Details

• 

Professional Roofing: What is the most unusual roofing project of which you have been a part?
Smith: The Adak Naval Station Hospital, located about 1,300 miles (2092 km) west of the Alaska mainland, in 1979. The building's cementitious wood fiber roof deck possessed diaphragm strength inadequate to accommodate strong seismic events. The deck had to be replaced while keeping the island's only hospital functional during the reroofing work. This was a challenge because in the Aleutian Chain, moderate winds and rain squalls occur nearly every day. During the first construction season, the old deck was removed, and a new metal deck and built-up roof system were installed. The work took place under a large wooden box that provided protection over the work area. During the next construction season, a steel superstructure was installed to convert the original low-slope roof system into a steep-slope metal roof system. It is my understanding the roof outlasted the station, which was abandoned a few years ago.

What are your favorite items on your desk?
One item is a model of a lunar rover. To me, it illustrates what we are capable of technologically. Another item is a small banner from a shrine in Japan that a colleague gave me during a 10-hour layover in Tokyo while traveling to Guam to conduct typhoon research.

What was your first job?
Delivering newspapers when I was in sixth grade and lived in Alaska.

What is your favorite vacation?
After moving to a small farm nine years ago, my wife and I have not had a vacation other than the enjoyment of country living. It's hard to find a baby sitter for two horses, two goats, several birds and a Doberman pinscher.

Why did you become involved in the roofing industry?
I had been in architectural practice for 14 years when I decided to start a roof consulting firm. I increasingly had become interested in roof system design and decided to pursue roof consulting. I have met many wonderful people in the roofing industry, and the development of friendships with roofing professionals in the United States and other countries has played a key role in my passion for our industry.

What was your first roofing experience?
Installing asphalt shingles on a new residence when I was in high school. I distinctly remember installing the nails too high—but it was several years before I realized it.

What do you consider your most rewarding experiences?
Doing building performance research after strong hurricanes and tornadoes. I'm confident the findings from that work have been and will be used by many others to construct buildings that will perform better in future events.

If you could invite any three people to dinner (dead or alive), whom would you invite and why?
Frank Lloyd Wright—I think he was one of the most gifted architects of all time; a builder of one of Egypt's pyramids—I'm sure he would have some interesting construction stories; and my father, who died a few years ago.

What is your roofing industry involvement?
I'm a frequent speaker at various industry association meetings and participate in development of ASTM International standards. I'm on the board of directors for the American Association for Wind Engineering and am a member of NRCA's Performance Criteria for Constructed Roof Systems criteria development group on built-up roof systems, as well as the committee responsible for ASCE 7.

People would be surprised to know ...
I'm a martial artist. I began tae kwon do training in October 2003 and am more than halfway to the rank of black belt.