Flashings

Firestone acquires GenFlex

Indianapolis-based Firestone Building Products Co. has acquired Maumee, Ohio-based GenFlex Building Products from OMNOVA Solutions Inc., Fairlawn, Ohio.

The acquisition will net OMNOVA about $40 million, and Firestone Building Products will acquire GenFlex Building Products' headquarters office; a thermoplastic membrane manufacturing plant in Muscle Shoals/Tuscumbia, Ala.; and a product distribution center in Columbus, Ohio.

GenFlex Building Products will operate as an independent business unit called GenFlex Roofing Systems, and its brand of roofing products will be offered by Firestone Building Products.

"GenFlex Building Products' nationwide network of distributors and contractors will allow Firestone Building Products to further enhance its manufacturing efficiency by reaching a larger audience, and GenFlex customers can expect higher levels of customer service and broader product offerings," says Wayne Hunter, vice president of operations for Firestone Building Products.

Ask quality questions

Asking good questions during meetings will help engage your employees, clarify confusion and direct conversation without dominating it. Following are a few guidelines for asking quality questions.

• Ask direct questions, and wait silently for responses. Avoid overly detailed introductions or explanations.
• Ask real questions; don't make statements in question form. For example, avoid, "Don't you think we should … ?"
• Avoid obscure technical terms, complicated references and slang. You want all employees to understand your questions.
• Don't point fingers or try to prove someone wrong. Your questions should draw out information that helps employees evaluate ideas and choose strategies as a team.

Source: Adapted from Keys to asking good questions as cited by Communication Briefings, October issue

Curb absenteeism

Unscheduled employee absences can cause major problems in the workplace. Try the following to encourage your employees to be more dependable.

• Employees may not realize the problems they cause by failing to show up. Take employees aside and explain how their absences affect the entire business.
• Develop fair absentee policies that allow a reasonable number of personal or sick days. Don't make workers feel guilty for absences when they have legitimate reasons.
• Be mindful of employees' personal problems and morale issues, such as heavy workloads or conflicts that could increase stress levels.
• Provide feedback instead of issuing threats. Work with employees to get to the root of problems and come up with strategies for correcting excessive absenteeism. If there is no improvement, be prepared to take disciplinary action.

Source: Adapted from Employers, employees can cut absenteeism as cited by The Motivational Manager, August issue

Pacific Gas and Electric offers rebates

San Francisco-based Pacific Gas and Electric Co.® is offering rebates for existing residential and mobile homes with retrofit low-slope and steep-slope replacement cool roofs.

Rebates of 10 cents per square foot to 20 cents per square foot are offered for cool roof system installations, depending on specific roof system requirements. To qualify for a rebate, a homeowner must have electricity distributed by Pacific Gas and Electric to the installation address; a central air-conditioning system; be in climate zones 2, 4, 11, 12 or 13; install roofing materials that meet the initial solar reflectance and initial thermal remittance rated by the Cool Roof Rating Council (a complete list of qualifying products is available at www.coolroofs.org); and use steep-slope roofing products with an initial solar reflectivity of 0.25 or greater or low-slope roofing products with an initial solar reflectivity of 0.70 or greater.

Access www.pge.com or call (800) 933-9555 for an application package or more information.

Dow Chemical increases prices

The Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich., has increased its prices in North America for all toluene diisocyanate by 15 cents per pound. The price increase applies to all polyurethane market segments and end-use applications in the U.S. and Canada. The increase took effect Oct. 1.

The price increase is said to be driven by high feedstock costs.

Stan Graveline

Vice president of technical services for Sarnafil Inc., Canton, Mass.

What is the most unusual roofing project of which you have been a part?

The Rogers Centre, Toronto, known at the time as the Skydome, home of the Toronto Blue Jays. It was the first major sports stadium with a moveable roof.

Why did you become involved in the roofing industry?

I graduated from The University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, with a chemical engineering degree and then worked for The Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich., doing solvents research. The work was brutally boring and monotonous. Through a friend, I met someone who informed me of a job opening in technical service and development for STYROFOAM^TM/ROOFMATE,^TM Dow Chemical's extruded polystyrene insulation product. I figured it had to be an improvement from what I was doing, applied for the position and got it.

What was your first roofing experience?

I conducted field trials as we moved from the earliest protected membrane roofs to lightweight protected membrane roofs. I quickly learned how difficult the roofing trade is.

What are your favorite items on your desk?

My favorite items are a photograph of my wife, Lucie, and our three girls, as well as miscellaneous crafts from my daughters' childhoods.

What do you consider your most rewarding experiences?

Helping people advance their careers has been my most rewarding professional experience. I also have been raising money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, by doing the Pan Mass Challenge 194-mile bike ride for the past seven years, which has been gratifying.

What was your first job?

My first job as a teenager was cleaning a butcher shop in a grocery store. It convinced me there had to be a better way to make a living!

What is your favorite vacation?

My family took a western Caribbean cruise together the week before my eldest daughter went to university. It was the perfect way to spend time together before she moved away!

What do you consider a waste of time?

Although I appreciate the need for additional security, airports are consuming more and more time.

What are your best and worst habits?

My best habit is getting up at the crack of dawn to go to the gym before work in the morning. According to my family, my worst habit is retelling old stories.

If you could invite any three people to dinner (dead or alive), whom would you invite and why?

Lance Armstrong—one of the most inspirational and motivational people of all time; Colin Powell—his biography is fascinating, and it would be interesting to discuss his perspective on the current state of affairs; and my father—he died way too young of cancer at 60.

What is your favorite stress reliever?

Long, difficult bike rides.

What is your roofing industry involvement?

I am treasurer of the Cool Roof Rating Council; a lecturer for SpecRight and member of its steering committee; member of RCI Inc.—The Institute of Roofing, Waterproofing and Building Envelope Professionals; past director of the North/East Roofing Contractors Association; technical committee member for the Chemical Fabric and Film Association roofing division; and speaker at roofing industry functions.

People would be surprised to know …

My family has been somewhat nomadic during my career, having lived in Canada, Switzerland and now Massachusetts.

Was the Louisiana Superdome roof faulty?

The agency that oversees the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans filed a lawsuit in September against companies that recommended, supplied materials for and installed the roof membrane on the Superdome, claiming the roof should not have failed during Hurricane Katrina.

The Louisiana Stadium & Exposition District filed a Civil District Court lawsuit with the state and insurers for the New Orleans Saints and SMG Worldwide Entertainment and Venue Management, Philadelphia, the company that manages the Superdome, stating the roof had been cited as able to withstand 200-mph winds but failed during Hurricane Katrina, saturating the stadium's interior and storm evacuees inside. According to Doug Thornton, a vice president of SMG Worldwide Entertainment and Venue Management, 70 percent of the Superdome's roof failed during the hurricane.

The lawsuit claims the roof system was not adequate or appropriate for the Superdome and leaks in the roof began to appear after the job was completed in early 2002.

Defendants include: BFS Diversified Products LLC, Indianapolis; Bridgestone Americas Holding Inc., Nashville, Tenn.; Horizon Group of New England Inc., Albany, N.Y.; National Fire Insurance Co. of Hartford, Glastonbury, Conn.; Johnson Controls Inc., Milwaukee; E-TEK Inc., Somerset, N.J.; IMC Consulting Engineers Inc., Metairie, La.; Schrenk & Peterson Consulting Engineers Inc., New Orleans; Tremco Inc., Beachwood, Ohio; Professional Service Industries Inc., Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.; Admiral Building Products Inc., Wilmington, Mass.; RoofTech Consultants Inc., Lakewood, Colo.; North Carolina Foam Industries Inc., Mount Airy, N.C.; and Barnhardt Manufacturing Co., Charlotte, N.C., a division of North Carolina Foam Industries.

Avoid caustic criticism

Responding critically to an employee's idea or proposal can be difficult. Increase the chances of a positive outcome by following these guidelines:

• Be sure a situation calls for criticism. Ask yourself whether your comments are motivated by a genuine problem or personal feelings, and make sure the problem is serious enough to warrant criticism.
• Ask for permission to offer criticism. This will turn the criticism into feedback, which is less likely to trigger defensiveness.
• Be mindful of the place and time you choose to deliver criticism. Never criticize someone in public. Avoid criticism first thing in the morning when you could ruin someone's entire day or in the afternoon on a Friday when you could send an employee home to stress about it all weekend.

Source: Adapted from How to Say It at Work as cited by Communication Briefings, September 2003 issue