The roofing industry is nothing if not resilient. Coming off a terrible year—consensus seems to be the industry volume was down 30 percent in 2009—NRCA members still made the 2010 International Roofing Expo® (IRE) a huge success by any standard of measurement. Total attendance is estimated to be 7,000, down about 4 percent from the 2009 show. But educational conference attendance was up and there were more exhibiting companies, albeit in somewhat smaller spaces.
Not surprisingly, the most popular educational offerings were those addressing sales and marketing and new technologies. Sessions with the word "solar" in them were practically guaranteed to sell out, and NRCA's luncheon speaker, solar expert Steven Strong, met with a long line of interested contractors following his presentation. The trade show floor included a number of solar manufacturers, suggesting the industry is on the verge of much greater involvement with that technology.
New Orleans, of course, is a draw by itself, and we heard clearly from attendees who had experienced Las Vegas fatigue. Plans are for IRE to move more frequently; future sites, in addition to Las Vegas in 2011, include Orlando, Fla., in 2012 and San Antonio in 2013.
Our first Community Service Day, held in partnership with Rebuilding Together® New Orleans, exceeded all expectations as 77 volunteers worked on five homes that were damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Some volunteers reported chipping mortar from bricks was more fulfilling than chipping golf balls to unintended places.
NRCA made a number of important announcements during the show, including the development of a new certification program for those responsible for rooftop solar installations. NRCA also launched NRCA On-Demand, a program enabling members to have 24/7 access to a huge library of electronic products among other benefits.
New officers and directors were elected, and we had no shortage of interested volunteers. It is almost always true that associations are needed most when members can afford them the least; our new leadership team faces an abundance of challenges.
And as is customary, NRCA awarded the roofing industry's highest honor, the J.A. Piper Award. This year's recipient was Mike Promen, former president of Clark Roofing Co., Broadview, Ill. Mike's involvement with NRCA dates back more than 25 years and includes serving as NRCA president. No one is more deserving.
Bill Good is NRCA's executive vice president.
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