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Solar company offers White House PV panels

According to The San Francisco Chronicle, Oakland, Calif.-based Sungevity has sent a letter to President Obama offering to install photovoltaic (PV) panels on the White House roof for free. Former President Carter installed PV panels on the White House in 1979, but they were dismantled in 1986.

To gain Obama's support, Sungevity has launched the Globama campaign, which features a petition that supporters can sign; the petition is available at www.solaronthewhitehouse.com. The company states it will send the petition to the president once it has received 10,000 signatures.

Sungevity representatives claim the company's 102-panel, 17.85-kilowatt rooftop PV system would reduce the White House's electric bills 81 percent, or $1,610, per month.

According to Sungevity, the campaign's goal is "to drive awareness of the ease and affordability now available to homeowners and the dramatic effects it can have on not only slowing global warming but also saving consumers money on their monthly power bill."

SBA proposes higher surety bond guarantees

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has proposed changes, including higher surety bond guarantee limits, aimed at helping construction and service sector firms secure larger contracts for work performed in areas affected by disasters.

The proposed changes, which were published April 26 as part of a Proposed Rule in The Federal Register, include:

• For a nonfederal contract or order up to $5 million, a bond guarantee may be issued if the products will be manufactured or the services performed in the disaster area.
• For a federal contract or order up to $5 million, the performance site can be outside the disaster area if the contract or order directly will assist the disaster recovery efforts.
• For a federal contract or order, the amount of the guarantee can be as much as $10 million at the request of the head of an agency that is involved with reconstruction efforts.

"These proposed changes are one more way we can help small businesses, particularly in the construction and service sectors, compete for and win critical contracting opportunities that help them grow their business and create jobs," says SBA Administrator Karen Mills. "Additionally, these proposals would help spur economic growth and recovery in areas that have been hard hit by disasters, bringing jobs and economic activity to a region at a time when it is needed most."

For more information about SBA's Surety Bond Guarantee Program, visit www.sba.gov/osg or call (800) U-ASK-SBA (827-5722).

Roofing contractors organize Kansas Roofing Association

A group of 10 Kansas roofing contractors has organized the Kansas Roofing Association, an organization that will focus on improving the status of roofing professionals throughout Kansas by directing attention to local issues, addressing training and safety needs, and fostering communication among all roofing industry segments. Association membership is open to roofing contractors and providers of roofing industry services and products. Voting members must be domiciled in Kansas.

Kurt Steinkuhler, president of Geo Groh & Sons, Emporia, Kan., has been named the organization's president; Steve Douglass, president of D.V. Douglass Roofing Inc., Garden City, Kan., has been named vice president; and Jeff DeMott, president of Martin Roofing Co. Inc., Wichita, Kan., has been named secretary/treasurer.

Kim Swartzendruber, former executive director of the Midwest Roofing Contractors Association, will be the group's executive director, and Kurt Baumgartner, chief executive officer of Martin Roofing, will serve as adviser.

More information is available at www.kansasroofingassociation.org or by calling Swartzendruber at (785) 393-4478.

Manufacturing leads economic recovery

BusinessWeek reports manufacturing has begun to lead the U.S. economy in reviving the labor market. From Jan. 1 to March 30, manufacturers added 45,000 workers to payrolls, the largest three-month gain in the industry since the period of March 2004 to May 2004.

Department of Labor figures from April 2 indicate an increase of 17,000 workers at factories during March was part of a 162,000 overall employment increase, the largest in three years. According to BusinessWeek, the rise in manufacturing employment underscores data that indicate factories are increasing production as their customers invest in equipment, replenish inventories and export more goods.

"[Manufacturing is] now adding jobs directly and probably indirectly, as well, since some service sector workers are doing work for manufacturers," says Nigel Gault, chief U.S. economist at IHS Global Insight, Lexington, Mass. "If they're doing work for a manufacturer, then really that job was created by manufacturing."

The construction industry also received good news in March: Construction hiring increased in 26 states during that month, according to state employment figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Throughout the U.S., 15,000 construction jobs were added during March, which indicates the industry's first net gain since June 2007.

Details

Nick Sabino

What is your position within your company?
I am president of Deer Park Roofing Inc., Cincinnati

What is the most unusual roofing project you've performed?
We installed a roof system on a 162,000-square-foot indoor water park. Every aspect of the job was unusual, including the profit margin.

Why did you become a roofing contractor?
I owned an apartment building that housed several roofing workers. They had a hard time finding work during the winter months, so I tried to find work for them. My career as a roofing salesman had begun!

What was your first roofing experience?
I helped my dad install a roof system on a farmhouse we built in in 1986.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
At the age of 10, I was breeding birds and selling them to pet stores, so I wanted to be an ornithologist.

What is your favorite television show?
Anything my wife and I can agree on, usually "Deadliest Catch"

If you could invite any three people (dead or alive) to dinner, whom would you invite and why?
Warren Buffet, John Daly and St. Peter. We could have a drink and talk about business and religion.

What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
Getting people to take responsibility for their actions and not make excuses

What three condiments are always in your fridge?
Horseradish, honey mustard and relish

What quality do you most like in a person?
I like a good listener.

What is your biggest pet peeve?
Employees who throw cigarette butts on the ground

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
There is no place I'd rather go to than the Cintas Center for a Xavier Musketeers basketball game. I love my alma mater.

List three words that best describe you.
Intuitive, analytical and impatient

What is your roofing industry involvement?
I currently am on NRCA's board of directors.

People would be surprised to know …
I had juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

ABC Supply will acquire Bradco Supply

ABC Supply Co. Inc., Beloit, Wis., has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Avenel, N.J.-based Bradco Supply Corp. The companies' boards of directors have approved the purchase and expect it to close by the end of the month; the transaction is subject to regulatory approvals.

This is ABC Supply's first large acquisition since the death of its co-founder, Ken Hendricks, Dec. 21, 2007. The acquisition is the largest in ABC Supply's history, and the combined company will operate 479 locations in 45 states and Washington, D.C., with combined sales of more than $4 billion.

"The acquisition of Bradco continues the dream that Ken and I both shared since the company's founding in 1982," says Diane Hendricks, ABC Supply's owner, co-founder and chairman of the board. "I believe that this is the ideal time for this acquisition as it establishes a strong foundation for our next phase of growth."

"Since its founding by Barry Segal in 1966, Bradco has been recognized for world-class customer service," says David Luck, ABC Supply's president and chief executive officer. "We feel fortunate and appreciative to have the opportunity to bring its 129 branches together with ABC Supply. We look forward to welcoming the Bradco team into the ABC family. We are confident that this combination will greatly improve our customer service and create enhanced opportunities for both companies' associates."

Encourage employee suggestions

Employee suggestions can be useful in determining and implementing needed change in your business, but employees will only feel comfortable making suggestions if your workplace is receptive to their input. Following are some suggestions for how to encourage employee suggestions:

• Describe your expectations. Employees will respond better if they know what you're looking for. Consider asking that suggestions be grouped into categories such as cost-cutting, safety or customer service, but try not to limit employees' creativity.
• Define the review process. Make sure employees know what happens to suggestions they slip into a suggestion box. Developing and posting a flow chart outlining the review process can assure employees their suggestions won't be ignored as well as give them an idea regarding how long a response may take.
• Put someone in charge. A manager with good employee rapport should be put in charge of the suggestion program. He or she should make suggestion forms available to employees and encourage employees to submit ideas.

Source: Adapted from The Motivational Manager, April issue