Briefings

Contractor news

NRCA members pass away

Recently, two NRCA member contractors passed away. Charles Dessent Jr., past president of Dessent Roofing Co., Chicago, passed away Sept. 14.

Dessent was a member of the Chicago Roofing Contractors Association (CRCA) for more than 20 years. During that time, he served on CRCA's board of directors and several committees. He also served as CRCA president from 2001-02. He received the Clyde Scott Award in 2004 for his outstanding career service to his company, the industry and community, and he received special recognition for his work on the CRCA Industry Affairs Committee for his efforts with the Chicago Energy Code.

Dessent is preceded in death by his father, Charles Dessent Sr. He is survived by his mother, Erma; wife, Barbara; and siblings, Mary, Robert, Clarice and Thomas.

Timothy Bruce Ruff, president of Ruff Roofers Inc., Baltimore, passed away Aug. 30. Ruff began his career in the roofing industry with tasks that ranged from washing trucks to cleaning the yard and buffing the floors. He then progressed to field operations, working with skilled craftsmen to learn the roofing and sheet metal trade. In 1995, he purchased Ruff Roofers, a family-owned business founded by his grandfather in 1939, and re-established the company, growing it from five employees to more than 130.

Ruff is preceded in death by his father, Charles, and brother, Stephen. He is survived by his mother, Marilyn; wife, Gina; children, Robert, Timothy, Jennifer, Christina and Juliette; grandson, Lehr; brother, Ronald; and sister, Debra.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Ruff's name to the Grasonville Volunteer Fire Department, P.O. Box 457, Grasonville, MD 21638.

Saratoga Roofing & Construction is named to Metro 50

Saratoga Roofing & Construction, Oklahoma City, has been named to the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber 2012 Metro 50—the metropolitan area's fastest-growing, privately owned companies. Metro 50 companies had revenues of at least $1 million for 2011 and demonstrated positive growth in revenue and number of employees; creativity and entrepreneurship; and business development through the expansion of facilities, customer base or markets.

Additionally, Saratoga Roofing & Construction has been ranked No. 207 on Inc. magazine's 31st annual Inc. 500/5000, a ranking of the U.S.' fastest-growing private companies. The list represents the most comprehensive look at the U.S.' independent entrepreneurs.

Since its expansion into the commercial roofing industry four years ago, Saratoga Roofing & Construction has grown from 12 to more than 300 full-time employees and expects a 300 percent growth rate in 2012 compared with 2011 and projects revenues nearing $35 million.

Tecta America branches receive awards

Tecta America Corp., Rosemont, Ill., has announced four of its branches have received safety awards from industry associations.

Schwickert's® Tecta America LLC, Mankato, Minn.; F.J.A. Christiansen Roofing Co. Inc., a Tecta America Co., Milwaukee; and Tecta America Zero Co., Louisville, Ky., received platinum-level STEP Awards from Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Inc. ABC also certified Schwickert's Tecta America as an Accredited Quality Contractor "in good standing" for 2012. The certification recognizes contracting firms excelling in quality, safety, employee benefits, training and community relations.

Tecta America Southeast LLC, Cumming, Ga., received a Certificate of Achievement for "safety excellence on company jobsites in 2011" from the Georgia chapter of The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC of America) Inc. The company received the certificate for placing third in AGC of America's Specialty Contractor 100,000-200,000 Work Hours Division.

Manufacturer news

Quick Mount PV® hosts SBA administration

Quick Mount PV, Walnut Creek, Calif., hosted Karen Mills, the Small Business Administration's (SBA's) administrator and member of President Obama's cabinet, at its Walnut Creek facility, which was purchased in 2011 with the help of the SBA 504 loan program. Elizabeth Echols, SBA regional administrator; Mark Quinn, SBA's San Francisco district director; Barbara Morrison, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of TMC Financing, an SBA 504 lender; and Walnut Creek Mayor Bob Simmons also visited the facility.

Visitors were given a 30-minute facility tour, which included visiting the employee-run organic company garden. After the tour, Mills and Claudia Wentworth, Quick Mount PV's CEO, spoke to employees and guests.

Industry member passes away

Ruben G. Garcia, director of product development for Firestone Building Products Co., Indianapolis, passed away Aug. 9.

Garcia was born May 9, 1951, in Santa Fe, N.M. He received bachelor's and master's degrees in chemical engineering from New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, N.M. He also received a master's degree in business administration from the University of Denver. Garcia worked for Johns Manville, Denver, for more than 25 years in various research and development and management positions. During the past five years, he worked for Firestone Building Products.

Garcia is survived by his wife, Janice; son, Gregory; daughter, Michelle; brothers, Denis and Alex; and sisters, Sylvia and Dolores.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society online at www.cancer.org; by telephone at (800) 227-2345; or by mail to P.O. Box 22718, Oklahoma City, OK 73123.

Seaman receives award

Seaman Corp., Wooster, Ohio, has won the 2012 Perfect Engine award from TBM Consulting Group Inc., Durham, N.C. The award recognizes Seaman's commitment to LeanSigma,® an initiative that uses statistical information and analysis to measure and improve efficiencies and overall performance as well as quality service and employee morale.

Barrett appoints representatives

Barrett Co., Millington, N.J., has appointed ACP LLC, Baltimore, as sales representative for Barrett's Washington, D.C., and Maryland regions. With more than five decades of roofing and waterproofing experience in the Washington, D.C., market, ACP will be incorporating its expertise in the waterproofing and Greenroof—Roofscapes® markets into Barrett's product lines.

GAF to open manufacturing facility

GAF, Wayne, N.J., has announced it will open a new polyisocyanurate manufacturing facility in Gainesville, Texas.

The 200,000-square-foot facility will be integrated with GAF's existing TPO manufacturing facilities and will enable GAF to efficiently serve its customers throughout the central U.S. Construction is expected to begin later this year. The facility is expected to commence operations during the third quarter of 2013 and employ about 20 people in addition to the 35 people already employed at GAF's Gainesville manufacturing site.

Atlas Roofing® donates materials

Atlas Roofing Corp., Atlanta, donated roofing materials to the Fourth Annual Millard Fuller Legacy Build's 2012 renovations in Henry County, Ga.

The event, which celebrates the late Millard Fuller and his work raising awareness about homelessness and creating affordable housing, was held Sept. 9-14 and featured four home renovations.

Atlas Roofing donated materials from its manufacturing facility in Hampton, Ga., for three of the four renovation projects. Materials included 60 squares of Atlas Pinnacle HP Weathered Wood Architectural Shingles, 15 rolls of No. 15 Specification Felt—ASTM D-4869 Underlayment, three boxes of Pro-Cut® Starter Strips and 12 bundles of color-matched Atlas GlassMaster® shingles for hip and ridge cuts.

Additionally, Atlas Roofing's Atlas EPS division has acquired Tri-State Foam Products, Martinsville, Va., which has provided EPS foam product solutions for more than 27 years.

Sika Sarnafil enters partnership

Sika Sarnafil, Canton, Mass., and International Leak Detection (ILD®), Des Plaines, Ill., have partnered to provide Sika Sarnafil's U.S. customers with leak-detection technology.

Through the partnership, Sika Sarnafil's waterproofing systems now are compatible with ILD's Electric Field Vector Mapping and Vector Mapping Grid technologies, which will enable the system's waterproofing integrity to be tested as a quality-assurance method soon after installation or in the event of a future leak without a time-consuming and costly investigation.

Sika Sarnafil waterproofing systems are used in green roof systems and plaza deck applications where the waterproofing system is covered and concealed by plants and hardscape elements, such as pavers, drainage composites and insulation.

Firestone Building Products expands facility

Firestone Building Products Co., Indianapolis, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Oct. 8 for its expanded EPDM manufacturing facility in Prescott, Ark.

The company invested more than $36 million improving infrastructure and increasing capacity to better respond to customer demands. The 18,000-square-foot addition will significantly increase EPDM membrane and accessory production and will support Firestone Building Products' growth strategy for the commercial construction market.

Several infrastructure projects in the plant included equipment refinements that use the latest technology to help the plant become more energy-efficient and reduce waste. The expansion also added 100 new jobs.

Up the ladder

RoofConnect® has hired Mike Stivers as national account manager for the northeastern U.S.

Kemper System America Inc. has promoted Brett Steinberg to national sales manager.

Atlas Roofing® Corp. has hired Alec Minné as director of marketing for the company's commercial division.

NRCA news

NRCA receives OSHA grant

NRCA has received a Susan Harwood Training Grant for about $110,000 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

The grant will be used to revise NRCA's full-day training program Roofing Industry Fall Protection from A to Z, which increases roofing workers' awareness of fall-protection hazards and familiarizes them with specific equipment and work practices to avoid fall hazards. NRCA will update the program to present more information specific to residential fall protection, including equipment and fall-protection plans, and will conduct eight training classes in various U.S. cities. Harry Dietz, NRCA's director of risk management, and Tom Shanahan, NRCA's associate executive director of risk management, will serve as the program's primary instructors. All program instructors are knowledgeable about OSHA safety requirements and the roofing industry.

Class dates and registration for Roofing Industry Fall Protection from A to Z will be announced soon. For more information, go to www.nrca.net.

RISE™ offers study course for CSRP™ exam

Roof Integrated Solar Energy™ (RISE) Inc. is offering its online comprehensive study tool, Rooftop Photovoltaic System Installations, to roofing professionals taking the Feb. 7, 2013, Certified Solar Roofing Professional™ (CSRP) exam.

The CSRP designation is a voluntary certification for professionals who plan and oversee the installation of roof-mounted photovoltaic (PV) systems. The credential evaluates whether candidates have the underlying knowledge required to successfully install roof-mounted PV systems.

The online study course, developed by NRCA University and Penn State University, University Park, Pa., offers topics and resources relevant to roof-mounted PV systems and features information regarding safety; design, electrical principles and practices; estimating; contracting and selling a system; and managing and directing installation.

Rooftop Photovoltaic System Installations is $295 for NRCA members and nonmembers. For more information and to register for the online study course, visit www.riseprofessional.org or contact NRCA's Customer Service Department at (866) ASK-NRCA (275-6722) or info@nrca.net.

Events

November

13-15
Water Entry Prevention and Moisture Control in Buildings—Roof Systems, Exterior Walls, Plaza Decks and Below-grade Waterproofing
University of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Engineering Professional Development
Madison, Wis.
Contact: Department of Engineering Professional Development
(800) 462-0876
epdweb.engr.wisc.edu/courses

14-16
2012 Greenbuild® International Conference and Expo
U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
San Francisco
Contact: USGBC
(800) 795-1747
www.greenbuildexpo.org

December

3-7
Ecobuild® America Conference
AEC Science & Technology LLC
Washington, D.C.
Contact: AEC Science & Technology
(800) 996-3863
www.aeceobuild.com

5-7
Midwest Roofing Contractors Association® 63rd Annual Conference
Midwest Roofing Contractors Association (MRCA)
Grapevine, Texas
Contact: MRCA
(800) 497-6722
mrca.org