NRCA's 128th Annual Convention and the 2015 International Roofing Expo® (IRE) didn't quite break the 2014 all-time attendance record, but they came close. Held Feb. 24-26 in New Orleans, the show's total attendance reached 9,337, down about 200 from 2014. Weather-related issues most likely were the cause of the decline, but 2015's attendance still was well above 2013's attendance of 8,491.
The trade show also was the second largest with 465 companies exhibiting in 1,178 booths, just shy of the 1,190 booths at the 2000 show in Atlanta.
The convention kicked off Sunday, Feb. 22, with NRCA's Executive Committee meeting, NRCA's Affiliate Executives Council meeting and NRCA's board of directors meeting during which all NRCA officers, directors and former presidents who were present signed a Statement of Support for hiring members of the National Guard and Reserves. NRCA signed a similar statement.
Community Service Day
On Monday, Feb. 23, Informa (formerly Hanley Wood) partnered with Rebuilding Together® New Orleans and NRCA to host Community Service Day. Fifty volunteers helped renovate the homes of 72-year-old Ina Simmons and 74-year-old Idella Cryer in the Algiers Riverview neighborhood on the Westbank of New Orleans.
Simmons is a retired teacher who has been unable to complete home repairs after Hurricane Katrina significantly damaged her house. Cryer is a retired Certified Nursing Assistant who worked as a first responder during Hurricane Katrina; she rebuilt her home after the storm but had difficulty completing roof system repairs.
Volunteers installed fences, gutters and downspouts and were able to do some external painting despite weather challenges. Additionally, a roof system was replaced on Cryer's home before the event with materials supplied by Roofing Supply Group LLC, Dallas, and labor provided by Roofing Solutions, Prairieville, La.
"Once again, our Community Service Day was incredibly successful," says Bill Good, NRCA's executive vice president. "Our team of volunteers braved some chilly weather to complete much-needed repairs on two homes in New Orleans. We even managed to have some distinguished NRCA members show their skills at hanging gutters."
Sika Sarnafil, Canton, Mass., sponsored the event and provided materials, and OMG Roofing Products, Agawam, Mass., provided lunch for the volunteers. In addition, Damato Enterprises, Manchester, Conn., sponsored shuttle transportation for the volunteers.
"We're especially grateful for the sponsorship support we received," Good says. "These companies share NRCA's core value of giving back to the communities we serve."
ROOFPAC
ROOFPAC, NRCA's political action committee, had a busy week raising money for pro-business congressional candidates. On Feb. 23, ROOFPAC held its annual golf tournament sponsored by Johns Manville, Denver. ROOFPAC conducted a silent auction Feb. 24-25 where guests had the opportunity to bid on auction items while enjoying an open bar and other amenities. And on Feb. 25, ROOFPAC hosted a cocktail reception sponsored by ABC Supply Co. Inc., Beloit, Wis. The three events raised $55,000.
Student competition
On Feb. 24, The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress held its first Construction Management Student Competition.
The competition featured teams of students from Auburn University, Auburn, Ala.; Colorado State University, Fort Collins; and University of Florida, Gainesville. The teams were instructed to develop bids for installing a roof system on the Bass Pro Shop Sportsman's Center located in Colorado Springs, Colo. During the IRE, the teams presented the final portion of their projects—the oral presentations.
According to Good, it was not easy to pick a winner.
"They were all excellent," he says. "The voting was remarkably close."
The winning team was selected from the Department of Construction Management at Colorado State University. The team received a trophy and $1,000 cash prize for Colorado State, and team members Tyler Eberhardt, Eric Erickson, Sean Howell (team captain) and Chris Lierheimer also received individual trophies.
At the expo
The IRE began Tuesday, Feb. 24, with a keynote address by Ken Schmidt, former director of communications for Harley-Davidson Motor Co. Schmidt was the communications strategist for Harley-Davidson during the company's turnaround and talked about how businesses of any size and scope can improve their competitiveness in even the most difficult marketing environments. By calling on his expertise in brand-building, corporate positioning and customer relations, Schmidt explained the importance of understanding and harnessing the most basic drivers of human behavior.
There also was a welcome party that evening at Generations Hall where attendees enjoyed food, beverages, live music and dancing.
On the show floor, NRCA's booth was bursting with activity. Members enjoyed catching up with colleagues in the member lounge, learned about NRCA's new app, and had their technical and educational questions answered by NRCA's expert staff. Visitors also had the chance to spin a wheel for prizes ranging from discounts at the NRCA Bookstore to Bluetooth speakers and iPads. Antilles Roofing Co. Inc., San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Very Best Roofing, Nickerson, Kan., became new NRCA members after winning free memberships for a year, and current NRCA member J.P. Witherow Roofing Co., Lakeside, Calif., won a free year of membership.
The IRE also offered a number of educational sessions for contractors to learn more about the roofing industry and how to grow their businesses. Events included NRCA's Future Executives Institute; an OSHA 10-hour program; an NRCA Young Contractors Committee roundtable discussion; Code Revisions and Their Impact on the Roofing Industry; Leadership For Business Owners,
Managers and Supervisors; Considerations for Selecting Roofing Insulations Based on Sustainability; and The Misclassification Issue: Understanding the Difference between Employees and Independent Contractors.
NRLRC luncheon
The National Roofing Legal Resource Center (NRLRC) hosted a two-part luncheon program Feb. 24. The first part featured a program that addressed the role of labor-only subcontracts in the roofing industry and featured Geoff Mitchell, CEO of Mid-South Roof Systems, Forest Park, Ga., and Nick Sabino, president of Deer Park Roofing Inc., Cincinnati. The second half of the luncheon focused on technical issues and perspectives from the field presented by Mark Graham, NRCA's associate executive director of technical services; Dane Bradford, president of Bradford Roof Management Inc., Billings, Mont.; and Stephen Phillips, a partner with Atlanta-based law firm Hendrick, Phillips, Salzman & Flatt.
The awards
On Wednesday, Feb. 25, the best in the roofing industry were honored during NRCA's Awards Ceremony and Cocktail Reception. The ceremony recognized the roofing industry's most prestigious awards: the J.A. Piper Award; CNA/NRCA Community Involvement Award; NRCA's Gold Circle Awards; The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress' Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards; and Charlie Raymond Award.
The 68th J.A. Piper Award was awarded to Don McCrory, president of Kiker Corp., Mobile, Ala. The award is the roofing industry's highest honor, recognizing those who have devoted constant outstanding service to the association and roofing industry. 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.
McCrory served as NRCA's president from 2002-03 and currently serves on the association's National Roofing Council. McCrory also has served as NRCA's senior vice president, vice president and an NRCA director, and he has served on many committees, including the Environmental Task Force; International Relations Committee; Roofing Awareness Program Task Force; Industry Advisory Board; Budget and Finance Committee; Exhibitor Advisory Committee; Convention Committee; National Roofing Service Corp.; and the Nominating Committee. McCrory also was instrumental with developing ROOFPAC and NRCA's Washington, D.C., office.
The third annual CNA/NRCA Community Involvement Award was presented to St. Louis-based Delta Exteriors. Sponsored by CNA Insurance Cos., Chicago, and NRCA, the award honors charitable works performed by NRCA contractor members.
Delta Exteriors was selected for its $10,000 donation to support Stray Rescue of St. Louis. The donation will go directly to the shelter's emergency medical Stacks Fund that was created specifically to cover the immediate medical costs incurred when rescuing animals.
In addition to its monetary donation to Stray Rescue of St. Louis, Delta Exteriors created a campaign that for every roof system it installed, the company paid for the adoption process of an animal. For its efforts to help Stray Rescue of St. Louis, CNA Foundation awarded $5,000 to Stray Rescue of St. Louis on behalf of Delta Exteriors.
This year's honorable mentions each will receive $1,000 from CNA Foundation for their charities. The honorable mentions are: Cole Roofing, Baltimore, for its work with the Carson Scholars Fund Inc., Towson, Md., and Four Seasons Roofing, East Farmingdale, N.Y., for its work with Nourish the Children, an initiative of Nu Skin Enterprises, Provo, Utah.
The 2015 Gold Circle Awards were presented to NRCA members for outstanding contributions to the roofing industry, including unique roofing-related jobs, programs and services. The winners are as follows:
Additionally, two companies received a Gold Circle Safety Award for demonstrating superior safety measures: Blackmore & Buckner Roofing, a Tecta America company, for Birch Bayh Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, and D&D Monarch Sheet Metal for American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming.
The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress announced the winners of its 15th annual MVP Awards during the ceremony. The awards recognize roofing workers for outstanding on the job performance; on the job safety performance; contributions to a team effort; community service and volunteerism; and other noteworthy contributions.
The 2015 MVP award winners are: Scott Luck, foreman for CentiMark Corp., Canonsburg, Pa.; John Pesler, foreman for Mile Square Roofing Co. Inc., Hackensack, N.J.; Billy Ward, superintendent for KPostCompany, Dallas; and John Whitten, superintendent for KPostCompany. Luck also was named the Best of the Best, a special honor co-sponsored by Professional Roofing and OMG Roofing Products (see "Something special," page 28).
The Charlie Raymond Award honors contractors and associate members for their efforts to recruit NRCA members. The award was named for former NRCA president and J.A. Piper Award winner Charlie Raymond, who recruited NRCA's 1,000th member in 1973. The 2015 Charlie Raymond Award contractor member winner is NRCA President Rich Nugent, CEO of Nations Roof LLC, Lithia Springs, Ga. GAF, Parsippany, N.J., received the award in the associate category.
Nugent is a first-time recipient of the contractor member award, and GAF has won in the associate category five consecutive years.
Keeping momentum
NRCA's 128th Annual Convention and the 2015 IRE were a tremendous success, and the 2016 event promises to be bigger and better. According to Good, one of the best things about this year's annual convention and the 2015 IRE was the optimism in the roofing industry.
"The industry's been struggling the past few years," he says. "There is now a lot of optimism in the industry, and I think next year will be even better than this year."
Bill Mayeroff is Professional Roofing's editorial assistant.
New NRCA leaders
During the convention, NRCA members elected NRCA's 2015-16 slate of officers and directors. Lindy Ryan, senior vice president of Tecta America Southeast LLC, Sanford, Fla., has been elected NRCA president, and Dennis Conway, principal and vice president of Commercial Roofers Inc., Las Vegas, is senior vice president. Jim Barr, president of Barr Roofing Co., Abilene, Texas; Chad Collins, president of Bone Dry Roofing Co., Bogart, Ga.; and Robert Morgan, chief operating officer of Upstate Roofing and Painting Inc., Rochester, N.Y., were elected vice presidents. When their leadership terms begin June 1, the titles will change to chairman of the board, chairman-elect and vice chairmen per a change to NRCA's bylaws.
Additionally, the following were elected NRCA directors: Scott Baxter, property management team commercial sales manager at Interstate Roofing Inc., Portland, Ore.; Monica Cameron, vice president of Diamond Roofing, Dodge City, Kan.; Tupac De La Cruz, president of Roofing Solutions LLC, Prairieville, La.; Gary Kerley, executive vice president of Crane Renovation Group, Anderson, S.C.; Robert Kulp, president of Kulp's of Stratford LLC, Stratford, Wis.; Geoff Mitchell, CEO of Mid-South Roof Systems, Forest Park, Ga.; Kent Schwickert, senior vice president—national sales at Schwickert's Tecta America of Mankato LLC, Mankato, Minn.; J.J. Smithey, president of Frost Roofing Inc., Wapakoneta, Ohio; Stephen Teal, manager of Flynn Group of Companies, Rockyview, Alberta, Canada; and Kelly Van Winkle, vice president of contracts at King of Texas Roofing Co. LP, Grand Prairie, Texas.
The 2015-16 officers and directors will assume their roles June 1.
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