Leaving for Las Vegas

Get a sneak preview of NRCA's 120th Annual Convention and the 2007 International Roofing Expo


NRCA's 120th Annual Convention and Hanley Wood's 2007 International Roofing Expo will be held in Las Vegas for the second consecutive year. From March 4-8, roofing professionals will be able to expand their knowledge and network with other industry professionals in the City of Lights.

The convention and trade show will take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center and Las Vegas Hilton Hotel and offer many events and opportunities for attendees.

Convention highlights

Convention events will begin Sunday, March 4. NRCA's board of directors and Executive Committee will meet, as well as NRCA's affiliate executives.

Monday, March 5, will kick off with the National Roofing Legal Resource Center (NRLRC) Breakfast at the Las Vegas Hilton. The breakfast will feature expert discussion about minimizing immigration law liability and what business owners should do to ensure employees are authorized to work in the U.S.

Panelists for the breakfast include 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.

Also on Monday, ROOFPAC, NRCA's political action committee, will hold its tennis, sporting clays and golf tournaments.

The tennis tournament will be held at ClubSport Green Valley Country Club from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and include a luncheon. The sporting clays tournament will be held at Desert Lake Country Club from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and the golf tournament will be held at Primm Valley Country Club from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Proceeds from these events ­­are used to support pro-business candidates for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

In addition, on Monday, NRCA will offer its educational courses, including Roofing Safety: OSHA 10-hour Program; CERTA Train-the-trainer Program; CERTA Train-the-trainer Reauthorization Program; and SpecRight training session.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) roofing safety program satisfies OSHA's 10-hour construction safety-training requirements, emphasizing OSHA regulations. The Midwest Roofing Contractors Association's certified roofing torch applicator (CERTA) program teaches roofing professionals how to teach the updated CERTA program and certify roofing workers. CERTA's reauthorization program allows authorized CERTA trainers to renew their accreditations, which is required every three years. The SpecRight training session teaches roofing contractors how to design and install energy-efficient roof systems.

On Tuesday, March 6, NRCA will hold its National Roofing Council Luncheon Meeting and NRLRC's board of directors will meet. Also on Tuesday, The Future Executives Institute (FEI) will hold its third and final class for participants in the three-year program.

To kick off Wednesday, March 7, the CNA-sponsored Member Luncheon will take place at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The luncheon will feature Thomas J. Donahue, president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The luncheon will include NRCA officer elections and the 2007 FEI class graduation. In addition, the 2006 Charlie Raymond Award will be presented, and The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress will announce the winners of its Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards.

On Wednesday evening, NRCA's Final Banquet will be held at the Las Vegas Hilton. During the banquet, the J.A. Piper Award, Gold Circle Awards and SpecRight Excellence in Design Award will be presented, and comedian and commentator Chris Bliss will perform his famous juggling act.

Also during the banquet, the winner of the Alliance's sweepstakes for a 2007 Dodge Ram 2500 DH7H42 4WD Quad Cab 160 1/2-inch SLT Truck will be announced. Tickets can be purchased in advance or at NRCA's booth, No. 2336, for $100 each. A maximum of 1,000 tickets will be sold; proceeds will benefit the Alliance's scholarship fund.

NRCA's booth will be on the trade-show floor; NRCA also will have a desk at the registration area at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Attendees can stop by and receive information about NRCA membership, publications and video programs, educational opportunities, NRLRC, the Alliance, FEI, MVP Awards and Gold Circle Awards, among other topics, and speak with NRCA's expert technical staff.

Expo events

International Roofing Expo activities will begin Tuesday, March 6, with educational seminars from 7:45 to 10:45 a.m. The trade show will open at 11 a.m. and close at 5 p.m.

On Tuesday evening, Hanley Wood will host its 2007 Welcome Party at Studio 54 at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino from 5:15 to 7:15 p.m.

Educational sessions will take place Wednesday, March 7, from 7:45 to 11:15 a.m. and Thursday, March 8, from 7:45 to 11:15 a.m. Trade-show hours on Wednesday will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday.

The trade show will include 1,050 booths with 450 exhibiting companies. There will be 45 educational sessions specializing in risk management, technical updates and business practices.

Get ready

NRCA's 120th Annual Convention and the 2007 International Roofing Expo are shaping up to be a success. Be sure to attend—you will leave Las Vegas with valuable knowledge and experiences as a result.

Ashley St. John is editorial assistant of Professional Roofing magazine.



Registration information

To register and make hotel reservations for the 2007 International Roofing Expo and NRCA's 120th Annual Convention, contact Hanley Wood Expositions at (972) 536-6360 or visit www.theroofingexpo.com.

For more information about NRCA events, contact the following:

NRCA: Bennett Judson, NRCA's associate executive director of meetings and convention, at (800) 323-9545, ext. 7513, or bjudson@nrca.net.

ROOFPAC: Mary Mai, NRCA's PAC coordinator, at (800) 323-9545, ext. 7596, or mmai@nrca.net.

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

The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress and sweepstakes: Bennett Judson, the Alliance's executive director, at (800) 323-9545, ext. 7513, or bjudson@roofingindustryalliance.net.

Educational courses: Janice Davis, NRCA's manager of education and risk management, at (800) 323-9545, ext. 7505, or jdavis@nrca.net.

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