Briefings

Manufaturer news

GAF campaign named a success

GAF, Wayne, N.J., announced its nine-month "Share What You Treasure" Facebook campaign was a success. The campaign featured documentary videos created by photographer and filmmaker James Minchin III showing what families treasure most under their roofs. Homeowners were invited to share what is protected under their roofs, and three were selected to star in their own webisodes, along with weekly gift card winners and one grand-prize winner receiving a $2,500 gift card to The Home Depot. The campaign resulted in more than 44 million impressions and 77,000 Twitter and Facebook engagements.

In addition, GAF won nine American Graphic Design Awards from Graphic Design USA magazine in a variety of categories, including Broadcast & Multimedia Design; Advertising; Sales Promotions; Direct Mail & Direct Response; and Brochures & Collateral. The awards recognize excellence in all forms of media.

GAF also won two awards in the MobileWebAward Competition presented by the Web Marketing Association. The competition honors excellence in mobile websites and apps, showcasing the best in award-winning mobile development. GAF Colors, an app providing users with easy navigation of GAF's residential-shingle portfolio by grouping residential shingles by color, won the Best Manufacturing Mobile Application award. GAF Roofing Wizard, an app that simplifies the process of selecting the right roof system for a home, won the Outstanding Mobile Application award.

In addition, GAF's Sienna™ Lifetime Designer Shingle was named a winner of This Old House magazine's 2013 TOH Top 100 Awards. The TOH Top 100 features the 100 best new home products of the year in categories including kitchen; bath; tools; building products; outdoor living; home tech; and finishing touches. Winning products are labeled with icons such as Money-Saver, Easy Upgrade, Perfect Solution, Eco-Friendly, Splurge or Made in the USA.

Firestone announces expansion

Firestone Building Products Co. LLC, Indianapolis, has acquired the manufacturing assets and brands of Terrassa, Spain-based Giscosa and Giscolene.® The acquisition of the Giscosa EPDM plant near Barcelona expands Firestone's global manufacturing and distribution capabilities and product offerings and represents the company's first overseas manufacturing facility.

Giscosa and Giscolene are building envelope products, as well as lining products used in geomembrane and lining applications. The acquisition will provide Firestone with additional capabilities and products, including manufacturing EPDM for windows and other openings. Rollgum, Giscosa's sister company, will not be included in the acquisition. Joan Palou Moreno, current managing director, will continue to manage Giscosa's business, including facility operations. Firestone will offer Giscosa employees employment contracts.

Contractor news

Kirberg wins award

Kirberg Co., St. Louis, won the 2013 Specialty Contractor of the Year Award from the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of St. Louis during the AGC Construction Awards Gala Nov. 14, 2013. This is the second consecutive year Kirberg has won the award, earning first place in the Thermal & Moisture Protection category. Criteria for the Specialty Contractor Awards include timeliness in regard to project completion, ability to stay within budget and overall experience.

Distributor news

SRS Distribution acquires materials distributors

SRS Distribution Inc., McKinney, Texas, has acquired Bloomington, Ind.-based Rose & Walker Siding Specialties, an independent distributor of roofing, siding and windows servicing the central Indiana area, and assumed operational control of Garland Wholesale's Clarksville, Tenn., branch.

The Rose & Walker location will carry a full line of siding, window and residential roofing products, focusing on servicing roofing and siding contractors, remodeling contractors and home builders in the greater Bloomington area.

The Garland Wholesale branch will operate from the same location and act as a distribution location in the Southeast, immediately expanding into residential roofing.

The industry online

Malarkey Roofing Products Co. has launched the Malarkey Roof Designer visualizer iPad app to complement its online Roof Designer tool, allowing contractors to take photographs of potential client homes to prepare for presentations with Malarkey Roofing Products' roofing materials. The app is available for download in the Apple App store.

Affiliate news

MRCA announces 2014 board

The Midwest Roofing Contractors Association (MRCA) announced its 2014 slate of officers and directors. The new board was inducted during the MRCA 64th Annual Conference at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill.

Steve Little, principal and president of KPOST Company, Dallas, is president; Larry Marshall, principal and president of L. Marshall Roofing & Sheet Metal Inc., Glenview, Ill., is first vice president; Bob Schenkel, president of C.L. Schust Co., Fort Wayne, Ind., is second vice president/treasurer; Mark Langer, president of Langer Roofing & Sheet Metal Inc., Milwaukee, is secretary; and Michael Miller, vice president, corporate secretary and project manager of Henry C. Smither Roofing Co. Inc., Indianapolis, is chairman of the board.

In addition, MRCA awarded Rod Petrick, president of Ridgeworth Roofing Co., Frankfort, Ill., with the James Q. McCawley award, the association's most prestigious award. James Q. McCawley was a roofing contractor devoted to the industry, managing NRCA for 13 years and publishing National Roofer magazine. The award was established in 1969 and is presented each year to recognize an individual for outstanding service to the roofing industry.

MRCA also awarded Showalter Roofing Service Inc., Naperville, Ill., with the Impact Award. The Impact Award recognizes an MRCA member company for local or national contributions that improve the lives of others through philanthropy or community service. Showalter Roofing assisted Camp Paradise, Paradise, Mich., a facility dedicated to improving father-child relationships, with helping to build a 10,000-plus-square-foot chapel.

Florida association announces award

The Palm Beach County Roofing & Sheet Metal Contractors' Association awarded Joe Hart, vice president of Carpenter's Roofing & Sheet Metal Inc., West Palm Beach, Fla., with the Jim Carr Lifetime Achievement Award during its annual holiday party. The award recognizes a lifetime of achievement and service to the roofing industry.

Up the ladder

ABC Supply Co. Inc. has named four new executives: Kathy Hendricks is executive director of customer connectivity; Mike Jost is vice president of operations; Chris Slusar is corporate controller; and Tony Vaden is chief information officer.

Other news

PIMA announces new chairman

The Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association (PIMA) announced Jim Whitton, vice president of sales and marketing for Hunter Panels LLC, Portland, Maine, assumed the chairmanship of the association Jan. 1. Whitton succeeds Chris Griffin, technical director for Johns Manville Roofing Systems, Denver, PIMA's chairman for the past two years.

Whitton is a 28-year roofing industry veteran and has worked at Hunter Panels since its founding. He has served as the regional tapered manager and marketing manager for NRG Barriers Inc., Denver, and currently serves on PIMA's board of directors and is a member of RCI Inc.

Events

February

6
Roofing Industry Fall Protection from A to Z
NRCA
Cincinnati
Contact: NRCA's Customer Service Department
(866) ASK-NRCA (275-6722)
www.nrca.net

18-21
ROOF + TIMBER International
GHM
Cologne, Germany
Contact: GHM Customer Service Department
+49 (0) 89 9 49 55 - 553
www.dach-holz.de/en/home

24-28
NRCA's 127th Annual Convention
NRCA
Las Vegas
Contact: NRCA's Customer Service Department
(866) ASK-NRCA (275-6722)
www.nrca.net

25
CERTA Train-the-trainer Authorization
NRCA
Las Vegas
Contact: NRCA's Customer Service Department
(866) ASK-NRCA (275-6722)
www.nrca.net

25-26
Future Executives Institute
NRCA
Las Vegas
Contact: NRCA's Customer Service Department
(866) ASK-NRCA (275-6722)
www.nrca.net

26
NRCA's Young Contractors Committee Roundtable Discussion: Emerging Business Technology in the Roofing Industry
NRCA
Las Vegas
Contact: NRCA's Customer Service Department
(866) ASK-NRCA (275-6722)
www.nrca.net

26-28
2014 International Roofing Expo®
Hanley Wood LLC
Las Vegas
Contact: Hanley Wood
(975) 536-6452
www.theroofingexpo.com

28
For Foremen Only, Level 1
NRCA
Las Vegas
Contact: NRCA's Customer Service Department
(866) ASK-NRCA (275-6722)
www.nrca.net

March

6
Roofing Industry Fall Protection from A to Z
NRCA
Houston
Contact: NRCA's Customer Service Department
(866) ASK-NRCA (275-6722)
www.nrca.net

13
CERTA Train-the-trainer Authorization
NRCA
River Grove, Ill.
Contact: NRCA's Customer Service Department
(866) ASK-NRCA (275-6722)
www.nrca.net

14
CERTA Train-the-trainer Reauthorization
NRCA
River Grove, Ill.
Contact: NRCA's Customer Service Department
(866) ASK-NRCA (275-6722)
www.nrca.net

20
Roofing Industry Fall Protection from A to Z
NRCA
Springfield, Ill.
Contact: NRCA's Customer Service Department
(866) ASK-NRCA (275-6722)
www.nrca.net

April

3
Roofing Industry Fall Protection from A to Z
NRCA
Iowa City, Iowa
Contact: NRCA's Customer Service Department
(866) ASK-NRCA (275-6722)
www.nrca.net

10
Roofing Safety: OSHA 10-hour Program
NRCA
Bay Area, Calif.
Contact: NRCA's Customer Service Department
(866) ASK-NRCA (275-6722)
www.nrca.net