The new NRCA convention

A new year always holds promise and opportunity, and 2005 will be no different for the roofing industry. This year marks the first year of the International Roofing Expo and the complete retooling of NRCA's annual convention. The new format is sure to invigorate the industry as roofing professionals descend on Orlando, Fla., to participate in the U.S. roofing industry's largest event.

A recap

In 2004, NRCA was faced with a decision: continue to finance and plan its annual convention and trade show, using up valuable staff and volunteer time and resources, or sell the trade show and refocus the organization on issues most critical to its members and the industry, such as technical research, risk management and education. The association's leadership decided on the latter, and in May 2004, NRCA and Hanley Wood LLC, Washington, D.C., reached an agreement to revamp NRCA's convention.

The terms of the agreement stipulate Hanley Wood will manage the exhibit and educational portions of the trade show (the company currently manages 10 construction industry trade shows) and seek significant input from NRCA (the association is the official show sponsor). In addition, NRCA will hold several events geared toward its members and roofing professionals, as well as have a presence on the trade-show floor.

The 2005 International Roofing Expo and NRCA's 118th Annual Convention will take place Feb. 14-18.

NRCA events

NRCA's events will begin Monday, Feb. 14. On that day, NRCA's Executive Committee and board of directors will meet, as well as NRCA's affiliate executives.

On Tuesday, Feb. 15, NRCA will hold its Member Breakfast, which will feature speaker Mike Gorey, chief executive officer of Firestone Building Products Co., Carmel, Ind. Gorey will discuss his experiences at Firestone Building Products' parent company, Bridgestone/Firestone, including managing the crisis related to its faulty tires placed on some vehicles.

In addition, the 2004 Charlie Raymond Award will be presented during the breakfast. The Charlie Raymond Award recognizes the NRCA member who has recruited the most members during the past calendar year.

Also on Feb. 15, ROOFPAC, NRCA's political action committee, will hold its tennis, golf, and trap and skeet tournaments.

The tennis tournament will be held at the Rosen Centre Hotel at noon; the tournament will be preceded by light hors d'oeuvres and beverages and conclude with a luncheon.

The golf tournament will take place at ChampionsGate Golf Resort at 12:30 p.m.

At press time, details of the trap and skeet tournament still were being finalized.

As it has done in the past, NRCA also will hold special educational courses. On Feb. 15, NRCA will conduct "Roofing Safety: OSHA 10-hour Program" in English and Spanish. The course satisfies the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA's) 10-hour construction safety training program requirements. Upon completion of the program, participants will receive an OSHA safety training completion card.

Also on Feb. 15, NRCA will offer a "CERTA Train-the-trainer Program," an update of the Midwest Roofing Contractors Association's Certified Roofing Torch Applicator (CERTA) program that meets new torch-related insurance requirements. Participants will learn how to teach the new program to certify roofing workers.

On Thursday, Feb. 16, the National Roofing Legal Resource Center (NRLRC) will hold its annual breakfast. This year's speakers include Dick Baxter, president of CRS Inc., Monroe, N.C.; Rene Dupuis, president of Structural Research Inc., Middleton, Wis.; and Stephen Phillips, partner with the law firm Hendrick, Phillips, Salzman & Flatt, Atlanta.

NRCA will hold its Awards Gala and Dinner Feb. 16. This year's speaker will be former CIA Director George Tenet. Tenet will provide a snapshot of the threats to U.S. security and an explanation of what the future holds for the United States, its allies and its interests around the globe. During the dinner, NRCA also will bestow several awards: The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress' Most Valuable Player Awards; Gold Circle Awards; Excellence in Design Award; and the J.A. Piper Award, the roofing industry's highest honor.

As part of the trade show, NRCA will have several information areas near the registration area, as well as on the trade-show floor. The information areas will provide information about NRCA membership; NRCA InfoExpress (which will have available for purchase all NRCA publications and video program offerings); ROOFPAC; Professional Roofing magazine; NRLRC; the National Roofing Foundation, which will be selling 500 raffle tickets to win a BMW Z4 2.5i Roadster; Gold Circle Awards; Excellence in Design Award; NRCA Retirement Program; and NRCA educational offerings. NRCA's booth number on the trade-show floor is 331.

The expo

The education programs of the International Roofing Expo will take place Tuesday, Feb. 15, from 8 a.m.-2 p.m.; Wednesday, Feb. 16, from 8-10:15 a.m.; Thursday, Feb. 17, from 8-10 a.m.; and Friday, Feb. 18, from 8-10 a.m.

The trade show will open Feb. 16 at noon, and the opening celebration will be held at 4:30 p.m. The trade show will close at 6 p.m. On Feb. 17, trade-show hours are noon-6 p.m., and on Feb. 18, the trade show will be open from noon-4 p.m.

The International Roofing Expo will feature a luncheon on Feb. 16 with keynote speaker Dick Vitale, the famed men's college basketball analyst. Following Vitale's presentation, NRCA members will be asked to remain in the room for approval of NRCA's 2005-06 slate of officers. That evening, exhibitors will host hospitality events for attendees.

Forging ahead

Although change can be difficult to accept at first, the 2005 International Roofing Expo and NRCA's 118th Annual Convention should be easy to embrace. The educational offerings, networking opportunities and special events are sure to satisfy all roofing professionals.

Ambika Puniani Bailey is editor of Professional Roofing and NRCA's director of communications.

Registration information

Hanley Wood is handling all hotel reservations and registration for the 2005 International Roofing Expo and NRCA events. You can register online at www.theroofingexpo.com or call (800) 684-5761.

For more detailed information about NRCA events, contact the following:

ROOFPAC: Elisa Brewer, NRCA's director of federal affairs, at ebrewer@nrca.net or (202) 546-7584

NRLRC: Alison LaValley, NRLRC's executive director, at alavalley@nrca.net or (800) 323-9545, Ext. 7573

NRF: Bennett Judson, NRF's executive director, at bjudson@nrca.net or (800) 323-9545, Ext. 7513

OSHA 10-hour Program and CERTA Train-the-Trainer Program: Janice Davis, NRCA's manager of education and risk management, at jdavis@nrca.net or (800) 323-9545, Ext. 7505