Two compelling issues have dominated the roofing industry's agenda this past year, and NRCA has taken some important steps to address them.
The first issue is how the roofing industry can position itself in light of the green building movement, which involves the increased importance attached to the built environment for energy conservation and environmental stewardship. Early in 2008, NRCA announced the formation of the Center for Environmental Innovation in Roofing, which is a new, membership-based organization designed to collect information, encourage research and act as the industry's advocate regarding all matters surrounding roofing, energy and the environment.
The center has been incredibly well-received, with six roofing materials manufacturers and seven roofing contractors agreeing to act as founding members and making significant financial commitments. The center is now fully operational with an office in Washington, D.C., and Craig Silvertooth, previously with NRCA's Washington, D.C., office, is serving as its executive director. We expect to see the center take on an increasingly important role as additional emphasis is placed on environmentally friendly building design and more public policy initiatives to encourage those designs.
The second large issue facing the roofing industry is the work force: Where will the next generation of roofing workers come from, and how will we train and retain them? The issue is complicated; to address it properly, the industry must have good recruiting strategies and training programs, and the U.S. must have a reasonable immigration policy.
Unfortunately, our federal immigration policy is a mess, and one outcome of Congress' failure to enact reasonable immigration reform legislation has been the enactment of punitive immigration laws at the state—and even municipal—level. NRCA has responded to these laws, as well as rules proposed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Our goal, as it has been for several years, is to arrive at a national immigration policy that secures our borders, allows for a reasonable flow of workers into industries like ours and makes a reasonable accommodation for the 12 million undocumented workers currently in the U.S.
But immigration is only one part of the work force issue. We know we must upgrade our education and training efforts to find workers who will remain in the industry long term, and NRCA has responded by launching our first-ever online training program, Roofing 101. This interactive program, available 24/7, is designed for those new to the industry and leads to a certificate of completion once an examination is successfully taken. More online programs are in the works and will be available later this year.
Most of the other metrics we use to evaluate our year-end performance are positive. Membership is up once again—even during a difficult economy. Several new publications were completed, and the first of our performance criteria documents is ready for publication. Research programs on green roofs and photovoltaic roofs are ongoing at Penn State University, University Park, Pa., thanks to a grant from The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress. And the Alliance's new Melvin Kruger Endowed Scholarship Program has received funding commitments exceeding $1.5 million, which means the Alliance will be able to provide between 10 and 20 $5,000 scholarships annually for postsecondary study to people coming from the roofing industry.
These are exciting times for the roofing industry, and we've been incredibly fortunate to have had the skilled leadership of NRCA President Bob Daly during this past year. His has not been an easy year; nevertheless, it is one that will long be regarded as a crucial year of transformation. He deserves your gratitude.
Sincerely,
Bill Good
NRCA Executive Vice President