Briefings

Manufacturer news

MAGE SOLAR modules featured in solar program

Dublin, Ga.-based MAGE SOLAR USA LLC's High Performance POWERTEC® PLUS 185/5 MJ and POWERTEC PLUS 190/5 MI modules were chosen by the Texas Renewable Energy Education Consortium as the primary training modules for the consortium's Construction Technology with a Specialty in Solar Power program, which will train workers regarding PV system installation.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the program's first on-site training facility was held March 5 at the International Business College's campus in El Paso, Texas. Industry and education leaders attended the ceremony, which introduced four outdoor training courses featuring more than 70 POWERTEC PLUS modules.

OMG acquires Sinch Technology®

OMG Inc., Agawam, Mass., has acquired the intellectual property rights for Cincinnati-based Senco Brands Inc.'s Sinch Technology. The basis of OMG's RhinoBond induction welding system, Sinch Technology uses a miniature, high-efficiency, portable induction heating unit suitable for a wide range of commercial applications, including commercial roof system installations.

"We are excited about this acquisition," says Josh Kelly, OMG Roofing Products' vice president and general manager. "Owning the patents and intellectual property for Sinch Technology provides us with complete control of this advanced technology, which we believe will open many doors for OMG in the future."

Firestone Building Products awards contractors

Firestone Building Products Co. LLC, Indianapolis, awarded 262 contractors from the U.S., Canada and Mexico with the Master Contractor Award at the 2011 Master Contractor Award ceremony held at Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.

The Master Contractor Award, established in 1988, recognizes outstanding Firestone Building Products-licensed contractors for the total square footage of quality roof systems they have installed and quality points they have accumulated for receiving exceptional inspection ratings for Firestone Red Shield™-warranted RubberGard™ EPDM, UltraPly™ TPO, UNA-CLAD™ metal and asphalt-based roof system installations. The 2011 Master Contractors collectively have installed about 201 million square feet of warranted Firestone Building Products roof systems during the past year.

Sika Sarnafil enters agreement with LiveRoof®

Sika Sarnafil, Canton, Mass., has entered an agreement with LiveRoof LLC to warranty the plant material for the LiveRoof Hybrid Green Roof System, as well as the performance of LiveRoof's waterproofing membranes and accessories in vegetative roof system installations using both companies' products.

The Hybrid Green Roof System, a vegetative roofing solution pre-vegetated with fully grown plants at a nursery, eliminates the need for on-site expert horticulturists and decreases maintenance requirements. LiveRoof modules can be vegetated with various plant types to address regional climates and particular project design goals.

Additionally, Sika Sarnafil announced its 2010 Contractor Project of the Year Competition winners. Twelve contractors were recognized for outstanding workmanship in projects completed using a Sika Sarnafil thermoplastic membrane for roofing or waterproofing applications. A winner and two finalists were chosen from each of four categories: Low Slope, Steep Slope, Waterproofing and Sustainability.

Hayden Building & Maintenance Corp., West Nyack, N.Y., won first place in the Low Slope category for reroofing an Anheuser Busch beverage container production facility in New Windsor, N.Y.; Black Roofing Inc., Boulder, Colo., won first place in the Steep Slope category for its work at the Denver Art Museum; Phoenix-based Meade Construction of Arizona Inc. won first place in the Waterproofing category for its work at the Casino Arizona Resort, Scottsdale, Ariz.; and All-American Exterior Solutions Inc., Lake Zurich, Ill., won first place in the Sustainability category for the roof system on the new FedEx cargo facility at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

Dow Building Solutions donates products

Midland, Mich.-based Dow Building Solutions has donated insulation and air sealing products to support Habitat for Humanity®'s Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative. Dow Building Solutions provided select products from its building envelope product portfolio, including STYROFOAM™ Brand Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) Foam Insulation, GREAT STUFF™ Window & Door Insulating Foam Sealant, GREAT STUFF Work Wipes and other products, for a Jonesboro, Ga., home construction project organized by Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity.

Habitat for Humanity's neighborhood revitalization program is designed to help the organization's U.S. affiliates support homeowners who live in distressed neighborhoods and suffer from high foreclosure rates, abandonment and home maintenance issues. Southern Crescent Habitat for Humanity is partnering with 70 low-income homeowners to complete exterior improvements and maintenance work, weatherization and energy-efficient upgrades on their homes.

GAF Materials receives graphic design awards

GAF Materials Corp., Wayne, N.J., has received four American Graphic Design Awards from Graphic Design USA magazine. Open to everyone in the graphic arts community, the competition has existed for almost 50 years and honors outstanding new work in 23 categories submitted by graphic design firms, advertising agencies, in-house corporate designers, publishers and other media.

GAF Materials' award-winning designs include a DuraLife™ Natural Grain Decking advertisement, GAF University advertisement, Timberline® Cool Series brochure, and Masterflow® Green Machine™ Dual Powered Roof Vent packaging.

GAF Materials also won an American Package Design Award for its TruSlate™ Sample Box. The package design contest rewards packaging, point-of-purchase and related projects that are visually attractive and feature designs that advance the brand and make a connection with consumers.

Duro-Last® Roofing receives awards

Duro-Last Roofing Inc., Saginaw, Mich., was recognized with two awards at the Restaurant Facility Management Association's (RFMA's) National Conference Feb. 6-8 in Long Beach, Calif.

RFMA recognized John Deal, national sales manager for Duro-Last Roofing, as the 2010 Vendor of the Year. Deal has been a member of RFMA and its Education Committee since RFMA's inception in 2004.

Additionally, Darden Restaurants recognized Duro-Last Roofing as 2010 Vendor of the Year. More than 8 million square feet of Duro-Last Roofing's roof membrane have been installed on 1,138 Darden Restaurants since 1987.

Carlisle SynTec announces Perfection Council appointees

Carlisle SynTec Inc., Carlisle, Pa., has announced its appointees to the inaugural Perfection Council, the highest distinction in Carlisle SynTec's Perfect 10 contractor quality recognition program. The top 15 roofing contractors in North America were chosen to serve on the Perfection Council.

The 2011 Perfection Council appointees include: A.W. Therrien Co. Inc., Manchester, N.H.; Alan Kunsman Roofing & Siding Inc., Freemansburg, Pa.; Alliance Roofing Co. Inc., San Jose, Calif.; Bothwell-Accurate Co. Ltd., Toronto; Cotterman & Co. Inc., Minster, Ohio; Grove Roofing Services Inc., Buffalo, N.Y.; J.F. Collier Roofing Co. Inc., Nashville, Tenn.; Langer Roofing & Sheet Metal, Milwaukee; M.W. Tighe Roofing Inc., Fond du Lac, Wis.; McNeil Roofing Inc., Roanoke, Va.; Raven Roofing (Sask) Ltd., Regina, Saskatchewan; Snyder Roofing & Sheet Metal Inc., Tigard, Ore.; Thiel Brothers Roofing, Sidney, Mont.; Warren Roofing & Insulating Co., Walton Hills, Ohio; and Ziemba Roofing Co., Hastings, Neb.

Perfection Council members will participate in focus group-style business meetings and serve as an advisory board during the year to determine how Carlisle SynTec can best support its contractor network.

Company founder passes away

Robert Eugene Simpson, founder of MFM Building Products, Coshocton, Ohio, passed away March 2. Simpson was 86 years old.

After serving as an aviator pilot with the U.S. during World War II, Simpson received a bachelor's degree in English literature from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. In 1961, he started a business in Houston, which moved to Coshocton in 1965 and currently is known as MFM Building Products. He remained active in the business until shortly before his death.

Simpson served on a number of charitable boards in Coshocton and in 2003 established the Simpson Family Foundation to promote the value and improve the quality of education in and around Coshocton County. He also was instrumental in creating the Coshocton Campus of the Central Ohio Technical College. Additionally, he donated to the University of Illinois.

Simpson is survived by his wife of 66 years, Juanita (Klemick), and three sons, all of whom are active in MFM Building Products operations—Robert, who serves as president; John, who serves as vice president; and Wesley, who serves as vice president of finance.

Contractor news

Roofing contractor passes away

Garry Burba, former partner with Swift Roofing of Elizabethtown Inc., Elizabethtown, Ky., passed away March 13 at age 55.

Burba, a U.S. Army veteran, started working for Swift Roofing of Elizabethtown in 1987 and worked his way up from roofing worker to project manager and partner.

He is preceded in death by his mother, Pauline, and brother, Phillip. He is survived by his father, Alva; son, Zachary; daughters, Ashley, Molly and Kelly; sisters, Wanda, Alvine, Phylis and Lisa; and grandchildren, Isabella and Cylas.

The family requests memorial donations be made to Hosparus In-Patient Care Center or the American Cancer Society.

Roofing contractor's wife passes away

Anita Bergeron Laperouse, Houma, La., wife of the late Edward Laperouse, who owned Houma-based Edward J. Laperouse Metal Works Inc., passed away March 2 at age 96.

Laperouse helped Edward start his one-man sheet metal shop in 1935. Among other things, she bought Edward his first used sheet metal hand brake, helped him bend metal gutters on the hand brake and kept the books. Laperouse remained secretary of the company until her death.

Additionally, Laperouse was a parishioner of the Cathedral of St. Francis de Sales and member of the Ladies Altar Society, Legion of Mary and Catholic Daughters.

Laperouse is survived by her daughters, Anita, Mary Beth and Donna; son, Edward Jude; and 10 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren.

The family requests memorial donations be made to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

Other news

ARMA announces QARC program winners

The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) has announced the winners of its Quality Asphalt Roofing Case Study (QARC) program. ARMA has awarded gold, silver and bronze awards to three projects that exemplify asphalt's ability to raise the bar, providing the most beautiful, affordable and reliable roofing solution.

Advanced Roofing Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., received the gold for its work on Frank M. Johnson Montgomery Courthouse, Montgomery, Ala.; Texas Roof Management Inc., Richardson, Texas, received the silver for its work on Mosaic, Dallas; and Baker Roofing Co., Raleigh, N.C., received the bronze for its work on Struthers Residence, Raleigh.

The QARC program helps roofing contractors, consultants and architects gain national and industry recognition for their work with asphalt roofing materials.

Industry online

CertainTeed Corp. has added a CertainTeed Building Science page, www.certainteed.com/buildingscience, to its website; the page provides information, educational tools, technical resources and animations of heat, air and moisture flow within buildings. The resource was developed for building and design professionals who are interested in building forensics and building physics.

Industrial Heat Sources, one of four master distributors for Leister Process Technologies' roofing products in the U.S., has launched its new website, www.ihshotair.com. The site includes how-to videos to help users of Leister Process Technologies roofing products better maintain and maximize equipment performance; business advice articles; downloadable product sheets; and plastic-welding and hot-air equipment demonstration videos.

The Bilco Co. has joined social networking sites Facebook and LinkedIn. Facebook and LinkedIn members can stay updated on The Bilco Co.'s news, trade show appearances and industry advancements through the company's new online profiles. Facebook users can view the company's profile at www.facebook.com/pages/the-bilco-company/160174414037422, and LinkedIn users can follow the company at www.linkedin.com/company/the-bilco-company.

Up the ladder

ADCO Products Inc. has hired Ryan Ricketts as a field sales representative for ADCO Products' roofing products business serving Oklahoma and Texas and Karl Kupser as technical sales manager for its roofing products business unit serving Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

ABC Supply Co. has promoted Tom Whitcomb to customer financial services director for its Midwest region.