Related Organizations | The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress |

Alliance Member Updates | December 2007

New member

We'd like to begin by welcoming our newest Alliance member — Rob Kornahrens, Advanced Roofing, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. We look forward to his participation and involvement. Alliance representation currently includes 90 contractors, 28 manufacturers and suppliers and three individuals for a total membership of 121. There are 29 associates who have made one-time contributions.

New scholarship program and fundraising campaign

At the October 2007 Alliance meeting, Bob Delaney, chairman of the Scholarship Task Force, and Bill Good, NRCA's executive vice president, presented the task force's recommendation to create the Melvin Kruger Scholarship Endowment Program. The new program will provide significant scholarships to individuals in the roofing industry or indicating a strong desire to become part of it.

This permanently endowed scholarship program will recognize one of the industry's greatest leaders, Melvin Kruger of L.E. Schwartz & Son Inc., Macon, Ga. Melvin is a former NRCA president, served as a member of the Georgia Education Commission and was a driving force in the creation of the Roofing Industry Educational Institute in 1979. He also was the principal fundraiser at the time the Alliance was established.

The goal of the program is to secure pledges to the new program so commitments will total $2 million by April 2008.

As of this update, the Alliance has received commitments exceeding half of its goal. The Alliance allocated $400,000 from previously collected scholarship contributions to the new fund and committed an additional $250,000 during the next five years. The Alliance also agreed to contribute $25,000 per year thereafter, money that will go directly to providing scholarships.

In addition, our friends at Firestone Building Products Co. LLC committed $250,000 over five years; NRCA committed $100,000; and The Mountain Co. committed the lead contractor gift of $100,000. In all, the new fund has pledges and commitments of $1.175 million — before it's begun any fundraising.

The Task Force, which now is called the Alliance Scholarship Committee, will be developing the eligibility requirements that will be presented to the Alliance at the April 2008 meeting. But generally, scholarship awards will be made in the amount of $5,000 each and may be renewed annually, provided winners re-apply and continue to meet award criteria. The new scholarship program will be in effect beginning with the 2009-10 school year.

New fundraising consultant

The Alliance approved hiring Barbara Talisman, Management Center USA, Chicago, to work with staff and leadership in developing and implementing major fundraising efforts. Barbara has more than 20 years of experience in the fundraising development field. Her firm is small but has aligned with a larger, international firm. Barbara will be our contact from start to finish with the fundraising efforts and will accompany solicitation teams on visits as needed.

Barbara will be concentrating on general fundraising as well as fundraising for the new Melvin Kruger Scholarship Endowment Program.

Current project/program updates

Penn State

Solar Decathlon
The Penn State Team, sponsored by the Alliance, was awarded fourth place overall in the 2007 Solar Decathlon. The MorningStar home now is being prepared for a temporary setup on the Penn State campus where it will be used as a teaching and research facility. It is expected that the home will be open by March 1, 2008. Plans also are in progress for a 2009 Solar Decathlon entry by Penn State.

High-performance Roofing
The first activity of this effort was the organization of a panel discussion at the 2007 EcoBuild Federal Conference. The panel discussion was moderated by David Riley, director at Penn State Center for sustainability, and included key members of NRCA. The focus of the discussion was key lessons and new directions for the roofing industry in the development of green and energy efficient roof systems. Plans also are in place to formalize the relationship between Penn State and NRCA through the development of a formal collaboration with the Building Envelope Research Lab (BERL) housed in the Architectural Engineering program at Penn State. The role of the BERL lab and faculty will be to maintain communication between NRCA and various Penn State entities and assist in the identification and management of future research projects.

If you have questions about either project, contact David Riley at driley@engr.psu.edu.

Evaluation of the Green Roof "R-Value" at Penn State
The overall long-term goal of this project is to develop an R-value for green roof systems, which will allow comparison of green roof system thermal performance to the performance of other typical building materials. In the present study, Dr. Jelena Srebric, associate professor of architectural engineering at Penn State, reports she is measuring the heat transfer through green roof system samples in controlled laboratory environment. The existing laboratory had to be upgraded with additional measurement equipment and modification of the acquisition and control systems to include the updates. Since the previous report in September 2007, the selection, purchase and integration of experimental equipment are completed. The most important part that was acquired is a highly accurate and sensitive scale to continuously weigh the green roof system test sample during the experiments. This was a crucial piece of equipment to complement the existing acquisition equipment because it enables indirect measurements of evapotranspiration. The experimental setup enables direct or indirect measurements of all heat transfer mechanisms relevant for the green roof system sample, which are evapotranspirtation, radiation, convection and conduction. In this final laboratory setup, evapotranspirtation is going to be measured by three approaches, which are based on changes in the weight of a green roof system sample; changes in the volumetric water content of the media; and the water vapor mass balance at the supply and the exhaust of the environmental chamber. The most reliable evapotranspiration measurement is based on the sample weight with the new scale.

For the next phase, Dr. Srebric is developing a detailed experimental plan. She will start preliminary experiments in December and the full experimental activities will begin in January 2008.

Helping Our Own Program
To date, there have not been any nominations submitted for the Helping Our Own Program. However, the members of the Balanced Program Committee feel strongly that the program has merit and potential to make a difference in the industry. It is not unusual for a program of this type to take some time to get off the ground. But once it does, it can be a worthwhile and rewarding experience — not only for the recipients but also for the organization providing financial assistance.

One important stipulation of the program is that nominations are to be submitted through Alliance members. This does not mean that the individuals in need must be from Alliance member firms. (They certainly can be and are eligible.) However, if you know of people within your community, from organizations that you may be involved with, from other roofing industry firms in your area or from customers — they are eligible. Also, check with your local affiliates — perhaps they know of individuals who meet the requirements of the program. The nominations for any individuals need to be submitted through an Alliance member.

A revised brochure with details on the program and instructions about how to submit nominations was mailed to Alliance members with the October 2007 meeting minutes. Both also are available on the Alliance Web site.

Florida International University "Wall of Wind"
The Alliance approved $100,000 in sponsorship funding for the development of a full-scale destructive testing facility — the "Wall of Wind" — by the International Hurricane Research Center (IHRC) of Florida International University, which will help to revolutionize the construction industry and help make communities safer. This first-of-its-kind testing facility will rigorously subject residential housing, low-rise commercial buildings and building components to hurricane-force winds and rain. Such testing will lead to the development of more effective building codes, new construction technologies, innovative designs and advanced building products. The "Wall of Wind" building campaign provides a unique opportunity for industry associations and companies to have a significant affect on advancing hurricane mitigation research and its direct application to the construction industry. The university will receive matching funds from Florida for the Alliance's $100,000 gift.

When completed, this funding will qualify the Alliance for permanent universitywide recognition as a member of the Torch Society, a prestigious giving society and donor recognition program that honors the university's most generous benefactors. IHRC will provide the Alliance with any additional recognition and privileges afforded to donors to the campaign for the International Hurricane Research Center at the same level.

The Alliance will select a representative who will serve on its behalf on IHRC's industry advisory council and will provide input and feedback to further the applied research mission.

"A Study on Reducing MDs in the Roofing Industry"
Thomas Glavinich completed an ergonomics study and presented the key findings from his final draft of the report to the Alliance members at the October 2007 meeting.

The final report soon will be in the print production process and will be available by the April 2008 Alliance meeting. Alliance member firms will receive one complimentary copy. Additional copies will be available for sale through NRCA's bookstore.

2007-08 Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards Program
A total of 34 Most Valuable Player (MVP) nominations were received for the 2007-08 program. This compares to 39 received for the 2006-07 program and 47 the year before that. The Alliance MVP Task Force met in Rosemont, Ill., Dec. 13 to select the winners for this year's program. Two winners were selected as Professional Roofing's "best of the best". They will be highlighted in a special issue of Professional Roofing.

The 9 MVP winners will receive complimentary round-trip airfare to Las Vegas, two nights' accommodations at the Flamingo Hotel, registration to the International Roofing Expo, and tickets to the NRCA luncheon on Friday, Feb. 22, 2008, where they will be publicly acknowledged and a $100 American Express gift certificate.

SpecRight
The current classroom program is being updated for use as an online educational program, plus a new module about photovoltaic technology is being developed. Course information will not change, just the learning format used — sequence, methods and timing. Each learning module's content is being scripted with pictures or video to enhance the educational experience. All learning modules will continue to include learning objectives that mirror the face-to-face program, including selling features of energy efficiency and cost savings. Currently, the educational team is working to produce an instructional design draft so our vendor can produce a technical script. The new scope and sequence for the Online SpecRight program includes the following: Introduction and Learning Objectives; Energy Reduction in Buildings: Challenges and Opportunities; Roof Design: Exceeding Minimum Energy Standards and Codes; Sustainability—The Drivers (LEED, Energy Star) and The Tools (Energy Calculators); EnergyWise Case Study; Green Roofing; Photovoltaic Technology; and Examination.

NRCA's 121st Annual Convention and International Roofing Expo

The Alliance will have a separate booth (#1325) on the trade show floor of the International Roofing Expo in Las Vegas. The booth will be located next to the National Roofing Legal Resource Center booth and across the aisle from the NRCA booth. Alliance staff will be manning the booth, but we also will be asking for Alliance leadership and members to volunteer time in the booth throughout the week.

An Alliance member reception will be held Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Shadow Bar at Caesars Palace. Invitations with details will be sent out in January. Space is limited, so please respond by the due date noted in the invitation.

Next Alliance meeting

The next Alliance meeting will be April 17-19, 2008, at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Sarasota, Fla. Detailed meeting information and response forms will be sent out in late January.

For more information on any items included in the update, contact:

Bennett Judson
Executive Director
The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress
10255 W. Higgins, Suite 600
Rosemont, Ill. 60018-5607
Phone: (800) 323-9545, ext. 7513
Fax: (847) 493-7959
E-mail: bjudson@roofingindustryalliance.net
www.roofingindustryalliance.net