Briefings

Affiliate news

SMRCA awards scholarships

The Southeastern Michigan Roofing Contractors Association (SMRCA) Inc. and Roofers Union Local #149 have awarded four $1,000 scholarships to dependents of SMRCA's member contractors. Applicants submitted essays titled "How important is the roofing industry?" to the Joint Union/Contractor Scholarship Committee.

This year's scholarship recipients are Shelby Gilliam of Taylor, Mich.; Monique Horon of Emmett, Mich.; David Pomaville of Sterling Heights, Mich.; and Robert Stewart of Royal Oak, Mich.

Manufacturer news

CertainTeed launches recycling program

CertainTeed Corp., Valley Forge, Pa., has partnered with East Coast Shingle Recyclers Inc., Lansdale, Pa., to launch Roofing Responsibly,™ a shingle recycling program that provides contractors with an environmentally friendly option for shingle disposal.

CertainTeed currently recycles waste at its nine shingle manufacturing plants throughout the U.S. and has been exploring multiple shingle recycling models for torn-off roofing materials. According to the company, Roofing Responsibly allows CertainTeed-credentialed contractors to incorporate job-site recycling for about the same cost as a typical trash bin and disposal fees.

As part of the program, contractors schedule the delivery of a compartmentalized trash bin to a work site. Shingles, wood and nails are placed in the trash bin, which is managed by East Coast Shingle Recyclers. The shingles are then recycled into paving materials that are used in new road construction.

"More than 12 million tons of asphalt shingle waste went into landfills last year," says Jay Butch, CertainTeed Roofing's senior marketing manager. "Roofing Responsibly can help contractors add value to their businesses by keeping old shingles out of landfills and putting them to good use."

In addition, in August, CertainTeed trained roofing contractors in select states to market, finance and install its EnerGen™ Photovoltaic Solar Power Roofing System for residential customers.

"CertainTeed is transforming a niche technology into a product that is more accessible to the building industry and, therefore, a broader range of homeowners," says Guillaume Texier, CertainTeed Roofing's president. "EnerGen is the first step in what will be a comprehensive portfolio of photovoltaic roofing products for residential and commercial applications."

Carlisle SynTec employee is honored

Carlisle, Pa.-based Carlisle SynTec Inc.'s Manager of Thermoplastics Product Development Randy Ober has received ASTM International's Distinguished Leadership Award. The award was granted in recognition of 20 years of leadership and commitment to ASTM Committee D08 on Roofing and Waterproofing.

"I am humbled and honored to have received this award," Ober says. "I have benefited greatly due to my involvement in ASTM and having the opportunity to learn from the most knowledgeable people in the roofing industry."

In addition, Carlisle Creative Services, Carlisle Construction Materials' internal marketing communications department, recently received five Communicator Awards, which are given on behalf of the International Academy of the Visual Arts. The five projects recognized were chosen from more than 7,000 entries.

GAF Materials wins product recognition

GAF Materials Corp., Wayne, N.J., has been named the top Quality Rated Brand for asphalt/fiberglass shingles in Builder Magazine's 2010 Brand Use Study. Sponsored by Hanley Wood LLC, Washington, D.C., the survey questioned 10,800 builders, builder-developers and general contractors about their familiarity with, use of and opinions about brands in 81 product categories.

"GAF-Elk is pleased to be recognized for our high level of quality by the very people who install our product," says Paul Bromfield, GAF Materials' senior vice president of marketing.

Sika Sarnafil announces sustainability campaign

Sika Sarnafil, Canton, Mass., has announced a new Sustainability Promise campaign to help those who buy roofing products evaluate their purchases.

The campaign features a common set of sustainability criteria intended to help architects, specifiers and building owners measure various roofing options and to simplify the decision-making process.

According to the campaign, a sustainable roof system's key elements include a long service life, ability to recycle the roof when replacement is necessary, ability to reduce building energy consumption and related carbon emissions, and the roof membrane's ability to resist the spread of fire. The campaign's analysis also recommends reviewing a life cycle analysis of a roof system's environmental effects and determining whether the manufacturers carry ISO 14001 and Responsible Care certifications.

More information about the campaign is available at www.sustainabilitythatpays.com.

Petersen Aluminum announces competition

Petersen Aluminum Corp., Elk Grove Village, Ill., has launched a Project of the Month competition to recognize superior design applications using PAC-CLAD materials. Monthly winners will each receive a $100 Best Buy gift card and have their project highlighted on the Project of the Month page on Petersen Aluminum's website for one month.

Every January, one project will be chosen from the previous 12 months' winners to be named the Project of the Year. The Project of the Year winner will be featured in one of Petersen Aluminum's advertisements scheduled to run throughout the year in various national trade publications.

Architects and contractors can submit projects for consideration by completing a form available on the company's website, www.pac-clad.com.

ATAS International awards projects

ATAS International Inc. recently announced the winners of its annual Project of the Year awards. Awards are given in five categories: Commercial Roofs, Commercial Walls, Residential Roofs, Residential Walls and Sustainable Building Projects. To qualify, all projects must have been completed during 2009 and must feature ATAS International products.

In the Commercial Roofs category, first place was awarded to an installation at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Louisiana, Mo., performed by Herzing Roofing, Jefferson City, Mo.; second place was awarded to an installation at the Station at Potomac Yards, Alexandria, Va., performed by NRCA member Prospect Waterproofing Co., Sterling, Va.; and third place was awarded to an installation at the Champion Hills Country Club, Victor, N.Y., performed by Bayford Construction Inc., Spencerport, N.Y.

In the Commercial Walls category, first place was awarded to an installation at Urban Exchange, Harrisonburg, Va., performed by Royal Exteriors, Richmond, Va.; second place was awarded to an installation at Clayton Community Center, Clayton, N.C., performed by NRCA member Burns & Scalo, Garner, N.C.; and third place was awarded to an installation at Gangi Apartments, North Hollywood, Calif., performed by Tinco Sheet Metal Contractors, Los Angeles.

In the Residential Roofs category, first place was awarded to an installation at a private residence in Ocean City, N.J., performed by CopperWorks, Hammonton, N.J.; second place was awarded to an installation at a private residence in Goochland County, Va., performed by Lonestar Siding & Windows, Richmond, Va.; and third place was awarded to an installation at a private residence in Williamsburg, Va., performed by NRCA member Peninsula Roofing Co., Newport News, Va.

In the Residential Walls category, first place was awarded to an installation at a private residence in Portland, Ore., performed by Schaefer Siding, Gresham, Ore.; second place was awarded to an installation at a private residence in Sagaponack, N.Y., performed by Line Home Improvement, Hampton Bays, N.Y.; and third place was awarded to an installation at a private residence at Wolf Modern Townhomes, Harrisonburg, Va., performed by Skyline Roofing Inc., Dayton, Va.

In the Sustainable Building Projects category, first place was awarded to an installation at Slavin Center at Providence College, Providence, R.I., performed by NRCA member Roofing Concepts Inc., East Greenwich, R.I.; second place was awarded to an installation at Giles County Tenant One Wheatland Eco Park, Giles, Va., performed by HS Williams Co. Inc., Marion, Va.; and third place was awarded to an installation at University of Wyoming's Indoor Practice Facility, Laramie, performed by Delta Construction, Fort Collins, Colo.

The industry online

BASF has launched www.neopor.basf.usa, a website for its Neopor® expandable polystyrene. The website is designed for the North American market and features product specifications; regulatory information; and downloadable information such as insulation investment payback, technical data sheets, material safety data sheets, application profiles and brochures.

Other news

IBHS releases hurricane study

The Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) has released "Surviving Nature's Fury: Performance of Asphalt Shingle Roofs in the Real World," a report that investigates damage caused by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008.

Some of the report's findings include: A significant number of roof systems installed after 1998 experienced damage; newer shingle roof systems installed after the Texas Department of Insurance adopted the 2000 International Building Code in February 2003 exhibited much less wind damage than older roof systems in the same area; and damage occurred even in fairly light winds—peak gust wind speeds in the areas where houses were studied were less than 90 mph.

The study is available in the summer issue of IBHS' Disaster Safety Review, which is available at www.disastersafety.org.

BuildSite offers free software service

BuildSite LLC, Oakland, Calif., has released a free edition of its BuildSite Submittals; the software allows users to create fully electronic project submittals tied directly to construction specifications.

Users of BuildSite Submittals' free edition can upgrade to the service's Professional and Enterprise Editions, which add file storage, knowledge sharing and security to BuildSite Submittals.

More information is available at www.buildsite.com.

CRRC elects board member

The Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) has elected James Baker, the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association's director of industry affairs, as vice chairman.

"I believe that CRRC has the ability to support cool roofing standards in both the U.S. and internationally by providing technically sound data to government and nongovernment entities and by educating product end-users, manufacturers, architects, engineers and specifiers about the benefits of applying cool roofing products when appropriate," Baker says.

ANSI approves SPRI standards

SPRI has announced that three of its roofing standards—ANSI/SPRI RP-14 2010, "Wind Design Standard for Vegetative Roofing Systems"; ANSI/SPRI/FM 4435-ES-1, "Wind Design Standard for Edge Systems Used with Low Slope Roofing Systems"; and ANSI/SPRI IA-1 2010, "Standard Field Test Procedure for Determining the Mechanical Uplift Resistance of Insulation Adhesives over Various Substrates"—have been approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

ANSI/SPRI RP-14 2010 provides guidelines associated with wind uplift and stone scour and defines items such as setbacks from roof edges in areas with high winds, use of erosion mats and edging details. ANSI/SPRI/FM 4435-ES-1 provides basic requirements for wind-load resistance testing and design for roof-edge securement, flashing systems and nailers. It also provides minimum fascia thicknesses that lead to satisfactory flatness and designs to minimize corrosion. ANSI/SPRI IA-1 2010 provides a uniform field testing procedure for determining the suitability of using an insulation adhesive for insulation or cover board attachment to substrates.

Up the ladder

GenFlex Roofing Systems LLC has named Mark Herrington territory sales manager for the western U.S.