The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress Secures the Future Excellence of the Roofing Industry

“This award is an especially important and emotional accomplishment for these workers,” says Tim Rainey, the Alliance’s MVP Task Force chairman and president of Supreme Systems Inc., Dallas. “As an MVP, a worker realizes he or she is valued for being an outstanding performer—not only on the job, but also in his or her community.”

The MVP Awards Program recognizes a maximum of 10 workers, and one winner is chosen to be Professional Roofing’s Best of the Best, an elite recognition and award co-sponsored by OMG Roofing Products, Agawam, Mass. The Best of the Best receives an additional prize awarded by OMG and is featured in a cover story in Professional Roofing.

HELPING OUR OWN

Although originally created to fund technical and educational programs, the Alliance’s funds also have been used for charitable initiatives, including its Helping Our Own Program, which helps those in the roofing industry who have experienced life-altering circumstances, such as injury, illness, disability or death. In 2013, The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress disbursed $12,000 to the three roofing workers who were injured in the Boston Marathon bombing—Marc Fucarile, J.P. Norden and Paul Norden.

All three men were seriously injured in the bombing, and donations from the Alliance and Roofing Industries Marathon Victims Fund, set up by the North/East Roofing Contractors Association, helped in their recovery efforts, including multiple surgeries, being fitted for prosthetic legs and ongoing physical therapy.

AFFECTING THE INDUSTRY

In 2013, The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress committed an additional $200,000 in funding for RoofPoint. Organized around five primary categories of energy management, materials management, water management, durability and life-cycle management, and innovation, RoofPoint provides a detailed roadmap for achieving sustainable low-slope roof systems. Stakeholders have created more than 450 project applications using the online tool.

As the demand for increased energy efficiency of buildings has grown, so have the demands on programs, such as RoofPoint, to provide industry stakeholders with best-practice information about sustainability, including energy efficiency, longevity and durability. The additional funding from the Alliance was invested in promotional and marketing opportunities, which are key to maintaining the rating system’s momentum.

The Alliance also committed $50,000 during a two-year period to develop the data necessary to substantiate compliance of non-adhered roof systems (seam-fastened, mechanically attached single-ply membrane roof systems) with requirements of the International Energy Conservation Code, 2012 Edition. This project is being jointly funded by the Alliance; NRCA; the Canadian Roofing Contractors’ Association, Ottawa; and SPRI, Waltham, Mass.

In addition, in 2007, the Alliance’s $100,000 investment in support of Miami-based Florida International University’s (FIU’s) Wall of Wind has helped FIU mitigate hurricane damage by enhancing building codes, validating innovative mitigation technologies and developing new materials. A full-scale hurricane simulation and destructive testing facility, the Wall of Wind was the first of its kind and allowed researchers, businesses, government agencies and the industry to test and analyze how structures and products perform in hurricane winds up to Category 5 accompanied by wind-driven and flying debris.

The Alliance continues to fund educational and training programs for workers, employers and the public by providing $100,000 to update the NRCA’s Roof Application Training Programs. Each program has been updated to include a module addressing effective training skills, in addition to training DVDs, instructor guides, and student handouts in English and Spanish.

A BRIGHT FUTURE

“The level of investment and commitment from our 144 members speaks volumes about their generosity, commitment and dedication to the industry, which will allow The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress to move forward with an even more aggressive campaign to shape, advance and improve the future of the roofing industry,” says Alliance President Robert McNamara, president of F.J.A. Christiansen Roofing.

“The work of the Alliance is fundamental to the transformation of the roofing industry,” adds Tom Saeli, CEO of Duro-Last Roofing Inc., Saginaw, Mich. “The organization funds important scholarships, sponsors innovative research to advance the roofing industry and partners with members from all walks of the industry who really care about what the future holds. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?”

For more information about how you can make a commitment to The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress and help secure the future of the roofing industry, contact Bennett Judson, executive director of the Alliance, at (847) 493-7513, or visit the Alliance’s website.

About the Author

Alison L. LaValley, CAE
Alison L. LaValley, CAE, is the Rosemont, Ill.-based National Roofing Contractors Association’s Associate Executive Director of Member Services.

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