The first-ever International Roofing Expo, formerly the National Roofing Contractors Association convention and trade show, proved to be a great success.



The first-ever International Roofing Expo, formerly the National Roofing Contractors Association convention and trade show, proved to be a great success. Held Feb. 15-18 in Orlando, Fla., the IRE had a total verified attendance of 7,492 compared to 5,744 at last year's event in San Diego. Attendees came from every segment of the roofing market, including commercial, residential and metal roofing contractors, builders, replacement contractors, remodelers, building owners, facility managers, consultants, architects, designers and other industry professionals. According to Rick McConnell, senior show director for Hanley Wood Expositions, "We are thrilled about the 2005 International Roofing Expo being one of the largest events ever in terms of attendance and exhibits. We look forward to working closely with NRCA and our industry partners to make the 2006 event even bigger and better." Next year's event will be held Feb. 14-16 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

Roofing Contractor was proud to be the IRE's official publication and as part of this honor we published two editions of the official show daily. We thank everyone for their support and positive feedback.

When we weren't busy with these duties, we had plenty of people to see and places to go. See the article on page 74 for "Editor's Choice"-the run-down on some of the new and noteworthy products on the show floor.

NRCA Convention

The NRCA continues to hold its convention during the show, where it elects new officers and presents awards.

During the NRCA Member Breakfast, Rosemary Oldham, GAF Materials Corp., Wayne, N.J., was awarded the Charlie Raymond Award. The award is given to the NRCA member who recruits the most new members during the calendar year. To earn this honor, Oldham recruited 13 new members during 2004.

During NRCA's Awards Gala and Dinner on Thursday, Feb. 17, a number of annual awards were presented. The 58th Annual J.A. Piper Award went to Charles Bechtel of Harold J. Becker Co. Inc., Dayton, Ohio. The 2004 recipient, Michael Beldon, former president of Beldon Roofing Co., San Antonio, presented the award.

The Roofing Industry Alliance for Progress presented its Most Valuable Player Awards to identify and honor outstanding roofing workers. The following are the 2004 winners:

Richard Cazeault, foreman for Paul J. Cazeault & Sons, Osterville, Mass.

Jeremy Decker, lead slate worker for The Durable Slate Co., Columbus, Ohio

John Decker, foreman for Enterprise Roofing Service Inc., Pacheco, Calif.

Michael Green, foreman for Van Winkle Roofing Inc., Rosewell, N.M.

Gary Hall, foreman for American Roofing & Metal Co. Inc., Louisville, Ky.

Joel Hollingworth, quality-control employee for Blue Ribbon Roofing & Siding Inc., Toms River, N.J.

Antonio Martinez, foreman for Denchfield Roofing Corp., Silver Spring, Md.

Dave Miller, foreman for James R. Walls Contracting Co. Inc., Clinton, Md.

Richard Stainbrook, foreman for Heritage Roofing Inc., Waynesboro, Pa.

Ysidro Valenzuela, foreman for Pioneer Roofing Co., Phoenix

Finalists and winners of NRCA's annual Gold Circle Awards were also announced. The Gold Circle Awards recognize NRCA members for outstanding contributions to the roofing industry in four categories: outstanding workmanship, service to the community, innovative solutions and service to the industry. Outstanding workmanship-Low-slope:

Winner: D.C. Taylor Co., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for Cargill Oilseed Facility

Finalist: Kalkreuth Roofing and Sheet Metal, Wheeling, W. Va., for Akron Summit County Library

Outstanding workmanship-Steep-slope:

Winner: J.S. Wagner Roofing Co. Inc., Hyattsville, Md., for John F. Kennedy Department of Justice

Honorable mention: The Durable Slate Co., Columbus, Ohio, for Fair Street Christian Church

Honorable mention: James R. Walls Contracting Co. Inc., Clinton, Md., for a private residence in Easton, Md.

Finalist: Bregenzer Bros. Inc., Hopewell, N.J., for Princeton University renovations to East Pyne

Finalist: Roofers Inc., Baltimore, Md., for Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum

Service to the community:

Winner: Empire Roofing Inc., Fort Worth, Texas, for All Saints Catholic School

Honorable mention: Great Lakes Roofing Corp., Germantown, Wis., for The Christine Center

Special mention: Thermotek Group, Monterrey, Mexico, for Thermotek Group Donation Program

Innovative solutions-New construction:

Winner: Chadwick Technology Pty. Ltd., Forestville, Australia, for Second Bangkok International Airport

Innovative solutions-Reroofing

Winner: James Myers Co., Beltsville, Md., for Murray Building Storefront

Winner: Mason Dixon Building Maintenance, Stewartstown, Pa., for Sheppard Pratt Hospital

Service to the industry

Honorable mention: Chicagoland Roofers' Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC), Indian Head Park, Ill., for Roof Asset Management Seminar.

NRCA also announced the winner of its Excellence in Design Award competition. To qualify, entries had to demonstrate the design of long-lasting, energy-efficient, environmentally friendly roof systems according to accepted industry practices. This year's winner is Prairie Technologies, Rockford, Minn., for the ERSystems and Prairie Technologies Corporate Headquarters.

In addition, NRCA's 2005-06 officers were chosen during the convention.

President: Reid Ribble

Senior vice president: Mark Gaulin

Vice president, two years: Luis Fernandez, Roof Decks of Puerto Rico Inc., San Juan, Puerto Rico; T. Allen Lancaster Jr., Metalcraft Inc., Savannah, Ga.;

William W. Taylor, D.C. Taylor Co., Cedar Rapids, Iowa;

The National Roofing Foundation announced Gary Wolfe, Wolfe Roofing and Sheet Metal Inc., Reading, Pa., was the winner of its raffle for a 2005 BMW Z4 2.5i Roadster. Net proceeds will be used to benefit NRF's scholarship endowment fund.

Finally, NRCA honored its first class of graduates from the Future Executives Institute. The Future Executives Institute is a three-year program designed to help future and current leaders of roofing companies prepare to take over their companies. Following are the program's 2005 graduates:

Bob Bueche, president of Pioneer Roofing Co., Phoenix

Greg Campbell, vice president of sales for John J. Campbell Co., Memphis

Dean Dressen, project manager for Stone Roofing, Azusa, Calif.

Will Hamlin III, general manager, maintenance division for Hamlin Roofing Co., Garner, N.C.

Dan Johnson, vice president of Wayne's Roofing Inc., Sumner, Wash.

J.D. Miles IV, vice president of J.D. Miles & Sons, Chesapeake, Va.

Calandria Palmer, senior project manager for Crown Roofing Services, Kenner, La.

Christopher Reilly, contract manager for Rain Proof Roofing, Anchorage, Alaska

Jeremy Samuels, project manager for R&R Industries, Holly Hill, Fla.

Chris Sprick, foreman for Sprick Roofing Co., Corvallis, Ore.

Rob Springer, vice president of operations and project manager, Springer-Peterson, Eaton Park, Fla.

Douglas Sutter, vice president of Sutter Roofing Co., Sarasota, Fla.

Kyle Thomas, vice president of Thomas Roofing Co., Mobile, Ala.