Briefings

Manufacturer news

CertainTeed launches smart phone application

CertainTeed Corp., Valley Forge, Pa., has launched a Quick Response (QR) code smart phone application to simplify how architects, contractors, distributors and consumers receive information about CertainTeed products.

Users can point a QR-enabled smart phone's camera at a product's barcode, called a 2D QR code. The application instantly scans and reads the barcode and, upon recognition, processes and decodes the image allowing users to view websites, videos and technical documentation about the product.

Users also can send text messages, make telephone calls and save contact information without exiting the application. The application will store a history of all QR codes scanned by the mobile device.

CertainTeed's QR reader is free and available for the iPhone, BlackBerry® and Droid. The application is available at the iPhone App Store, Droid Market and Blackberry App World or at www.certainteed.com/qr.

The Dow Chemical Co. named LBNL partner

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, Calif., has chosen The Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich., to be a research partner for the new U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center (CERC) Consortium on Building Energy Efficiency. The consortium was established in 2010 in Beijing through a joint announcement by President Barack Obama and Hu Jintao, president of the People's Republic of China.

The Department of Energy formally approved and awarded the proposal submitted by LBNL to develop and implement energy efficiency technologies for residential and commercial buildings. The Dow Chemical Co. will contribute funding to the CERC Consortium on Building Energy Efficiency in addition to in-kind research support and practical commercialization expertise through Dow Building & Construction, a business unit of The Dow Chemical Co. The Dow Chemical Co. also will chair the CERC Industrial Advisory Board.

In addition to LBNL, the consortium includes seven U.S. research partners: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tenn.; Natural Resources Defense Council (Beijing branch); ICF International (Beijing branch); National Association of State Energy Offices; Association of State Energy Research and Technology Transfer Institutions; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge; and University of California's Davis campus.

GAF Materials wins website awards

GAF Materials Corp., Wayne, N.J., has received awards from the Web Marketing Association for Outstanding Achievement in Web Development, which recognizes the best websites in 96 industries. GAF Materials received three awards: the Advertising Standard of Excellence Award, B2B Standard of Excellence Award and Marketing Standard of Excellence Award.

In other news, GAF Materials has stopped production operations at its Mobile, Ala., plant because of the challenging economy and soft market conditions. The company is prepared to reopen the plant when demand recovers. Meanwhile, customers in the Mobile region will be serviced by GAF Materials' existing network to ensure service reliability does not lessen.

GAF Materials also was a contributor in a November 2010 episode of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." It donated all roofing materials to help rebuild the Lighthouse Christian Preschool in Antioch, Tenn., which was destroyed by flooding in early May 2010. GAF Materials' Camelot® 30 Designer Shingles, which incorporate GAF-Elk's proprietary Advanced Protection technology, were installed on the school.

The program aired nationally Nov. 14, 2010, on ABC.

Up the ladder

Firestone Building Products Co. LLC has named Matt Palmersheim a strategic account executive.

Pamela L. Griffin has been named The Bilco Co.'s vice president and controller.

Eduardo Carranza has joined Aquatech Consultancy Inc. as an engineer/senior consultant.

OMG Roofing Products has named Eric Frost as its New England representative. The company also has named Josh Kelly vice president and general manager and Joe DiSanto customer relations manager. Additionally, Stan Choiniere has been promoted to technical director; Sean Kelly to director of sales; Vinny Abbondanza to OEM sales manager; Sam Everett to director of marketing; Matt Hamilton to Northeast regional sales manager; Jo Ann Wells to customer service manager; and Nancy Forni to senior graphic designer.

Architectural Metal Services has named Allen O'Steen technical services supervisor; Martin Scroggins sales manager; and Bob Smola to the Tekla Building Information Modeling software development team.

Other news

Shelter receives new roof

The Roofing & Siding Contractors Alliance (RSCA), St. Louis, and the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers Local No. 2, St. Louis, donated a new roof to Gateway 180 Homelessness Reversed, Missouri's largest 24-hour emergency shelter. The dedication ceremony was held Oct. 29, 2010.

ERA joins coalition

The EPDM Roofing Association (ERA), Bethesda, Md., has joined the High-Performance Building Congressional Caucus Coalition, a private-sector coalition providing guidance and support to the U.S. Congress' High-Performance Building Caucus.

ERA is one of about 100 associations and corporations that are members of the coalition, which works with the congressional caucus to promote and showcase best practices in building design and focus on issues reflecting all aspects of high-performance buildings.

The industry online

Allied Building Products Corp. has expanded its website, solar.alliedbuilding.com. The expansion is dedicated to the company's Solar Division, which supplies solar panels, mounting hardware, inverters and monitoring systems.

Henry® Co. has launched its website, www.henry.com. The website includes interactive index cards for each product; a do-it-yourself section; and the Building Envelope System® Binder, which allows registered users to save all downloaded materials online.

Englert Inc. has launched its new website, www.englertinc.com, as a resource for architects, contractors and builders to educate themselves and their customers about metal roofing, gutter products, related environmental building products and renewable energy solutions.

The Center for the Polyurethanes Industry of the American Chemistry Council, in cooperation with the Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance, launched its Spray Polyurethane Foam (SPF) Health and Safety website, www.spraypolyurethane.com. The site explains the benefits and handling of SPF insulation and insulating foam sealant.

Contractor news

RoofConnect honors Supreme Roofing Systems employee

RoofConnect, Sheridan, Ark., has awarded George Denton, Dallas-based Supreme Roofing Systems' service operations manager, the inaugural RoofConnect Key Link Award.

Denton, who has worked for Supreme Roofing Systems for 16 years, won the award for exceeding his duties. He manages daily operations and coordinates disaster response efforts during tornado and hurricane crises.

"RoofConnect received excellent nominations from companies around the country, but George Denton at Supreme Roofing stood out amongst all the nominees," says David Workman, RoofConnect's chief executive officer. "He was the perfect choice for this first-time award due to his ongoing initiative, efficiency and commitment to excellence in his day-to-day duties, as well as in his response to several major disasters, including recent tornadoes in North Texas and Hurricane Ike in Houston."

Nominees for the Key Link Award were evaluated based on their job performance, team effort, dependability on service-related calls and initiative in performing service functions.