A record number of roofing professionals gathered in Las Vegas March 4-8 for NRCA's 120th Annual Convention and Washington, D.C.-based Hanley Wood LLC's 2007 International Roofing Expo (IRE). In addition to enjoying the glamour and glitz of Las Vegas, roofing professionals attended IRE's trade show and educational sessions, as well as NRCA's convention events. The trade show boasted a record 9,020 attendees and 1,049 booths with 465 exhibiting companies.
Following are some highlights from the convention and expo.
A memorable luncheon
NRCA presented a number of awards during its Member Luncheon. The annual Charlie Raymond Award was presented to GAF Materials Corp., Wayne, N.J., and to NRCA President Mark Gaulin, president of Magco Inc., Jessup, Md., a Tecta America company.
The award, which is the most prestigious membership recruitment award NRCA bestows, is named for former NRCA president and J.A. Piper Award Winner Charlie Raymond and awarded to the manufacturer and individual who recruit the most new NRCA members during the calendar year.
NRCA also announced the winners of The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress' 2007 Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards. MVP Awards are presented to roofing workers from various regions of the U.S. who exhibit outstanding on-the-job performance; attract new roofing workers and help retain existing ones; contribute to a team effort; are involved with community service and volunteerism; and participate in other noteworthy contributions and activities. Nominees do not hold positions higher than foreman. Following are the 2007 MVP Award winners, who are pictured on this page:
NRCA's Member Luncheon concluded with keynote speaker Thomas J. Donahue, president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who spoke optimistically about small-business issues and immigration policy.
"The Chamber of Commerce is going to keep putting a lot of energy into small-business areas," Donahue says. "It's time for a change, and we're going to make it."
ROOFPAC events
ROOFPAC, NRCA's political action committee, raised about $150,000 through various fundraising events, including its annual golf, tennis and sporting clays tournaments.
The money raised—which represents corporate soft dollars and hard dollars from individuals—will be used to support pro-business candidates for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives who support NRCA's legislative agenda.
Speaking their minds
IRE's keynote speaker this year was best-selling author Christopher Gardner, owner and chief executive officer of Christopher Gardner International Holdings, Chicago. Gardner shared his rags-to-riches story, "The Pursuit of Happyness," the subject of the 2006 hit movie starring Will Smith.
"I decided as a boy that one day I would be world-class at something," Gardner says.
Gardner detailed his journey from homeless, single father to entrepreneur. He addressed key issues, such as self-empowerment and the breaking of cycles—namely, absent fathers.
"I made up my mind that when I had children, they would know who their father is and that he isn't going anywhere," Gardner says.
Additionally, the National Roofing Legal Resource Center Breakfast featured roofing industry speakers, including Rob McReynolds, president of D&D Roofing Inc., Commerce City, Colo.; Stephen Phillips, a partner with the Atlanta-based law firm Hendrick, Phillips, Salzman & Flatt; Reid Ribble, president of The Ribble Group Inc., Kaukauna, Wis.; and Craig Silvertooth, NRCA's director of federal affairs.
These speakers focused on minimizing immigration law liability and what business owners should do to ensure employees are authorized to work in the U.S.
A night of recognition
In true Vegas fashion, attendees dressed up and stepped out for NRCA's Final Banquet. A number of awards were presented during the banquet, including the Gold Circle Awards, SpecRight Excellence in Design Award and J.A. Piper Award.
Gold Circle Awards were given to NRCA members who made significant contributions to the roofing industry in the following categories:
No awards were given in the outstanding workmanship—low slope, innovative solutions—new construction or service to the industry categories. Detailed descriptions of the winning projects can be found in "Gold standards," page 30.
NRCA presented its fourth annual SpecRight Excellence in Design Award to Open Energy Corp., Solana Beach, Calif., for its work on the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences in Lake Tahoe, Nev. Open Energy installed a 31.5-kilowatt photovoltaic roof system on the center using its building-integrated SolarSave® roof tiles. The roof system is made of 900 SolarSave tiles and nine Open Energy 3,500-watt inverters with combiner boxes; it will produce 4,400 kilowatt hours per month for the building.
The most anticipated award of the evening, the 60th annual J.A. Piper Award, was presented to Jamie McAdam, president of F.J. Dahill Co. Inc., New Haven, Conn.
Former NRCA President and 2006 J.A. Piper Award winner Steven Kruger, president of L.E. Schwartz & Son Inc., Macon, Ga., presented the award to McAdam, who was president of NRCA from 1999-2000 and has served in various other capacities at NRCA.
"He has been recognized as a doer and giver for his involvement, contributions and achievements," Kruger says. "He cares deeply for his friends, and I'm proud to share a friendship with him."
McAdam served as a member of the board of directors from 1989-92 and 1994-97, vice president from 1992-94 and 1996-98, and senior vice president from 1998-99. He also has served as chairman of many committees, including the Asbestos Committee; Asphalt Fumes Task Force; Convention Committee; Exhibitor Advisory Committee; Industry Advisory Board; Insurance Marketing/Loss Control Task Force; International Relations Committee; Nominating Committee; and Roofing Safety Manual Committee. McAdam also has served as vice president liaison and member of many other NRCA committees. In addition, he has served as president of The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress.
"I think for anybody it is nice to be recognized by your peers," McAdam says. "Most of my closest friends are in the roofing industry and were there that night, which means a lot."
First presented in 1948, the J.A. Piper Award is named for former NRCA President Joseph A. Piper, whose extraordinary efforts kept the association alive during the Great Depression.
Additionally, NRCA recognized its newly elected slate of officers for 2007-08, as well as its Future Executives Institute (FEI) graduates who completed the three-year FEI program during NRCA's 120th Annual Convention. FEI is designed to develop the management and leadership skills of future and current roofing company leaders. (See "Resources," April issue, page 64, for names of the 2007-08 slate of officers and 2007 FEI graduates.)
What's next?
NRCA's 120th Annual Convention and the 2007 International Roofing Expo brought together more roofing professionals than ever before, making the event a huge success. It can be assumed NRCA's 121st Annual Convention and the 2008 International Roofing Expo, which will return to Las Vegas Feb. 19-23, will continue their traditions of growth and success.
Ashley St. John is editorial assistant of Professional Roofing magazine.
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