As I was saying ...

For the 121st time, NRCA has made the transition from one president to another without any bloodshed. As unremarkable as this may seem, the fact that we are able to carry on without disruption from year to year tells an important story about the association.

And the story is: There is remarkable cohesion among your elected roofing contractor leaders. I attribute this to at least three factors:

• For the most part, we are able to bring together competitive people who have the opportunity to work closely with noncompetitors. This makes for friendly, lively conversation.
• We deal with multiyear issues. We can't afford to change our agenda drastically every year nor would it make sense. NRCA's leaders understand that.
• We have been lucky to attract the industry's best and brightest to positions of leadership. Mostly, I think, this is because they take satisfaction from seeing an improved roofing industry.

In this issue of the magazine, you will read an interesting profile about the 121st NRCA president, Mark Gaulin, president of Magco Inc., Jessup, Md., a Tecta America company. His personal story is compelling—just like the 120 stories before him. Gaulin's career has included working for a manufacturer, working for another contractor and being part of the industry's only successful consolidation. It's a combination of skills that will serve NRCA—and the industry—well.

NRCA's previous president, Reid Ribble, president of The Ribble Group, Kaukauna, Wis., estimates he was away from his office 120 days for NRCA business during his term. It's a demanding job, and if we were to double the president's salary, it still would be zero. Still, Ribble understands industry relationships are a key ingredient to the association's success, and he's made an incredible effort to be sure our relationships are not just intact but flourishing.

As we look to the upcoming NRCA year, we see an industry that is healthy and an association whose agenda is almost entirely proactive. We're supporting legislation rather than fighting new laws in Washington, D.C.; we're also moving forward with our SpecRight Program and telling the story about why quality roofs matter; and we're developing a host of new educational and training materials.

Once again, it will be a fun ride. And you'll be in good hands.

Bill Good is NRCA's executive vice president.