NRCA's partnerships are valuable, helping to efficiently serve its members and the
roofing industry. The association's partnerships remained strong during 2010-11.
NRCA once again partnered with Hanley Wood to hold the 2011 International Roofing
Expo (IRE)® and NRCA's 124th Annual Convention Feb. 14-18 in Las Vegas. IRE's
trade show had 8,139 attendees—an increase of nearly 18 percent compared with
the 2010 IRE—and 394 exhibiting companies. The convention included educational
programs, and NRCA recognized its newly elected slate of officers for 2011-12.
Additionally, NRCA and Rebuilding Together® held Community Service Day Feb.
15 to give back to the Las Vegas community. Forty volunteers renovated two homes
of elderly veterans.
NRCA continues to work with Rebuilding Together during its Kickoff to Rebuild event
each year, when volunteers rehabilitate the homes of low-income homeowners in conjunction
with the Super Bowl. NRCA and Rebuilding Together and its more than 200 local and
state affiliates also provide roof system repairs for service members, veterans
and military families through two partnership programs—Heroes at Home and Serving
Those Who Serve. Both programs focus on making necessary repairs, improvements or
modifications to veterans' and soldiers' homes.
NRCA's Center for Environmental Innovation in Roofing is a separate 501(c)(6) organization
that promotes developing and using environmentally responsible, high-performance
roof systems. Located in Washington, D.C., the center endeavors to advance innovative
solutions to energy and environmental challenges by coordinating and encouraging
objective research; serving as a repository for environmental information; expanding
market opportunities; participating in science-based advocacy; and coordinating
environmental standards and codes.
NRCA's Affiliate Executives Council is a forum for NRCA affiliate executives, allowing
them to exchange information and ideas and become more involved in NRCA while also
improving communication. The council met during NRCA's Midyear Meetings in July
2010 and the 2011 IRE in Las Vegas in February to address issues and voice opinions
regarding matters being considered by NRCA's board of directors and committees.
The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress is a separate but related educational
and research organization of NRCA.
The Alliance has allocated more than $3 million in funding to conduct research and
educational projects that support high-quality programs for roofing contractors;
ensure timely and forward-thinking industry responses to major economic and technological
issues; and enhance the long-term viability and attractiveness of the industry for
roofing workers.
It awarded a $750,000 grant to the Center for Environmental Innovation in Roofing
to co-sponsor the development of RoofPoint,™ a new guideline and rating system
for selecting roof systems that maximize energy efficiency and minimize environmental
impact.
The grant will provide the center critical resources to expand RoofPoint's development
and public launch. A pilot program has begun, and based on the experience gained
during the pilot program, a final RoofPoint draft for public use then will be developed.
Through its Melvin Kruger Endowed Scholarship Program, the Alliance awarded the
four new scholarships for the 2010-11 school year to Gabriella Abbondanza, Joseph
Baker, Alexis Belote and Charanya Kaushik and approved three renewals in the Melvin
Kruger Endowed Scholarship program and four from the previous scholarship program.
The Melvin Kruger Endowed scholarship recipients received $5,000 each for their
enrollment in accredited universities. Eligible participants must be employees of
NRCA member contractor or supplier companies or immediate family members of employees
of NRCA member contractor or supplier companies. The scholarships may be renewed
annually provided recipients reapply and continue to meet award criteria.
Established by NRCA as a separately funded organization in 1979, the National Roofing
Legal Resource Center (NRLRC) acts as a legal advocate for roofing contractors throughout
the U.S. NRLRC recruited 44 new members this year, as well as had an 80 percent
retention rate and a total membership of 400.
During the 2011 IRE, NRLRC held its annual breakfast program, Roofing Failures at
Their Finest. During the breakfast, NRLRC's expert panel educated roofing contractors
regarding how to limit their liability and protect themselves from various legal,
technical and employment problems, including an in-depth analysis on TPO membrane
performance; ASTM International update; and discussion of water-based bonding adhesive
problems, cover board issues and on-site FM field uplift testing (1-52) results.
NRLRC members received a complimentary copy of the
OSHA Citation Defense Manual
as a membership benefit. This manual helped members become more knowledgeable about
the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations most pertinent
to roofing contractors. It also helped them become familiar with OSHA procedures,
practices and terms; better prepared to handle OSHA inspections and respond to citations;
and better equipped to defend themselves against alleged violations and improper
citations more economically.
NRLRC's 31st annual seminar, Roofing Issues: Decks to Dockets, was held in San Antonio
Nov. 4-6, 2010. The seminar hosted 75 attendees who learned about legal, technical
and safety issues and shared ideas and best practices.
ConsensusDOCS, contract documents intended to benefit the construction industry
by providing model contract language drafted with industrywide participation, has
an agreement with NRCA to offer member pricing on its contract documents series.
The contract documents series includes general contracting (200 Series), collaborative
documents (300 Series), design-build (400 Series), construction management at risk
(500 Series), subcontracting (700 Series) and program management (800 Series).
NRCA and BuildSite LLC, Oakland, Calif., offer The Roofing Industry Product Center
as part of an NRCA/BuildSite Industry Information Center, which is accessible from
www.nrca.net and
www.buildsite.com and acts as an integrated single source for product and
technical information to support NRCA members' daily activities.
The Roofing Industry Product Center is a BuildSite-powered database containing information
about roofing materials manufacturers and their products. The database is searchable
by manufacturer, product category or distributor location and provides links to
important documents such as product data, material safety data sheets, installation
details and International Code Council reports.
NRCA added Choice Hotels International, Silver Spring, Md., as an affinity partner
and membership benefit. Choice Hotels International will provide NRCA members with
direct reservations, significant discounts and the fastest-growing hotel rewards
program with more than 11 million members worldwide. Choice Hotels International
brands include Comfort Inn,® Sleep Inn,® Rodeway Inn® and Suburban Extended
Stay Hotels.