A new approach

Fifteen years ago, The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress was formed; its goals were to improve the roofing industry by funding research and educational programs; provide timely and forward-thinking responses to major economic and technological issues affecting the industry; and enhance the industry's long-term viability and attractiveness to roofing workers.

Since then, the Alliance has funded more than $3 million in research, educational and technical projects. It now is focusing on strengthening its identity and making itself more visible within the roofing industry.

Revitalization

During the Alliance meetings in April, For Momentum LLC, Atlanta, a marketing agency aimed at strengthening business and enhancing nonprofit funding, held a half-day workshop to help Alliance members clarify the organization's mission and identify items to pursue. From those meetings, the Alliance Strategic Leadership Committee was formed.

"The For Momentum report really got the committee going," says Mike Vall, the Alliance Strategic Leadership Committee's chairman. "There was dissatisfaction among the members … the Alliance and its value to the industry and membership were not well-publicized."

Since its formation in April, the Alliance Strategic Leadership Committee already has tackled budget issues, revised the Alliance's mission statement and begun developing a plan to make people in the roofing industry more aware of the Alliance.

One of the first issues the committee addressed was revising the organization's spending guidelines to maintain a minimum of $6 million in its corpus without an annual consumer price index adjustment, which will allow the Alliance to move forward with projects appropriate for its funding.

"A major concern of the Alliance is to respect the original intent of the founding Alliance members to maintain a minimum corpus," says Will Fort, the Alliance's president.

At its October meetings in Washington, D.C., the committee determined the changes to the spending guidelines should incorporate three goals: free up $150,000 per year to finance new project work; free up funds to finance annual general and administrative expenses; and maintain the minimum corpus balance.

In addition to revising the spending guidelines, the committee also revised the Alliance's mission statement and defined its core values, which guide the Alliance in creating a detailed plan of work for the short and long term.

"We want to give the Alliance its own identity," Fort says. "A lot of people know what NRCA is doing and wonder whether the Alliance is part of NRCA, so we are trying to provide some clarity."

The committee also is working to revitalize the Alliance's Communications/Marketing and Project Committee.

"It's sat dormant for a while, so we want to get it back up and running," Fort says of the committee. "We want it to be the voice of the Alliance."

The Communications/Marketing and Project Committee will keep the Alliance's website, www.roofingindustryalliance.net, up to date and help the organization with its member recruiting and marketing efforts.

Ongoing initiatives

The Alliance also continues to help advance the roofing industry by funding various research and educational programs.

One of the latest projects funded by the Alliance, RoofPoint,™ is a new guideline and rating system for the selection of roof systems that maximize energy efficiency and minimize environmental impact, is in its second year. In 2010, the Alliance awarded a $750,000 grant to the Center for Environmental Innovation in Roofing to co-sponsor the development of RoofPoint. For more information about RoofPoint, see "A RoofPoint report," page 28.

The Alliance also continues supporting work in solar research with its ongoing Roof Reflectivity Study, which shows how roof systems' reflectivities change with weathering and aging. In 2005, the Alliance provided $30,000 to NRCA's Technical Operations Committee and the Chicago Roofing Contractors Association to take solar reflectivity measurements on 46 roof systems in the metropolitan Chicago area for a minimum of five years. Data is collected annually.

Now in the fourth year of the study, NRCA's Technical Operations Committee has been able to take readings on 57 of the 70 roofs included in the study. The study is on track with its goal of having reflectivity data on 30 or more roof areas during a five-year period, correlating actual roof exposure data to initial laboratory reflectivity measurements.

Another important area of focus for the roofing industry is supporting research to distinguish potential exposures and health risks associated with the use of heated asphalt in roofing manufacturing and application operations.

In 2009, the Alliance approved $53,700 for a three-year roofing asphalt fumes research program. Recently, the research program, considered part of the International Agency for Research on Cancer's (IARC's) asphalt review, intended to show exposure to field-generated fumes is different from laboratory-generated fumes and would not generate carcinogenic tumors at the same rate as previously shown in the lab. The results proved field fumes are 4,000 less mutagenic than laboratory-generated fumes. However, tumor generation, though significantly less, was statistically significant.

The IARC assessment and this research are likely to be considered in future proceedings, such as the Department of Health and Human Services' National Toxicology Program's evaluation of worker exposure to asphalt fumes.

Moving forward

As the Alliance continues to support its current projects, it also is focusing on strengthening its identity and presence in the roofing industry, as well as seeking and identifying new projects.

In November, the Alliance sent a survey to the Alliance membership so members could rank or suggest current industry issues they would like to address. The survey results will be used to help the Alliance identify and select future projects appropriate for Alliance funding.

"We want to ask the full membership," Fort says. "We want to give thought to projects. And, with any project, we need to study it to make sure it's right for us."

As the Alliance selects projects appropriate for Alliance funding, it keeps two things in mind: It is critical to have support from Alliance members, and the Alliance needs to consider what the benefit or outcome of the project is to the Alliance.

"We want to reinvigorate activities so new projects can be pursued and attract new members who are willing to contribute their companies' money," Vall says. "We have a track record of 26 projects, and we'd like to build momentum for projects and members for the betterment of the industry."

Beth Wang is Professional Roofing's editorial assistant.

Mission clarity

This year, the Alliance revised its mission statement and defined its core values to clarify the organization's purpose and help guide the Alliance in its future endeavors.

Mission: The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress serves as a collective forum of roofing contractors, manufacturers, suppliers and industry professionals who select and provide oversight of programs and funding for progressive research that contributes to the ongoing advancement of the roofing industry.

Vision: The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress creates the impetus to excel as a valuable, effective and influential organization that shapes, improves and advances the future of the roofing industry.

Core Values: To achieve its mission and vision, The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress commits to the following:

• Education and training—develop programs and projects addressing current and future workplace issues ensuring a qualified and trained work force for the industry
• Technology—assume a leadership role to engage collaborative industry segments to embrace innovation and utilize technology
• Sustainability—advocate environmentally sustainable design
• Philanthropy—enrich the well-being of the roofing community through scholarship, charitable gifts and endowments

For more information about the Alliance, go to www.roofingindustryalliance.net or contact Bennett Judson, the Alliance's executive director, at (847) 299-9070, ext. 7513 or bjudson@roofingindustryalliance.net.