzerland called Sarnafil, a PVC membrane. Maybe I was ahead of my time, but from what I saw, I believed that reflective, heat-weldable thermoplastic membranes would have a bright future in commercial roofing.

“In 1980, I joined Sarnafil as the North American assistant technical director. During my 41 years at Sika Sarnafil, I held just about every technical, sales, marketing and management position, including president and CEO. It has been a marvelous experience. We all work in a great industry with great people. I consider myself very lucky to have worked with some of the most talented and dedicated people in the industry.

“It is with much excitement and equally as much sadness that at the end of 2021 I will formally retire as a full-time employee of Sika. I would like to thank all our applicator partners for their loyalty and support. I also would like to thank the roof consultants and specifiers for having the trust and confidence to recommend our company and products to their customers.

“I am most proud of the brand we have been able to build together. I am extremely proud of our company supporting the annual Community Service Day at the International Roofing Expo.® Since 2010, we have been the lead sponsor of this annual event that has brought together people from across the roofing community to help rebuild or repair homes and community buildings that have often been damaged by catastrophic weather events. The first year we participated, the IRE took place in New Orleans, and we helped residents still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. I’m proud we can continue giving back through this worthy cause, and we look forward to returning to New Orleans in 2022 after residents faced yet another extreme weather event. It’s another powerful example of how the roofing community comes together to help those in need.

“I will miss the competitive nature of the roofing industry, but more importantly, I will miss the friendships that have come from more than 40 years in the business. I would like to thank NRCA for its leadership and vision of pulling the industry together through its One Voice initiative. The entire roofing industry made it through the toughest times of the COVID-19 pandemic as roofing was determined to be an essential business in part because our one voice was heard. In 2021, One Voice further helped the industry collectively navigate difficult times by educating the industry about the supply chain mess that we are all still dealing with.

“My plan has been to leave the company in a good position to continue to experience success. I am confident my successor, Sebastien Godard, will continue our brand legacy and bring the business to new heights.

“Thank you for your support, loyalty and friendship!”

Congratulations, Brian! I am usually a bit nostalgic to see people retire. But I am also thankful for their work and rejoice in their newfound freedom, finally being able to slow down and enjoy their families even more.

As I have gotten older, more of my friends are retiring. Recently, after 40 years, Bennett Judson retired from NRCA and the Roofing Alliance. I am sure going to miss her. Congratulations, Bennett, and thank you for years of service to NRCA and the industry. You are an amazing colleague, and it’s been an honor working with you these past five years. 

REID RIBBLE is NRCA's CEO.
@NRCA_CEO

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