Briefings

Contractor news

Roofing industry leader passes away

Former NRCA President Robert Tarrant "Country" Harrison, former president of Greenville Roofing Co., Greenville, S.C., passed away March 1. He was 86.

Harrison served as president of the Carolinas Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association in 1973 and received the George M. Waters Distinguished Service Award in 1983. He was elected NRCA's president in 1985 and served two terms as an NRCA vice president and one term as senior vice president. He was named to NRCA's board of directors in 1977 and 1982 and served on numerous NRCA committees. He received NRCA's J.A. Piper Award in 1993.

Additionally, Harrison served in other organizations, including the Roofing Industry Educational Institute, Koppers Advisory Council, Contracts Guide Advisory Board and Carolina Roofing Self Insured Fund. He also was a past president of the Greenville Kiwanis Club, Greenville Touchdown Club and Greenville Country Club.

Harrison is survived by two daughters, Ann Harrison Woolston and Linwood Harrison Tabata; three grandsons, Robert Harrison Woolston, John Cothran Woolston and Harrison Daniel Tabata; and two brothers, Frank E. Harrison and James H. Harrison.

Home Street Home Improvers wins award

Minneapolis-based Home Street Home Improvers has won the 2008 Angie's List Super Service Award. This is the fourth consecutive year the company has won the award.

The award is given to companies that have achieved and maintained a superior service rating on Angie's List during the past year. According to Home Street Home Improvers, fewer than 5 percent of companies on Angie's List meet the award's eligibility requirements. Home Street Home Improvers won the award in five categories: roofing, siding, windows, doors and gutters.

"We strive to exceed expectations in an industry that often suffers from a bad reputation due to unlicensed or unscrupulous contractors," says Vince Leeson, Home Street Home Improvers' owner.

CentiMark enters agreement

CentiMark Corp., Canonsburg, Pa., has entered a three-year contract with Corporate United, a Cleveland-based group purchasing organization.

The agreement went into effect Jan. 1 and includes products and services from CentiMark's QuestMark Flooring division. Corporate United members receive various benefits when they participate in the CentiMark contract, including group volume incentives, preferred pricing and flexible payment terms.

"CentiMark has been a trusted supplier to Corporate United and its members since 2003," says Marc Rosen, Corporate United's president. "In fact, CentiMark was awarded our Supplier of the Year honor in 2008, reflecting a high level of overall satisfaction across the entire organization."

Up the ladder

ATAS International Inc. has named Tim Feltman territory manager for most of Alabama, the Florida panhandle and Georgia. In addition, Matt Hutchison has been named territory manager for Florida south of the panhandle, and Racquel McGee has been named territory manager for southern California.

Dow Roofing Systems has appointed Tim Davis vice president of sales for the U.S. and Paul Shepard regional sales manager for the Northeast.

GenFlex Roofing Systems has named Mike Gowl Southeast territory sales representative and Heath Pocock South Central territory sales representative.

Michael D. Remington has been named president of Inspec.

Carlisle SynTec Inc. has named Doug Foust and Chris Thompson independent representatives. Foust will be based in Henderson, Nev., and will represent the company in southern Nevada, and Thompson will be based in Mesa, Ariz., and will represent the company throughout all Arizona regions.

Manufacturer news

Duro-Last® Roofing honors employees

Duro-Last Roofing Inc., Saginaw, Mich., has named Warren E. Catiore and Isaiah Tatum its 2008 Employees of the Year.

Catiore is a technical sales coordinator based in Grants Pass, Ore., and was named September 2008's Employee of the Month. He has been employed by Duro-Last Roofing for more than 12 years and is responsible for in-house training.

Tatum is a warranty services crew leader based in Jackson, Miss., and was named March 2008's Employee of the Month. He is responsible for crew safety while making warranty-related repairs to Duro-Last Roofing roof systems.

Employees of the Year are chosen from the previous year's Employee of the Month winners from every Duro-Last Roofing facility.

Roofing professional passes away

Douglas C. Tait, south regional manager for Chagrin Falls, Ohio-based Millennium Adhesives Cos., passed away Jan. 25.

Tait was involved with the roofing industry for more than 35 years and joined Millennium Adhesives in 2006. He chaired many state and national committees related to building components and roof systems and was involved with the Florida Roofing, Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors Association. Tait also was a member of RCI Inc. and was certified in thermographic infrared inspections and building sciences.

Corus Building Systems changes name

Corus Building Systems' Michigan City, Ind.-based Kalzip Business Unit is now known as Kalzip Inc. and no longer operates under the Corus Building Systems name. The change went into effect Feb. 2.

According to the company, the name change will strengthen the Kalzip brand and help clarify the company's identity.

OMG Roofing Products announces educational program

OMG Roofing Products, Agawam, Mass., has developed Adhesive Attachment of Insulation, a distance learning course about roof insulation adhesive technology.

The course is free for The American Institute of Architects (AIA) members and provides RCI Inc. continuing education credits and AIA learning units for health, safety and welfare credit.

The program includes various charts, drawings and photographs and addresses issues such as proper design, specification considerations, installation methods, and substrate and insulation compatibility. A certificate is provided upon successful completion of the program.

Additional information about the course is available at www.olyfast.com.

CertainTeed expands product availability

CertainTeed Corp. has expanded the availability of its Mountain Ridge™ High-Profile Hip and Ridge Accessory to the U.S.' North Central and South Central regions.

"Our customers in the North Central and South Central parts of the country desired a hip and ridge accessory with a complementary blended color rather than the usual monotone accessory color that produces a striped look," says Bob Gardiner, CertainTeed Roofing's vice president of marketing.

Sika Sarnafil awards contractors

Canton, Mass.-based Sika Sarnafil has announced the winners of its 2008 Projects of the Year Competition.

More than 30 contractors throughout the U.S. submitted projects for evaluation in the annual competition, and 12 were recognized for outstanding workmanship in completing recent projects using Sika Sarnafil thermoplastic membranes for roofing or waterproofing applications.

NRCA member Best Contracting Services Inc., Gardena, Calif., won first place in the Low Slope category for its work at the Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach, Calif. Total Building Maintenance Inc., Chattanooga, Tenn., won second place in this category, and Roofing & Siding Co., Traverse City, Mich., won third place.

NRCA member Peach State Roofing Inc., Lawrenceville, Ga., won first place in the Steep Slope category for its work at the Mount Carmel Christian School in Stone Mountain, Ga. NRCA member A-1 Roofing Co., Elk Grove Village, Ill., won second place, and Meade Construction Inc., Fredericktown, Ohio, won third place.

NRCA member Bloom Roofing Systems Inc., Brighton, Mich., won first place in the Waterproofing category for its work at the H.H. Dow Academy Ashman Court in Midland, Mich. NRCA member SLR Roofing Systems Inc., Fort Worth, Texas, won second place, and NRCA member Dryspace Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, won third place.

NRCA member Silktown Roofing Inc., Derby, Conn., won in the Sustainability category for its work at Naugatuck High School in Naugatuck, Conn. NRCA member T.L. Gowin & Co. Inc., Cartersville, Ga., won second place, and Solar Integrated, Los Angeles, won third place.

Polyglass forms partnership

Polyglass Group, Treviso, Italy, and Mapei Group, Milan, Italy, have formed a partnership that Fernley, Nev.-based Polyglass USA Inc. representatives say will strengthen both companies.

"This is a marriage between two companies, which, despite their differences in size, share many values," says Andrew Hastings, Polyglass USA's chief executive officer. "This merger will make Polyglass stronger and allow us to not only expand our services and product lines here in the U.S. but also grow in markets that we might not have been able to previously."

Other news

Underwriters Laboratories forms subsidiary

Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Inc., Northbrook, Ill., has announced UL Environment, a subsidiary that provides independent product testing, assessment and certification services for environmentally sustainable products.

UL Environment features Environmental Claims Validation, which provides validation of environmentally sustainable product claims by means of independent testing and assessments. With this program, UL Environment audits and tests environmental attribute claims made by manufacturers to ensure the claims' accuracy and provide manufacturers credibility in the marketplace.

UL Environment also plans to feature a program to certify products to industry-accepted environmental standards.

MCA and ORNL to research metal

The Metal Construction Association (MCA) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, Tenn., have agreed on a multiple-year research project evaluating the future needs of advanced metal roof and wall assemblies.

The project will involve ORNL's Building Technology Research Center and focus on evaluating assemblies' thermal performances using alternative interface details. ORNL will use full-scale steady-state and dynamic testing of wall and roof assemblies using hot-box conditions and climatic chambers, field testing and computer modeling.

The study will document systems' thermal performance levels to demonstrate compliance with the Council of American Building Officials Model Energy Code; ASHRAE/IESNA 90.1, "Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings"; and ASHRAE 90.2, "Energy-Efficient Design of Low-Rise Residential Buildings."

"The timely research is intended to provide data to show metal's role in improving building envelope performance," says Scott Kriner, MCA's technical director.

ANSI accepts SPRI standards

SPRI has announced ANSI/SPRI WD-1, "Wind Design Standard Practice for Roofing Assemblies," and ANSI/SPRI RP-4, "Wind Design Standard for Ballasted Single-ply Roofing Systems," have been updated and accepted by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

ANSI/SPRI WD-1 provides a two-part methodology for designing for wind-uplift resistance of nonballasted built-up roofing, polymer-modified bitumen and single-ply roof systems installed over any roof deck type. The standard originally was approved as an ANSI standard in 2007 and was accepted in late 2008 after permissive language was removed.

ANSI/SPRI RP-4 is intended to be a reference for individuals who design, specify and install ballasted single-ply roof systems. The standard was approved in 1997 and revised in 2002 and 2008.

Additionally, SPRI plans to reaffirm ANSI/SPRI RD-1, "Performance Standard for Retrofit Roof Drains," which is intended as a reference for retrofit roof drains that are designed for installation in drain plumbing on existing roof systems.

ANSI requires that national standards be re-evaluated every five years. Interested parties can participate in the canvas by contacting SPRI at (781) 647-7026 or info@spri.org.

In addition, SPRI's Nominating Committee has named Al Janni, engineering services manager for NRCA member Duro-Last Roofing Inc., Saginaw, Mich., its 2009-10 president-elect. Janni will serve as SPRI's 2010-11 president.

Janni previously served as SPRI's 2008-09 treasurer and as 2007-08 chairperson for its Technical Committee.

"I'm privileged to serve as president-elect for such a diversified trade organization," says Janni. "SPRI continues to lead the commercial roofing industry in the development of standards, especially when it comes to emerging technologies such as vegetative and solar roofing systems."

Hanley Wood awards products

The judges at the New Products Pavilion of Dallas-based Hanley Wood Exhibitions' 2009 International Roofing Expo® in Las Vegas have announced the winners of the Best New Product award.

NRCA member RoofLogic, Toronto, won first place for its RoofLogic Mobile module; Bilgin Roof Dock, Fort Worth, Texas, won second place for its Bilgin Roof Dock; and Chicago Clamp Co., Broadview, Ill., won third place for its Tube Frame framing clamp system.

Distributor news

A.C.T. Metal Deck Supply opens distribution center

A.C.T. Metal Deck Supply, Aurora, Ill., has opened a distribution center in San Antonio.

The facility is A.C.T. Metal Deck Supply's eleventh distribution center. The company also has facilities in Birmingham, Ala.; Chicago; Columbus, Ohio; Fort Worth, Texas; Greensboro, N.C.; Indianapolis; Jacksonville, Fla.; Kansas City, Mo.; Knoxville, Tenn.; and St. Louis.

The industry online

CertainTeed Corp. has redesigned www.certainteed.com to include product information, technical resources, tools and continuing education programs, as well as customized portals for architects, builders, contractors and distributors. Additionally, www.certainteed.com/certaspec has been updated to include the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System™ criteria, including recycled content percentages for roofing products and locally sourced materials.

Petersen Aluminum Corp. has launched www.pacgreeninfo.com to provide information about sustainable metal roof system design.

Metal-Era Inc. has added its Ventilated Roof System Calculator to www.metalera.com. The calculator reportedly helps determine the ideal airspace relative to a project's ventilation needs.

The Reflective Roof Coatings Institute has updated www.reflectivecoatings.org to include a question-and-answer page, resource library, archive of previous meeting presentations, project showcase, and structural and membership information.