ROSEMONT, Ill. — The Roofing Alliance, celebrating 25 years as the foundation of the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), announced its Board of Trustees for 2021-2022. Dave Lawlor of ROCKWOOL North America will serve as the new president and Kelly Van Winkle of King of Texas Roofing Company LP will serve as the first female vice president.

The Roofing Alliance mirrors the best of the roofing industry. Made up of roofing professionals including manufacturers, distributors, service providers, and contractors, they sit next to each other with equal voting rights, working on how they can fund important programs, educational initiatives and charitable efforts that advance and elevate the professionalism of the roofing industry. The volunteer leadership are dedicated roofing professionals who offer their combined talents and commitment to guide this important foundation.

Additional announcements at the Roofing Alliance virtual spring meeting beyond incoming new leadership included:

• An increase to 13 scholarships for the number of awarded Melvin Kruger Endowed Scholarships for the Accredited Post-Secondary Institution Scholarship Category. This is an increase from 11 scholarships granted in the previous year.
• Changes were approved to the scholarship program criteria for both the Accredited Post-Secondary Institution Category and the Accredited Career Technical Education Scholarship Category. Eligibility to apply for scholarships was expanded beyond Roofing Alliance and NRCA members to include the larger roofing industry in general. Scholarship applications will also be offered to construction management schools, vocational and technical trade schools associated with SkillsUSA.
• SRS Raise the Roof Foundation will establish a new diversity scholarship with the Roofing Alliance by donating a portion of the proceeds from their upcoming IRE concert event being held during the August International Roofing Expo (IRE) in Las Vegas.  
• Working with Ronald McDonald House Charities®, the Roofing Alliance and hundreds of roofing professionals continue to help maintain the roofs of the 165 existing standalone House programs in the U.S. The Roofing Alliance is looking forward to connecting members with any new House programs that are built. A special event is planned for the fall to recognize and thank all partners and material donors.
• The two winning teams from the 2020-21 Construction Management Student Competition will attend the August IRE® as guests of the Roofing Alliance. Members look forward to connecting with the Clemson University and Colorado State University students. Plans are also underway to identify a project in the New Orleans area for the 2021-22 CM Student Competition.
• A new two-year funding project was approved, “Heat Stress Conditions and Awareness for Roofing Workers.” The Roofing Alliance will be partnering with Dr. Kenneth Sands and his research team at the Department of Construction, U.A. Whitaker College of Engineering, Florida Gulf Coast University.
• The Roofing Alliance continues to partner with: Clemson University in developing “Principles of Roofing from Design to Installation and Beyond, Phase II.” The projected completion date is August 2022. When fully developed, a formal Roofing Certificate Program for both university students and managerial-level industry professionals will be available. The second continuing partnership is with the research team at Mississippi State University, “Evaluating the Efficacy of Virtual Reality Technology for Improving Roofing Workers’ Safety.” When this study is completed in September 2021, a virtual reality model geared at new hires will be available. The goal is to provide an additional resource that can help train new hires by giving them the experience of identifying jobsite hazards and ladder safety before actually going up on the roof. 

For more information on these initiatives and overall information about the Roofing Alliance contact Bennett Judson, the Roofing Alliance’s executive director, at bjudson@roofingalliance.net or visit www.roofingalliance.net.