Briefings

Manufacturer news

BASF sponsors awards

BASF Corp., Florham Park, N.J., is sponsoring the 2008 Beyond Green™ High-Performance Building Awards hosted by the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council. The awards will recognize initiatives that shape, inform and catalyze the high-performance buildings market, as well as high-performance design applications and construction practices.

Beyond Green High-Performance Building Awards are presented in two categories: High-Performance Buildings and High-Performance Initiatives. Entries in the High-Performance Buildings category may be commercial, institutional, residential or school buildings. Entries in the High-Performance Initiatives category may be policy programs, educational initiatives, consumer awareness efforts, product development or new construction processes.

Beyond Green High-Performance Building Awards will be presented during an awards reception in Washington, D.C., in January 2009. Applications are available at www.sbicouncil.org and must be submitted by Oct. 15.

EcoStar® tiles are featured on television

Carlisle, Pa.-based EcoStar's Majestic Slate™ Traditional Tiles will be featured during an episode of PBS's television series "This Old House" that showcases the construction of a timber-frame home in Weston, Mass. The episode is tentatively scheduled to air in late November or early December and includes a discussion of the roof tiles' features and benefits.

Local listings for the episode are available at www.thisoldhouse.com/tvschedule.

CertainTeed signs financing agreement

London-based GE Money, a unit of General Electric Co., has signed a multiyear agreement with CertainTeed Corp., Valley Forge, Pa., to provide consumer financing through select U.S. contractors.

The program is managed by GE Money's Sales Finance unit and includes two financing programs: GE Money's PROJECTLINE^SM PLUS program, which provides revolving credit terms, and GE Money's PROJECTLOAN^SM program, which offers homeowners an installment loan financing option. The programs are offered by participating contractors who have earned CertainTeed Roofing and Siding product knowledge and installation credits.

"The addition of this program helps ease the financing process for consumers as they make improvements to their homes," says Eric Nilsson, CertainTeed's vice president of corporate marketing.

Contractor news

TRW & Associates signs agreement

Tampa, Fla.-based TRW & Associates Inc. has signed a five-year agreement with Gramercy Capital Corp., New York, to provide Gramercy Capital with project management, consulting and facilities management for all buildings and construction projects, as well as help Gramercy Capital conserve energy and reduce waste. The agreement includes overseeing about 11 million square feet for 900 banking facilities.

"We are excited about this new partnership and feel fortunate to have been selected by Gramercy Capital, especially because the scope of work involves conserving the environment," says Tripp Cohagen, TRW & Associates' project pricipal. "Green is the color on our minds as our No. 1 priority remains providing our clients with personal, top-notch service."

CentiMark hosts charity event

CentiMark Corp., Canonsburg, Pa., hosted the 5th Annual Southpointe Golfs for Children's golf event, which raised more than $200,000 for Children's Hospital of Pittsburg of University of Pittsburg Medical Center's (UPMC's) neonatal units.

Children's Hospital of Pittsburg of UPMC handles more than 500,000 patient visits every year and has provided more than $31 million of free and uncompensated care.

Commercial Roofers sponsors scholarship

Commercial Roofers Inc., Las Vegas, has renewed its scholarship program that it sponsors with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). The scholarship program will be available for an additional 10 years and will annually award $1,500 to a third- or fourth-year architectural studies student.

Scholarship applicants are asked to design a mock building with emphasis on the roof plan. The projects are judged by a class instructor and two additional UNLV professors. A principal from Commercial Roofers acts as an observer.

This year, there are 47 students eligible for the scholarship. The in-class presentation of design projects is scheduled to take place Nov. 13.

Roofing contractor passes away

Keith Marton, Houston-based Marton Roofing Industries Ltd.'s founder and president, passed away July 27.

Marton founded Marton Roofing Industries while he was in high school. He was active with his church and contributed to many charities serving children and youth. He is survived by his wife Cathleen; daughter Brittany; parents Patricia and Robert Marton; sisters Dana Cutbirth and Lora Matlock; brothers Paul and Tim Marton; and many other friends and relatives.

Other news

MCA releases white paper

The Metal Construction Association (MCA) has released "Metal Roof and Wall Panel Components in Contact with Preservative-Treated Lumber," a white paper about the use of preservative-treated lumber with metal roofing and wall products. The paper initially was drafted in opposition to potential changes in a Florida building code that proposed requiring preservative-treated lumber for uses including batten structures commonly used with metal roofing products.

"When preservative-treated lumber began to take the place of CCA- [chromated copper arsenate-] treated lumber, the metal construction industry recognized a need to educate its customers about the potential corrosion problems associated with using this lumber with certain types of fasteners and metals commonly chosen for wall or roof systems," says Scott Kriner, MCA's technical director. "With this paper, MCA has stated its position on this issue, which is similar to that of other industry associations."

MCA's white paper is available at www.metalconstruction.org/pubs/pdf/PreservativeTreatedLumber_072808.pdf.

ARMA announces contest winners

The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) has announced the winners of its 2007 Accident Prevention Contest. Manufacturing facilities were categorized by number of labor hours worked during 2007: Group A—more than 300,000 hours; Group B—200,000 to 300,000 hours; Group C—100,000 to 200,000 hours; and Group D—less than 100,000 hours.

The facility with the fewest accidents in each category received ARMA's President's Award. Recipients include the following: Group A—GAF—Elk Corp.'s Fontana, Calif., facility; Group B—Owens Corning's Savannah, Ga., facility; Group C—Owens Corning's Kearny, N.J., facility; and Group D—Johns Manville's Oklahoma City facility.

ERA names chairman

The EPDM Roofing Association (ERA) has named John Geary, Indianapolis-based Firestone Building Products Co. LLC's vice president of technology, chairman of ERA's board of directors. He replaces Michael DuCharme, Carlisle, Pa.-based Carlisle SynTec Inc.'s director of product marketing, who will remain on the board.

The industry online

The Garland Co. Inc. has made available nearly 40 roof specifications on www.garlandco.com, including specifications for built-up roofing, polymer-modified bitumen, restoration systems, metal roofing and roof system maintenance.

GenFlex Roofing Systems has redesigned www.genflex.com to include customized information for each user category; product and technical information; a contractor and distributor locator tool; and instructional videos.

Gutter Suppliers Inc. has launched www.guttersuppliers.com, which features a resource center with product catalogs, brochures, installation instructions, warranties and links to related companies.

Hanson Brick & Tile has added a Web tool to www.na.hansonbrick.com and www.hansonrooftile.com that helps builders and architects identify brick and roof tile that qualifies as regional material in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design®-NC Materials and Resources category.

Polyfoam Products Inc. has posted a video on www.polyfoam.cc showing the company's Polyset® system withstanding winds up to 150 mph.

Power Prospecting LLC has introduced www.powerprospecting.com, a Web-based direct mail program that allows users to create custom business and consumer lists using an interactive map. The Web site allows users to define a target audience by location and demographic; get immediate counts and save selections; place orders and make payments online; and download data to their computers.

W.R. Meadows® Inc. has added a green building section to www.wrmeadows.com. The section features green building product information, green project profiles and links to green building-related news.

Metal-Era Inc. has redesigned www.metalera.com to feature a submittal builder that allows users to collect and download all selected files in a single file. The Web site also features The Ventilated Roof System Calculator, Net Free Area Calculator and an updated navigation system that includes a product filter.

Bird-X Inc. has launched www.bird-x.com, which features an updated navigation system and information about specific bird problems and solutions.

Up the ladder

ABC Supply Co. Inc. has named Mike Boggs manager of its national accounts department. Dan Kyle has been named operations and fleet manager for ABC Supply's Midwest region, and Mary Seiber-Morin has been named business analyst for the Midwest region.

ATAS International Inc. has named Glenn Hechler customer service manager for its Allentown, Pa.-based headquarters.

Carlisle Coatings and Waterproofing Inc. has named Brian Carey product manager, AVB & building envelope. Michael Dustan Hesse has been named product specialist for spray-applied membranes.

Gordon Blackwell has been named manufacturing technology associate for Dow Roofing Systems. David Dixon has been named direct sales manager for the Midwestern states market in the Western sales region.

Firestone Building Products Co. LLC has named Tige Johnston operations manager for insulation and asphalt. Norm Ninow has been named operations manager for EPDM and TPO, and William Smith has been named director of manufacturing operations.

National Coatings Corp. has named Jeff Poe a technical sales representative.

Joe Danciu has been named Polyfoam Products Inc.'s Eastern U.S. regional sales manager for its commercial division.

Roofmaster Products Co. has named James Yundt general manager.