As part of the program, a special hotline is being established at Elk's headquarters and NRCA members who experience difficulties with Elk products or services are guaranteed priority service. Calls will first be routed to NRCA's Technical Services Section so NRCA will be able to provide appropriate follow-up; then calls will be sent to Elk.

"We think the program sets a new industry standard," says Bill Good, NRCA's executive vice president. "It shows not only that Elk is dedicated to improving the industry, but also that the company has complete confidence in its product line and service support. It's comforting for NRCA members to know they have special access to resolving problems if and when they occur."

"We take pride in providing excellent customer service to our contractors," says Richard Nowak, chief executive officer of Elk. "The NRCA hotline is yet another way Elk is taking customer service to a higher level."

According to Mark Graham, NRCA's associate director of technical services, all of the details have not been worked out as to how an ongoing or expanding program will be funded. It will be available to other roofing manufacturers who are also NRCA members, and NRCA is already speaking with of them about similar programs. Graham tells Roofing Contractor that this pilot program stems from a meeting between senior leaders from NRCA and Elk. NRCA routinely meets with key industry executives to gain insights as to how NRCA can serve its associate members and what things associate members can do to benefit of NRCA contractor members.