Briefings

Manufacturer news

GAF featured on television show

GAF, Wayne, N.J., was featured on NBC's "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" Jan. 30 for its charitable work to help build a new home for the Conway family of San Diego. The family was chosen by DeGeneres after the family's daughter wrote a letter requesting show tickets for her parents. GAF has had an ongoing relationship with "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and specifically was chosen for the project. GAF will be featured on several follow-up episodes; the air dates will be announced on GAF's Facebook page, www.facebook.com/GAFRoofing.

In addition, GAF has expanded its consumer outreach through a multiplatform advertising campaign based on A&E's "Duck Dynasty." GAF was featured on the television program Feb. 19; has digital advertising on the show's A&E website; and debuted its new national television commercial highlighting GAF Master Elite™ Contractors, GAF Premier Roofing Dealers and Pro-Grade™ Master Distributors during the Feb. 19 episode.

GAF also held an event with Kid Rock Feb. 26 during the 2014 International Roofing Expo® in Las Vegas. Guests were invited to have their pictures taken with the musician and receive an autographed photo. GAF and Kid Rock have teamed up to support Operation FINALLY HOME, a charity that provides custom-built, mortgage-free homes to U.S. veterans and their widows. GAF will give back to the foundation by including Kid Rock in its summer contractor promotion. With every promotion entry, GAF will make a donation to Operation FINALLY HOME.

Sika Sarnafil contributes to Winter Olympics

Sika Sarnafil Corp., Lyndhurst, N.J., contributed roofing materials from its Russian headquarters in Lobnya to help build stadiums, infrastructure and hospitality facilities for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Materials included roof systems, waterproofing solutions, concrete additives, flooring, strengthening fibers, impregnating resins, sealing and bonding chemicals, and protective coatings. Sika Sarnafil also supported the international competition by sponsoring uniforms and equipment.

Firestone announces annual awards

Firestone Building Products Co. LLC, Indianapolis, has announced 251 firms earned the 2014 Master Contractor Award from within the Firestone Building Products Red Shield™ Licensed Roofing Contractors network. The Master Contractor Award program has three distinct annual industry awards: the Master Contractor Award, Inner Circle of Quality Award and President's Club Award. The awards were presented Feb. 9-12 in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The Master Contractor Award is awarded on the basis of total square footage installed and quality points accumulated for outstanding ratings on roof system installations completed in 2013 covered by the Red Shield Warranty. Two new categories were introduced this year for sustainability and underlayments.

To qualify for the Master Contractor Award, contractors must complete a minimum of four Red Shield warranted jobs annually and have a Preferred Quality Incidence Rating (QIR) not exceeding three times the average QIR for Red Shield Contractors; QIR is determined by the annual number of quality incidents per million square feet of roofing material under warranty.

To be eligible for an Inner Circle of Quality Award, contractors must install a minimum of four warranted Firestone Building Products roof systems in each of the past five years, maintain at least 2 million square feet of Firestone Building Products roofs under warranty and achieve an annual QIR of 2.0 or less.

To be eligible for a President's Club Award, contractors must accrue the highest number of quality points for superior inspection ratings and total square footage of Firestone Building Products Red Shield warranted roof system installations completed during the past year.

A listing of Firestone's Master Contractors is available at www.firestonebpco.com/contractors/firestone-contractor-recognition-program/firestone-master-contractor-award/2014-award-winners/.

Honeywell announces safety training courses

Honeywell Safety Products, Smithfield, R.I., has announced its 2014 open enrollment schedule of Miller® fall prevention and protection classes. Part of the Honeywell Safety Institute, the classes are held in more than 30 cities in the U.S. and Canada, including Honeywell training facilities in Franklin, Pa., and Houston, Texas. The courses feature experienced instructors, live demonstrations and hands-on training. Sessions are customized by location to address site-specific variables and performance requirements for fall prevention and protection.

For more information and to download the training schedule, visit www.millerfallprotection.com/pdfs/2014TrainingSchedule-web.pdf.

Metl-Span® opens new location

Metl-Span, Lewisville, Texas, has opened its seventh manufacturing facility in Colonial Heights, Va., positioned to serve the eastern U.S. The 109,000-square-foot plant is devoted to the production of Metl-Span's Envolution™ line of architectural insulated metal panels and custom fabrication.

In addition, Metl-Span's Texas plant has been upgraded with new equipment and processes to enhance fabrication capabilities.

Contractor news

Roofing contractor passes away

Edward "Bud" Reifsteck, co-founder of Republic Roofing Co. Inc., Kirkwood, Mo., passed away Jan. 25. He was 87 years old.

Reifsteck was born in Webster Groves, Mo., May 22, 1927, to Willa and Edward Reifsteck. He graduated from St. Louis University, was a World War II veteran and co-founded Republic Roofing in 1967. Bud is survived by his sisters, Elizabeth and Janet; children, Lee, Mary Lynn, Mark, Michele, Nance and Charles; nine grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Missionaries of Charity, 3629 Cottage Ave., St. Louis, MO 63113 or The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society at Donor Services, P.O. Box 4072, Pittsfield, MA 01202, or www.lls.org.

Commercial Roofing & Waterproofing wins award

Commercial Roofing & Waterproofing Hawaii Inc., Honolulu, won the Top Job of the Year award during the Roofing Contractors Association of Hawaii awards banquet Jan. 25 in Waikiki Beach. Commercial Roofing & Waterproofing was recognized for multiple commercial projects completed in 2013. Nominations were judged for safety, job-site conditions, design factors, project deadlines or being a culturally sensitive, LEED,® green or photovoltaic job.

Distributor news

ABC Supply opens branch

ABC Supply Co. Inc., Beloit, Wis., has opened a new branch in La Crosse, Wis., Feb. 17. The branch will offer low- and steep-slope roof systems, siding, gutter, windows, doors and related products and services. The branch will open with seven associates, and Garrett Meyer will act as branch manager.

SRS Distribution completes acquisition

SRS Distribution Inc., McKinney, Texas, has acquired Sioux City, Iowa-based WJ Co., an independent distributor of residential and commercial roofing products servicing the northwest Iowa region.

The location will carry a full line of roofing products and focus on servicing roofing contractors, remodeling contractors and home builders. Mike Clausen, WJ Co.'s current owner, will stay on as the branch manager, along with WJ Co.'s entire sales and operations team.

The industry online

OMG Roofing Products Inc. has introduced a new mobile app, OMG Interactive. The app is available for Apple and Android devices and features separate calculators for OMG's RhinoBond nonpenetrating insulation and attachment system; RhinoTrac automated insulation attachment tool; AccuTrac stand-up insulation attachment system; and RetroDrain systems.

Benjamin Obdyke Inc. has launched a newly designed website, www.benjaminobdyke.com, providing easy access to product information; industry, product and company resources; a job submission portal; video gallery; and product review submissions. The new enhancements include simplified navigation, responsive design, project submissions, resources, a blog, news area and contact form.

IKO has uploaded a new video to its YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/IKORoof. The video is side-by-side time-lapse photography showing the same roofing crew installing a competitor's product and IKO's advantage-size Cambridge shingles with a counter keeping track of time and how many shingles, nails and total bundles were used.

RoofLogic has released its new RoofLogic mobile app. The app produces inspection reports, drawings, proposals and reroof takeoffs.

RoofScreen Manufacturing has introduced an online store at store.roofscreen.com to showcase its entire line of pre-engineered modular rooftop framing systems designed to be used as equipment screens and rooftop mounting solutions. There also is a Design Ideas section to see how the products have been used in various applications.

Corecon Technologies Inc. has introduced its Corecon Mobile App for Android devices. The new app was developed for Corecon V7, an online estimating, project management and job cost suite of construction software. The Corecon Mobile App is free to subscribers of Corecon V7 and can be downloaded from the Google Play Store.

CertainTeed Corp. has launched its first webisode and music video on its CertainTeed Living Spaces® Facebook page, www.facebook.com/certainteedlivingspaces, and YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/ctlivingspaces. The webisode and music video were a part of the 2013 Living Spaces Facebook Home Makeover Video Contest and featured the Bielfelt family of Mentor, Ohio, receiving a $75,000 exterior makeover to their 100-year-old home. The new music video, "Sleeping on My Porch," was created in conjunction with the webisode series.

Affiliate news

NERCA announces scholarship

The North/East Roofing Contractors Association (NERCA) has announced its 2014 North East Roofing Educational Foundation scholarship application now is available.

The scholarship program was established to assist employees, immediate family members of employees or immediate family members of NERCA members who plan to pursue post-secondary education in college, technical and vocational programs. Thirteen scholarships will be awarded for $2,500 each. The application is available at NERCA's website, www.nerca.org, or by calling NERCA's office at (781) 849-0555. The application deadline is May 5.

Other news

PIMA sponsors sustainable energy fact book

The Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association has sponsored Bloomberg New Energy Finance's Sustainable Energy in America 2014 Factbook, produced for the Business Council for Sustainable Energy.

Developed to provide policy makers, journalists and industry professionals with up-to-date market information, the fact book documents the upward trajectory of energy efficiency, natural gas and renewable energy using data from 2013 and documents the long-term transition to cleaner, lower-carbon sources of energy production.

According to the fact book, renewable energy provided 13 percent of the U.S.' electricity generation in 2013, up from 12 percent in 2012; renewable energy costs reached all-time lows; and small, distributed generators and off-grid installations began to emerge as transformative forces in the power industry.

MCA elects new officers

The Metal Construction Association elected its 2014 officers and directors during its annual meeting Jan. 27 in Clearwater Beach, Fla.

Karl L. Hielscher, president and chief executive officer for Metl-Span, Lewisville, Texas, is chairman; Norbert Schneider, president of Umicore Building Products, Raleigh, N.C., is vice chairman; Ed Karper, North American coil marketing manager for Akzo Nobel Coatings Inc., Columbus, Ohio, is secretary; Dale Nelson, president of Roof Hugger Inc., Odessa, Fla., is treasurer; and Todd E. Miller, president of Isaiah Industries Inc., Piqua, Ohio, is past chairman.

Also on the Executive Committee is Bill Croucher, director of engineering for Fabral, Lancaster, Pa., serving as technical committee chairman; Bill Hippard, vice president of sales for Precoat Metals, St. Louis, serving as president of the Metal Roofing Alliance; and Renee Ramey, marketing manager for Steelscape Inc., Kalama, Wash., serving as market development chairman.

A list of the directors is available on MCA's website, www.metalconstruction.org.

SPRI recanvasses technical documents

SPRI is recanvassing four technical documents for reapproval as American National Standards.

ANSI/SPRI WD-1 2012, "Wind Design Standard Practice for Roofing Assemblies," provides a methodology of designing for wind-uplift resistance of nonballasted built-up, polymer-modified bitumen and single-ply roof system assemblies installed over any type of roof deck and includes ASCE 7-10, "Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures." ANSI/SPRI RP-14, "Wind Design Standard for Vegetative Roofing Systems," provides a methodology for designing for wind-uplift resistance of vegetative roof systems, helping to identify the ballast type to resist uplift forces, as well as drainage options. ANSI-SPRI GD-1, "Structural Design Standard for Gutter Systems Used with Low-Slope Roofs," provides designers, contractors and building code officials with information for proper structural design of gutters used with low-slope roofing and also is revised to comply with ASCE 7-10.

After ANSI/SPRI WD-1 2012, ANSI/SPRI RP-14 and ANSI-SPRI GD-1 have been recanvassed, the documents will be submitted for 2015 International Building Code® inclusion.

In addition, SPRI will reaffirm ANSI-SPRI RD-1 2009, "Performance Standard for Retrofit Drains," to comply with ANSI's five-year cycle requirements. The standard is for those who design, specify or install retrofit roof drains designed for installation in existing drain plumbing on roofs.

ARMA announces award winners

The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) has announced the winners of its 2014 Quality Asphalt Roofing Case-Study (QARC) Awards. The QARC Awards honor architects, contractors and specifiers who use asphaltic roofing materials on low- and steep-slope building projects.

The winners of the 2014 QARC Awards are gold-winner Precision Roofing Corp., Hialeah, Fla., for Doral City Hall, Doral, Fla.; silver-winner Advanced Roofing Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for Publix, Miami; and bronze-winner Certified Inc., Highland, Md., for Everett Victorian, Laurel, Md. The winners received checks from ARMA in the amounts of $2,000, $1,000 and $500, respectively, and will be featured on ARMA's website, www.asphaltroofing.org.

Up the ladder

ABC Supply Co. Inc. has named Todd Buehl chief financial officer and treasurer.

Atlas Roofing Corp. has named Nisha George marketing and communications manager.

Metal-Era Inc. has named Nick Mallinger vice president of operations.

NRCA news

NRCA offers free webinars

NRCA is offering free webinars to its members. Each webinar offers a unique experience specifically tailored to roofing professionals. All webinars are presented on the third Thursday of each month at noon CST.

April's webinar, Customer Service, A Company Approach, will be held April 17. Bob Kulp, president of Kulp's of Statford LLC, Wausau, Wis., will present ways to engage employees in customer service.

May's webinar, Technical Roofing Industry Update, will be held May 15. Mark Graham, NRCA's associate executive director of technical services, will discuss current technical issues in the roofing industry.

June's webinar, Project Planning, will be held June 19. Rich Nugent, president and chief executive officer of Nations Roofing LLC, Lithia Springs, Ga., will demonstrate how to increase efficiency, productivity and profit using project planning techniques.

Events

April

24-26
The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress Member Meeting
The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Contact: The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress
(847) 299-9070
www.roofingindustryalliance.net

27-30
Executive Management Institute (EMI)
NRCA
Chicago
Contact: NRCA's Customer Service Department
(866) ASK-NRCA (275-6722)
www.nrca.net

May

8
For Foremen Only, Level 2
NRCA
Chicago
Contact: NRCA's Customer Service Department
(866) ASK-NRCA (275-6722)
www.nrca.net

15
Roofing Industry Fall Protection from A to Z
NRCA
Salt Lake City
Contact: NRCA's Customer Service Department
(866) ASK-NRCA (275-6722)
www.nrca.net

16-18
Roof India 2014
International Trade and Exhibitions India Pvt. Ltd.
Chennai, India
Contact: International Trade and Exhibitions India's Customer Service Department
+91 98400 43691
www.roofindia.com

22
CERTA Train-the-trainer Authorization
NRCA
River Grove, Ill.
Contact: NRCA's Customer Service Department
(866) ASK-NRCA (275-6722)
www.nrca.net

23
CERTA Train-the-trainer Reauthorization
NRCA
River Grove, Ill.
Contact: NRCA's Customer Service Department
(866) ASK-NRCA (275-6722)
www.nrca.net

29
Roofing Industry Fall Protection from A to Z
NRCA
San Francisco
Contact: NRCA's Customer Service Department
(866) ASK-NRCA (275-6722)
www.nrca.net

June

9-13
Contractor Connection 2014 Conference and Expo
Crawford Contractor Connection
New Orleans
Contact: Crawford Contractor Connection's Customer Service Department
conference@contractorconnection.com
www.contractorconnection.com/contractorconference

12
Roofing Industry Fall Protection from A to Z
NRCA
San Diego
Contact: NRCA's Customer Service Department
(866) ASK-NRCA (275-6722)
www.nrca.net