News + Views

IRS increases mileage rates for remainder of 2022

The Internal Revenue Service has announced the 2022 optional standard mileage rates for calculating deductible costs associated with using an automobile for business or medical or moving purposes have increased for the remainder of 2022.

From July 1 through Dec. 31, the standard mileage rate for the use of a car, van, pickup or panel truck increased from 58.5 cents per mile to 62.5 cents per mile for business miles driven. The standard mileage rate increased from 18 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes to 22 cents per mile.

The IRS made this special adjustment in recognition of recent gasoline price increases. The IRS typically updates the mileage rates once per year in the fall for the next calendar year.

NRCA and the Roofing Alliance are accepting award entries

NRCA and the Roofing Alliance are seeking nominations for NRCA’s 2023 Gold Circle Awards and the Roofing Alliance’s Most Valuable Player Awards Program.

Gold Circle Awards recognize NRCA members for excellence in the roofing industry. Award categories include outstanding workmanship, innovative solutions, and safety preparedness and performance. Unique roofing-related projects, programs and services completed between June 1, 2020, and May 31, 2022, are eligible for the competition. Entry forms are available at nrca.net/goldcircle; the deadline for entries is Friday, Oct. 28. Winners will be announced during NRCA’s 136th Annual Convention March 7-9, 2023, in Dallas, and winning and finalist projects will be profiled in upcoming issues of Professional Roofing.

In addition, the Roofing Alliance is accepting entries for its Most Valuable Player Awards Program.

MVP Awards formally recognize outstanding roofing workers who achieve work-related and personal goals to which others aspire. Workers employed by a Roofing Alliance member or an NRCA member roofing contractor, distributor or manufacturer are eligible. From roofing contracting firms, any roofing field worker, foreman or superintendent can be nominated, and from distributor and manufacturer firms, any warehouse employee, warehouse foreman, driver or equipment operator can be nominated.

Nominations are based on significant contributions in two categories: outstanding performance and leadership and outstanding community involvement. Each category is judged separately, and individuals can be nominated for one or both categories.

MVP Award winners will receive two complimentary coach airfare tickets and three nights’ hotel accommodations during NRCA’s annual convention. Each winner also will receive two complimentary SuperPass registrations to the 2023 International Roofing Expo,® two complimentary tickets to the NRCA Industry Awards and Celebration and a $100 American Express gift card. Winners will be formally recognized during the NRCA Industry Awards and Celebration March 8, 2023, in Dallas.

One MVP Award winner will be chosen as Professional Roofing’s Best of the Best. Co-sponsored by Professional Roofing and OMG® Roofing Products Inc., Agawam, Mass., the recognition will include a special prize and feature article in Professional Roofing.

All MVP Award winners will be recognized in Professional Roofing, NRCA’s For Members Only newsletter, the Roofing Alliance Update and on the Roofing Alliance’s website, roofingalliance.net. Winners also will be the focus of press releases.

Entry forms are available at roofingalliance.net/programs/mvp; the deadline for entries is Friday, Sept. 30.

Higher wages draw some workers to the construction industry

An analysis by the Associated General Contractors of America shows rising hourly wages attracted more workers to construction in May, but the industry still posted a record number of job openings to start the month, according to constructiondive.com.

About 36,000 new employees started construction jobs in May—a small portion of the 494,000 construction workers needed at the end of April. The increase in job openings represented the largest total since data records began in 2000.

AGC Chief Economist Ken Simonson says for hourly workers in the trades, pay rose in May by 6.3% year over year—the highest increase since December 1982. However, earnings in the overall private sector rose 6.5%, which could make the search for workers more challenging for the construction industry.

The number of unemployed construction workers fell 39% to 392,000, which Simonson says could indicate there are fewer experienced jobseekers for builders to hire.

“I think the implications are that contractors would have hired far more workers in April—perhaps twice as many—as they were able to,” Simonson says. “The same patterns of record or near-record openings and of openings exceeding monthly hires has prevailed for the past several months but never or seldom had happened before. This indicates construction employment is being held down not by lack of demand but lack of supply of qualified and willing candidates.”

Construction employers often cannot offer the flexible hours or remote work other industries have implemented, and Simonson says contractors likely will need to increase pay even more to attract workers during the labor shortage.

Firestone Building Products adopts Holcim name and brand

Firestone Building Products, Nashville, Tenn., has announced it has adopted the Holcim name and brand identity. In 2021, Firestone Building Products was sold to Holcim Participations Inc., Chicago, a subsidiary of LafargeHolcim Ltd.

Holcim’s range of building envelope solutions includes wall, lining and waterproofing systems for commercial and residential applications. Firestone Building Products’ brand name for roof systems now is Elevate™; the brand name will appear on available products such as RubberGard™ EPDM and UltraPly™ TPO.

“Over the past 40 years, Firestone Building Products has built a reputation as a leader and innovator in the commercial roofing sector. And now we are making it official; we are uniting Firestone Building Products’ iconic legacy with Holcim’s future focus on accelerating green growth,” says Jamie Gentoso, global head, solutions & products for Holcim.