This year's return to the City of Lights from the Big Easy proved to be a success for NRCA's 124th Annual Convention, held Feb. 14-18, and Hanley Wood's 2011 International Roofing Expo (IRE), held Feb. 16-18, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
More than 8,000 people attended this year's IRE, an 18 percent increase from the 2010 show in New Orleans. A total of 879 booths filled the trade show floor, and of the 394 exhibiting companies, 101 were either first-time exhibitors or companies that had not exhibited in several years.
The week also was filled with various NRCA and IRE events, including the National Roofing Legal Resource Center's (NRLRC's) annual breakfast, ROOFPAC's golf and Wii™ golf tournaments, NRCA's annual luncheon and awards banquet, and IRE's Community Service Day.
Legal lowdown
NRLRC's Annual Breakfast Program was held Tuesday, Feb. 15. The program, "Roofing Failures at Their Finest," addressed such topics as TPO membrane performance, ASTM International updates, water-based bonding adhesive problems, cover board issues and on-site FM 1-52 field uplift testing results.
The panel of speakers, which addressed 120 attendees, included Rene Dupuis, president of Structural Research Inc., Middleton, Wis.; Mark Graham, NRCA's associate executive director of technical services;
Dick Baxter, president of CRS of Monroe Inc., Monroe, N.C.; and Stephen Phillips, a partner with the Atlanta-based law firm Hendrick, Phillips, Salzman & Flatt.
Political action
Also on Tuesday, Feb. 15, ROOFPAC, NRCA's political action committee, held its annual golf tournament, sponsored by Denver-based Johns Manville, at Angel Park Golf Course. The tournament, which was held to raise money for ROOFPAC and support pro-business candidates, raised $125,840.
Eric Fitzsimmons, software developer for Cantor Gaming, Las Vegas, finished in first place; Deryl Kratzer, president of Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance, Beachwood, Ohio, came in second; and Brian Dembowski, territory sales manager for Johns Manville, Phoenix, came in third.
ROOFPAC also held its first Wii golf tournament and hole-in-one challenge at its IRE booth. Scott Kawulok, executive project manager of B&M Roofing of Colorado, Frederick, won the hole-in-one challenge, which was sponsored by GAF Materials Corp., Wayne, N.J.
On Thursday, Feb. 17, ROOFPAC also held a Wii shootout to determine the winners of the Wii golf tournament; the shootout was sponsored by Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance. Jim Gossrau, general manager of C.A.B. Supply Inc., O'Fallon, Mo., won first place.
Giving back
The IRE's second annual Community Service Day also was held Feb. 15. The IRE, NRCA's Community Service and Disaster Relief Fund Committee, and Rebuilding Together,® NRCA's national charity partner, partnered with 40 IRE participants to give back to the Las Vegas community. The volunteers performed renovations on the homes of two elderly veterans—Jack Brown and Bruce Dahlin. Brown is an 87-year-old disabled veteran who has lived with his wife, Patricia, in the house for 48 years. Dahlin is 60 years old and unemployed.
In December 2010, crew members from Commercial Roofers Inc., Las Vegas, gave the Browns a new roof system. Working in advance of Community Service Day, the crew tore off the existing asphalt shingle roof system on the Browns' home and installed a new one. Toledo, Ohio-based Owens Corning donated the shingles for the project. On Community Service Day, volunteers repaired Dahlin's roof and landscaped and repainted the exteriors of both houses.
A rewarding experience
Thursday, Feb. 17, was a day of recognition for NRCA members as NRCA held its annual luncheon, sponsored by CNA Insurance Cos., Chicago, and later in the evening held its cocktail and awards reception to honor its award recipients.
The luncheon speaker was Dave Carey, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, retired Navy captain and author of The Way We Choose, Lessons for Life from a POW's Experience.
During the luncheon, John Miller, one of the founding members of Tecta America Corp., Skokie, Ill., and a former NRCA president, was presented with the 64th annual J.A. Piper Award, the roofing industry's most prestigious honor. First presented in 1948, the J.A. Piper Award, named for former NRCA President Joseph A. Piper, recognizes roofing professionals who have devoted constant, outstanding service to NRCA and the roofing industry.
Miller is former president of San Francisco-based Western Roofing Services and a former Tecta America board member. He also served as president of the Associated Roofing Contractors of the Bay Area Counties and has served as a director, officer and senior vice president of NRCA.
"John is a visionary and saw an opportunity to help form a national roofing company where others had tried and failed," said Dane Bradford, the 2009 J.A. Piper Award recipient and president of Bradford Roof Management Inc., Billings, Mont., as he presented the award. "As one of the founding members of Tecta America, he truly helped to reshape the face of the U.S. roofing industry."
On Thursday evening, NRCA held its cocktail and awards reception to recognize the 2011 graduates of its Future Executives Institute (FEI), recipients of NRCA's 2011 Charlie Raymond Award and Gold Circle Awards, The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress' 2011 Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards and Professional Roofing's Best of the Best Award.
NRCA's FEI program is a three-year educational program designed to develop the management and leadership skills of future and current roofing company leaders. For a list of the 2011 graduates, see NRCA Resources, page 54.
Each year, the Charlie Raymond Award is presented to an NRCA manufacturer member and contractor member for their efforts to recruit NRCA members.
This year's Charlie Raymond Award contractor winner was Nelson Braddy, president of King of Texas Roofing Co., Grand Prairie. Braddy was honored for always working passionately to promote the benefits of NRCA membership. This year's manufacturer award winner was GAF Materials Corp., Wayne, N.J., for recruiting 23 new members and for continuing to reach out to the contractor community and actively promote the importance and value of NRCA membership.
The Charlie Raymond Award is named for former NRCA President and J.A. Piper Award winner Charlie Raymond, who first became chairman of NRCA's Membership Committee when the association had only 328 members and is responsible for recruiting many more. Raymond recruited NRCA's 1,000th member in 1973.
NRCA also announced the winners of its 2011 Gold Circle Awards, which are presented to NRCA member companies that have made significant contributions to the roofing industry in the following categories: Outstanding Workmanship—Low-slope, Outstanding Workmanship—Steep-slope, Innovative Solutions—New Construction, Innovative Solutions—Reroofing, Service to the Community and Service to the Industry.
Following are this year's Gold Circle Award winners:
Additionally, Black Roofing Inc., Boulder, Colo., won the Gold Circle Safety Award for its work at the Denver Art Museum. The Gold Circle Safety Award is awarded to accident-free projects where public protection challenges were in the forefront of the job elements and dominated the scope of work, demanding creative safety solutions, implementation of safety procedures that were uniquely challenging or extensively involved multiple trades.
Also during the cocktail and awards reception, The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress announced the winners of its 11th annual MVP Awards. The MVP Awards program recognizes and honors outstanding roofing workers from various U.S. regions. Winners are chosen based on their significant contributions in one or more of the following areas: outstanding on-the-job performance; on-the-job safety performance; contributions to a team effort; community service and volunteerism; and other noteworthy contributions and activities.
For a complete list of the Alliance's 2011 MVP Award winners, see NRCA Resources, March issue, page 51, or visit www.roofingindustryalliance.net.
Additionally, The Alliance presented George Denton, superintendent for Supreme Systems Inc., Dallas, with Professional Roofing's Best of the Best Award, a category of the MVP Awards co-sponsored by OMG Roofing Products Inc., Agawam, Mass. To read more about Denton, see "Recognizing the extraordinary," page 28.
Taking the lead
During the convention, NRCA members also voted to approve the association leadership for 2011-12. Kent Tolley, vice president of Quality Tile Roofing Inc., Boise, Idaho, was named NRCA president, making him the first NRCA president from the state of Idaho. Bruce McCrory, co-owner and secretary/treasurer of Kiker Corp., Mobile, Ala., was named senior vice president. Tolley and McCrory will begin serving their one-year terms June 1.
Additionally, Braddy; Dennis Conway, owner of Commercial Roofers Inc., Las Vegas; and Don Kennedy, president of Don Kennedy Roofing Co. Inc., Nashville, Tenn., were elected vice presidents and will begin serving their two-year terms June 1.
NRCA's 13 new directors also were elected. For a complete list of the 2011-12 board of directors, see NRCA Resources, page 54.
What's to come
This year's convention and expo made a major comeback in Las Vegas, welcoming new exhibitors and seeing a large increase in attendance from the 2010 gathering in New Orleans. The growth is sure to continue next year when NRCA's 125th Annual Convention and the 2012 IRE head to Orlando, Fla., Feb. 20-24, 2012.
Beth Wang is Professional Roofing's editorial assistant.
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